Via Engadget.

The PSP is pretty much the biggest open secret since, well, the PSP Go. Rumors stipulate that it’ll use a multi-core (possibly quad-core) PowerVR SGX543 GPU, which is the same GPU supposedly being used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 5 (albeit in dual-core form). Other rumors include dual analog thumbsticks, a microphone and both front- and rear-facing cameras, no UMD drive (like the PSP Go), and the return of Memory Stick slots.

Sony is probably praying the 3DS costs as close to $300 in the US as possible, because you can bet the PSP2 will be around that price.

 

It’s a phone that can play PSP games. It’s the best Sony can come up with to counter the iPhone’s growing gaming presence. And it’s an Android phone, so if you’re a gamer and you dislike iOS, it’s probably automatically your ideal phone.

The PSP2 is more important, IMO. If Sony can price it at $250 or less at launch, they automatically have a leg up over the 3DS.

 

You might want to put a hold on the Apple bashing there, because the rumor is that the PSP2 and upcoming iPhone/iPad use the same GPU at a minimum. Basically, both Apple and Sony are apparently releasing roughly comparable devices in terms of hardware. Remains to be seen what Sony will do with the CPU, though. If they go ARM, then both companies are absolutely releasing the same thing.

 

Same. Probably not going to buy either one, though. I get the feeling Sony is trying to copy Nintendo’s tiered handheld strategy. They’ll probably cut the price of the PSP 3000 to $120 or so, price the PSP Go at $179, and position the PSP2 as close to $250 as they can get. And I think with its late-life resurgence, the PSP will actually stick around with a decent library for another couple of years.

 

Sony has sold more stuff with a Playstation logo on it than Apple has sold with iOS loaded on it.

Apple’s advantage in this instance isn’t marketing, it’s that they sell multipurpose devices that happen to play games, and most people are happy with Angry Birds instead of, say, Dissidia Final Fantasy.

 

From the Japanese newspaper Nikkei via Engadget:

OLED touchscreen? 3G? Powerful new GPU from PowerVR? Yeah, this sucker is costing $300.

 

I wouldn’t count on it, though there’s always hope.

 

Rumor: this is the PSP2. There are some elements that suggest this is a Photoshopped fake, but it DOES incorporate most of the rumored features.

 

Engadget got their hands on a Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, aka the PlayStation Phone.

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Also, Sony’s supposed PSP2 debut press event, PlayStation Meeting 2011, will kick off in six hours at 1 AM EST (since it’s happening in Japan.) Various liveblogs are of course keeping track, but I’ll just link to Kotaku’s.

 

They could wind up being pretty similar. I know Sony isn’t exactly the smartest software developer in the world, but you have to think the PSPhone is a byproduct of PSP2 development efforts, and therefore the PSP2 incorporates a lot of the same features while going many steps further since it’s not a phone.

We’ll find out in five hours.

 

I’m just making the information I find available. Like this: here’s IGN’s live blog.

I’ve already preordered a 3DS, so it’s not like I’m in the PSP2 market, but it’ll be interesting to see what Sony can cook up. They need to get as close to $250 as possible.

 

I don’t think Sony can price it below $300 if it has a quad-core SGX543 and dual-core CPU. And developers have said off the record that it can match the PS3 in some respects (though that’s less impressive given how old the PS3’s hardware is.) I think it’ll be $300, and even then Sony will lose a lot of money on each unit sold.

 

The question is how much. iPhones are $600 unsubsidized.

Sony needs to hit $250, really. Otherwise Nintendo will just win on momentum and price. Again.

 

Mainly Ocarina of Time, which baffles me. Most overrated Zelda game ever. :lol: But I guess it’s the gateway game for most people, just as Final Fantasy VII was the gateway game for the casual RPG fan, so it’s automatically considered one of the best of all time… even though it’s not.

Honestly, I’ve seen quite a bit of ambivalence toward the 3DS. A lot of people aren’t pleased with the battery life and the “launch window” stuff. There’s also some grumbling about the form factor and whether or not it’s worth toting a 3DS around now that the iPhone actually has some serious games worth a damn.

Nintendo’s victory isn’t automatically assured, but the cheaper the product, the better the chances. 3DS games going up $10 in price isn’t going to help.

 

A sellout at launch is a given, but I suspect game sales will be pretty disappointing. Personally, I’m going to just play some DS games on the thing; Dragon Quest VI, Ghost Trick, maybe some Layton games that I’ve missed (read: all of them.)

It can do more than a PSP—reference Resident Evil Revelations—but it’s probably going to get outclassed by the PSP2 without question. Still, better graphic capability didn’t help the PSP against the DS.

 

It wasn’t a matter of release date: Sony was priced out of the market. Remember the Game Boy Micro, and how it was such a bizarre announcement? Nintendo was beating Sony on price; you had the Micro setting the very bottom of the market, the GBA SP being the “mainstream” product, and the DS being the “premiere” product. Nintendo priced Sony out of the handheld market, and the PSP never really picked up traction until some price cuts, hardware revision, and higher costs of developing current gen console games caused developers to start releasing more games on the PSP.

I see the same thing unfolding. Nintendo is again going to price Sony out of the market unless the PSP2 can match the 3DS’ price. Then you’ll have a situation where Sony and Nintendo are competing on equal footing.

 

Agreed. Which is why I see the PSP2 getting off to a slower start than the 3DS. I think Nintendo needs serious competition in the handheld space, and while Apple is a major current and long-term threat, it’s just not the same as having a robust second dedicated handheld from Sony or someone else.

 

15 minutes out from the start of the event.

Looks like there are people from Capcom, Konami, and Epic in the back room. Some mention of Activision and a “next generation portable.”

 

Sony announces PlayStation Suite: cross-platform PS content for Android, both phones and tablets. Also announces PlayStation Certified, a licensing program for Android hardware to verify it can play PS Suite games. First goal is to emulate first-gen PS1 games on PS Suite devices. Hardware neutral, hardware agnostic. Also launching PlayStation Store for Android. Screenshot of the PS Store shows Syphon Filter, Cool Boarders 2, Wild ARMs (yay!), MediEvil, Rally Cross.

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tl;dr Sony declares war on Apple and iOS.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, the PSP2. SIXAXIS gyro controls, touch pad on the back, front and rear cameras, bigger screen, dual analog. Screen is 5’’ OLED, resolution is 960x544, which is exactly double the PSP’s 480x272 resolution. Games come on flash media (think SD cards, or DS carts), has 3G and WiFi, will be out Q4.

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Games: Little Big Planet, Hot Shots Golf, Uncharted(!), Killzone, Wipeout, Little Deviants, Resistance, Hustle Kings, Gravity Daze.

2x, not 4x. 4x is a typo. 480x272 * 2 = 960x544.

Graphics are approaching PS3 quality. Not bad.

 

[video=youtube;sXoVDJWP12I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXoVDJWP12I[/video]