PSP Questions

[Asche XL]

Looks like the only reason I MIGHT consider purchasing this thing is going to be for Wipeout Pure (provided a- it gets good reviews, b- it's thte total opposite of Fusion).

My question is, is there any video out on this thing? It's kind of disapointing to have a brand new bad-ass flashy wipeout and be consticted to this little screen with restrictive controls, is there anyway , or you think there'd be anyway to hook the psp up to a nice hdtv or be able to hook a controller up to it?

this got me thinking, it's going to be disapointed for game companies to be desiging cool games for this thing when you're gona want to play them at home with a proper gaming system and a nice dual shock 2 controller.

that demo video for PURE looked pretty cool

[Rapier Racer]

Hmm yes thats an interesting question, I was wondering the same thing, You had better be able to connect it to a tv....shakes fist violently at Sony

[Lance]

.
supposedly it can interface with the PS2 perhaps in somewhat the same way as a GameBoyAdvance does with a Gamecube. would this allow big screen play?
.

[infoxicated]

My question is, is there any video out on this thing?

I haven't heard anything about the possibility of connecting to a tv, though, as I too would like to play Wipeout Pure on a big screen. Maybe they'll release some sort of adapter at some point - there are a whole shed load of accessories in the pipeline for the PSP from various companies, so who knows.

[xEik]

May this article bring some light to the issue, although it's from a couple of months ago.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/03/sony_confirms_psp_to_ps2/

I hope it is true when they release the definitive version of the PSP.

I'm planning to buy one. For a long time I have wanted a decent portable console. I could get a better use for the 12 hours I spend weekly on a train. The problem is that the only decent portables out there for a long time have been Nintendo ones.
However, Nintendo release policy is crap. It goes something like this: Mario, Zelda, Mario remake, Kirby, Wario, F-zero remake, Castlevania remake, Megaman remake, Mario, Bomberman remake...

Although every one of them were great games when they were first released, I'm tired of playing the same old games that I already played in 1992 (getting them in color in a portable doesn't make them better than they were in a SuperNintendo). So, I never bought any of the Nintendo's upgrades to the GameBoy and just played now and then with those of a friend or a relative.

[Sausehuhn]

Maybe there will be a Version for the PS2, too (?)

[infoxicated]

Nah, sadly there isn't and there are no plans to do one. :)

[xEik]

Although I hope we'll be able to connect our PSP to our PS2, I realise that it would be a big marketing mistake to make a standalone PS2 version.

Exclusive games usually boost hardware sales.

A PS2 version would benefit wipers but I don't expect Sony to consider it would benefit them.

Maybe if the game is later released as Platinum then a PS2 port can be made, once it does not influence hardware sales.

BTW, I'm curious of how easy (design-wise, not coding-wise) it will be to port games specifically programmed for a 16:9 display to a PS2 that mostly aims to 4:3 displays.

[G'Kyl]

You add black bars at the top and the bottom of the pictures.

SCNR. ;)

Seriously, though, I can't imagine another way of doing this and still keeping everything that is on the PSP screen. You could, of course, just take away a little from the left and right borders.... and I'd hate seeing them do that, especially if (!) it would mean to simply have the TV display cut these parts off and not designing an adapted version...

Ben

[Sausehuhn]

@ infoxicated:

what?!? :( :cry: thats baaaaad!!! But why there will be no version for the PS2? ...I'm shocked now. And I thought I could play WipEout Pure also on the PS2...

really bad thing... so I never will play WipEout Pure, because a PSP costs to much money...

Please make a version for the PS2, too.

[yuusen]

–
i was, upon discovring this topic, about to ask the exact same question regarding the screen dimensions.

then it struck me. :o

we've seen many games (colin mcrae for psone for example) provide the option of changing the display to 16:9 for widescreen play. in those days, the discs held 700MB of data. with 1.8GB of storage avaliable for psp's umd format, and a lot more processing power under the hood, i am sure that, if they were so inclined, developers could inlcude a way of switching the resolution dimensions of the game in order to be displayed on different external screen ratios without being concerned about resource consumption within the psp. this could either be done automatically by the games internal software (upon sensing connection of either the video-out cord or connection to the ps2) or it could be a user-option, allowing for players to select 4:3 or preserve 16:9 if they intend to play on a widescreen tv.
-
another thought:

i remember a lot of hype about the ps2 was the ability to upgrade parts of its system software. perhaps there could be an upgrade available that would allow the ps2 to turn into a ratio conversion gateway, harnessing its unused power (the game is running on the psp, but the ps2 would have to be switched on if that was the chosen method of getting picture to an external display) to convert the game's screen ratio as it is passed to the television set. the software could be distributed on cd and stored in one of the memory cards. would the data transfer rate from card to ps2 motherboard be fast enough to perform the conversion however? [afterthought] : it could also run directly from the cd if the data transfer rates were found to be faster that way.

i do not pretend to know a lot about the internal workings of the ps2, these are simply ideas i am having on the spot based on prior knowledge and informal heresay (with a dash of speculation to taste).
–
¥

[jmoid]

i'm hoping for some kind of TV adaptor or PS2 hook-up too. Sony have been bigging up the PS2 - PSP connectivity angle so I'm fairly optimistic.

[Sausehuhn]

I heard the PSP will be available next year, in 2005. Now I saw, that the PSP will be there this year (Nov. 19. 2004), in Japanese.

(Check this out:)
http://www.lik-sang.com/list.php?nav=over&category=218

So, will be WipEout Pure available this year, too? Or in 2005, when the PSP will move to the rest of the world?

[xEik]

It seems the release date for the console in Europe is the 5th March 2005

http://www.theregister.com/2004/05/25/nintendo_sony_euro_launch/

I'd expect WO Pure release to be synced with the European release of the PSP.

[Thruster2097]

I maybe a complete dummy here, and apologies for dragging up an old post, but isnt the PSP scheduled for a simeltaneous worldwide release? I thought it was, and from everything I hear, that should mean a uk/world release in feburary 2005.

I dont know about what you guys are thinking, but I am uber-stoked about the PSP after seeing the E3 demos and coverage.... A new wipeout game would usually send me to the brink of euphoria, but coupled with the new, and undoubtedly the future handheld king of videogames, I am totally lost for superlatives to describe my exitement!

I will have mine on the release date, with copies of wipeout pure, gt4mobile, ridge racer collection and ape escape. Hopefully, seeing as I am splashing so much cash, the store will think about some sort of discount for a 128mb memory stick..maybe not.

[infoxicated]

The Japanese release is scheduled for this December, Thrusty, but the rest of the world will have to wait a few months as things stand.

Well worth waiting for, though :)

[Thruster2097]

thanks mr. foxicated ;)

:lol:

That still leaves me with six months to waste, and try and find enough cash to grab a PSp. Sure, I might have GT4 sometime this year to keep me amused, but if the last one is anything to go by, it should keep me entertained for at least four days :-?

So, in short, if anyone has any menial tasks for me to perform for them in the run-up to the PSp, they can consider me as their whipping boy! I am academically qualified, fully house trained, a fantastic singer, and a pheomenal dancer (but only when I have to go to the bathroom really bad,,)

My reward for all this work?
A brand new shiny PSp, which I shall probably lose behind the back of the sofa, along with my PDA, some old gameboy games and a winning lottery ticket :lol:


So, does that mean WipEoutPure is chalked in to be a launch title? I dont expect it to sell well out in j-land, though... they just love their monkeys.......

[Shem]

Thruster, you should hook up with Science creating an ultimate singin-dancin-floor-wipin' combo. I can be a DJ adding a whole new dimension to your show. Can you feel it?
*somwhere in 2005....*
"Ladies and gentelmen, SONY is offering you a new, stunning experiance in the world of portable game systems. Forget everything you know about handhelds. Now is the time to step into the new era of portable game systems. New new era, the new generation of games and new world of possibilities. Ladies and gentlemen, PSP is here....
But first! Let's hear it from the Thruster, Science and Shem, the all singin', all dancin' incredible happy-chappie-floor-wipie-band!! YAY!!!!! (crowd goes wild)"

:-?

[science]

...oh god...
The sad thing is, at this point I can imagine it. :roll: :oops:

[Thruster2097]

We would rock.

Coolest show ever!
All we need is a name, a mansion of some description and armoured cars.
Apparently its all the range!

:lol: :lol:

[science]

I heard that the PSP is going to retail for $300+!!! My question is, who is going to be able to dish that out for a portable???

[Lance]

.
same ones who dished out 300 to 500 for PS2 and 300 for PSX. i wonder how much that 300 would have inflated to in 9 years since intro

ps ;) don't forget that the PSP is mOre powerful than the PS2
.

[Rapier Racer]

$300? thats about £160, I thought it was going to be more than that, I may reconsider buying one that seems like alot of swag for one game and I can't believe a handheld is more powerful than the PS2

[science]

ps ;) don't forget that the PSP is mOre powerful than the PS2.
...huh...?
Do explain! (or at least direct!)

[Lance]

.
check out the stats; it's a considerably hotter machine, more polygons, equal or greater memory for various functions, more light sources [i think, not sure], more more more
.

[Rapier Racer]

If more people realised this then wouldn't it be a bad thing for sony? I mean if the PSP is the better machine then why bother buying games for the PS2? But then they'll always have the PS2 and PSP only games.

[science]

The ROM size of the game on the disc can't be as big as a ps2 game though, right? So we've got a potentially hotter system that can't play big games? hmm....
and does anyone know what the processor speed is on the ps2? whatabout on the psp? Im curious to compare that aspect.

[Asayyeah]

Sony has managed to cram the unit's Universal Media Disc optical drive in there too. The 6cm UMDs hold 1.8GB of data on a single-side.
I think 1.8 Gb is enough for having a great game, no? :wink:

[Rapier Racer]

Agreed but DVD disks can hold about 4 times as much, yeah there are still games that will ensure the PS2 keeps the edge, like the new GTA apparently six times bigger than vice city! sorry for going off topic

[Lance]

.
PS2 CPU runs at 300 MHz [Dreamcast at 200 {128bit processor}, PSX at 34, GameCube originally 500, reduced i think to 450, X-box 700] i've got to look for the PSP specs, hang on a bit.....

IGN [on this page: http://psp.ign.com/articles/496/496983p1.html ] said this a year ago:
July 29, 2003 - At a press briefing held in Japan today, Sony Computer Entertainment at last revealed detailed specs for its PSP (PlayStation Portable) portable system. Although first unveiled at E3, Sony left show goers in the dark about what form the system would actually take. Today's announcement covers most bases, from planned CPU speed and memory space all the way to networking ability.


As its CPU, PSP will make use of twin MIPS R4000 32 bit processors running at max 333 Megahertz. One of these units is referred to as the Media Engine, and is to be used for sound, movies and I/O management. In addition, the system will include a so-called VFPU floating-point vector unit with calculation capability of up to 2.6 Gigaflops. This latter unit is meant for assisting the CPU in 3D calculations.

Memory for the system is divided into two areas. In all, the system is expected to feature 8 Megabytes main memory with bandwidth of 2.6 Gigabytes per second along with two megabytes of sub-memory, also at 2.6 Gigabytes per second, which will be used by the Media Engine.

Outside of the CPU and main memory, the system will of course include a graphics-processing unit (GPU). The GPU is made up of a Rendering Engine and a Surface Engine and has access to 2 Megabytes of VRAM with a bandwidth of 5.3 Gigabytes per second. The hardware will include support for traditional polygons as well as curved surface primitives along with such things as clipping, morphing and more, freeing up software from having to deal with these. Sony claims a theoretical polygon performance of 33 million polygons per second.



i think Dreamcast was only 3 million pps

i should look for something more recent
.

edit: from Ferrago, a partial list:

CPU: PSP CPU (System clock frequency 1~333MHz)
Main Memory: 32MB
Embedded DRAM: 4MB
Display: 4.3 inch, 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD
480 x 272 pixel (16.77 million colors)
Max. 200 cd/m2 (with brightness control)
Speakers: Built-in stereo speakers
Main Input/Output: IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi)
USB 2.0 (Target)
Memory StickTM PRO Duo
IrDA
IR Remote (SIRCS)
Disc Drive: UMD Drive (Playback only)



note the radical increase in memory

[Sausehuhn]

Is there a story behind the game like in Fusion (I mean: informations and other texts about the pilots, the crafts and the tracks)? And are you able to tune the ships (also like in Fusion)? I hope so!

[Shem]

I hope too.
Even if I'm not into upgrading ships (I still think Gran Turismo is the only game in which tuning was really important), I think that watching the craft as it modifies is good, since nobody would like to watch it again. In other words, once tuned ship is enough, after that we'll be flying same ships anyway (if there will be no part settings, guess not, since it ain't no simulator).
I'd be nice to see some reasonable history of new pilots, ships.....I'm always into that kind of things. All in all giving a plot to the game is not a hard work. Droping a few lines in the manual, some more onto the character/ship selection screens is no problem to me. At least I think so.
(*waiting till sb says it takes more effort than that to put these things in the game*)

[Set]

Plot is a wonderful thing. As for how hard it is to do, it's usually not too bad, but in the case of the Wipeout series, each game is connected in terms of chronology, and certain bridges must be built between elements in each game. I hope they keep a plot system going. If they do, it should be interesting to see how they develop it along the Wipeout timeline...

[piranha wiper]

er wow, ive had a look at some dates for release for this mini beast (early 2005 for those who dont know) and also i went onto the konami web site to lok for stuff on wgs3 and found metal gear acid for psp and i didnt know watching the movie, the graphics are better or equal to ps2 and mga is still in production!! so expect better graphics, as lance has said "psp is mOre powerful" ooh definatley, and also look at ps3land theres different covers for it, i want a lack or a japanese kanji(as far as i can tell thats what it looks like) and theres a pic of gt4 mobile and those graphics are spot on,
http://www.ps3land.com/psp.php
and here are some more pics of the umb discs and sony-san holding stuff somw pics on this are blurred, look at the botom for the specs aswell, and the link to 90+ pics
http://www.digitalbackspin.com/pspinfo.htm

[Thruster2097]

Release date (early 2005).

Last I heard, it was on for a global launch date of december'04 or whatever the japanese date is on the first site you linked to.

But this is Sony, and if its anything like waiting for the release date of Fusion, then I'm writing my xmas list for 2006 now :P

One thing that has just come to my attention, they come in other colours than black!! mmmmmmm, ice blue PSP......... :wink:
I wonder what colours they will come in, and I also wonder if it will come with a TV-out connector...

[Shem]

TV-Out connector is a MUST BE gadget!!! I don't know about you guys, but I don't plan to play games on such a small screen of PSP (even If I bought one). Just look at the spec of this handheld. That small screen of PSP would be just WASTING the power of it.

[piranha wiper]

just exactly how small is the screen? it says on ps3land 4.3 inches so im guessing thats hieght, but what is the lenght of it, if it were to have a tv connector then it would use up lts of power, probably, im just guessing things here as i know little about it so i cant really say much

[Lance]

.
the 4.3 inches would be the length of the diagonal line from one corner to its opposite, not adjacent corner. the longest side would be shorter than 4.3
.

[piranha wiper]

oh right i forgot about that diagonal line bussines, so ive drawn it out and its quite good for what it is, but what i want to know is how can that small thing be more powerful than a ps2??, technology today is getting better, i know size has got nothing to do with it but it just seems to be the most logical thing to think, 'bigger is better', with the ps2 its got allsorts to be considered that the psp may not need to be fitted with, like fans, transformers and all sorts of stuff,

[Thruster2097]

I know its going way way off topic, but can anyone here remember the spec for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance? (not the SP) I would find it interesting to compare the specs of the GBA and the PSP. Y'know, stuff like speed, available RAM... also how much info you can fit on one of those crappy cartridges that I keep on losing in nearly every space available.

PSP screen is big. But small. errr.... Big for a handheld system (infact ignoring PDA and Tablet PC's the PSP screen is the biggest handheld console screen ever - am I right?)
Regardless, I am used to the luxuries of big screen plasma TV's and speakers powerful enough to turn you inside-out. I will be requiring some sort of AV out on the PSP to fully enjoy it. And yes that sort of defeats the object of having a handheld system, but I dont think I am on my own in wanting this TV-out lead... :wink:

[infoxicated]

It's not even close - the GBA is bascially a portable N64 - i.e. ten year old technology.

[piranha wiper]

ive got a mate who is a nintendo person and says that all sony consoles are crap (so biased) and he said that the game boy ds was basically an n64, the graphics ive seen in a nintendo mag look exactly the same as an n64 graphics wise, and its just crap, they should spend more time on what they are doing, any ways in comparison gba has

CPU: 32-bit ARM, 16 MHz
RAM: 32k RAM, 96k VRAM, 256k WRAM
Resolution: 240 x 160
which is about as much as i can find, the sp and gba are the same in technical specs

[Wamdue]

I feel the only reason so far to buy a PSP is for Wipeout. There is some big questions that needs to be answered before I am really certain of buying it.

For example, Ive heard that the PSP wont be as "portable" as the Nintendo DS. Just look at Sega when they tried to take on the portable gaming market, their console was far more advanced than the game boy and featured much cooler games but its battery time of 3 hours and extremly expensive hardware killed it.

And now I hear the PSP screen alone costs about 300usd to produce and its battery time is supposedly quite low. Deja vu? I find it hard to buy a light-version console with a really small screen with limited portability instead of just keep playing with my stationary consoles and/or buy a Nintendo DS. Looks to me like Sony are ruining it for themselfes when their PSP might compete with their own stationary console. Why buy a PSP when you own a PS2? The battery time must get a lot longer for it to actually be a portable console that has any edge over their current system.

Thats what I think anyway :)

[infoxicated]

I have similar concerns... I don't know if I could justify buying one for Wipeout alone, but then there'll be GT, Burnout and Madden, which is just about all I need.

But then I wonder when I would play it... I'm at work all day, I have a PS2 on my desk I play at lunch times, then I come home, watch some satellite tv, and then either go on the PC or play with my PS2. So I'm not seeing a window of opportinuty for me to play with a PSP when playing on my PS2 isn't possible.

If I still lived in London and was spending two hours or more on the tube or bus every day, then yeah... I think it would be a no brainer... that is, of course, up until I get mugged for it, and the guy sitting in the same train carriage with an iPod gets away scott free! :wink:

[piranha wiper]

then those kinds of problems make way for people who have nothing else better to do at college/school or boring jobs, in anycase the more interesting thing that i have just put 2 and 2 together and remembered about other people (not just here on the zone but some of my friends) saying "i want to get this console for this game but i think ill just waste my money on it for about 2 months play'' so they buy it with the game they wanted and a couple of other games with it and realise that the games they have just got are quite interesting to play so they buy other games that they have read in magazines and buy more games and so on and so forth, so even tho you may only want to buy a psp for wop get more games to play on that are more or less sequels to games already out for ps2, but i understand if you have the same problem as infox and cant seem to find time to play on it then you could alternate the days of which you play on ps2 psp and pc, or if you are doing something on the pc and waiting for something to happen put the psp on and have a play :D

[Mobius]

i bet it'll cost a fortune...

i mean they have to fit in a tft screen, a laser reader, a disk drive, speakers. and who knoews what (probably some tracking thing so the governmeant can make you pay for how far you travel with it. :wink: ) anyway being serious that is a lost of kit and then some to fit in a tiny space, i think this might cost £250. and as infox said...

I get mugged for it, and the guy sitting in the same train carriage with an iPod gets away scott free!
...you see. this would mean w''o'p would have to be godlike for me to buy. i bought the gba the day it came out for f-zero and i pretty much got bored of the game within about a month and sold the handheld to a mate after about a year.

The jury is still out on this methinks, try a demo one when it comes out and wait for the price to drop.

[piranha wiper]

well i was planning on buying this as soon as it came out (with a little help from Mr Overtime) so if any body else has the same idea we will tell the zone how good (or heaven forbid bad) this wo will be and then you can decide wether or not to buy it, either way its being bought good or bad coz im getting metal gear acid and gt4 portable, im sure its not as much as 250 tho, 115 maybe, ive found on some sites $125-$200 but i dont know what this is in english £age, so when its bought my eyes are gonna be :dizzy hahahahahhaha



EDIT: I just noticed infox's post about the smile in moderation and having new smily things so i got rid of the laughy smily.

[infoxicated]

(with a little help from Mr Overtime)
Class!
That would probably make quote of the week if we had one.:lol:


EDIT: I just noticed infox's post about the smile in moderation and having new smily things so i got rid of the laughy smily.
Don't sweat it - I just meant that if you're going to be putting ten smilies in your post, then they'll be trimmed out, but two or three where they're relevant is fine. :)

[piranha wiper]

class? nice i havent heard that for ages it must be good :) hey you could put it on the wipeout quote on the home page, i would be most proud , cheers infox i was just being careful for it,

currency convertions, so getting about the middle of $125-200 is about $165 so it is averaging about £90-110, so its quite smart i think, might this give you a little bit of an edge more towards buying mobius?

[Mobius]

it has made me want to..a bit...i think.

does that make any sense? :?

[piranha wiper]

its not much more expensive than a gda sp and for a much better machine its well worth it and there will be a wave of games for it too, with classics like Ridge Racer, Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow, MediEvil and Frogger?!?! so thers plenty to choose from in the early months not just wipeout, ive played half of these games that were ps1 or ps2 releases and im sure most of you have played some as well, good deal all round

[Mobius]

they should make a micro maniacs 2