PSP cam spotted again -- looking shinier than ever

The last time we spotted the PSP EyeToy, it was slated for a September release and looking pretty shiny. It's looking just the same, but this time Japanese site ITmedia has managed to get a cloeseup with the device. As far as anyone knows, the EyeToy is still due for September, but the picture does reveal the camera to be a 1.3 megapixel model. Sony has been pretty mum about the capabilities of the camera other than a new video chat service, which is due for October, but we're sure they'll find a way to put all that faux-chrome goodness to good use.

[Via Gotakon]

[dhruv @ Jun 30th 2006 12:35PM]

as if the psp's battery life wasn't already so less. now that wi-fi will obviously be used for video chattin the battery's gonna die way 2 soon. but 2 hell with it .did ne one actually buy the eye toy for the ps2 then why do they think someone will buiy this. and neway this 1.3 mp is not even gonna make a descent digi-cam they should have had atleast a 3 mp shooter

[shadowhawk @ Aug 22nd 2007 4:27AM]

lol i have six psp's some working some for parts i will be getting the camera i have kids and travel alot and i will be getting the gps add on as well as i stated i travel alot so it will help me see my kids and i can play games hit the net and make sures i dont miss my turn and listin to music and have pics of my kids on it yep i dont kare what any one says i like my psp's im a custom pc builder and lol hell i have orderd parts for computers off it lol
hope theres more add on's and if ur battery time sucks buy a spare lol or car chager or plug it into a wall lol easy way to fix that

[Kamalot @ Jun 30th 2006 12:37PM]

Oh wow! Just think of all the awesome GAMES that will come from having this accessory. I mean, I have a digital camera, a camcorder, a camera on my phone and one for my PC. I totally can't wait to get this for the awesome playstation games, you know, the ones I purchased a PSP for?!

[weatherman @ Jun 30th 2006 1:28PM]

We get it Kam. You don't want a PSP. I'll make sure to tell Santa not to leave one for you this year.

(if you're going to continue repeating yourself, so will I)

[narco @ Jun 30th 2006 1:32PM]

Man, that looks like it was made in the early 1900's or something.

Fishes,
narco.

[Mile @ Jun 30th 2006 1:41PM]

It's a solution looking for a problem!

[moo @ Jun 30th 2006 1:50PM]

I was at a talk the creator of the EyeToy gave, and he gave us an idea about what is possible with the PSP EyeToy. He mentioned the following:
Imagine placing a grid on a coffee table (some sort of mat) and then you point your PSP at it and it generates a whole environment, coordinated on the mat. Move your PSP around and the environment moves on the screen too.

Now, add another PSP in the picture and you can be battling in an arena, data transfering via wireless and viewport determined by the EyeToy. Pretty neat, huh?

Now to see if anything like that ever comes out, but the EyeToy creator has it in his head.

[Anonymous Gamah Gurl @ Jun 30th 2006 1:59PM]

You know, I was one of those idiots who had to have a PSP and I am gonna sell it because no one is making the games right yet and now they want you to buy more accessories? Im gonna trade for a DS Lite I think

[OnA Pest @ Jun 30th 2006 2:02PM]

if this is the "PSP camera" ive been waiting so long for.. im highly disappointed..

[AJ @ Jun 30th 2006 2:11PM]

finally we get another glimpse of this camera, and for your info Kamamlot, the psp is the greatest portable ever made! so y dont u go play some fruity game for girls like nintendogs on DS, even though Ds is for girls and little kids!

[Bilal @ Jun 30th 2006 2:18PM]

How much is it supposed to cost again?

[themoose @ Jun 30th 2006 2:29PM]

yeah aj has a point, the psp is a pretty impressive system, its thin small, sleek and has fantastic graphics. true the DS has awesome capabilities too but that doesnt mean one is better then the other. psp is geared towards more intense players where as the ds is geared towards just simple players lookin for alittle fun.

the accessories for the psp can be expensive as is the system but if your the kind of person the system is geared for its no worries. the psp camera looks fine, theres nothing wrong with it and people are being way way to criticle of everything that isnt perfectly designed to have absolutely no flaws and be cheep and perfect bla bla bla. get overyourself people, bc A you dont always deserve the best and B inventors/creators/develpers are only human

[Kyle @ Jun 30th 2006 2:32PM]

Gamah Gurl, that's a pretty good plan. That's exactly what I ended up doing, and I didn't even buy the PSP - I had won one. The DS Lite has been a 1000 times better experience than the PSP ever was.

Also, Kamalot is right now. It's just one more gimmick that developers can create lame games for.

AJ, the PSP really is the greatest portable if you enjoy dead pixels, shotty manufacturing, lame load times, movies that are available for one device in existence and a library of terrible games. You're right though, clearly the best.

[laughing@you @ Jun 30th 2006 2:44PM]

I believe that every single one of the kids that goes out of their way to whine and complain about how they hate the PSP simply can not get mommy and daddy to buy them one. In addition, I believe that everyone of these juviniles that states they have and/or had one, yet takes time out of their day to whine and complain about how they do not like it and/or got rid of it are dishonest and are lying.

Who do you believe?

[required @ Jun 30th 2006 2:49PM]

Looks like a nice camera. Hope they make it in black as well.

[Kamalot @ Jun 30th 2006 2:55PM]

Wow! Look at all these people talking about a DS. Where'd that come from?You'd think they were in competition with each other. I mean, the DS just plays games. PSP is like a super-dooper RSS newsreader and soon will have a camera! How could they compete? PSP is too awesome!

[oshean @ Jun 30th 2006 2:57PM]

I find that my PSP is only good for video and MP3s, while my DS is good for gaming.

The PSP could be the greastest portable if there were more games, an add on keyboard, and if users could burn their own UMDs.

AJ just feels jaded because he spent a years worth of allowance on a PSP, don't mind him.

[Shaun B @ Jun 30th 2006 2:59PM]

all i can say is its looking good, maybe digital camera feature video camera feature? but we need a micophone add on as well if it will be used as a video camera...

[JinKazama @ Jun 30th 2006 3:07PM]

Laughing@you hit it on the head, the PSP hate on the board is out of hand. I have really begun to think half of you guys are on Nintendo's payroll.

Basically the PSP is what you make it, if you want it to be a DS then it sucks to you. In which case I one advise you to buy a DS.

If you take it for what it is, it's a nice piece of hardware, there are good games, and the multimedia capabilities are pretty impressive. If the eyetoy creators' idea above comes to fruition it will be awesome. Can you imagine playing virtua fighter or Tekken against buddies or online like that :-O

[chris r @ Jun 30th 2006 3:25PM]

I've been thinking of trading in my PSP, too. It's not that I don't think the device is great. It's simply a lack of good games. Daxter kept me going a little longer, but now it's stale again.

The only thing that would change my mind would be a GPS add-on. If I can find reliable word that this is actually coming, I'll keep it.

The PSP is a great piece of hardware. It's too bad they've done so little to push it to its limits.

[AJ @ Jun 30th 2006 3:28PM]

for one my psp has no dead or stuck pixels , and sony has excellent manufacturing, awesome games(unless ur into girly games like any Ds game ever made) and the movies are great, dont start complaining about how they cost the same as dvd! cause if thats the case than only buy one version and STFU!and back to what oshean said,"AJ just feels jaded because he spent a years worth of allowance on a PSP, don't mind him." no, actually im pretty rich cause i have a job(and friends for that matter!) and if any of my $1.00 annual allowance went towards sumthing than it was probably buying ur mom so she can suck me off. ohh im sorry did i stoop down to ur 13 yr old Nintendo DS level i think i just did, and by the way if u wanna talk about dead pixels, take one look at the DS, its crappy screen might as well be dead!

[pr0n* @ Jun 30th 2006 3:29PM]

i bought a ds the day it came out. played super mario 64 for months.

i got the psp the day it came out,
and haven't touched the ds since...

[Cry Havoc @ Jun 30th 2006 3:35PM]

"If you take it for what it is, it's a nice piece of hardware, there are good games,"

That cost $40. Emphasis on the word "good". As in, not incredible, not stellar, not even great. Just good, for games that cost a lot more.

"and the multimedia capabilities are pretty impressive."

So are the DSs, but the PSP is clearly the dominant portable here. No argument.

"If the eyetoy creators' idea above comes to fruition it will be awesome. Can you imagine playing virtua fighter or Tekken against buddies or online like that :-O"

Yes, that would be intense and sweet.

Basically what it comes down to is that the DS is a portable gaming system that has multimedia features on the periphery. The PSP is an entertainment device that also happens to play games.

The "hate" for the PSP isn't really hate. It's just disappointment, I think. I wanted a PSP for the longest time. But I couldn't afford one when they first hit shelves, and since then my interest has waned. Too expensive, and no truly great games for it yet. It irks me that Sony would develop such a fantastic technology with so many possibilities and then pump the system full of mediocre games that cost as much as their console counterparts, which are often better by leaps and pounds.

Many gamers have turned away from it simply because it's not the console they thought it would be -- the DS is. The titles are more innovative, cost less, are more (disputably) fun to play, all with inferior technology.

Sony needs to realize that unless they produce better games, drop the PSP into the $160 range, make new games $30 and movies $15, they're going to be second to Nintendo. They MIGHT be able to take back the market with just better games, but as for now, their reputation has been mired with mediocrity.

[Los @ Jun 30th 2006 3:44PM]

I took a picture of this Unit working on a PSP at E3 this last year, and while the quality wasn't exactly mindblowing the frame rate was acceptable.

Image Link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/los118/E3Pics/photo#4945483911624785938

[Kyle @ Jun 30th 2006 3:46PM]

AJ, there is no need to start offending people. Not to mention the sexist remarks about those games being "girly." So, what you are saying is that if a game is inferior to another game, it must be girly. So then what you're really saying is women are inferior to what - a man game? Not cool dude.

Cry Havoc summed it up. I'm not here to hate on the PSP at all; it really comes down to a lack of content and entertainment. The PSP has no doubt the possibility to be AMAZING but nothing on that system is being utilized to its maximum.

Just try to keep it clean AJ. We're all here to talk, nothing personal.

[oshean @ Jun 30th 2006 3:53PM]

AJ you couldn't buy my mom because she died last year.

[AJ @ Jun 30th 2006 4:03PM]

my remarks clearly werent sexist, simply that girly games always suck cause they dont expect girls to care much about overall game content. and i wasnt taking "oshean's" comments personal,i just acted like i was ,it was pure sarcasm,and the psp actually lacks no entertainment or content cause i cant put it down even when i could play my Xbox,ps2 or ,360. PSP is made for people who actually know how to put content on it, more less tach savvy people like me. it wasnt meant for little kids, or even 13 yr olds for that matter. the only thing DS has going for it is a third party web browser,but that isnt saying much.

[Pi @ Jun 30th 2006 4:18PM]

AJ, have you ever even played anything on a DS? Didn't think so. Juvenile, rude comments? Not helping your case, or anyone taking you seriously.

I, for one, have a PSP, and have played with it thoroughly enough that I have realized it's not a great experience, nor is my experience with anything Sony has made. They do not have excellent manufacturing, nor do they have good customer service to deal with the rammifications of said manufaturing issues.

However, with the DS Lite I purchased, I've had no problems and have had a lot of fun playing with it. But here's the thing: it's a whole different price point. For around $100 less, you don't get the web, the music, and the movies--that's okay with me. The PSP is a fine music/movie player, even if the media storage is not what I want (though what it does offer most to me is internet and a nice screen). It's good for that type of games if that's what you prefer. Don't bash the DS, though, for not having those things, because it isn't priced to have them. If it cost me $250, I'd expect it to have them, or something equally extra. There's nothing wrong with the games for it, and if you like bloody, gun toting FPSes, then possibly it's just not for you, and you don't have to buy one? That has nothing to do with the fact that the DS has many positive characteristics, and I've enjoyed mine greatly. Though, if you're screen bashing, maybe you haven't seen the Lite's? Much better.

This still has nothing to do with the gadget presented. I would personally have only an interest in using it as a portable video chat device, though I'm sure many of you who prefer the type of games found on the PSP would use it in other ways, should they be implemented.

Pi,
not a console fangirl.

[Brandon @ Jun 30th 2006 4:37PM]

As a note to AJ, sarcasm doesn't come across in text. Putting emotions into text without explicitly telling the reader will piss the reader off, or send the wrong message. Your intentions may not have been sexist, but the words that you posted to the blog seem that way. Leave "acting" to the actors.

I have neither a DS or a PSP, but I do know that they are good portable systems. I have, however, heard that the PSP has less games for the system than it should, and the DS has less third-party support. Both systems have their strong and weak points.

What I don't get is why fanboys of either system like to post blogs here just to start arguments. Apparently they are just too immature or have nothing better to do.

[Alex @ Jun 30th 2006 6:12PM]

Like many others have said, the eyetoy figher on a coffee table, but now imagine connecting your PSP to a projecor (i know only usb port, but dont whine, its just an idea) and using ur eyetoy having a virtuall dude be projected on a wall and doing stuff with him, or fighting him. Or even get a green screen sorta thing and battle other people. Its far in the future, but who knows, technology advances are coming each month. ex. a machine that can record smells and play them back, christ, 2 years ago that would have created an uproar in laughter. You people need to stop whining about the PSP and see what the potentials could be for it.

[required @ Jun 30th 2006 7:00PM]

Brandon,

The PSP has a lot of great games, as many if not more as the DS has. Here are some reviews of both systems games:

http://psp.ign.com/index/reviews.html

http://ds.ign.com/index/reviews.html

When people say the PSP doesn't have games or doesn't have many games or doesn't have many good games or anything of the sort they are in fact lying.

[james @ Jul 1st 2006 2:25AM]

The PSP camera looks like the Wormcam released for the GBA. That camera was crap, even the B&W GameBoy Camera was superier to it.

[rory @ Jul 1st 2006 4:30AM]

i would like to see this camera in shiny black, definately

[pspwithabadsymbol @ Jul 1st 2006 4:02PM]

Sony's at it again, trying to make their products seem better than any one else's. You know, he PSP was originally intended to "compete" with the DS...
_____________________________________________________
SONY.
You can do the impossible. WE CAN DO IT BETTER THAN YOU.(tm)

[lmao6 @ Jul 2nd 2006 12:09PM]

I just don't like DS because of its games. I played enough mario when i was 8, and enough pokemon too. Wht multinedia does the DS have? i know u can buya hard drive for it, but the DS is bigger than the PSP, itll be like a tape player in your pocket. I use my PSP for watching videos on the bus, something the DS cant do. The internet browser on the PSP is better than the DS's fetureless one, and the psp one is geting better every firmware upgrade. The wireless capabilities for the PSP are much better than DS imo, i found the itunes psp hack, and i can stream music from my computer to my psp, dont think ds can do that. as for the games... im waiting for FF:CC and MGS

[rory @ Jul 2nd 2006 4:32PM]

i have to agree with the above lmao6, the DS's touch screen is a very interesting and i am sure fun feature to use, itts just i got tired of playing mario, pokemon, and shoddy playstation ports and movie games when the gba came out, and honestly, that is pretty much all there is to play on the DS. IF, the DS were to have an eventual downfall, I think it would be merely due to its games.

[Noshino @ Jul 3rd 2006 2:33PM]

It's sad to see these stupid fights between the PSP and the DS, Nintendo has always been, and will always be, on the gaming market, remember that Sony still quite new to the portable business, I have both the DS and the PSP, I like both systems (yet use the psp more because of all the extra features) and i havent really seen a good game for either one (yes, mario kart, metroid prime hunters, socom, grand theft auto, they all suk), and the fanboys shouldn't complain about the either system, if you hate it, then shut up and don't buy it, and if you did, then sucks for you, try to go sell it!

[phipscube @ Jul 4th 2006 8:38AM]

This camera accessory seems really nice. I hope they release it in Black. I can't wait to try out the video chat service! I currently use Eyetoy Chat on the PS2 to speak to family and friends back in UK (Im in Denmark). Its really cool. A service like that built into the PSP would be amazing!

And now a Rant.....

Were talking about the HANDHELD market here... As far as I remember this has been dominated by Nintendo for the last 15 years.

The PSP has come along and taken around 40%+ Worldwide share as of this moment.

I don't understand why people keep on saying "Sony have lost with PSP, they are loosing market share" when infact its Nintendo loosing... and loosing ALOT. Yes the DS lite is selling well since launch, but it wont last. Most of those people buying it now probably already own a DS Phat and want to upgrade. So they sell on their Phat and add MORE money to buy a Lite.

You guys have therefore spent approximately the same as a PSP to first own a DS phat then sell it (loosing alot of money) and then buy the lite. My friend even sold his DS phat two months ago to try and get a good deal... so he's been without his machine! With the PSP you get what you pay for, its all there.

What I like about my PSP is that it does many different things. I'm not gaming ALL the time.

I get up... cycle to work for 45 mins.

The PSP is in my jacket pocket playing music.

If I happen to get the bus that day, I watch a video or have a game. Have any of you noticed how you can flick the PSP power button momentarily to go into standby? then you flick again and the machine is back where it was instanlty. Good for having a quick game, turning off (standby) and resuming again... and funnily enough the UMD doesnt need to load for 3 minutes... and the game is there again exactly where you last played....

When I get to work there is no way I can game (Unless I want the sack).... It then gets docked on a speaker system and plays either MP3 or streams BBC Radio 1 off RSS. At the same time it charges the battery.

I set off home after work and do either MP3, Video or Game (depending on transport).

The only REAL time I have to game is then after Dinner for a few hours whilst the missus watches TV if we are in.

Bonuses...

I can pop in my Cybershot camera Memory stick and show off photos quickly and in a nice smooth slideshow.

I can have a browse on the net whilst taking a dump, or in bed before I go to sleep. I can read an ebook if I see fit too.

Basically I have used my PSP a HELL of a lot since buying it last September. I own 7 games and have played them all quite regularly. I want Loco Roco, Outrun 2006, Every Extended Extra, Daxter, Me+My Katamari, Sonic Rivals, Mercury Meltdown, Micro Machines V4 and Silent Hill Origins. Some out now, some out soon. So there are games I look forward to owning. And still enjoy the ones I have now.

What I want to know from all you pissy arsed dissers that seem to spend your entire lifes trolling around the net intent on saying the PSP is a piece of shit... is this.....

WHY DOES IT HAVE TO PLAY 100000000 AMAZING GAMES ONLY??? Whats wrong with a few decent games and all those media capabilities? Do you people buy 100 games a month? I for one have been SCREAMING out for a device like this for AGES! I love it, and the games, I use it alot and its well worth the money.

You own a PSP and now prefer the DS? SELL IT! let someone use it that isnt going to moan all the time. Then be happy with your DS.

You own a DS and feel the need to diss the PSP at every spare second of your life? Piss off! we don't want to hear it anymore. Go and actually PLAY your DS instead of talking about it.

You can't afford a PSP, you'd really want it, but have to settle for a DS...so you diss on the PSP for being expensive. Tough luck, get a job.

If you bought a DS, an ipod nano and a portable media player (For Vidoe and photo) you'd spend TWICE as much as a PSP with 1GB mem stick and STILL not have all the features of the PSP.

I get fed up of even saying all this

*EXPLODE*

[South Saturn Delta @ Jul 10th 2006 3:14AM]

Wow...my head just exploded reading that ignorant, long-winded, and completely uncalled-for rant. The implications you just made about people who own a DS is 10x more ignorant than the so-called "trolls" stating real reasons as to why the PSP is an overpriced adult toy which seems to be more of a status thing than anything else for so-called "tech-savvy" people(I like to call them thick-headed CONSUMERS who don't know the value of a dollar/buy gadgets based on compulsion). You can have all the resources & features in the world, and STILL have the saddest excuses for games you've ever seen. Because a shitload of resources does NOT equal quality games...and that IS the main reason you bought that overpriced dogpile, right? For the games?? (Sony trying to shove the UMD format down everyone's throat and then calling that an innovation/advantage of having a PSP is bogus as well.)

Last time I checked the PSP was an acronym for 'Playstation Portable'...not everything else EXCEPT the Playstation part.

[Onicom64 @ Jul 20th 2006 9:57PM]

I am a PSP owner and I love my Techno marvel!! It is a true shame that so many individuals would bash the PSP simply because of the shoddy business practices of a historically retarded company. It is fact that with every advance of technology, Sony has attempted to monopolize the market with an ingeniously proprietary format, (| VHS BataMax || DAT Cassette A-trak Cassette || audio CD MiniDisk || DVD UMD |) and charge the consumers and developers as if they already did have a monopoly! So I say instead of fault the PSP as an inferior device for lacking an affordable library, think of its undeveloped potential.

Simply put I do not see the DS as a platform that has the capability of supporting USB Cameras, Music and Video playback, or Expandable memory. I would also point out that I have herd Sony complaining that it suffers from an underground community of individuals who are writing programs that make their PSP run emulators, PDA software, Remote Control software, Individually tailored Shells, and countless other functions that if Sony had half a mind to consider supporting homebrew applications, would make a fortune by cornering the flash memory market with a powerhouse of a portable.

All said and done I believe it is the same foundational argument that has been raging between lazy Apple users, and Control Freak PC users (apologies to Unix and Sun users who are as above it all as the Swiss). As Sony pumps out more devices to augment the PSP, the potential for application development grows immensely. If only they brought down the cost of their genius, and gained a little modesty in their market goals.

[Manapower12 @ Aug 5th 2006 8:53PM]

On topic, the PSP camera looks like a pretty cool idea. Like the idea in the paragraph, that'd be awesome.
Off topic, I agree with the few people who said this: The PSP is a great system. It's too bad they've done so little to push it to its limits.
another off-topic sorta thing: AJ, I recommend taking your eyes off of your movies on the PSP long enough to notice Metroid Prime: Hunters, Meteos, Need For Speed: Underground 2, and Tetris DS. the puzzle games, little kids wouldn't play in the first place. Metroid Prime Hunters is for teens, and Need For Speed Underground 2, ... I must admit that game was bad, but it wasn't for little kids. there's lots of games that aren't meant for only babies, and it seems all your DS-bashing is based on Nintendogs. You can't seem to pay any attention to the games NOT for little kids, huh. And the DS screen shouldn't be dead, if it is, it seems you were dropping it or throwing it at something. [I actually broke my first DS by accident by forgetting it was in my pocket and lunging down in basketball. The DS broke on the hinges, in half.] Anyways, I really wish these chat's didn't go into the "PSP PWNS THE DS" and that, it's only supposed to be about the PSP camera! which is really a good idea, if it's used to it's full potential. [i'll rate this 1-10, 1 being lowest, 10 being highest.] I'd give it... 7.9. not bad, if it lives up to it's potential.

[x3qt0r @ Sep 15th 2006 3:18AM]

am too happy wid my PSP...
just that am stuck up wid a 32 MB stick...
will be buying a 1 gb soon..and a game...
hope that fits in my budget...
DS..i dunno much abt it...
but...its really good for under 15 ppl....
i mean PSP is for..something more than just gaming..
and wid addons like these...the something part is becoming more and more gr8...
hope similar addons appear...and make the PSP owners like me happier...