PlayStation Portable -- March 24th, $249.99
By Peter Rojas 
posted February 3rd 2005 9:41AM
posted February 3rd 2005 9:41AM
Sony just dropped the official details on the North American launch of the
PlayStation Portable about an hour ago. The big
disappointment: it won't clock in at under two hundred bucks like we'd hoped. The PSP Value Pack will go on sale on
March 24th and have a suggested retail price of $249.99 ($299.99 in Canada) and include a 32MB Memory Stick Duo,
headphones with a remote control, a battery pack, and a movie/music/video game sample UMD. They're also tossing in a
special UMD-version of the film Spider-Man 2 with the first one million PSP Value Packs sold.
[Thanks, Efren]
Doesn't seem like too bad a price for us Canucks...will have to pick one up i think. I like the look and feel of this unit over the DS which looks liek a kids toy. (Let me be flamed o eternal flamers). Will certainly suit the pupose I have intended for this unit.
Damn the price was the only thing stopping me from getting one, and now the cravings have begun, they better have some damn good games lined up
The price isn't too bad. If the battery packs are priced reasonably and the launch titles are good, I will likely pick one up.
so wait for the non-value pack that will probably be $199.
If the Value Pack is $250 (bundled with accessories) then the device itself will just be $200, right?
I think I'll wait until Gran Turismo Mobile is released -- that should give them time for a few hardware revisions and get most of the bugs out.
Ah, who am I kidding? I'll probably be pre-ordering it... I'm curious to see how good a job all the ex-Clie engineers did
So, anyone announcing US preorders yet then?
According to the following link - only the Value Pack will be released.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=6625
The value pack is worthless, I wanted to get one but I hate being conned into buying a "value pack" of little to no value.
I like the PSP, but I don't like this, it's going to hurt Sony and it's not a smart decision when everybody was expecting a $200 for the unit itself. They must be really hurting for money on this thing, or they've gotten too cocky.
How much data can these UMD's hold? Spiderman 2 on UMD? Hmmm...
When's it being released in the UK?
I have Gamers ADD as it is. PS2, XBox, GBA and PC games (NES and a gazillion ROMS)
what is an adult gamer with tons of expendable cash to do? LoL...
I'll wait a few months then pick one up for the mid $100 range on eBay.
UMD are 1.8GB and the video uses H.264/MPEG-4 for a display with 420 x 272 resolution. Should be pretty easy to stuff a full-length, full-screen movie on one.
I don't want the value pack the case sucks and I can piss more memory then a 32mb stick. I was going to buy a 512 stick at newegg, now I got to find out if I have enough money. WHy Sony you had me at portable video.
$250 is not the greatest - but with the inclusion of Spiderman 2 - I beieve it is a fair price. While the 32MB memory card is paltry if you are looking to store other music, movies, or photos - it is plenty to utilize for game saves - and since you can't save anything without the memory stick - having one (even a small one) is better than nothing. Also the "protective sleeve" is must as well. All in all... it's a better deal than the folks in Japan received with their Value Pack.
24 launch titles. Ye gods.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050203/sfth051_1.html
The DS will only have 13 out at this point, according to the IGN launch schedule.
Ugh. That's one of the most saddening things Ive read all day. "Value" pack only? Blargh. An upcharge for things I already have, don't want, and would have to buy regardless. Assuming its a $50 upcharge, is Spiderman 2 worth $50 either? Heck no.
F'in Sony money grubbin bastards. My PSP enthusiasm has dropped another notch this day.
Guess I'll be waiting a bit longer than March to pick up my reservation. On the upside, the extra wait should give Gamefly a chance to stock up their supply. I've yet to see any games worth _buying_, especially if they end up being $40 or $50 a pop. Give me a break.
$250 is a good price, but i bet you will be seeing that loads of spiderman 2 umds on ebay just after release, hehe.
I really hope they sell the basic pack, cause I don't need all those extras.
There are already way more than 13 games released for the DS. There are about 20-25 to be released before the PSP launch.
WIPEOUT available on LAUNCH DATE?
omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg...
But geez, $250? Man... I... just can't do it.
The DS already has more than 13 games??? I don't know what kind of voodoo math you're using, but here's the count in the US as of 2/2/05:
1. Zoo Keeper
2. Tiger Woods
3. Sprung
4. Ping Pals
5. Ridge Racer
6. Mr. Driller
7. Feel the Magic
8. Super Mario 64
9. Urbz
10. Madden
11. Asphalt: Urban GT
12. Spiderman 2
That's 12. Almost 13, but not quite. Clearly not more than 13.
so does anyone know where i can pre-order one of these first million to get my Spiderman 2??
Sotty, this is way too expensive for my blood. This confirms it, I'm gettin' a DS.
For the price of the PSP + 1 game, you can get 2 DS units and be playing Metroid, right out of the box, wirelessly with a friend.
$250 is a DOA price for a handheld system.
Sorry, but look up the history. Those who forget it are doomed to repeat it, etc. etc.
I'm still not buying one because $39.99 (aprox $49.99 Canadian) a game is too much for a portable system. Way too much for this Canuck.
But what really made my mind up was the poor design of the square button, done on purpose.
See story at http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/01/24/news_6116985.html
GTi-VR6 -- I also assume that the non-value pack versio will be $199 or something. Why is everyone freaking out? Hasn't every site on earth said that it will be "about $200, with the value pack adding another $50 or so..." This pretty much confirms it, so what's the "big disappointment"?? Sounds more like "the big confirmation of what everyone already knew and was very happy about, that is until today somehow."
Bah, hope the UK doesn't get lumbered with "Value" Pack only. I already have better headphones, a larger memory stick and I have no use for a cheap plastic inline remote. Pfft.
#25
> I also assume that the non-value pack versio will be $199 or something. Why is everyone freaking out
Because the non value pack version is just not going to be available to us as far as i can tell, and people don't seem to be interested in paying $250 and not have even a single game to play.
Am I the only one who thinks this thing could be an inch bigger and play regular PS2 games and DVD's? There must be some technocratic reason for that not happening.
crap. crap. crap. i dont want to be forced to get a "value" pack if i want the system. and technically, if its being sold ONLY this way, its not considered a value pack at all, is it? its just... what you get. cant really be a value pack if theres no other product to compare it to. but yeah. the crap you get isnt worth the $50. read ign's review of the loser accessories. if i remember correctly, the sleeve doesnt even cover the whole psp.
also. from the gamespot article listed above:
Offering additional testimony praising the handheld, Kutaragi said, "I believe we made the most beautiful thing in the world. Nobody would criticize a renowned architect's blueprint that the position of a gate is wrong. It's the same as that."
now... not to be a jerk, but im curious as to how right this is. how many of you wouldnt criticize a blueprint (no matter who made it) if the gate didnt function correctly and often was stuck when trying to open it?
stupid button. why cant they admit that it was just stupid to not make the system 1/2 an inch longer?
damm! i was hoping the system would be 180 cause i dont have enuf for this. I want to be the only kid on my bus to have one cause the kids who play the ds now make fun of me cause i am waiting for the psp but it will be better cause it will kave mature games for it with lots of acion and shooting and blood that does not make it onto the baby ds game system for babys. i am gonig to save more so i can get this and maybe after that i can get a game too but i can at least watch spiderman when the other kids make fun of me i will pull it out and be the coolest.
This thing will so bomb, how much do you want to bet that most of those first one million will bring their psps back the next day after the spiderman disk pops out right when Spiderman is going to defeat doc ock. What a joke
Hey LINEZ:
You show 'em little buddy, dont take any crap from any DS bullies. Anyone who does nothing but pictochat and play baby Mario all day has no right to make fun of you. Hope you can raise the money for the PSP, good luck.
P.S. - to all cynical posters and haters - my simple words of encouragement above have been crafted based on the assumption that LINEZ is no older than 10.
To all cry baby's. The PSP doesn't need you stay away.When your in the streets and see some one playing their psp don't crowd them or ask silly ?'s. Just quietly play your DS. Most people spend
$250.00 easy. To the parents. When your child wants one, what your gonna say, no? Yea right.
The value pack idea is bad, but I don't think that $250 is the price of death for handhelds. I still expect the DS to sell more units, but they will be tied for this gen, it's when the GBX & DS2 come out and the PSP2 comes out when the things will heat up.
22 percent of DS owners are female, a largely untapped portable demographic market and one that isn't likely to be impressed with the PSP's look or selection of games.
Use of the DS among the over-19 "mature" set is at 59 percent. Almost 2/3 of all DS owners are adults, not children. People who think the DS is for kids should keep that in mind.
Nintendo estimates it will sell 6 million units this year, a conservative goal that it is well on the way of reaching. How does Sony plan on matching this?
The position of the PSP as a do-it-all multimedia machine will be their undoing. It isn't a very good multimedia device. People who buy it expecting it to be will be dissapointed.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/02/03/news_6117814.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6117814
22% of DS gamers are Girls? That's an amazing %! So, you can get a DS and play with girls or get a PSP and play with yourself?
Now that appeals to the mature market. Now that I'm grown, the opposite sex is super appealing. :-D
i'm excited for the fun that I will have. psp in one pocket, ds in the other, ipod in shirt pocket, cell phone clipped to my belt, laptop in my backpack. the 32mb memory stick will rock as will the slip case. face it the system costs $250. they throw the other crap in to make you feel better for spending that much. even at $250 they still aren't making money off the units. just suck it up, live with it. no one says you can't have both systems. both will have good games and both will have games that suck. be confident in your purchase, don't dog the other one just because you didn't buy it. in reality fan boy are arguing over which middle aged japanese business man was more successful at taking your money.
How long before porn filled UMDs are availa... oh yeah, forgot. This thing comes from Japan. Home of the AYCE freaky stuff.
Lines, you realize that having a PSP does not make you cool, right? You also realize that blood and violence don't make games good and don't make you cool too, right?
What is cool is having fun. If watching SpiderMan every morning on the bus and not playing with your classmates is fun, then the PSP may just be for you. If playing with your friends and doing things together is something you enjoy, maybe you should reconsider the DS.
Having the biggest/baddest system isn't a lot of fun if you are all alone. What would enjoy more, watching the same movie until you save $50 for a game or schooling your friends in Metroid?
i think $250 is a reasonable price for all the stuff it comes w/ but the only thing im not sure 'bout is if i'll use all that extra crap coz i've already seen Spiderman 2 but i'll just prolly sell the Spiderman 2 movie on ebay or sumtin. btw anyone know the approx. price for a psp game????
~SSJ7 Goku
Markus wrote ...
> Having the biggest/baddest system isn't a lot of fun if you are all alone.
Alone? They're going to sell these things like hotcakes for sure. Please, I'm not thrilled about this no-value pack, but this thing is going to sell no matter how Nintendo fanatics want it to fail.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFO ON THE GRAND THEFT AUTO GAME ROCKSTAR IS DEVELOPING FOR THE PSP. RELEASE DATE? BATTERY LIFE? SCREENSHOTS? ETC...
to get all the bad stuff out of the way...it's a bit disappointing that the value pack is gonna be $249, especially since sony said they were SURE that the system would be sold at a sub-$200 price tag. another disappointment is that the release date is march 24th. actually...that's more of a personal disappointment. i can't say i speak for everyone else.
but for the good stuff....i'm glad i finally know when the PSP is coming out. i've been waiting in agony logging on to google and engadget and other sites every day to get all the info i could, and it's relieving to finally know the release date. and the price isn't that bad even though i just said it was a disappointment. it's disappointing....but understandable. even though spiderman 2 wouldn't be my first choice in buying a movie on UMD, it is a wise move on sony's part to show exactly what the PSP can do. i'm just mad that it's coming on the 24th...i was hoping it would come out before my spring break...not during it. but whatever...sony psp...YES!!
oh...btw...games for the PSP can be as low as $39.99. hopefully they'll be lower sometime like around $29.99...but you really can't complain considering how good these games look so far...24 launch titles....WOW!!!
this site should help - jamaican
http://www.pcpop.com/pcpopimg/04/7/15-10-43-45-340060.jpg
eh.. i'm not sure if either of the systems is interesting..
DS has all the marketshare, but so far.. squat for games...
the PSP has no battery life and doesn't offer anything new at all. oh yeah and it's more expensive and comes with a whole bunch of hidden costs (sony gear to buy).
Everybody who's mentioning putting movies on UMDs, as of right now, you can't do it. Sony did say they were contemplating releasing recording hardware but if they do, it will most likely be only to game companies. But, you can still watch movies on it, just through the MemStick.
One of the things that will be curious to see as time goes by will be UMD vs Memory Stick. At this point Memory Stick is still pretty expensive. In the future though as PSP gets a larger user base and as memory goes down in general, Memory Stick may become more viable.
Compact Flash cards have already reached the 8 GB capacity. It wouldn't surprise me to see 2 and 4 GB Memroy Sticks in the future. If the price continues to drop, maybe one day we will see games on Memory Stick. It would solve a lot of the load time issues. I can already see emulation through the memory stick. Of course the price would have to drop quite a bit to make it feasible.
For those thinking about getting a PSP, go for it. You won't be disappointed. I have an import version and it very fun. Games like Ridge Racers, Lumines and Minna No Golf are great. The multiplayer is also set up very nicely. Ridge Racers was great with 2 players and I can only imagine how good it would be with 8.
The US line up looks very good. Can't wait.
I have been following this debate for months on Joystiq and this is the final straw. I was really excited about the PSP but I keep hearing negative things about the design. Bad decisions about design and form over function. Sony telling developers that the short battery life was a developer issue, not a Sony issue. Sony telling developers that load times were developer issues, not Sony issues. It seems that while the screen is big and the graphics are wow, the unit has so many drawbacks that it is downright silly.
Now, Sony is asking me to pay $100 more for a system that has problems and issues that the competition does not have? It lacks features sucg as a microphone and touch-screen gaming (which is actually downright cool) but costs more and is more toruble to maintain, what with more charging, swapping batteries, discs that need extra protection from being scratched, maemory stick purchases / management.
I was really psyched about it, last year when it was shown at E3. Now that it is here, it leaves a lot to be desired and with a price tag that is way too high.
This does not mean that I am leaving my PS2 behind, but I'll be getting a DS instead of the PSP this round. Someone else on Joystiq pointed out that games WILL come along for the DS but design decisions made the PSP what it is and no amount of software will fix those flaws. That sums up this whole race.
Hey does anyone know what this "battery pack" thing is in the Value Pack? is that just the battery or something extra?