Tearing down gadgets isn’t new. In fact, The PSP Go’s bigger brethren just went through the same thing. There’s plenty of reasons to do these things to new pieces of tech, but most of it revolves around finding out what makes them tick, and how much it cost to put it all together. In the case of the PSP Go, there’s nothing really new to show off. And to be honest, we’d much prefer to have one not disassembled, rather than look at those standard guts within.
With the veracity of his information seemingly corroborated by accurately tipping the Sony PS3 Slim back in June now that the skinny console has been made official, tipster Super_Secret’s next prediction – regarding Sony’s portable gaming line – is now under the microscope. In June the anonymous source suggested that rather than phasing out UMD-based PSP models, Sony were instead preparing to replace the current PSP-3000 with a new PSP-4000.
Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai has confirmed that the company will continue to lose money on each of the $299 PS3 Slim consoles they sell, together with revealing that Sony’s motion-controller has been pencilled in for a release in spring 2010. Meanwhile he also denied that, with the advent of the UMD-free PSP Go, we are seeing “the death of physical media”, pointing to the large percentage of the 100 countries Sony sells gaming products in that don’t have access to high-speed internet connections for downloads.
We may be feeling sour about the PSP Go’s hardware, but its software may end up putting a smile on our faces. According to Pocket Gamer, the upcoming handheld’s downloadable PlayStation Network (PSN) games will be priced at €1, €2 and €5 apiece ($1-$7), bringing them to the level of titles from Apple’s App Store for the iPod touch and iPhone. They also claim that Sony have been actively courting iPhone developers, in the hope that they will port their existing titles over to the PSP Go.
Many have argued that Sony’s upcoming PSP Go is more a shameless marketing and cash-grabbing exercise, lacking the segment-shift that a truly innovative device might deliver. We’re holding off from judging until the review units come in, but hearing the latest feedback from pre-launch prototype models isn’t exactly putting us in the most positive frame of mind. Eurogamer got their hands on the early PSP Go, and found that not only does the new handheld require all new video cables but little things like the AV port have changed, too.
Sony have revealed plans for “snackable” titles that gamers could download to their PSP Go in less than a minute, taking on Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch in the process. Speaking at a closed-doors event at E3 last month, Sony’s head of developer relations Zeno Colaço told Develop that the company envisages the move appealing to non-traditional gamers familiar with micro-downloads.
Time to roll out the old render, as news emerges about what could be considered the true PSP2. According to Eurogamer Spain, they’ve acquired the spec-sheet for Sony’s in-development successor to the current PSP, a long leap ahead of what’s on offer with the PSPGo.
Rumors regarding a PSP phone have circulated for almost as long as the gaming handheld itself has been available, and despite Sony’s best efforts they refuse to die down. According to the Nikkei business daily this weekend, Sony is looking to set up a department that would explore gaming/phone hybrid devices; the team could be established as early as July, suggests the report.
It’s perhaps saying a lot about our opinion of big businesses like Sony when admitting you purposefully milk early-adopters wins you kudos for honesty. SCEE’s Andrew House, current president and former chief marketing officer, has done just that, telling MCV that the PSP Go’s high price is partly the result of “a certain premium” associated with a new device.
Game developer Activision have set their sights on bringing Sony down a peg or two, threatening to cease development for the PS3 and PSP consoles if the company does not reduce royalty fees. CEO Bobby Kotick has accused Sony of “losing a bit of momentum” and complained that the company does not “make it easy for me to support the [PlayStation 3] platform”. Kotick is now asking for a PS3 hardware price-cut.
SlashGear Japan
