Just got done watching Sony's E3 Press Conference
 

Biggest Hilight: Sony is developing a portable handheld videogame console named 'PSP' (PlayStation Portable). Games will be stored on miniature DVD-like discs...approximately half the diameter of a regular DVD. It is able to connect with PS2 and I bet in the future PS3, and saved data will be stored on memory sticks. The sceen will be approximately 4.5 inches in diagonal and boasts a back-lit feature. The presentation was delivered by the Father of the Playstation himself, Ken Kutaragi, and when he first mentioned "There will be a new baby in the Playstation family" people got all excited...then he said "It will not be PS3", to which some people sighed or laughed, "It will be a new portable gaming/multimedia system" (I'm para-phrasing here). It was quite enjoyable...he kept talking about the PSP as his baby and how it is in its birth cycle., and that what he's seen of it, he can confirm that it's 'very cute'. I can't wait to see more of this.

:eek:

Other Hilights:

-MGS3 will be PS2 exclusive...launch date is simply 'next year'
-the next GTA installment will be PS2-exclusive
-Final Fantasy XI will be published in NA by SCEA and will debut in early 2004.
-Gran Turismo 4 feature included a long presentation by the producer of GT, and will indeed have online play.
-PS2's, starting in June, will be bundled with the network adapter and will sport new features at the price of $199 (same as the current one is now)
-Sony's EYE TOY technology was unveiled...it allows users to interact and play 'mini-games' simply by moving their bodies. The inventor of the technology showed off the Kung Fu game (looks like a lot of fun) and this hilarious window-washing game. It will launch later this year for about $40 and will come with about 15 mini games. It also has the ability to record video up to a minute long that will be stored onto the PS2 memory card. The EYE TOY will plug into the USB slot.
-There was a huge EA SPORTS Online presentation, which is PS2-exclusive. They had people in LA playing Madden, NCAA Football, NBA Live, NASCAR Thunder, FIFA playing the respective games against opponents from around North America. Voice communication is supported with all of their games. The big hilight from this was Tiger Woods taking on Cedric the Entertainer in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004...Tiger was in some living room in another city, and Cedric was on stage...they competed in the game and trash talked, it was really great.

More on the PSP



Company Unveils Plans to Extend PlayStation(R) Family of Products With
'PSP(TM)'

LOS ANGELES, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Enhancing its strong platform
strategies, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today plans to
expand its in-home entertainment to outside the home with a new, all-in-one
portable entertainment platform, "PSP(TM)." Scheduled for release in the
fourth quarter of 2004, the company's goal is to extend the reach of
PlayStation(R) to a broader audience, allowing consumers to enjoy gaming and
other entertainment content anytime, anywhere. Specific details on release
plans and pricing will be disclosed at a later date.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020701/SFM066LOGO )
The introduction of "PSP" highlights the company's long-awaited foray into
the portable entertainment market. With unmatched advantages of the Sony
Group, such as global brand awareness, superior technologies in the most
advanced semiconductor processes, "PSP" further broadens entertainment
experiences into the portable arena.
The foundation of this new platform is Universal Media Disc (UMD), which
comprises of a 60mm optical disc (1.8 GB) in a cartridge, developed by the
Sony Group, utilizing its latest disc technologies. Compared to the out-dated
mask ROM cartridge, optical disc has huge advantages such as shorter turn
around time for manufacturing, larger data capacity and lower media costs.
The latest copy-protection technology will be applied to offer content
developers and publishers a safe and copy-protected environment.
"PSP" will be equipped with a wide screen 480 x 272 pixel (16 by 9) TFT
LCD monitor with a backlight, and powered by super chipsets utilizing the
latest 90 nm semiconductor technology. For graphics, 3D rendering will be
enhanced by the employment of curved surfaces (NURBS) along with conventional
polygons. Video quality will also be enhanced with MPEG4, which delivers
quality equivalent to DVD video at a low data rate.
"PSP" will have an USB 2.0 port for further expandability and connectivity
to other devices, such as "PSP," PlayStation 2 and many other systems, along
with a Memory Stick(TM) slot for network applications and data
transportability in a wireless environment.
SCEI will offer PC-based development tools starting from fall 2003 for the
preparation of a new range of computer entertainment content. A new license
scheme for "PSP" software development will be announced in summer 2003.
Pursuing the founding principles of the PlayStation business, Sony Computer
Entertainment will expand its efforts to support content developers to create
new forms of computer entertainment.
Together with its business partners, SCEI aims to aggressively promote
this new platform to further broaden the arena of entertainment.
"Just as PlayStation and PlayStation 2 revolutionized in-home computer
entertainment, we aim to become a new driving force in the portable
entertainment platform arena," said Ken Kutaragi, president and CEO, Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. "The world of PlayStation encompasses hundreds of
millions of users worldwide, most of whom view computer entertainment as part
of their everyday lives. We look forward to extending the experience through
a portable entertainment platform, and are excited about the possibilities and
impact 'PSP' will have on the market. Along with game applications, 'PSP'
will have a huge potential for delivering other forms of entertainment as well
as live entertainment through the network, anywhere, anytime. This is the
'Walkman' of the 21st century."

"PSP" Specifications
Platform name: PSP(TM)
Display: Wide screen (16:9) TFT LCD with backlight
(480 x 272 dots)
Disc medium: "UMD" 60mm optical secured ROM disc with cartridge (1.8GB)
Video CODEC: MPEG4
Graphics: 3D Polygon/NURBS
Sound: PCM (built-in stereo speakers, stereo headphone output)
I/O: USB 2.0, Memory Stick(TM) slot
Battery: Rechargeable (lithium-ion)

-GamerFeed

OMG, cool info... the PSP will own the GBA ;)

-EDIT-

the disks sound a lot like GCN's

Yep, but the discs are a little smaller and hold a little more space I believe.

I'm glad to see Sony challenge Nintendo in the now-monopolized handheld console industry. They established themselves as king of the consoles, I hope they do the same with handhelds :)

MP4 sound, Widescreen display, very nice resolution, Playstation 2 connectivity, memory stick storage...I can't friggin wait. And I was going to buy a GBA:SP soon...I think I'll wait until I see a lot more of this PSP to make that decision :D

I wonder if this will make Nintendo worried... I mean, the days of Nintendo charging $100 for somthing it costed them $10 to make, and charging $40 for somthing it took them $10 to make is over...

actually PSP isnt new. i heard about it a few months ago.

and i think it will all come down to the price. price is right it could be very good competition.

i relaly like the USB deal. will be able to do things with computer will be nice.

Mmm, interesting, brand wars ahoy. The games are what matters though, and how it may be controlled is also of great interest...
Sony hasn't entered a new videogame marketplace for some time however, and it'll be interesting to see wether they can catch something approaching the freshness of the original PS in it's day. For the time being, the ball is in Nintendo's court. If only Spaceworld was still around....

(X-Box Jnr to follow?)

Woah... The PSP sounds kind of cool.. I would love to see a DKC-styel Ratchet and Clank!! That would be soo cool.


And it says that all EA stuff will have voice chat... Is that with the SOCOM headset or what?

Any PS2-supported USB headset will work...so yeah, the current SOCOM one will work just fine. Sony will be selling a Playstation brand USB headset later this year as well, for those who haven't bought SOCOM.

It looks like the PS2 era for Sony has been a very successful experimential stage for their videogame business. Introduction of online play (which is exceeding their expectations by far), voice communication, EYE TOY, keyboard/mouse support, hard drive support, and the upcoming PSP. I think that they will harness all of the momentum and experience they've gained from 2000-2005 and really produce a TOP NOTCH business plan for next gen (led by PS3). They continue to push boundries, experiment, and innovate...and they've never let me down since I jumped on board with PS2 in 2000. This is why I will continue to primarily invest in the Sony product until they let me down.

Sweet I'm glad Sony's taking a shot at the handheld market... If anybody has a chance at successfully taking on Nintendo's Gameboy line, it's Sony...

I just hope it's not too expensive... And it better have good developer support...

I hope it's not too expensive or it's not the next WonderSwan thingie. Heh, if this thing has the success of the PSX... Nintendo is in big trouble, I would say ;)

Stu, you only jumped on with Sony in 2000? You should have been there for the Playstation days, when they had some REALLY good games... mostly everything touted as good on the ps2 has been enhanced graphic sequels of PS games, don't you think? Of course there are some notable exceptions, but for the most part the PS2 makes a decent DVD player :p

sony kicks ASS

It sounds good on paper, but I want to see what this thing looks like before I make any real judgements...wouldnt you have disc-skipping problems with a Handheld that plays discs? And its being described as a baby...and cute...thats like...anti-sony...or something...o.O

I assume that it would handle like a diskman... it will have anti skip stuff.