Sony Strikes Again!

Oh Sony, how could you?

Just when I thought it was safe to breathe a relative sigh of relief, Sony comes out with its answer to Nintendo's Game Boys (and DS, which I'll be talking about in a bit) and Nokia's NGage: the Playstation Portable, or PSP. Details have been floating about the net for the past year or so but the gaming press were finally able to get their hands on the hardware and several gameplay demos during the recent E3 which took place in LA from May 12th to the 14th.

For the uninitiated, E3 stands for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, a two day event open ONLY to members of video game related press and industry insiders. Members of the public almost never get a chance to get in, but it's safe to say that E3 is the equivalent of a video gamer's wet dream. There are booths from almost every game developer under the sun, showing off their hardware or software (with generous help from booth babes!). It's been said that unless you structure your visit there carefully, there's a chance you'll never be able to see everything it has to offer. The only thing in Asia that can even rival the experience is the Tokyo Game Show (or TGS), running for several days in September every year. Thankfully that one is open to the public. Anyway, back to the PSP...



Since its announcement roughly a year ago, the internet has been rife with speculations and rumours as to the true nature, design and capabilities of the portable system. Unveiled 20 minutes into E3, Sony once again manages to prove that its marketing skills are second to none, and that the PSP may very well be the biggest thing since the first Game Boy was released more than a decade ago. Scheduled to be released in Japan at the end of year (and the US in spring 2005) with an as of yet unspecified price tag (eek!), the PSP boasts:

* A 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD (think laptop display) capable of displaying over 16 million colours
* A PS/PS2 style controller layout, with an analog nub and two shoulder buttons in addition to the now familiar design
* Wireless networking support out of the box, with USB2.0 and 802.11b WiFi built in
* A Memory Stick Pro Duo slot for data/software transfers
* A new media format, the UMD (Universal Media Disc) capable of 1.8 Gb of storage. The UMD format allows storage of not only games, but movies and audio as well.

These are the basic operating specs, and all are scheduled to be included into the final product (since almost everyone at E3 got to see the PSP at work, we can be reasonably sure of that). Of course, built in stereo speakers, headphone connector and display controls come standard. Sony has promised an all new proprietary anti piracy protection measure involving not only the game discs but the individual consoles as well (although how well this turns out remains to be seen). So why am I excited about the PSP? Simple. One of the major sell points for this system is the fact it has the equivalent processing horsepower of a PlayStation2. That's a huge leap over any other portable system in the market now (with the possible exception of the Nintendo DS). What this translates to is super sharp fully 3D graphics ON THE GO (and the shape..oooh the shape). Add in the choice of media which allows more storage than any other form out there, and this baby seems to have it made. Before we all break out the champagne, there are several issues of concern, however.

First and most important, is battery life. Any laptop/notebook computer user will know that accessing the CD/DVD drive continuously whilst on the go drains the battery considerably. What happens in most games for the PS2 is that the game environment is "streamed" intermittently (and invisibly) while the player is actively engaged. This is ordinarily not a problem since the PS2 runs out of a wall socket. But for a console like the PSP, this may be a big problem, and one that affects not only the player, but game developers as well, as they will have to find solutions to get around the streaming problem. Nintendo's portables do not suffer from this problem, as the limitations of the cartridge media force them to focus on gameplay rather than graphics (which is essentially the most important thing).

Another issue that's perhaps more relevant is the fact that if Sony's copy protection system DOES deliver, it may mean that gamers in Asia who're used to modded consoles (with copied games) may balk at having to pay full price for their enjoyment. While this essentially is a good thing, in a weird sense software piracy here actually boosts interest in new hardware and peripherals (even for PCs) and as I said it remains to be seen just how strong this new protection is. IGN has a good writeup and discussion on the first impressions of the PSP and Nintendo DS and is available here.
Anyway, we still have several months before the first versions are released, and this is one Ox who'll be vigilantly looking out for it. Expect more news and updates as they are available, and I'll be doing a little preview of the Nintendo DS soon.

Till then, cheers!