TGS 2004: Hands-on with the Sony PSP
Sony's Playstation baby gets its first public airing
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Despite a spate of playable games on a variety formats, huge showings from the likes of Sega, EA, Capcom and Microsoft, not to mention an impressive array of scantily glad Japanese beauties in various states of undress; there was only ever going to be one star attraction at the Tokyo Games Show 2004. The Sony PSP. Having won domination of the console industry, the Playstation brand has now turned its attentions with predatory gaze on the successes of Nintendo's various gaming handheld devices. Of course, Sony publicly state that the PSP is not intended to rival Nintendo's various offerings, but comparisons are inevitable - especially as both firm's attempt to widen their respective audiences.
Nintendo are of course the company with the handheld brand and pedigree, and their cheaper DS is coming out earlier than the PSP too. That said, the specifications touted for Sony's competitor are formidable in the extreme - and you get the impression Sony are serious about making a splash in this burgeoning gaming sector. So, now we've played it, is it any good?
Well, the first thing to be said of the PSP is that there's a broad range of launch titles on the way, as demonstrated by the twenty-plus games in various states of playability available at TGS. Some titles are of course more original than others, and it was easy to note that at TGS most of the games seemed to cater for Japanese tastes, a series of RPGs and puzzle style games proving noteworthy if unexceptional in this respect. Then there are more predictable stalwarts of any new format, an EA racer, being the most prominent in the shape of Need for Speed Underground Rivals. I had a few minutes playing this game, and must say that for a handheld the graphics are looking lovely, the controls slick and all in all the game conveyed the impression that it could certainly match whilst not better many PS2 racing games.
Also on display and of note was Rez creator Tetsuya Miziguchi's Lumines, a bizarre puzzle game themed around issues of light and dark which certainly looked original, even if the quirky colourful gameplay coupled with Japanese language use did leave me feeling that what I was experiencing was somewhat lost in translation.
Metal Gear Acid also appears to be shaping up well - again proving graphically staggering (for a handheld), and offering the kind of rich gameplay previously impossible on a handheld system. That said, I didn't play enough to deduce whether Acid offered anything original beyond the Playstation favourites we're accustomed too - and this generally is one of my initial concerns regarding the games on offer - do they bring us anything new? Or are they, in the main, re-hashes of PS titles or variations on GameBoy games. We shall have to wait and see on this front - and indeed even if this does turn out to be the case, is it a problem - given that games this involving, diverse and eye-pleasing have never been possible on a handheld gaming platform before.
Having voiced this concern, I am pleased to report that there are some quirky, fun and original looking titles that do appear to be coming along nicely - in the main games not based on safe, established franchises. There was a Golf game (of Japanese naming) that was looking rather fun, not to mention the retro Vampire Chronicles, Lumines, and Armoured Core Formula Front, so I think we'll have to reserve judgement until release before debating Sony's software strategy.
On to the system itself then. As you'll see from the photographs related to this article, the PSP is a rather large 'handheld', certainly when compared to Nintendo's previous machines. It's actually rather heavy too. Of course, in return for this extra mass you get very well positioned and proportioned buttons / controls, and a huge wide-screen, which does wonders for the super-sharp visuals of the games. There's also a strange nipple-like joystick control, which worked okay in Need for Speed, but I can imagine working far better in games of another genre. Suffice to say, the PSP isn't quite as pocket-sized as many of you may have hoped.
With the power of the machine also comes another problem - the power. Admittedly, the PSP I played was - I was told by my guide - not a final version, but still the battery life was only estimated at two-hours, and for a machine supposed to be only two months from launch this isn't a good sign. I was however told that discussions regarding battery life were ongoing and that the final version of the hardware may benefit from longer playing time. Let's hope Sony can improve this, as two-hours seems rather short to us. Popular Science magazine this month counters this situation too, citing experts who suggest the PSP will last eight hours gaming, and ten playing music - which is far better than my demonstrator this afternoon implied!
So, all in all my brief gander at the Sony PSP was a highly interesting one. All appears to be going well on the games front, and I'm convinced more titles will be revealed in due course, Sony ensuring an impressive roster of titles covering all bases. The size and battery issues are altogether more of a gamble for Sony, I think. It certainly looks the business: sleek, stylish and very expensive - but it isn't going to slip into a trouser pocket too easily, and some may find it too chunky for use as a music player too. This said, if the movie playing functionality lives up to expectations - then this may redeem the seemingly inconvenient size. On the battery front, we'll just have to wait and see, as reports appear conflicting at this stage. We'll keep you posted, naturally, and bring you more as we get it.
Comments
You lucky fecker mate...
Indeed - sadly they wouldn't let me keep it (or her)...
Was surprised at the size of the screen. So is there just the one analogue stick? The screen shots I've seen, whilst impressive, don't seem to offer the PS2 quality we've been hopign for. Wadda ya reckon?
Wow
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Metal Gear Acid also appears to be shaping up well - again proving graphically staggering (for a handheld), and offering the kind of rich gameplay previously impossible on a handheld system. That said, I didn't play enough to deduce whether Acid offered anything original beyond the Playstation favourites we're accustomed too
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Did you play it at all... or is the fact that it is a CARD BATTLER completely hidden ?
Morning Mike, you're right - the addition of cards is a significant one - however the game still has the same feel to it - and whilst my brief mention was hardly comprehensive, I still got the sense that this wasn't going to be anything massively original for the new format. That said, my experience was very brief, and shouldn't be considered in any sense accurate at this stage! Hopefully we'll have more on this soon.
Unknown Informer - you're misinformed! The Nintendo DS has been confirmed at $149, which translates to around £85 our money. So expect a £99 retail price most likely - very tasty.
Luke - any sign of Katamari Damashiii 2? (Namco)
disregard my earlier comment about the analouge stick
i'm 12 most of my friends and i have a ps2, i think sony also has a large crowd of consumers in my age group, the fact that sony gears toward older groups is part of the appeal in my opinion.
also, do you think that the psp can be used by someone of my age (your answer dosent really matter i will still get one.)
This is great!
the approximate battery life sony have said finally is 6 hours nonstop gaming and eight on music
i hope this info will be of use
also how heavy is it. its not that big its about the size of a gba
Will American games for the PSP be able to play on a Japanese PSP?
Iam wondering how much the psp will cost beacause i might get a Nintendo DS or PSP their are 8 games that i want for psp and 8 for DS so prices will count
To cyo: I'm 12 also (almost 13) and im also thinking bout gettin a PSP. I think anyone can use the psp.It just depends on what u want ur handheld to do.Like younger kids might just want to play games so the DS would be a better choice,but if u wanna game,watch movies,and listen to music u would probably wanna get a PSP.
the ds is going to be able to play movies and music becuz nintendo announced a media adapter that uses sd memory cards and comes out in febuary. that means that you can download whatever you want and load it onto the ds.take that sony!
the psp is gonna be able to store more music and play movies better so it doesn't matter what the ds does to try to make it better.
hi
where did my coments go
hi sniper where r u u dont talk much and can u tell me how u would watch movies on the PSP thanks
hello, i preoldered my psp today i put $125 down (im 14) i cant wait to get the sick handheld ( i got the ds) this will be the 1st sony gameconsole i will own i awaz hated sony but this psp just cant slip my hands next weekend i will put down $65 then ill have $190 on it ha! *** BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WAS REALLY STRANG AS HELL THEY ONLEY HAD 15 PSP'S TO PREOLRDER WTF IS GOING ON ??? I WAS THE 1ST TO GET IT I SAW THAT ON A PAPER I GUESS THATS ALL THEY WILL BE GETING CAUSE HE SAID THATS ALL THEY WILL BE GETING TILL THEY COME OUT WTF???????*************** THIS WAS AT EB GAMES*****
u will be able to watch movies on the psp by buying mini dvd discs...im not quite shure about all the techincal stuff but basicly the psp has a dvd type thing in it..
ahhhhh march 4th 20 days away from great goodness .........or i mite have to wait a few more cause i preordered they said mite be a few days after it came out. O yea!! at eb games u cant preoreder no more ha ha ha!!!
im hin the blok rand er and i think the psp is worth it if itcosts 100-150ppounds am gettin it and am only 12 years old