the "not sure I'm going to buy it" thread :(

[UncleZeiv]

So, everybody in here seems to have a psp or to be waiting for an imported one. But is there someone who is going to wait until the european release? Or is there even someone that, despite being a wipeout fan, is still not sure to buy the system? After all, many of us would buy the psp only for wipeout pure... personally, I don't care at all about avi files or mp3, so... a new console *just* for wopure?

(of course I'm going to buy it... it's not going to be the silliest thing I have evere done
:D but I'll definitely wait for the EU release, hoping for a price drop)

_dave_

[G'Kyl]

At first I too thought I better wait for the EU release and until prices drop considerably. But with the possible prospect of the PSP coming to Euroland only at the end of the year and prices having gone down to a somewhat reasonable 200 Euros, I decided I didn't have to be THAT closefisted. OK, so I realize this isn't exactely a contribution to why I did NOT buy a PSP, but then you asked "is it really worth it?" Well, here's my two cents on this one. ;)
By the way, I too have little interest in watching movies with the PSP. Mp3s is a different subject, though. I don't have a discman, mp3-player or whatever, and getting the chance to listen to my music while traveling (a lot) I'm glad the PSP comes with a player for free, so to speak.

Ben

[hailstorm]

If I could afford one at the moment I would. So really it's more a case of not having a choice. The only reason I can think to wait it out is because when purchasing locally you can inpect the PSP before purchasing plus also returning it if its faulty doesn't involve expensive shipping to the US or Japan.

[zargz]

But is there someone who is going to wait until the european release? I'll wait till the euro release and probly some months after that as well to see the price dropping a bit for the psp :|


Praeterea censeo autopilotum esse delendam

[lunar]

I belong in the "not sure" group. Before I spend all that dosh for one game I need to know I`m going to like it in the long-term, like the old games, which means: long-term gameplay with plenty of the wipeout je ne sais quoi. Having seen what I`ve seen so far I`m very very tempted, but for that kind of investment Pure could be a very good game and still not justify the outlay for me. So I`m waiting for some more of the old-school wipers to buy it first :P and post their impressions. (Edit: Mr Sartwell has it and has done just that!!) Huge congrats are due to SL for creating such a beautifully designed and stylish package, in the wipeout tradition, but it has to be a great game and I don`t know enough about that yet. If its not good enough I`d just be playing 2097/3 again after a few months. If it was online out of the box I`d almost certainly get it. I`d be interested to hear if anyone gets this X-Link Kai thing to work..... and how they did it. That could persuade me.

Anyone getting a PSP anyway would have to be nuts not to buy this game. Looks like its getting a good reception in the US - and I really hope its a commercial success for SL.

[yawnstretch]

Well I took the plunge and paid a tonne for a PSP last year and it was well worth it (no dead pixels Thank God) and purE arrives on Irish shores next Tuesday for most import gamers.

That said - I still have found Ridge Racers to be my most played game this year. Its not as fast as wipeout but I get the feeling that almost any game will be a joy to play on PSP.

If I had the money I'd be buying about 20 of the games I've seen. But I really only bought it in the first place for purE.

[Thruster2097]

Needless to say I will be telling the 'zone what I think of PurE when I get it (like it really matters :P) but overall I feel dissapointed I have had to resort to importing when the european systems should have been here by now. To those of you who havent made up your mind to import / not import.... my advice is to wait for a european system. You get a european warranty, you get the knowledge that it is guaranteed to play euro games throughout its lifespan and last but not least, infoxicated said to wait for a european system. I have learnt from experience that 'foxy knows best, and he must know something I dont.

As much as I am enjoying the PSP and all of its handheld goodness, I cant help but think if I have made a grave mistake.

[Concept]

Don't get doubts now. Realistically, we're talking September at the earliest for the European PSP launch, that is six months away. And the retail price all the main stores have stuck with is £180, which as everyone knows would be a joke compared to the US/Japanese pricepoint.

People can pick up a US/Japanese PSP on import for £130/140 (now) and the only thing they'll be missing out on is UMD access. Which as we all know is unlikely to take off for some time yet, and a third-party is bound to come up with a region bypass UMD so films from different regions can be played on different systems.

It's been looking for some time that we're going to get over-charged to help make up for the losses of the cheap price point of the systems in Japan/US. And the machine is also being heavily delayed on top for thanks of that.

In my opinion, it's a completely sensible option to import a PSP from US/Japan for those who want to play Pure early and cheap.

[Colin Berry]

Well, I'm with Foxy on this, although it means waiting, I'd certainly hold out for the European version.

[Thruster2097]

...and a third-party is bound to come up with a region bypass UMD so films from different regions can be played on different systems...

Films/Movies are not what I'm worried about.
Games are.

Since every PSP does carry a region code, it is surely just a matter of time before SCE enforces that all games produced must be region coded.
But I can only hope on two things.
1) SCE never enforce the region coding on PSP titles.
or
2) a third party developer makes that region bypass UMD vork for games, too.

[Concept]

It wouldn't make commercial sense.

All successful handheld systems to date have been region free for a very good reason. It encourages the portability aspect of the machine.

To incoporate region restrictions on the PSP would be to automatically damage part of its appeal, and the very conceptual vision of what handheld gaming entails. It wouldn't be like console gaming where the import restrictions are only evident to a few who wish to play the latest releases as soon as possible.

The average person on the street would be aware they would then only be able to play the PSP in select places, and so against other systems, the PSP would be at a disadvantage.

[Concept]

Well, I'm with Foxy on this, although it means waiting, I'd certainly hold out for the European version.

I intend to pick up a European version of PSP upon its release date. :)

But I can understand both yours and Intoxicated position. Maybe there are things the public isn't aware of yet, but at the moment, I felt the time was right to pick one up early. It's partly because I've recently fallen in love with the Wipeout series again from being away from it for years.

A few weeks ago, however PSPs were hard to come by and at a hard price.

[jospicy]

im still undecided on when ill get my psp but if i go for the import option then Japan seems obvious as it shares the same region code but then it is the question of will the games be split into more regions (eg seperate japan and europe) that will finally make my decision

[Thruster2097]

the thing with console gaming is that even though japanese and european titles were all R2. they were seperated between NTSC and PAL signals.
The beauty of the psp is that it has its own screen, therefore the signal should be the same between areas of the same region.

However, the nice people at RSA security have also tagged every PSP to enable them for their BSAFE programs. A region, or area code can easily be hidden somewhere in here.
Clicky Linky: RSA's Press release regarding their new venture with Sony
http://www.rsasecurity.com/press_release.asp?doc_id=5648

[rejj]

Well, I'm with Foxy on this, although it means waiting, I'd certainly hold out for the European version.I don't suppose you could share with us why? :)
(I'm in Australia, and there has been absolutely no official word about any release dates for the psp or games for it yet..) I'm very strongly considering importing one and a US copy of Pure..

If it is just the multiplayer that isn't supported across versions (like I think I saw mentioned elsewhere) then buying a local copy of Pure wouldn't be a great issue. If there is some other reason however, please let us know..

[Dimension]

I'm just waiting until the euro release, i'll probs not have the money i need until then anyway so the import thing's no biggy :) It won't be the first time I bought a console for nothing special, I bought a Gamecube on a recommendation the rogue squadron 2 was cool and I bought a GBA SP for Sonic Advance so it's nothing new to me, plus there's darkstalkers that I want for the PSP, that justifies it a little more IMO :D

[Mobius]

I'm holding out for the european release. Pure and simple (sorry).

It might not be 180 quid as everyone is expecting - yes i know that is most unlikely but it is no harm being casually optimistic.

And i think it will release in june.

[lunar]

Rejj`s question is the one that needs answering. In other words, will a japanese PSP in effect be the same machine as a euro PSP, with the same movie and game compatibility in every way? If not, what will be the difference(s)?

[Concept]

People need to know... UMD and DVD media are entirely different. They may not share the same region differences.

[rejj]

Yes... I'm not worried about there being regioning problems with UMD movies.. I doubt I'll be watching many movies on the PSP. That's what the home theatre setup is for. Presently there is exactly one movie that I'd probably want to see (Advent Children), and it is going to be released on DVD later anyway.

I'm just concerned/worried that there is some other reason for Colin and Infox to say people should wait for a local launch. Multiplayer difficulties are not a concern (at least for me), if it doesn't work across regional releases of the software then buying a local copy of Pure is no big hassle. If it doesn't work across regional releases of the hardware however, then that is a different story.

I guess I'd just like the reasoning to go along with "I recommend you wait," since it is a fairly considerable investment. It will be cheaper for me to import than buy locally when finally released (most likely), so it would seem on face value to be a better idea to import than to wait.

[Axel]

I get the feeling, since the delay of the PSP in europe is being so big. The european edition is going to get some nixe extras and tweaks. I mean you can't just leave the game for months and not tweak it to perfection. I just pray extra tracks are placed into the game or something.

[Dimension]

why would extra tracks be in the game when they will probably already have been up for download for the US version? The only thing that might happen is there be a fancy, redone box or maybe some kind of extra something given away with the release, then again possibly not *shrugs*

[lunar]

I think you`re right, Dimension.

As ever Rejj is the second most rational person on the forum. :wink: Possibly even the most..... but.......

We need answers to these questions.... though I suspect we won`t get them because of marketing reasons. If Sony abandon any pretence that a euro-psp is at all different to a jap-psp they also abandon any excuse to charge extra to euro-consumers. :roll: I guess they have this figured though.

If it was just a software difference regarding Wipeout Pure, I think most people wouldn`t mind buying Pure twice in order to play it a few months sooner.

[Barry Burton]

I´ll wait for the emula*or.
I hope there will be one! 8O

[Lance]

.
@ lunar:
heeeeeey! :? :evil: :wink: :D
.

[gbit]

I´ll wait for the emula*or.
I hope there will be one! 8O

Emulating the psp at close to 100% speed will require computing power that is 2-3 years off (as in 2-3 years for desktop PCs, obviously :))

[Concept]

At least 2-3 years.

Hell, modern day PCs have enough trouble emulating the Saturn.

[TMoney]

Emulating the psp at close to 100% speed will require computing power that is 2-3 years off (as in 2-3 years for desktop PCs, obviously :))

Well that's nowhere near true....

What it will take that will never happen is a capable team to do it. If you've ever tried Virtual Game Station for the original Playstation, you'd see Saturn emulation would be more than possible today w/the right emulator. Heck, VGS will emulate a Playstation properly on a Celeron 550 that I've seen.... I've got a 2.5 GHz Athlon w/an X800 Pro... I KNOW it could emulate a PSP....

Anyway - PC is strong enough. Dedicated brain power is what's missing.

Good luck waiting for the emulator Barry.. you'll be waiting forever.. hahaha

[Axel]

lol yeah, but I'm sure the european release will have some few tweaks and changes here and there. Maybe a new league or an addition of a harder torunament? Man something to ease the pain for the long wait.

[gbit]

My 2-3 year estimate is based on the fact that a potential emulator project would *not* have access to any of the psp's technical documentation. If you use high-level emulation then you will have this problem, and without insider knowledge about the psp, high-level emulation will most likely be the approach taken.

The PS2 emulators are still not anywhere near 100% speed yet, and the psp is close to the power of the ps2, atleast in polygons/sec. I have yet to even see a game work at anything close to playable speed on a ps2 emulator, even on 3.4Ghz P4's and the equivalent Athlons.

The Playstation 1 and the psp are very different systems, so what is true for one is not necessarily true for the other.

As for brain power, I have no doubts in the abilities of those currently in the emulation scene. But yes, I'm sure that if you pay a dedicated team to make a psp emulator it may actually be done.