December is when Jesus has his birthday. Coincidentally it’s the month that contains the global consumerism frenzy known as Christmas and is very important to the games industry. Though not very much happens, what does happen matters a great deal.
SPOnG sees leaked information for one of the UK’s biggest retailers which dates the PSP at 25th March 2005 in Europe. "Sony is basically saying it wants to 'own entire stores' though it still won’t commit to [PSP hardware and/or software] numbers," our source tells us.
The 2nd of December sees Electronic Arts Rusty Rueff send out a company-wide memo he’d live to regret. The email, leaked exclusively to SPOnG, sees EA’s head of HR rubbish overtime claims for studio staff. The mail outrages EA employees with the results, surfacing later in the year, proving a huge embarrassment to the $17 billion-rated firm.
The 6th and SPOnG exclusively reveals Microsoft of planning a high-level briefing to marketing partners in which it will detail its Xbox 2 rollout plans. The meeting is slated to take place in Seattle on January 17, where Microsoft’s Xbox team will seek to outline its key branding direction, underlining launch plans and what it perceives as its target demographic.
Next day and the first real fears over PSP stock levels surface with retailers beginning to make claims that - according to some reports - the actual hardware availability figure is likely to be around 100,000 launch units. The number of units for sale on eBay before and after Christmas makes this look like another crafty Sony ploy to stimulate demand. Though one look at the console in the flesh is enough to our demands for one.
“We are very proud to announce that the team that brought you Command & Conquer Red Alert 2, Command & Conquer Yuri's Revenge, and Command & Conquer Generals has officially started work on our next project set in the Red Alert universe!” This statement brings whoops of joy from the strategy gaming fraternity, when made by EA on the 7th.
The 7th and there’s a wonderful episode of console graphics card wife-swapping, with nVidia confirming it will supply the GPU for PlayStation 3. “…both companies are jointly developing a custom graphics processing unit incorporating NVIDIA's next-generation GeForce and SCEI's system solutions for next-generation computer entertainment systems featuring the Cell processor,” we are told.
Next day and Microsoft’s Robbie Bach exposes Microsoft’s omnipresent lie about the Xbox. “Music is clearly a scenario that everyone is focused on. The consumers we talk to in the MSN or Xbox or Windows teams say music is a very essential part of what they do whether it's on an Xbox or a PC or some other device. The idea that you're going to want to share that, that you're going to want to have that on a network - that is going to happen. Communications turns out to be a very important scenario as well, whether that's chat, messaging, blogging or telephony.”
The “Xbox will only be about gaming mantra” is simply forgotten by all but the bitterest (completely correct) conspiracy theorists.
The ninth and Football Manager from Sega, pirated version no less, are banned by the Chinese dictatorship for as it “…posed harm to the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.” This was for representing various illegally occupied and/or Chinese-invaded areas of South East Asia as being independent states. Can you imagine…? Taipei of Taiwan, Hong Kong-Macao region and Tibet are thus represented. SPOnG awaits its banning from China to this day…
The 10th sees a savage blow to the integrity of the UK’s games industry. Following what has to be the worst year on record, it comes to light that Jeff Minter’s Unity project, underway at Lionhead Studios, has been completely de-railed, with all work on the game grinding to a halt. “Everyone at Lionhead has been incredibly supportive and the decision to stop working on Unity has been a difficult one for us. But being realistic, I felt it was better for everyone concerned that we cease work on Unity. I’d like to thank Lionhead for all their help and support over the past two years,” says a ruined Minter.
The loss of what would undoubtably have been an innovative, even revolutionary, game is felt all the more in these days of sports sequels and hack-and-magic, slash-and-shoot me-too games.
The 12th of December and the PSP hits Japanese retail. Queuing in Akihabara reaches DS-beating proportions and a legend in its own schizophrenic skin is born. Early adopters of Sony’s console, and the first credible contender to Nintendo’s portable dominance, report a machine that is almost sure to knock Nintendo from its portable thone.
SCEI’s battery worries subside as average playtime reaches an acceptable four hours using Ridge Racers as a standard. Namco also sees life breathed into its flagging franchise. “I forgot I liked Ridge Racer,” echoes from the hardcore as the wait for Gran Turismo Mobile begins, a wait SPOnG believes likely to continue for some months.
The 15th and Nintendo shows a fully-blown media player for the Game Boy Advance and NDS. Everyone wonders why the Panasonic co-development took so long, and how it can hope to compete with PSP's inbuilt multi-media capabilities.
And we’ll leave it there. 2004 has been an incredible year in the games industry. We have seen true brilliance rubbing shoulders with the lowest aspects of the games world ever to have surface.
There is solace to be taken from the downs, perhaps more so that the ups. The DRIV3R scandal highlighted the fact that you, the consumer, are the lowest priority of certain elements of the games industry.
The games industry is young. Mistakes made this year, thusly highlighted, will serve as guidelines for the future.
SPOnG ended 2004 by taking delivery of our Sony PSP. Despite widely reported hardware shortages at launch, there is no shortage on eBay in the run-up to and the days shortly after Christmas.
All the rumour and speculation aside, we have to admit it's a NICE piece of kit... now we're off to test its battery life.
And remember, next year we’ll all get a good look at Nintendo’s Revolution and Microsoft’s new Xbox, perhaps Game Boy Advance 2 and, just maybe, the PlayStation 3.
Roll on E3!
SPOnG sees leaked information for one of the UK’s biggest retailers which dates the PSP at 25th March 2005 in Europe. "Sony is basically saying it wants to 'own entire stores' though it still won’t commit to [PSP hardware and/or software] numbers," our source tells us.
The 2nd of December sees Electronic Arts Rusty Rueff send out a company-wide memo he’d live to regret. The email, leaked exclusively to SPOnG, sees EA’s head of HR rubbish overtime claims for studio staff. The mail outrages EA employees with the results, surfacing later in the year, proving a huge embarrassment to the $17 billion-rated firm.
The 6th and SPOnG exclusively reveals Microsoft of planning a high-level briefing to marketing partners in which it will detail its Xbox 2 rollout plans. The meeting is slated to take place in Seattle on January 17, where Microsoft’s Xbox team will seek to outline its key branding direction, underlining launch plans and what it perceives as its target demographic.
Next day and the first real fears over PSP stock levels surface with retailers beginning to make claims that - according to some reports - the actual hardware availability figure is likely to be around 100,000 launch units. The number of units for sale on eBay before and after Christmas makes this look like another crafty Sony ploy to stimulate demand. Though one look at the console in the flesh is enough to our demands for one.
“We are very proud to announce that the team that brought you Command & Conquer Red Alert 2, Command & Conquer Yuri's Revenge, and Command & Conquer Generals has officially started work on our next project set in the Red Alert universe!” This statement brings whoops of joy from the strategy gaming fraternity, when made by EA on the 7th.
The 7th and there’s a wonderful episode of console graphics card wife-swapping, with nVidia confirming it will supply the GPU for PlayStation 3. “…both companies are jointly developing a custom graphics processing unit incorporating NVIDIA's next-generation GeForce and SCEI's system solutions for next-generation computer entertainment systems featuring the Cell processor,” we are told.
Next day and Microsoft’s Robbie Bach exposes Microsoft’s omnipresent lie about the Xbox. “Music is clearly a scenario that everyone is focused on. The consumers we talk to in the MSN or Xbox or Windows teams say music is a very essential part of what they do whether it's on an Xbox or a PC or some other device. The idea that you're going to want to share that, that you're going to want to have that on a network - that is going to happen. Communications turns out to be a very important scenario as well, whether that's chat, messaging, blogging or telephony.”
The “Xbox will only be about gaming mantra” is simply forgotten by all but the bitterest (completely correct) conspiracy theorists.
The ninth and Football Manager from Sega, pirated version no less, are banned by the Chinese dictatorship for as it “…posed harm to the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.” This was for representing various illegally occupied and/or Chinese-invaded areas of South East Asia as being independent states. Can you imagine…? Taipei of Taiwan, Hong Kong-Macao region and Tibet are thus represented. SPOnG awaits its banning from China to this day…
The 10th sees a savage blow to the integrity of the UK’s games industry. Following what has to be the worst year on record, it comes to light that Jeff Minter’s Unity project, underway at Lionhead Studios, has been completely de-railed, with all work on the game grinding to a halt. “Everyone at Lionhead has been incredibly supportive and the decision to stop working on Unity has been a difficult one for us. But being realistic, I felt it was better for everyone concerned that we cease work on Unity. I’d like to thank Lionhead for all their help and support over the past two years,” says a ruined Minter.
The loss of what would undoubtably have been an innovative, even revolutionary, game is felt all the more in these days of sports sequels and hack-and-magic, slash-and-shoot me-too games.
The 12th of December and the PSP hits Japanese retail. Queuing in Akihabara reaches DS-beating proportions and a legend in its own schizophrenic skin is born. Early adopters of Sony’s console, and the first credible contender to Nintendo’s portable dominance, report a machine that is almost sure to knock Nintendo from its portable thone.
SCEI’s battery worries subside as average playtime reaches an acceptable four hours using Ridge Racers as a standard. Namco also sees life breathed into its flagging franchise. “I forgot I liked Ridge Racer,” echoes from the hardcore as the wait for Gran Turismo Mobile begins, a wait SPOnG believes likely to continue for some months.
The 15th and Nintendo shows a fully-blown media player for the Game Boy Advance and NDS. Everyone wonders why the Panasonic co-development took so long, and how it can hope to compete with PSP's inbuilt multi-media capabilities.
And we’ll leave it there. 2004 has been an incredible year in the games industry. We have seen true brilliance rubbing shoulders with the lowest aspects of the games world ever to have surface.
There is solace to be taken from the downs, perhaps more so that the ups. The DRIV3R scandal highlighted the fact that you, the consumer, are the lowest priority of certain elements of the games industry.
The games industry is young. Mistakes made this year, thusly highlighted, will serve as guidelines for the future.
SPOnG ended 2004 by taking delivery of our Sony PSP. Despite widely reported hardware shortages at launch, there is no shortage on eBay in the run-up to and the days shortly after Christmas.
All the rumour and speculation aside, we have to admit it's a NICE piece of kit... now we're off to test its battery life.
And remember, next year we’ll all get a good look at Nintendo’s Revolution and Microsoft’s new Xbox, perhaps Game Boy Advance 2 and, just maybe, the PlayStation 3.
Roll on E3!
Comments
Showing the 20 most recent comments. Read all 25.
ChocNut 1 Jan 2005 16:05
6/25
Sorry dudes but Spong, like everyone else who has used a PSP know that the DS is toast. Your very early sales figures are irrelevant because there's been such a low number of actual PSPs manufactured to date.
Can't wait till March!
Can't wait till March!
shearDS 1 Jan 2005 19:41
7/25
^yeah and u know jack about the gaming industry then if you think early sales figures are irrelevent sony couldn't produce enough units because they have been rushed out with the psp through the shock announcement of the DS.
Sony at first thought they were only going up against the GBA SP and this was only a year ago. Then nintendo completely countered sony with the announcement of the ds and forced sony to be un-prepared with the PSP launch! (launched alot earlier than sony expected they would have delayed if nintendo didn't have the ds on the market and had a much better unit ready)
hence battery life only being around 4 hours with certain settings on ridge racer, weak launch games, UMD launching out while playing, analogue sticks falling off, pixals failing (which isn't sony's problem spans from the manufactures of the screens), and most important factor of a launch is the amount of units you can produce, sony in this area have completely flopped only being able to produce 300,000 units for 2004! while nintendo have sold well over 2.4 million units in japan and america recording sell outs in both territories
ITs a BAD thing that sony can't produce the units do u understand now! sony have not been prepared do u get it now
Sony at first thought they were only going up against the GBA SP and this was only a year ago. Then nintendo completely countered sony with the announcement of the ds and forced sony to be un-prepared with the PSP launch! (launched alot earlier than sony expected they would have delayed if nintendo didn't have the ds on the market and had a much better unit ready)
hence battery life only being around 4 hours with certain settings on ridge racer, weak launch games, UMD launching out while playing, analogue sticks falling off, pixals failing (which isn't sony's problem spans from the manufactures of the screens), and most important factor of a launch is the amount of units you can produce, sony in this area have completely flopped only being able to produce 300,000 units for 2004! while nintendo have sold well over 2.4 million units in japan and america recording sell outs in both territories
ITs a BAD thing that sony can't produce the units do u understand now! sony have not been prepared do u get it now
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gary_turnstall 1 Jan 2005 20:11
8/25
"Sorry dudes but Spong, like everyone else who has used a PSP know that the DS is toast. Your very early sales figures are irrelevant because there's been such a low number of actual PSPs manufactured to date."
Sorry dude if sony can't produce the numbers the psp is going to fall flat on its face, software has sold terrible with MGS acid, DW, and RR (the three big releases for the PSP) have all fell flat on their face not even making the top 10 for 20-26 december sales, while the DS is still a sell out regardless of the PSP launch.
DS software mario 64 ds sold 150,000 and is placed second in the chart and wario ware sold over 100,000 in the same period
The lack of psp's being manufactured is no excuss, like shearDS said it was caused by the announcement of the ds and sony had to quickly change plans.
Its dirty play by nintendo who still have to announce the next gameboy so if the psp gets past the DS and GBA SP hurdle it still as the next gameboy to contend with. Not only that sony are losing money like mad on the dam thing so if the ds isn't brushed aside quickly which seems unlikely sony are going to be in trouble. NIntendo hold all the cards
Remember the ds is only the third pillar for nintendo the real handheld (the next gameboy is still yet to be announced) the announcement alone will affect PSP sales worldwide!
Nintendo also produce the best handheld games, sony psp will merely see remakes of ps2 games being ported over. I certainly won't buy a game on my ps2 and then re-buy it for the psp.
If you want to play shorter version of GT4 on psp rather than ps2 version then get psp. I can't see people paying money out for the ps2 game of GT4 and then re-buying the exact title with less content for the same price just to play it on a smaller screen! Turn-based mgs is just a joke as well give me MGS 3 over that any day!
Sorry dude if sony can't produce the numbers the psp is going to fall flat on its face, software has sold terrible with MGS acid, DW, and RR (the three big releases for the PSP) have all fell flat on their face not even making the top 10 for 20-26 december sales, while the DS is still a sell out regardless of the PSP launch.
DS software mario 64 ds sold 150,000 and is placed second in the chart and wario ware sold over 100,000 in the same period
The lack of psp's being manufactured is no excuss, like shearDS said it was caused by the announcement of the ds and sony had to quickly change plans.
Its dirty play by nintendo who still have to announce the next gameboy so if the psp gets past the DS and GBA SP hurdle it still as the next gameboy to contend with. Not only that sony are losing money like mad on the dam thing so if the ds isn't brushed aside quickly which seems unlikely sony are going to be in trouble. NIntendo hold all the cards
Remember the ds is only the third pillar for nintendo the real handheld (the next gameboy is still yet to be announced) the announcement alone will affect PSP sales worldwide!
Nintendo also produce the best handheld games, sony psp will merely see remakes of ps2 games being ported over. I certainly won't buy a game on my ps2 and then re-buy it for the psp.
If you want to play shorter version of GT4 on psp rather than ps2 version then get psp. I can't see people paying money out for the ps2 game of GT4 and then re-buying the exact title with less content for the same price just to play it on a smaller screen! Turn-based mgs is just a joke as well give me MGS 3 over that any day!
DoctorDee 2 Jan 2005 09:07
9/25
gary_turnstall wrote:
Sorry dude if sony can't produce the numbers the psp is going to fall flat on its face,
Obviously, but the launch hardware availability is no indication of what Sony can produce. In fact, only a fool would suggest that Sony are not capable of producing quality electronics in large numbers.
The fact is, PSP shares some components with PSTwo, and they launched it at the busiest time of year for PS2 sales. So they were competing with themselves for hardware availability and production resources.
By March, it will be a very different story... production capability will have increased, PSTwo sales wil be in the traditional quiet time, PSP availability will be good.
I have the advantage of having a DS and a PS2 in front of me as I type, and though the DS is interesting, I wouldn't be seen dead with one outside of the huose/office. It is cheap and plasticy, design and build wise. The PSP, I want to take with me everywhere. It is beautifully built and beautifully designed.
software has sold terrible with MGS acid, DW, and RR (the three big releases for the PSP) have all fell flat on their face not even making the top 10 for 20-26 december sales, while the DS is still a sell out regardless of the PSP launch.
These figures are meaningless. How can an console with an installed base of under 100,000 hope to chart software.
I mean, I'm not telling you what to think. I'm just telling you what I think... and I think Ninendo are going to have to do something about DS, or it is going to be outsold by a FAR superior piece of hardware.
The lack of psp's being manufactured is no excuss,
How do you figure that? That's not discussion that's just declaiming spurious anbd unsupportable opinion and hoping people will read it and believe it. True Sony have rushed out PSP just to try and prevent DS getting too big a lead...
But how can you sugest that they could sell more than they produced? And how can you suggest that they could have produced more than they did?
Lets see how things look this time next year. When Sony have had several months hardware sales in all regions.
But anyone who holds the two and says DS is going to win is the kind of person who would CHOOSE to drive a Vauxhall when they had the offer of an Audi for the same price...
if the psp gets past the DS and GBA SP hurdle it still as the next gameboy to contend with
Ah, I see now. You're saying that Nintendo purposefully released a badly designed, shoddy console just to lure Sony into a false sense of secuirty, so they could kill them with the GBA2.
That explains everything!
Not only that sony are losing money like mad on the dam thing
And Nintendo are making a killing on the DS? No, no they are not. If you consider dealer and distributor margins, no manufacturer makes much or any money on hardware. But Sony has global TV, DVD, Stereo, projector, computer etc etc sales to buffer their losses, what does Nintendo have?
NIntendo hold all the cards
In Nintendo fanboyland they do. But in the real world, Sony just revealed their hand, and it's non too shabby.
Remember the ds is only the third pillar for nintendo the real handheld (the next gameboy is still yet to be announced) the announcement alone will affect PSP sales worldwide!
Hmm, that's the story THIS week. But before the PSP was revealed, it was an entirely different story. No-one cared abotu the GBA2... which let's face it, is pure speculation at present... everyone was saying that the DS was what Nintendo were going to take on PSP with, and that getting DS to market first was going to ensure them a lead that PSP could never catch. Now that that is looking unlikely, suddenly the not-even-announced-yet GBA2 is going to answer all Nintendo's problems.
I hope it does, I'm anti-monopoly. I don't want one player to command any market (but then, I don't want only two to either). But the reality is, on the PSP vs DS issue, Sony's hardware is WAY superior.
And let's face it, if Nintendo announced GBA2 tomorrow, we wouldn't see it until October 2005... And what, really is it going to do that PSP can't? And why would it look any better than DS?
Nintendo also produce the best handheld games, sony psp will merely see remakes of ps2 games being ported over.
There's you're unassailable logic again. Because Sony have only ever had PS2 style games, they can not ever now begin to produce portable games. Sure that's the same logic that said because Sony had never had ANY games (before PS1) they could never beat Sega and Nintendo in the console market... but they did.
We are already seeing games like Lumines appearing. That is only the tip of the iceberg.
Sure Nintendo are old hands, and proven masters of portable gaming, but that is the most dangerous position to be in. Everyone can see what you have done, and imitate it.
If you want to play shorter version of GT4 on psp rather than ps2 version then get psp. I can't see people paying money out for the ps2 game of GT4 and then re-buying the exact title with less content for the same price just to play it on a smaller screen! Turn-based mgs is just a joke as well give me MGS 3 over that any day!
Agreed. But what if people want to watch movies, play MP3s and play games, all on one piece of kit that is affordable, and great looking? What if Xbox owners want a hand-held?
The idea that there is no market for the PSP is like the guy from IBM who predicted a world market for five computers ever.
gary_turnstall 2 Jan 2005 16:09
10/25
"Obviously, but the launch hardware availability is no indication of what Sony can produce. In fact, only a fool would suggest that Sony are not capable of producing quality electronics in large numbers."
agreed, sony are masters of mass production but quality i don't think so! ps2 breaks down every year and the dvd player sucks thats not quality! just look at the problems the psp has
"The fact is, PSP shares some components with PSTwo, and they launched it at the busiest time of year for PS2 sales. So they were competing with themselves for hardware availability and production resources.
By March, it will be a very different story... production capability will have increased, PSTwo sales wil be in the traditional quiet time, PSP availability will be good."
So your saying that sony have done the worst possible thing ever, they have launched hardware that sells against its own product! nintendo have never had this problem look at GBA SP and DS sales both very very high yet DS can play GBA games so nintendo seem to cope pretty well
"I have the advantage of having a DS and a PS2 in front of me as I type, and though the DS is interesting, I wouldn't be seen dead with one outside of the huose/office. It is cheap and plasticy, design and build wise. The PSP, I want to take with me everywhere. It is beautifully built and beautifully designed."
That is pathetic its a solid product and nintendo have never made a product that breaks easily unlike sony's psp which seems to have tonnes of problems with it
"These figures are meaningless. How can an console with an installed base of under 100,000 hope to chart software."
you are already showing yourself up the psp has an install base of 350,000 not under 100,000!
"I mean, I'm not telling you what to think. I'm just telling you what I think... and I think Ninendo are going to have to do something about DS, or it is going to be outsold by a FAR superior piece of hardware."
Nintendo have made a successful product in the DS and psp superior i don't think so! its a portable ps2 thats all ds has multiple functions and with mp3 and mp4 player coming to ds soon it will have the ability to play music and movies
"But anyone who holds the two and says DS is going to win is the kind of person who would CHOOSE to drive a Vauxhall when they had the offer of an Audi for the same price..."
first off they are not the same price there is around a 50 - 100 pound difference in price. And ds is the car that has all the functions and gives you a different experience to what everything else does
"Ah, I see now. You're saying that Nintendo purposefully released a badly designed, shoddy console just to lure Sony into a false sense of secuirty, so they could kill them with the GBA2."
badly designed what the f**k are you on its better designed than psp nothing falls off lol and battery life seems like it goes on forever!
"Agreed. But what if people want to watch movies, play MP3s and play games, all on one piece of kit that is affordable, and great looking? What if Xbox owners want a hand-held?"
ds will soon be able to play music and movies anyway and who wants to re-buy every dvd they have just to play it on their psp? UMD isn't even a proven format yet, films will take along time to come out on UMD if ever they do
agreed, sony are masters of mass production but quality i don't think so! ps2 breaks down every year and the dvd player sucks thats not quality! just look at the problems the psp has
"The fact is, PSP shares some components with PSTwo, and they launched it at the busiest time of year for PS2 sales. So they were competing with themselves for hardware availability and production resources.
By March, it will be a very different story... production capability will have increased, PSTwo sales wil be in the traditional quiet time, PSP availability will be good."
So your saying that sony have done the worst possible thing ever, they have launched hardware that sells against its own product! nintendo have never had this problem look at GBA SP and DS sales both very very high yet DS can play GBA games so nintendo seem to cope pretty well
"I have the advantage of having a DS and a PS2 in front of me as I type, and though the DS is interesting, I wouldn't be seen dead with one outside of the huose/office. It is cheap and plasticy, design and build wise. The PSP, I want to take with me everywhere. It is beautifully built and beautifully designed."
That is pathetic its a solid product and nintendo have never made a product that breaks easily unlike sony's psp which seems to have tonnes of problems with it
"These figures are meaningless. How can an console with an installed base of under 100,000 hope to chart software."
you are already showing yourself up the psp has an install base of 350,000 not under 100,000!
"I mean, I'm not telling you what to think. I'm just telling you what I think... and I think Ninendo are going to have to do something about DS, or it is going to be outsold by a FAR superior piece of hardware."
Nintendo have made a successful product in the DS and psp superior i don't think so! its a portable ps2 thats all ds has multiple functions and with mp3 and mp4 player coming to ds soon it will have the ability to play music and movies
"But anyone who holds the two and says DS is going to win is the kind of person who would CHOOSE to drive a Vauxhall when they had the offer of an Audi for the same price..."
first off they are not the same price there is around a 50 - 100 pound difference in price. And ds is the car that has all the functions and gives you a different experience to what everything else does
"Ah, I see now. You're saying that Nintendo purposefully released a badly designed, shoddy console just to lure Sony into a false sense of secuirty, so they could kill them with the GBA2."
badly designed what the f**k are you on its better designed than psp nothing falls off lol and battery life seems like it goes on forever!
"Agreed. But what if people want to watch movies, play MP3s and play games, all on one piece of kit that is affordable, and great looking? What if Xbox owners want a hand-held?"
ds will soon be able to play music and movies anyway and who wants to re-buy every dvd they have just to play it on their psp? UMD isn't even a proven format yet, films will take along time to come out on UMD if ever they do
gary_turnstall 2 Jan 2005 16:24
11/25
after saying all that the only thing i haven't mentioned is who is going to win! personnally i don't think either will run away with it and psp will do well once sony sort out their production of the unit.
I only came out with the comments i made because people seem to think the psp is going to slaughter the ds, i was putting facts across that proves overwise
I only came out with the comments i made because people seem to think the psp is going to slaughter the ds, i was putting facts across that proves overwise
Dreadknux 2 Jan 2005 22:08
12/25
Reggie wrote:
Do you just want to go that little bit faster, or do you want to go down a new road, to places you've never seen before? That's the difference with Nintendo DS.
I'm no Nintendo fanboy (if I'm a fanboy of anything, it's SEGA), but the car comparison mentioned earlier by someone else (the DS being an Audi or something) is kinda b******s. The DS, I feel, is superior to what the PSP can do, in terms of simply playing the game. I would not mind having a PSP myself, but:
= Yes: The PSP has "more power" (I doubt anybody cares about this 'fact' except the rather mentally challenged casual gamers amongst us anyway)
= Yes: I probably would want to show it to my friends, if I was an attention-starved cretin.
= Yes: I would not be seen dead spending £200 on one. Sorry, but it's just not worth it.
Don't get me wrong, I do admire the PSP in it's style, but it really is style over substance, which kinda defeats the point really.
I don't know what fashion-incompetent friends the person has, who said they wouldn't be seen dead showing their DS outside their house. o_O I've taken it to work (because I'm kinda addicted to it now...), and several people (who are about, as casual as you can get) took a great interest into it. I think the whole "DS has no pulling power" is mere biased fabrication really. Several people who have been ardent "Sony is teh best" gamers for years took one look at my DS and wanted me to sell it. I think there will be just as much appeal for DS as there will be for PSP.
And, not that I give a toss about all this "sales = better" nonsense, but just to point out that for those people who mentioned that initial sales are not important, to some extents you are right (look at XBOX's sudden kick in popularity in Europe during it's lifespan), but look at the PS2. The Dreamcast was in its prime, Sony released PS2 with little over 100,000 units in the UK for the first week or so.
Oh look, it's a sell-out, with games staying in the top ten for a few weeks to come. Nintendo have done the same with it's DS and suddenly it's all biased fanboy comments when normal, regular, non-insane Nintendo fans celebrate that fact? Get real. :P
Of course, this is not my stab one way or the other, I'm just trying to level out the rather unfair bashing that Nintendo fans have been getting here (although I have seen some of them being a little too... attached during the debate =F). Is it fair to say the term "Sony fanboy" is not used too often? And those casual gamers who play nothing but Sony are even worse than the Nintendo ones. Consider that. =/
Back on course, it could take a fair while for Sony to break through with PSP, let alone break even (on profits). It's got everything going for it at the moment (except for sales, but that's all inconsequential really), but thinking about it, Sony are stuck in a rut in Japan. I haven't heard a release date for the US, someone correct me if one has been announced - but it seems that Sony's taken a huge risk just to see it compete directly with Nintendo DS in it's homeland. In America, by the time the PSP arrives, nobody would have blinked at it really; Nintendo's got the crucial headstart there, where Sony's concentrated on only one region.
Europe is a different matter though - since we're always three years (exaggeration) behind the rest of the world, by the time the DS gets here with the PSP, Sony'd have been given a decent enough budget based on their initial sales overseas.
Wouldn't it have just been easier on Sony if they just waited a few more months in Japan and release it steadily with minimal problems? The delayed launch is almost as trademark as their artifical lack of supply for all PlayStation products for Sony. Hey, it worked on the Dreamcast (much to my anger - four years down the line and the PS2 still isn't worth it compared to SEGA's white box) =_=.
BTW, SCE don't have the financial support of the divisions of Sony that make the TV's, DVD's, Music, etc - much to popular misconception. They are a seperate division given their own budget. So whether they are part of a big conglomerate really doesn't matter between Sony and Nintendo with regards to funding.
Autobot 3 Jan 2005 00:15
13/25
A new year a new fight. Listen up people, both systems have there faults, DS is poorly designed and the PSP is lacking solid titles and availablitly.
Honestly, the DS's touch screen sucks I played with it and I can positivly say that its one of the dumbest ideas for a portable game system. Rememeber, how are you going to use the inaccurtate controls with only one hand? If all you are doing is drawing then it could work but rememeber you almost certainly need to use the other hand to push buttons and it is very very awkward to use. No to mention the fact that the system doesn't feel all that polished.
The PSP (all speculative information unless noted) looks to have an awkward placement of the trigger buttons and from what I hear the Analog numbn is tough to reach and is not accurate at all. The screen is a scratch magnet and the system uses UMD as a main storage device.
Not to say that one is better than the other, I feel that the PSP even with its flaws has the stronger uper hand.
Nintendo fan boys (lame as they are) have to understand that Nintendo has made a mistake this time around. Will they crash because of it? probably not but they learned a valuable lesson.
Most print and online publications have named the PSP the must have gadget of 2005 and many places are having problems with the large amounts of people wanting pre orders.
Now, for the Next Gameboy, I once believed that Nintendo could gain the top spot with there next system but I started thinking. If, and I mean if, Sony does accomplish the impossible and gets this system to sell at least 5 mill by the end of the year. Nintendo will lose the handheld crown they have held soo long. You may ask, WTF is he talking about? and I would answer, STFU....oops I mean this, Sony is going to sell this system as an entertainment hub. Their marketing is soo strong its going to fall like this, mothers and fathers will go to the store and see that the child wants a handheld system. The parents ask the clerk which system is better? the clerk will say well if you want your kid to stay quiet the longest the PSp has movies and games. All the movies will play super clear and you can use it as an MP3 player. Both parents will be like well lets get it for him its only a few bucks more.
after a few million people repeat this plan of action, the PSP sells record numbers. I remember when the Original PS came out people bought it for the CD capablity almost as much as games. same for PS2's DVD playback. People love systems that can let them do many things (but have to do all of them great).
Honestly, the DS's touch screen sucks I played with it and I can positivly say that its one of the dumbest ideas for a portable game system. Rememeber, how are you going to use the inaccurtate controls with only one hand? If all you are doing is drawing then it could work but rememeber you almost certainly need to use the other hand to push buttons and it is very very awkward to use. No to mention the fact that the system doesn't feel all that polished.
The PSP (all speculative information unless noted) looks to have an awkward placement of the trigger buttons and from what I hear the Analog numbn is tough to reach and is not accurate at all. The screen is a scratch magnet and the system uses UMD as a main storage device.
Not to say that one is better than the other, I feel that the PSP even with its flaws has the stronger uper hand.
Nintendo fan boys (lame as they are) have to understand that Nintendo has made a mistake this time around. Will they crash because of it? probably not but they learned a valuable lesson.
Most print and online publications have named the PSP the must have gadget of 2005 and many places are having problems with the large amounts of people wanting pre orders.
Now, for the Next Gameboy, I once believed that Nintendo could gain the top spot with there next system but I started thinking. If, and I mean if, Sony does accomplish the impossible and gets this system to sell at least 5 mill by the end of the year. Nintendo will lose the handheld crown they have held soo long. You may ask, WTF is he talking about? and I would answer, STFU....oops I mean this, Sony is going to sell this system as an entertainment hub. Their marketing is soo strong its going to fall like this, mothers and fathers will go to the store and see that the child wants a handheld system. The parents ask the clerk which system is better? the clerk will say well if you want your kid to stay quiet the longest the PSp has movies and games. All the movies will play super clear and you can use it as an MP3 player. Both parents will be like well lets get it for him its only a few bucks more.
after a few million people repeat this plan of action, the PSP sells record numbers. I remember when the Original PS came out people bought it for the CD capablity almost as much as games. same for PS2's DVD playback. People love systems that can let them do many things (but have to do all of them great).
shearDS 3 Jan 2005 04:23
14/25
so u think the touch screen sucks after playing with it for 5 minutes like every one else when trying? i have played with it everyday since launch and a touch screen is a welcome addition.
Wario ware rocks using it and so do the mini games in mario 64 ds. I also tried controlling mario 64 ds using touch screen and couldn't use it that well using thumb pad or just the thumb but using the stylus in your right hand and changing the controls to dual hand mode gave me the same feeling has using the analogue stick, took me around 20 minutes or so to get use to it but got there
I am probably the only person to prefere the touch screen over the d-pad when playing mario 64 ds, people just ain't giving it the time because they just go back to using the d-pad after 5 minutes of trying. The ds is far from poorly designed and is a solid piece of kit as with psp no doubt, yet to try it to see for myself though
Wario ware rocks using it and so do the mini games in mario 64 ds. I also tried controlling mario 64 ds using touch screen and couldn't use it that well using thumb pad or just the thumb but using the stylus in your right hand and changing the controls to dual hand mode gave me the same feeling has using the analogue stick, took me around 20 minutes or so to get use to it but got there
I am probably the only person to prefere the touch screen over the d-pad when playing mario 64 ds, people just ain't giving it the time because they just go back to using the d-pad after 5 minutes of trying. The ds is far from poorly designed and is a solid piece of kit as with psp no doubt, yet to try it to see for myself though
shearDS 3 Jan 2005 04:33
15/25
Sorry forgot to mention the fact that the ds is very light unless you have only one hand the ds is easy to use on the move with the stylus while playing mario 64 ds and this was while walking! obviously people ain't giving the control method enough time
auzdafluff 3 Jan 2005 09:22
16/25
Svend Joscelyne wrote:
BTW, SCE don't have the financial support of the divisions of Sony that make the TV's, DVD's, Music, etc - much to popular misconception. They are a seperate division given their own budget. So whether they are part of a big conglomerate really doesn't matter between Sony and Nintendo with regards to funding.
Actually, I think you'll find the department which contributes to 40% of Sony's total revenue, while not the highest budgeted department (the falls to their movie department purely because of the large costs involved) SCE, if you take into account possible budget (that is to say how much more money Sony is willing to give the various departments should they request it) SCE far outstrips every other department. If SCE asks for more money than they were allocated, they get it. You just don't strangle your most lucrative department.
DoctorDee 3 Jan 2005 14:04
17/25
gary_turnstall wrote:
agreed, sony are masters of mass production but quality i don't think so!
OK, so what you are saying is that they have become one of the world's largest supliers of consumer electronics products (and premium priced ones at that) by producing tat. Interesting!
ps2 breaks down every year and the dvd player sucks thats not quality!
Well, here at SPOnG we have three PS2s, all of which are used heavily, poorly treated, and they last as well as anything else. We break 'em now and then, but we break Xboxes, Game Cubes and GBAs too.
just look at the problems the psp has
And equally look at the ones the DS has. All new electronics have teething troubles. No matter how much testing you give a product, it doesn't compare with tens of thousands of people using it in real world situations.
Our PSP has not manifested any problems as yet. It has a single dead pixel - which annoys me, and if we bought it in the UK, I'd return it.
So your saying that sony have done the worst possible thing ever, they have launched hardware that sells against its own product!
1. I didn't say that. I said thay were competing for manufacturing resources and components, not for market share.
2. That's not the worst thing ever.
3. It's "you're saying" not "your saying".
That is pathetic its a solid product and nintendo have never made a product that breaks easily unlike sony's psp which seems to have tonnes of problems with it
I didn't say it wasn't solid. I know it is. I dropped ours on the floor on the day we got it, and it survued with no problems.
I said it was plasticy - and it is. It's made of platic, looks like it is made of plastic, and feels like it is made of plastic. Plasticy. Cheap feeling. Nasty.
As for the PSP's "tonnes of problems"... ours has none, what about yours? Oh, you don't have one, do you? You're just repeating what you've read on Nintendo fan sites.
you are already showing yourself up the psp has an install base of 350,000 not under 100,000!
Where are your figures coming from? I said installed user base, given that very very many of the PSPs in channel seem to be on eBay, they are not installed. Also given that many will have been bought as Christmas presents, they were not installed in time to contribute to the charts for w/e 26th december.
But if Halo 2 (the biggest, most imprtant Xbox game of all time) can only manage number 11 on the current (Christmas) UK all formats chart, with a relatively healthy number of Xboxes in the UK, how can you expect a tiny number of PSPs to manage to chart titles in the Japanese Christmas charts? It's stupid and it's pathetic. As I said, come back this time next year, and see if PSP is charting games.
Nintendo have made a successful product in the DS and psp superior i don't think so!
You appear not to think at all. What I said was that in terms of the hardware, PSP is clearly superior. Nintendo have a chance to compete with superior software... but it will have to be more than a few Mario/Wario games if they hope to win this battle, and it will have to be earthshattering if they hope to maintain their dominance of the hand-held market.
Personally, I hope that Sony do not manage to drive Nintendo out of the market... but on the evidence of the hardware alone, Nintendo have a tough challenge on their hands.
first off they are not the same price there is around a 50 - 100 pound difference in price.
Peanuts. I mean, OK, to some extremely poor people, and people with no taste, they might prefer tosave a few pounds and have a DS. But anyone with any money, and taste will prefer Sony's sleek, sexy hardware. It's nothing for the added features, which as you point out yourself, will cost EXTRA on a DS.
badly designed what the f**k are you on its better designed than psp
OK. Now you're proven that you are either a fanboy or an retard. Anyone who think the DS is better designed than the PSP clearly puts their allegiance before their intelligence.
DS has potentially a more interesting control system. It's a more innovative piece of kit. But design wise, it's a poor second to the PSP.
and who wants to re-buy every dvd they have just to play it on their psp?
You don't have to. You just need a single 1Gb Memory Stick Pro Duo, a USB lead and sofware that can transcode to H.264
UMD isn't even a proven format yet, films will take along time to come out on UMD if ever they do
What with Sony owning one of the world's biggest motion picture studios (the one that made Spider-man, Resident Evil Apocalypse, xXx etc etc), and one of the world biggest TV production companies (the one that makes Dawsons Creek, Married with Children, Mad about You, Larry Sanders etc etc) and having just bought MGM (the company that made The Rocky movies, Stargate Atlantis, Legally Blonde, and the James Bond Movies) I'd say the chances are fair that UMD will get its share of movies.
claudioalex 3 Jan 2005 19:22
18/25
LOL, this is an intersting fight, I bet for the DS, you know how much this 1 Gb Memory stick cost? so you can play mp3 music and sotre videos?
its around 200 dollars, so, if they say that with the the PSP you can hear mp3, they should say immediately that you have to pay : 180 - 200 dollars (PSP without any vidiaogame included) plus 200 dollars (memory stick) = $380 - 400 ,
who is going to buy this ?
Besides, battery life sucks
its around 200 dollars, so, if they say that with the the PSP you can hear mp3, they should say immediately that you have to pay : 180 - 200 dollars (PSP without any vidiaogame included) plus 200 dollars (memory stick) = $380 - 400 ,
who is going to buy this ?
Besides, battery life sucks
claudioalex 3 Jan 2005 19:36
19/25
PS2 is a pice of garbage, where you can play good games,
I HAVE BOUGTH 3 TIMES A PS2, the first was killed by a sudden change in electricity voltage, of corse my game cube and x box were intact after this incident, and the second one died cose the lens failed.
Its not alarming for me to hear news about the PSP complains,
We should organize a competition to check which PSP lunch its USB farthest ,now that every psp build has a problem with the USB coming out .
I HAVE BOUGTH 3 TIMES A PS2, the first was killed by a sudden change in electricity voltage, of corse my game cube and x box were intact after this incident, and the second one died cose the lens failed.
Its not alarming for me to hear news about the PSP complains,
We should organize a competition to check which PSP lunch its USB farthest ,now that every psp build has a problem with the USB coming out .
config 4 Jan 2005 15:39
20/25
gary_turnstall wrote:
ds will soon be able to play music and movies anyway and who wants to re-buy every dvd they have just to play it on their psp?
Boing! You just dropped the ball.
1. Unless this DS add-on plays DVDs, you're going to have to re-buy for the DS. It's going to be memory card-based, surely. See point 3.
2. The add-on will cost you - just like having to buy a MemoryStick for the PSP. Only 'tards would by UMD when they could transfers DVD movies to the MemStick.
3. If the DS add-on is memory card-based, you're going to have to buy the add-on AND a decent sized memory card. That's TWO additional payouts.
4. The DS' screen (pick which ever) is pitifully small for watching movies.
config 4 Jan 2005 15:45
21/25
claudioalex wrote:
I HAVE BOUGTH 3 TIMES A PS2, the first was killed by a sudden change in electricity voltage, of corse my game cube and x box were intact after this incident, and the second one died cose the lens failed.
I've had my PS2 for years. A couple of months ago my daughter broke the disc tray facia. That's pretty good build quality considering the beating it's taken.
As for the DVD quality mentioned elsewhere, the video and audio quality seems just fine through my projector.
BTW, was your PS2 in use when the electricity surge blew it up? How about the other machines?
fluffstardx 4 Jan 2005 17:54
22/25
Ag. It all devolves, again.
I trust those who have used both machines for their judgement. I don't want a PSP (i hate memory sticks, i have no need for most of the features) and do want a DS- but that doesn't mean i'm blind. The PSP, should Ninty not pull their finger out their arse and make a new Game Boy that can pee on PSP from a great height (due to the small size and price of cube components, i'm amazed they haven't already), will kill the Game Boy. It's that simple; more people know what you mean when you say "playstation" than do "game boy".
I've owned all 3 systems, and the only 1 i don't still own is the PS2. It just doesn't have any pull left to me (OK, maybe Kingdom Hearts 2... but 1 game doth not a purchase of a PS2 make) and the bugger went and "disk read error"ed on me. OK, so did the Xbox- but Microsoft replaced that, free of charge, along with all my saves. Sony would have laughed if i'd asked them to.
No system is ever 100% reliable; the amount of memory card failures on various Nintendo games alone is staggering. Until you have one in your hands, judge not the DS or PSP.
I trust those who have used both machines for their judgement. I don't want a PSP (i hate memory sticks, i have no need for most of the features) and do want a DS- but that doesn't mean i'm blind. The PSP, should Ninty not pull their finger out their arse and make a new Game Boy that can pee on PSP from a great height (due to the small size and price of cube components, i'm amazed they haven't already), will kill the Game Boy. It's that simple; more people know what you mean when you say "playstation" than do "game boy".
I've owned all 3 systems, and the only 1 i don't still own is the PS2. It just doesn't have any pull left to me (OK, maybe Kingdom Hearts 2... but 1 game doth not a purchase of a PS2 make) and the bugger went and "disk read error"ed on me. OK, so did the Xbox- but Microsoft replaced that, free of charge, along with all my saves. Sony would have laughed if i'd asked them to.
No system is ever 100% reliable; the amount of memory card failures on various Nintendo games alone is staggering. Until you have one in your hands, judge not the DS or PSP.
Joji 4 Jan 2005 19:35
23/25
It's been a laugh reading all this jibe. Now I'll have a go.
I think both systems have their pros and cons, and I STILL intend to buy both because both will offer something I want. Games.
However if you wanna ask who's gonna win this handheld war my money is still on Nintendo.
WHY You ask? Well my first reason is that failure is really not an option for Nintendo especially after N64 and GC, that's why GBA2 is the back up plans if DS fails. No one can say that's a bad plan. Nintendo have a good head start and have been using their smarts from the beginning, and such cunning (if you can call it that) will be valuable for them in the long run.
I think we should give it six months for both and then we'll see how things are doing. Should be around E3 time by then and the proper first round results should be in.
Sony's marketing will be good as always, but like we once may have underestimated the power of PS1/2 and Sony (even MS) you should also give the same respect to Nintendo. Stranger things have happened and Nintendo might just pull it off. It would be nice for them to grab some glory pie, why on earth should Sony have it all? Is this such a bad idea when MS and Sony have been enjoying so much success?
I really think that despite PSPs lovely sleek lines like anything new the novelty wears off after a while, and when that's gone you are really just left with another PS2 fullstop. Games look like PS2s, sound like PS2s and while this is all cool and in your hand I think people will be more likely to question PSP, since it does little that the PS2 can't do. For me only the wi-fi gaming is what interests me on PSP.
With DS this is different in the respect of the way you use it. Whether it's blowing on the mic, using the stylus and screen etc, just seeing someone using a DS in public (just as someone before experience) will be enough to ask in their minds "just what the hell is he/she doing?" On top of that which do you think will attract the non gaming females are more likely to be intrigued by and want to play? Doubt it will be PSP because at heart it's just really a PS2.
Lastly it's hard to classify people (fanboy etc) when you don't know them properly, we are all fans of games here and as such we should all do our best to open and boaden our minds. Only then will we truly be gamers. Think about that for a moment. Does Jeremy Clarkson only test drive Ford cars? No, he tries different makes and models and judges each on their pros and cons, with a topping of his personal opinion. Fair enough we aren't him, but we can try to aspire to a similar idea while being gamers.
I'll be looking forward a lot to March and May. E3 should be a laugh.
I think both systems have their pros and cons, and I STILL intend to buy both because both will offer something I want. Games.
However if you wanna ask who's gonna win this handheld war my money is still on Nintendo.
WHY You ask? Well my first reason is that failure is really not an option for Nintendo especially after N64 and GC, that's why GBA2 is the back up plans if DS fails. No one can say that's a bad plan. Nintendo have a good head start and have been using their smarts from the beginning, and such cunning (if you can call it that) will be valuable for them in the long run.
I think we should give it six months for both and then we'll see how things are doing. Should be around E3 time by then and the proper first round results should be in.
Sony's marketing will be good as always, but like we once may have underestimated the power of PS1/2 and Sony (even MS) you should also give the same respect to Nintendo. Stranger things have happened and Nintendo might just pull it off. It would be nice for them to grab some glory pie, why on earth should Sony have it all? Is this such a bad idea when MS and Sony have been enjoying so much success?
I really think that despite PSPs lovely sleek lines like anything new the novelty wears off after a while, and when that's gone you are really just left with another PS2 fullstop. Games look like PS2s, sound like PS2s and while this is all cool and in your hand I think people will be more likely to question PSP, since it does little that the PS2 can't do. For me only the wi-fi gaming is what interests me on PSP.
With DS this is different in the respect of the way you use it. Whether it's blowing on the mic, using the stylus and screen etc, just seeing someone using a DS in public (just as someone before experience) will be enough to ask in their minds "just what the hell is he/she doing?" On top of that which do you think will attract the non gaming females are more likely to be intrigued by and want to play? Doubt it will be PSP because at heart it's just really a PS2.
Lastly it's hard to classify people (fanboy etc) when you don't know them properly, we are all fans of games here and as such we should all do our best to open and boaden our minds. Only then will we truly be gamers. Think about that for a moment. Does Jeremy Clarkson only test drive Ford cars? No, he tries different makes and models and judges each on their pros and cons, with a topping of his personal opinion. Fair enough we aren't him, but we can try to aspire to a similar idea while being gamers.
I'll be looking forward a lot to March and May. E3 should be a laugh.
kid_77 5 Jan 2005 09:24
24/25
Joji wrote:
Does Jeremy Clarkson only test drive Ford cars? No, he tries different makes and models and judges each on their pros and cons, with a topping of his personal opinion. Fair enough we aren't him, but we can try to aspire to a similar idea while being gamers.
Oh, lordy! Mr. Clarkson as someone to aspire to:
"We've all heard about the PSP's game line-up, we've seen the tech specs, and the dead pixels are well documented. But I'm not here to discuss all that rubbish. I'm gonna shove it, UP MY ARSE!"
DoctorDee 5 Jan 2005 12:05
25/25
kid_77 wrote:
But I'm not here to discuss all that rubbish. I'm gonna shove it, UP MY ARSE!"
I was going to say, "If only he would". Thing is, that wouldn't silence his opinion-without-fact.