The PSP had a great run. At least according to Sony—and its sales numbers. But those numbers couldn't touch Nintendo's DS, and the PSP's critics have consistently skewered its lackluster games, while consumers felt the device was too restricted to shine fully. And despite the recent news that users will be able to download movies from the PlayStation Network and watch them on the PSP, the end might be near for this embattled little handheld.
When Sony announced the latest version of its PlayStation Portable during its E3 press conference yesterday, the company laughingly referred to it as "the worst kept secret at E3 2009," which was basically true. Rumors about and pictures of the device have been floating around the blogosphere for months--and now that the PSP Go has been confirmed, it turns out that most of them were spot on.
The PSP Go has 16GB of internal Flash memory, built-in Wi-Fi, and integrated Bluetooth. It'll be arriving in stores in October, for $249. I managed to finagle my way into the roped-off portion of Sony's booth on the second day of E3 ito get some solo hands-on time with the device.
After the jump, check out exclusive video and more photos of the PSP Go.
When EA releases the highly anticipated Spore in September, the full game will show up on PC, Mac and a more limited spin-off will be available for the Nintendo DS, iPod Touch and Apple iPhone, as well as various other cellphones. Spore creator Will Wright recently mentioned that a version is currently being developed for the Wii, and although nothing official has been announced, it's safe to say that the rest of the next-gen consoles will see the game at some point. The one major platform not invited to the party: the PlayStation Portable.
Sony’s PSP Go leaks out before E3, is obviously a go
Look up there, folks. That’s the future of Sony’s hopes and dreams in the handheld gaming sector. With just hours to go before the company’s official E3 2009 press event, it looks like the pieces are all coming together.
First a UMD-less game release, then a highly credible mole giving the PSP Go a name, and now — live action shots. The images here were sourced from an obviously slipped June 2009 Qore video, and aside from giving us a look at the slider-based system (which, let’s be honest, looks a ton like the questionably successful mylo), we’re also told that it’ll tout 16GB of internal memory, built-in Bluetooth and an undisclosed memory s
Although the PSP doesn't have a touch-sensitive or tilt-control interface, it's at least as good of a platform as a standard mobile phone. And the PSP's network capabilities are well-suited to the community-oriented Spore—in the phone version of Spore Origins, you can upload your primordial creation and pit it against other beasts in the Flash-based Spore Arena. That way, having a fancy iPhone doesn't give you an advantage against an old-school flip phone, and neither will a faster PC or Mac. EA wouldn't say why Spore is skipping the PSP, but it's easy to imagine that the game wouldn't mesh with Sony's PlayStation Network.
We tried out Spore on all of the currently available platforms, and while the handheld/phone versions aren't nearly as epic as the full version, Spore Origins on an iPod Touch was completely addictive. You steer your swimming organism by tilting the screen, which is relatively responsive, and has a loose, unpredictable feel that makes the relatively repetitive gameplay surprisingly intense. If your beast were running around, the tilt would feel wrong. But when you accidentally veer into another creature too big to eat, or can't quite pull off the precision bank you were hoping for, it makes sense because you're a freakish little creature undulating through a primordial soup, not a crack fighter pilot.
The creature editing, however, was sluggish on the iPod Touch. We had to tap the same spot repeatedly to select body parts. And using both fingers to pinch the creature's shape, making it leaner or more bulbous, was a mess. Neal Alcaraz, EA Mobile's Senior Manager of Product Marketing, didn't do much better, but he pointed out that the game isn't final yet—it comes out in September, along with the rest of the Spore titles. Alcaraz couldn't confirm the price, but given the price of similar EA mobile games, it's likely Spore Origins will cost around $10.
Which is another problem for the PSP. New titles for the handheld tend to cost $40. Spore Origins looks at least as good as anything on the PSP. The tilt control is excellent, the upgrade system is incredibly deep, and if EA can release it for $10, the PSP will become even more irrelevant.
If all goes well, it’ll ship this Fall for a price to be determined, and it’s actually not slated to replace the PSP-3000, as both of ‘em will attempt to live on store shelves harmoniously… at least for awhile. Oh, and don’t worry — we’ll be on hand in LA to bring you all the impressions we can muster early next week.
* 3.8-inch display (resolution is undisclosed)
* 43 percent lighter than the PSP-3000
* 16GB of Flash storage
* Bluetooth built-in; supports handset tethering and BT headsets
* No UMD drive
* Memory Stick Micro slot
* New Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and new Metal Gear Solid (!) on the way
* Full PlayStation Network support (movie and TV rentals / purchases)
* Integration with PlayStation 3 (works the same as the PSP-3000 does)
* Sony views each of its products as “10-year lifecycle products,” so the PSP “needs to live on.”
Not that the PSP will disappear, but if Sony's press conference yesterday is any measure, the handheld isn't exactly breaking new ground. It can play downloaded movies, but so can the iPhone, iPod, Zune and tons of other portable media players
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