Sony has a way about changing the formatting of typing up their system name. First with the PLAYSTATION3, then PlayStation 3. We had the PSP Go, which is now the PSPgo. Either way, they’ve got a new iteration of their handheld out now and we want to hear from you. Will you be dropping ducats on this beast? Hit up the weekend poll and let us know.
Personally, I’m on the fence. My biggest gripe with the PSP is the ergonomics, which cause my hands to cramp up after a short period of time. I’d like to sit down and play through for a longer period of time, but the analog nub placement is awkward for my baby hands. The PSPgo certainly solves that problem, but leaves me high and dry for all the games I already own, which is a big no-no.
Now that you know how I feel, cast your vote and let us know your thoughts in the comments. Oh, and unlike the picture above, it’s not obligatory to hold the thing next to your yam bag.
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With the launch of the PSP Go today, Sony has gone ahead and release firmware v6.10 for the system. Whether you’re rocking the old school PSP or the new PSP Go, fire up your internet connection and grab the new firmware. Most notably, you’ll be able to tether your cell phone to your PSP Go with Bluetooth to get internet access when you can’t find a WiFi connection. Pretty cool, as long as you pay extra for a tethering plan or have a phone that supports it (sorry US iPhone users at the moment).
Media Go, the PC based application which allows you to access the PlayStation Store and sync music, movies, and photos to your PSP is being updated as well. An all new interface is being added to make it easier to browse all the goods to download. Since Sony is promising and explosion of content for the PSP Go, being able to browse easily is key. Now if only they’d release this for the Mac…
Lastly, Sony is introducing SensMe channels which scan all music added via Media Go to and put them into one of 12 categories (such as “Relax” or “Newly Added”). Some people may find it worthwhile, but I don’t see myself using SensMe on my PSP.
Damn, Sony’s been busy this month, haven’t they? I’ve been toying with the idea of trading in my PS3 with an added 120G Hard Drive for the new PS3 Slim. I was also thinking about trading in my PSP Slim for the Go! Then I noticed something that had escaped me previously – the very small $50 or so price difference is disproportionate to the massive performance difference. Then that had me thinking “what the hell is Sony thinking?!”
Let’s start picking this apart then.
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Who doesn’t want free shit, especially when it’s in the form of an awesome game? For you early adopters, if you buy a PSP Go at launch and register the device with Sony between October 1st and October 10th, you’ll a free digital download version of Gran Turismo PSP. That’s the full game, for those of you wondering.
You can expect a lot of happy PSP users who might just go snag the new sexy device when it drops in a little over a month. If you want to get some better info on Gran Turismo PSP, head over and check out our hands on preview from E3.
As we’re all aware, the PSP Go will hit store shelves in North America on October 1. Also on that date, we’ll be able to purchase Gran Turismo PSP, either digitally or on UMD. For a time, it was believed to be the first such simultaneous game release for the system, but that’s no longer the case. Atlus jumped in and stole the honor by announcing that they will be releasing the remade Shin Megami Tensei: Persona title in the same manner on September 22, a little over a week earlier.
We’ve known the Revelations: Persona remake was coming at us for quite some time. We didn’t know it would be available both digitally on the PSN and in stores in UMD format on the same day. But, think long and hard before you buy this title off the PSN – it’s the same price as the UMD ($39.99) and doesn’t come with the two-disc soundtrack that the physical copy includes. I’m going to go out on a limb and bet that the majority of gamers interested in this title will likely want the soundtrack to add to their collection. It will definitely look spiffy sitting on the shelf next to my Persona 4 soundtrack. I still rock that out every so often……what?
What’s the one thing every user wants in the PSP? If you said a blow job attachment, you’d be right. However, not what I was referring to in this case. I’m talking about a second analog nub. Think how much more you could with with a right analog stick on the PSP: better shooters, better platformer camera control, etc. While it would be great, Sony debating the issue and shot it down for the PSP Go. In the latest issue of Game Informer, the President of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, talked about how it all went down.
“We also felt – like many users – that we wish we had a second analog on the PSP. But we are talking about the mid-life cycle of this platform, and the PSPgo is designed to be perfectly compatible with the PSP-3000 and all the games that released before that. So we had a very serious discussion about this particular subject, but we decided not to add a second analog, and some of the developers are doing quite a nice job translating the second analog functionality to different buttons. We didn’t want to divert their efforts either.”
I completely see the point here. You can’t go changing the hardware that drastically with essentially a new package on the device; it would completely segment the market and cause consumer confusion. Now, when the PSP2 launches, I have a feeling a second analog nub will be among the new features being introduced. If Sony wants it already, you can bet they’ll work it in as soon as they can. What I wonder, though, is why the PSP Go was introduced instead of moving to the PSP2 already.
[via PlayStation LifeStyle]
We reported a few days back on the recent FCC filings that showed a 480mhz speed for the PSP Go. Unfortunately, the reports proved to be slightly incorrect as it didn’t refer to processor speed, but instead USB transfer speed. Well, shit.
It looks like Sony upcoming UMD-less portable won’t be any faster than the current PSP-3000 on the market today. It stands to reason that we won’t be seeing any performance increase until Sony unveils the PSP 2, which can’t be that far off. My personal opinion is that the PSP Go is a stop-gap product to test the waters for the PSP 2, which will be completely digital distribution. I have a feeling we’ll see the PSP 2 in about 2 years on store shelves.
According to recent FCC filings, the processor in the PSP Go is a good deal faster than that found in the current PSP line. The PSP 1000-3000 all have a 333mhz processor (previously locked at 222mhz before firmware 3.50). The PSP Go can run at 480mhz, but will most likely be locked at 333mhz to prevent any issues with current software.
Does Sony have plans to increase the processor speed available to developers, possibly leading to PSP Go-only games? Maybe the extra speed will be used for in-game XMB or non-gaming software on the new device. In reality, no one knows for sure what Sony has planned. It’ll probably be a few months or so after the PSP Go is on the market before we get any real idea of what to expect.
Battery life is a big deal is portable electronics. My iPhone has fairly crappy battery life and my PSP Slim isn’t that much better. When I asked Sony about the battery life of the upcoming PSP Go at E3, I was told “about 5 hours”. It seems that may be on the high end.
The European PlayStation.Blog has some info about the upcoming digital distribution only handheld, indicating the PSP Go will only see 3 to 6 hours of battery life playing games and 3 to 5 hours for watching videos. This puts it on par with the PSP-3000.
Given the fact that the PSP Go’s battery is fully contained, it makes it tough for longer trips when you want to strap in for an epic session of God of War: Chains of Olympus. I was expecting a bit more since the screen has been reduced and there’s no UMD drive sucking up precious battery cycles. I’m sure a few third parties will be taking advantage of this slip up and will be providing extended play battery packs for the PSP Go this Holiday. I’m definitely getting a PSP Go anyway. It’s just that damn sexy.
Most PSP Go units were bolted down like no one’s business at E3. Us crazy game writers and developers might swipe that shit (people were taking the Rock Band Beatles drum sticks). I got to play around a bit both with a tied down unit and one freed from its shackles. If it was $250, I’d buy one.
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