Posts tagged Psp at PSP Fanboy

Posts with tag psp

PSP Brite preview reveals battery life and details on firmware 4.20

Posted Oct 6th 2008 10:30AM by Alan Tsang
Filed under: News

Eurogamer got some hands-on time with the PSP Brite (PSP-3000) and spilled some details on the upcoming piece of hardware as well as the firmware installed on it, version 4.20.

In terms of the hardware, they noticed that the screen was significantly brighter; the PSP Brite's highest brightness setting not plugged in to an outlet is noticeably brighter than the PSP Slim & Lite's brightest setting with the PSP plugged in. Unfortunately, they did not test the PSP Brite's performance in the sun, which was something we were looking forward to finding out. The battery life was then tested, and they clocked the PSP Brite's battery life at 5 and a half hours -- exactly the same as its predecessor.

The PSP also came equipped with the latest firmware. Firmware 4.20 appears to bring only minor updates -- there is a new "USB Auto-Connect" feature, which will allow the PSP to automatically enter USB mode at any time (except during gameplay) when it becomes connected. They also noticed a "Flicker Reduction" option, but nothing else noteworthy. For their full preview of the PSP Brite, check out Eurogamer.

[Thanks, Zach M.!]

PSP is number 1 in Japan the first half of 2008

Posted Oct 2nd 2008 5:00PM by Alan Tsang
Filed under: News

During the past few weeks the PSP's sales have been less than ideal, but Sony's portable is still on top in Japan for 2008 ... so far. According the Enterbrain, the PSP has sold 1,583,731 units the first half of the year in the land of the rising sun. The PSP's main competitor, Nintendo's DS, sold 1,314,919 units during that same period. Nintendo's portable is still way ahead of the PSP in terms of lifetime sales though -- 23,484,680 units of the DS were sold versus the PSP's 10,157,757 units sold.

In the software arena, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G is in second place with 1,602,386 copies sold. It was beaten by yet another Nintendo product, Mario Kart Wii, which sold 1,744,387 copies.

With the PSP Brite launching in about two weeks and DSi launching in a month, the two handhelds' struggle for dominance in Japan will truly begin. Now we gotta ask: who are you rooting for?

Rumor: Firmware 5.0 = PS Store, new RSS, screen capture

Posted Sep 30th 2008 6:30PM by Majed Athab
Filed under: Downloads

It wasn't too long ago that firmware 4.0 (and higher) dropped on our laps, and we're already hearing about the next major revision to hit the handheld: the big five-o. The word on the street (and by street we mean French website PSPGen) is that firmware 5.0 is currently in the hands of an unknown French dev studio and it will include several key features such as that direct-to-PS Store functionality we've heard so much about.

Other features like a revamped RSS reader would (*gasp*) be able to read text files. The inclusion of a screen capture tool echoes another rumor which is also said to be available in the upcoming PS3 Firmware 2.5. Regarding this, parallel development for screen grabs does seem to make a whole lot of sense.

[Via PSPWorld]

Three unannounced PSP games to be shown at TGS

Posted Sep 30th 2008 7:55AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

While Sony will be showing off nine unannounced PS3 titles at this year's Tokyo Game Show, they'll be showing off three new games for the PSP. All of the games will be published by SCEI, meaning they'll either be new IPs, or extensions of currently popular Sony franchises.

Some of the known titles to be showcase at TGS this year include Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Patapon 2, Bleach: Soul Carnival, and Loco Roco 2. For the complete list (in English), visit PSP-Hyper.

Hawaiian bus driver loves his PSP a little too much

Posted Sep 29th 2008 10:30PM by Alan Tsang
Filed under: News

Last week in Hawaii, Ms. Denita Waltz was horrified to see the driver of her bus engaging in something else besides, you know, bus driving -- he was enjoying some gaming on his favorite portable, the PSP. Not only that, he was "speeding on the highway," and he "had his legs and feet up on the dashboard."

Waltz wasted no time and took out her trusty cell phone and begin recording the multitasker in action. When the bus stopped, Waltz and her son hurried off the bus. Oahn Transit Services has suspended said driver, who is an eighteen-year veteran with no complaints lodged against him in the last three years, without pay pending an investigation.

Children, don't play and drive!

[Via MaxConsole]

Sony's Koller ignores holiday 2008, promises better 2009

Posted Sep 25th 2008 9:22AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

"I think going into next year we're going to see significant growth. We're counseling retail to be ready for it. We have a number of very strong franchise games on the docket that will be launching next year," John Koller responded to Edge's troubling report on the decline of PSP software. "We haven't gone public with those, and many third-parties have not yet either because they're concentrating on holiday, but we have a number of very strong titles coming."

While we understand that many of these unannounced titles may be far off from now, we're a bit saddened to see Sony (and their third party partners) remain so secretive about the upcoming 2009 lineup. Right now, it appears Sony is abandoning holiday 2008 altogether. How will they drum up support for the handheld this Christmas season, when they've shown no guarantees of what will be available in the coming months? Sony -- it's time to stop playing the same ol' game of secrecy. Now, when your customers are losing faith in your system, is when you should bypass the typical product marketing schedule -- and you give us something to get excited about.

The decline of PSP software, in graph form

Posted Sep 24th 2008 2:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

Edge has created a chart which illustrates something we all know: PSP has lost software support.

Well, thanks a lot jerks. When you put it in graph form like this, obviously it's going to hurt. (sobs)

But in all seriousness, the piece does an excellent job in articulating the finer details of PSP's slow loss of support. In spite of the smaller games library this year, the percentage of exclusives is also steadily dropping. While this piece could be yet another mantra against piracy and the likes, we want to direct you to an excellent piece by PSP World, which offers an alternative: it's all Xbox's fault. Kris Erickson postulates that a number of excellent XBLA games would be perfect for play on PSP. We'd agree. Developers may be moving resources to XBLA, away from PSP, when thinking up short, accessible games that would play well on handhelds. An interesting theory, yes. However, we're confident that upcoming PSN ports of Super Stardust and Everyday Shooter are just the beginning of a slew of downloadable PSP games.

Yoshida really, really disappointed by lack of third party support

Posted Sep 12th 2008 2:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: Interviews

Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida recently lamented the state of PSP in an interview with IGN UK. He notes that third party support for Sony's handheld has been "really, really disappointing," calling the current sitation "a lost opportunity for the third parties." He's echoed this sentiment before.

"They should look at what the PSP can do for their titles and the potential for the business that their IP has," he says, pointing out Sony's first-party support of the handheld through titles like God of War, Resistance and Buzz!. Of course, Yoshida's job is to convince third party developers to support the platform. His strategy? "We have to show by examples. What's happening in Japan is interesting - because of the massive success of Monster Hunter, Japanese publishers realise, 'here's a resource'. Lots of people are playing PSP in groups of fours and when you go to Japan it's hard to find a train or a bar where you don't see some people playing a PSP. So other publishers in Japan are seeing these consumers, and thinking, 'Wow, we can make games for those consumers'."

Koei to unveil new PSP games at Tokyo Game Show

Posted Sep 9th 2008 12:30PM by Majed Athab
Filed under: News

Koei president Kenji Matsubara spoke recently with Gamasutra about making third party titles in Japan. More important to our readers, part of that discussion involved PSP. Pointing to the PSP's success with Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (yes, everything comes back around to Monster Hunter PSP savior), Matsubara said it is encouraging to make games for the PSP as opposed to other tougher markets (the PS3 and 360).

In line with this, Koei has acted accordingly by revealing plans to announce new PSP titles at this year's Tokyo Game Show in October. What those titles are, it won't say, but we're certainly curious to find out. Deducing from the article, it sounds like Koei is aiming to make a game that utilizes Monster Hunter's team-focused gameplay. Hmm, perhaps a game where Guan Yu and friends go around Han Dynasty China looking to slay mythical creatures? We wouldn't be surprised ...

Anyway, don't get too excited yet. While Koei sings a PSP paean, it can't deny a lack of enthusiasm from Western markets. Perhaps, these new games will be Japan-only. Stay tuned, we'll have more from TGS next month.

Typing on PSP alleviated by Xbox 360 chatpad mod

Posted Sep 7th 2008 11:40AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: Mods

Do you want an alternative to PSP's current keyboard? Perhaps you'd like to rip open an Xbox 360 chatpad and use it to connect it to a PSP? That's exactly what the clever folks at Acidmods did. A remarkable feat of engineering, indeed -- but we'll patiently wait for the official keyboard peripheral, due next year.

Video is embedded after the break. (Warning: video features music which may or may not be incredibly annoying.)

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading Typing on PSP alleviated by Xbox 360 chatpad mod

PSP Wi-Fi Store coming in Fall, new PS3-Infrastructure mode announced

Posted Sep 2nd 2008 8:24AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

Finally! Sony has announced that the long-awaited PSP Wi-Fi Store, which allows players to purchase and download content directly on the PSP (without the need for a PC or PS3), will be available this Fall in Japan. Most likely, this will be global simultaneous launch. To commemorate the opening of the new Store, a free downloadable game, Mainichi Issyo Portable, will be available to all.

In addition, Sony has announced that a new feature will allow players to connect their PSP to their PS3 systems and enable a new Infrastructure mode for certain games. For example, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G will be online-enabled through the PS3. In addition, players will be able to add text and voice chatting capabilities through this service. Additional details will be revealed at a later date.

It looks like Sony isn't falling asleep with the PSP. Let's hope concrete release dates for these services will be available soon.

PSP Brite battery life will decrease by 20-30 minutes

Posted Aug 29th 2008 2:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

PSP main man John Koller went to Gamespot to talk about the upcoming PSP Brite, and revealed a few key facts. He admits the change is "minor," one in a continuing series of changes the PSP may see along its proposed life cycle. Most revealing of all is his comment about battery life: the brighter screen will draw more power, diminishing battery life by 20-30 minutes.

He does say that the now-discontinued extended life battery will make a return, possibly rebranded for use with the PSP-3000 series.

Sony, here are five things you can do to make PSP better

Posted Aug 29th 2008 10:55AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: Fan Stuff

PSP news is sounding rather bleak lately -- but why should it stay this way? Hey Sony, here's five things we think you can do to make the system better for you and better for us. With these steps, we think you'll reduce piracy, increase the amount of games and features we want, and make PSP a better, more lovable place for developers. Best of all: none of these features require a hardware reboot. Imagine, a world where PSPs of all creeds, from 1000 to 3000 can access the same benefits. We believe it can happen.

Let's make the PSP better >

Analyst Pachter says 'blame Japan' for Sony's PSP mis-management

Posted Aug 27th 2008 10:00PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

Analyst Michael Pachter doesn't see a bright future for the PSP. In fact, he believes that we're nearing the end of the syste's run, due to the paltry release lineup for the remainder of the year. The introduction of the PSP Brite is seen as a sign of weakness, suggesting the redesign will confuse and anger more than excite. "Constant tech tweaks and upgrades might work for telephones, but they're not what gamers want ... it creates confusion, and leaves many users with older models feeling inadequate," Pachter told Das Gamer.

Because everyone needs someone to blame, Pachter offers this advice: "Blame Japan," he says. He believes that Sony is being much too ambitious, handling the PS2, PSP and PS3 simultaneously. "[Japan]'s instructing the US to play catch-up with Microsoft on Xbox Live, step up its online game with Home, offer movie downloads and push the Blu-ray home theater initiative just to begin with. Something had to give. The company has been spreading itself too thin."

Ironically, PSP's strongest territory is Japan, where new releases continue to be announced on a regular basis. While we'd disagree that PSP is on a deathbed, it's obvious that drastic work needs to be done to change the current state of the PSP.

[Thanks, Ronnie D.!]

Over 10 million PSP units sold in Japan, top 5 games

Posted Aug 27th 2008 9:00AM by Alan Tsang
Filed under: News

Can you believe it? Famitsu reports that according to statistics provided by Enterbrain, ten million units of the PSP have been sold since its introduction to Japan back in the December of 2004. We knew this already, but there is some software news as well. The top game was Monster Hunter 2nd G with almost 2.4 million copies sold. With three games on the top 5, Japan sure loves Monster Hunter.

Monster Hunter 2nd G (release date 03/27/08: 2,396,642 copies sold)
Monster Hunter 2nd (release date 02/22/07: 1,706,387 copies sold)
Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (release date 09/13/07: 790,705 copies sold)
Monster Hunter Portable (release date 12/01/05: 668,964 copies sold)
Phantasy Star Portable (release date 07/31/08: 545,242 copies sold)

The PSP has been beaten by the DS in the hardware sales chart during the past two weeks. But with the PSP Brite coming out in October and Dissidia: Final Fantasy coming out in December, we believe the PSP will be back on top in no time.

[Via Kotaku]

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