New tracks for download??

[yawnstretch]

"Sony confirms first downloadable PSP content

SCEE boss Phil Harrison has dropped yet another PSP bombshell by announcing the company's preliminary downloadable content plans for its fledgling handheld.

WipEout Pure - a PSP-specific version of the PSone's classic futuristic racer - will be the first PSP title to feature new content for download, and Harrison expects a new track to become available to users every month"

-Apologies if this has been posted before - but - YAY! :) :) :)

Heres the link btw:
http://www.totalgames.net/pma/19991

[science]

It's news to me, and I thank you!!!
Welcome to the forums as well!

[Shem]

Wow, that's some interesting news!
BUT!
A track? Like.....a music track? Or maybe a new racing circuit?........Curse these US-UK (edit : language) differences......
and another edit :
Damn I'm such an idiot. It's about racing circuits....(and some "extra vehicles expected but currently unconfirmed" - come on.....it's about time AG sys were back in the game).

[G'Kyl]

Welcome to the forums, yawnstretch.

We better be careful about getting too enthusiastic about the news, though. Many developers have promised growing online content for so many games in the past - and it rarely happened. I'm not saying Sony is trying to spoof us, but I for one like to wait and see if and how it's gonna happen before starting the celebrations. :)

[xEik]

What I'm concerned about is:

Will I be able to download them from my PC using broadband or am I supposed to somehow download them directly using the PSP?
If the download is through PC, how will the PSP connect to it? Bluetooth? This would mean I need a bluetooth adapter for my PC. Maybe USB?
Where in the PSP is the track recorded? Memory card? I think those can hold 32MB of data.
Will it cost extra money or will it be free for the purchasers of the original game?

[Shem]

I think that PSP will be used to dl new tracks. I guess by some kind of modem. And I guess that we'll pay (less probable...). Why so? Well, Sony likes to squeeze every penny from us (remember how much was for the vertical stand for PS2? memory card, which could be built-in, but wasn't = pay some more. And don't forget about the price of PS2 during the first year after release. They DO like to earn).
I have no idea how to fit a track onto a small memory card. Maybe memory card will fit only an overall design of a track while everything else, meaning textures, craft models will remain loaded from the disc. It may work. But then again you'd need a second memory card (geeeez...).

[G'Kyl]

Will I be able to download them from my PC using broadband or am I supposed to somehow download them directly using the PSP?

If the download is through PC, how will the PSP connect to it? Bluetooth? This would mean I need a bluetooth adapter for my PC. Maybe USB?

Hm, maybe Sony is still holding back on hardware features. Otherwise I don't see another way than connecting the PSP to the PC. Or maybe they use the PS2-to-PSP-connectability to download and


Where in the PSP is the track recorded? Memory card? I think those can hold 32MB of data.

store bonus stuff. I sure wouldn't like that a lot...


Will it cost extra money or will it be free for the purchasers of the original game?

If the tracks are going to come directly from Sony and they were to continue development by adding new tracks (and maybe more) then I suppoes they will indeed charge players for any new content. I must say, though, that I'd be willing to pay if that be the case. :)

[science]

after writing a somewhat lengthy post, it occurred to me to check the specs of the PSP... at least theyre thinking along the same lines that I am ;)

We will see a usb port on psp, as well as 802.11b. Downloading can be done by either method
We will see a memory stick Pro (duo?) slot on the psp. Right now, assuming that the pro "duo" is the same thing as regular old "pro", those memory sticks can hold up to a gig of data. More around the corner I'm sure.
In my humble opinion, the usb and the memory stick ports are two extremely smart choices by the devs at sony. Good thinking guys!!! :D

As for the downloadable content, sony seems to have been pretty good about that so far. I would say that if you own the game, you will be able to download the content for free. Charging would be going the way of the XBox, and we wouldnt like that, would we?

[G'Kyl]

But we do! :)
Personally, I like XBLive, and as I understand it Sony's online community is crowded with kiddies behaving like...kiddies. ;) Why not have a reliable, fast service at hands such as Microsofts?

[science]

...cause they make ya pay for it, and in my book thats a big no no. :D

[G'Kyl]

Ah, but 5 Euros (or something like that, I don't actually know for sure) a month is what the extra experience is worth to me. :) You get a lot for what they get from you and that's OK in my little scratch-book. ;-)

[Thruster2097]

I'm a good old-fashioned sucker for hype ;)

As sugar-sweet as this sounds, I really cant see this taking off. (and pls excuse the wipeout-ish pun.... not intended)
There are too many questions to be asked, and more importantly answered, concerning the connection between PSP and Broadband, and once you got the PSP online, where will the content be stored to?

My opinion: sounds great, but probable no-go.
Just like my PS2 network adapter. Apparently my PS2 doesnt recognise my broadband connection because it is purchased from "tiscali". Should that matter?? I mean, I can go online with my xbox whenever I like with no fuss, so why is the PS2 so tempremental??
Anyways, rant over...

[science]

Heya thruster, good to see you out and about :)
If they do it right, It shouldn't be a big hassle to get downloadable content. Any fool should be able to download a file to his/her computer and hook up a usb cable to transfer it. If the said person can't manage that, they probably don't deserve the content anyway :P

[Mano]

New tracks available to race, on a regular basis!, that is great news, just imagine, we still play XL and its few tracks over and over; but the tracks on pure have to be very well designed as well in order for this to be really good.

[Caffeinated]

I don't know about you guys but it would be well worth it for me to spend a few dollars for a new track. Think about it, each track offers many hours of extra gameplay. Isn't that worth a few dollars. Not only that, as time passes, the developers will have more experience with the PSP and will know more about what the fans are looking for, so new tracks will be better and better over time.

[Lance]

.
''..and will know more about what the fans are looking for, so new tracks will be better and better over time.''
that depends on which fans they listen to. could be us, but could be the average Official Sony Fusion forums member
.

[Wiseman]

Or, most likely, a little bit of both.

I'm sure they'll also hold polls for favorite and least favorite tracks of Wipeout Pure as well (like what infox has done with the older ones) to get a idea what tracks people like and what ones they don't. This will help them develop new ones that more suit to the fan's tastes, creating another Manortop or Korodera instead of a Odessa Keys or Stanza Inter.

[piranha wiper]

i hope they will allow old teams to be downloaded on to it, make it more interesting

[Sausehuhn]

yeah!

I've lots of ideas for some new tracks! Maybe there will be a service-adress where you can send your ideas to (?)!

But one question:
The tracks must be payed, right?

[Escaped_Badger]

You'll download the tracks directly from PSP via the Wi-Fi connection. It's part of Sony's plan to get PSP owners signed up to the online subscription.

Regarding the online subscription, you pay an annual fee to Sony which lets you connect to any Wi-Fi ISP.

[G'Kyl]

Although the question is still whether they are gonna charge us extra money apart from the subscription fee to download content such as new tracks. After all, that's how MS did it with PGR2. :|

[Hybrid Divide]

I say we start making contacts within the mod / emulation community.

Perhaps sometime down the road, we may be able to make our OWN tracks?

And perhaps over time, we could slowly port every track in WipEout history.
From Altima VII to Terafumos and everything in between! :D

[Rapier Racer]

What about the new craft? do you think they will include any from Fusion? probably not as most of those teams developed at the demise of some older ones.
<<off topic>> is there any way to change your fourm name? mine makes me sound like a big Fusion fan :( :( :(

[infoxicated]

<<off topic>> is there any way to change your fourm name? mine makes me sound like a big Fusion fan :( :( :(
Let me know the name you want and I'll change it for you.

[Dimension]

wow, this sounds like a really good feature if they pull it off, if the game itself is any good i'd sure be willing to pay for extra tracks, smooth move by Sony IMO :)

[Mobius]

wait a minute....i thought it was a free thingy

[G'Kyl]

As far as I know there is no information yet on whether new tracks will cost us or not.

[Sausehuhn]

Hey, I think it's not officially, but I've heard you will be able to download new teams for the game, too 8O

[Rapier Racer]

I’m believing nowt until they actually produce the goods

[Dimension]

Well whatever they may have said, it's probably not best to get your hopes up, it could all be just talk to inspire interest in people of the PSP's download capabilities, who knows? 8)

[UncleZeiv]

I recall reading somewhere that it would be free, but if none of you has read such a thing, maybe it's just my wishful thinking :wink:

But, none of you is discussing if having tons of tracks is a good thing. I always thought that 8 tracks, as they were in the original wo series, were too few... but, in retrospect, they were so well designed and "deep" from a gameplay point of view, that you could learn them by heart, improving over and over again... In fusion we have tons of tracks, but nobody is re-playing them after catching a first place, is someone?
So I think it would be nice to have a new track once in a while, while I'm not sure that an entire modding community producing tons of tracks wouldn't be harmful... by the way, as far as I know, none of the past racing games allowing user-created tracks ever was successful in this respect. Is that right?

_dave_

[G'Kyl]

But, none of you is discussing if having tons of tracks is a good thing. I always thought that 8 tracks, as they were in the original wo series, were too few... but, in retrospect, they were so well designed and "deep" from a gameplay point of view, that you could learn them by heart, improving over and over again... In fusion we have tons of tracks, but nobody is re-playing them after catching a first place, is someone?

That's exactely the point! I can't remember any serious racing game with a focus on playability and a good driving model that featured more than two hands full of tracks (mirrors, flips, reverses, rainy/snowy/whatever variations not counted). It simply doesn't work. You need to have few courses to make players try getting better on again and again, because why put so much effort into improving your times when you don't see you'll ever get reasonable records everywhere in the game (that's what I heard from several players, anyway). Plus, courses will be much more distinct in terms of the track layout as well as graphical design. I suppose developers can put considerably more effort into building a few tracks within the same amount of time they would otherwise have for building two dozen tracks. Even though a producer might very well say "It's only ONE TRACK. Have it done by the weekend!" ;)

So, I'll take 8 great tracks and be happy with it. :) Let there be one or two or three tracks to be released over the course of months, and that will be fine, too. But no more, please. For me, anyway.
And no fan-made additions, either! As good as they might get, they'll never be equal to the "real thing". Nope, you're right, I'm not a fan of fan-made stuff. ;)

I'm less than sure , but wasn't POD rather successful in this respect? They even released an add-on with new courses and cars.

Ben

[Dimension]

too right, more tracks might not be a good thing. But then again you never know, there's always the possibility that several of he original 8 tracks might not be all that, in which case more tracks would definately be a good thing, but meh i'll go with whatever :)

[Rapier Racer]

I'm divided on this issue but hey if they make the tracks and you don't want them....don't download them, simple!

[G'Kyl]

You are right, of course. In a way... Because as soon as the new tracks will become part of the tables on this site, I will have to download them (should I buy a PSP in the first place, that is) in order to compete on them. :)

Ben