Hot on the heels of the big
3.0 firmware update for the PlayStation Portable, Sony's finally let loose its pricing plans for the forthcoming PS1 game downloads, although the downloads themselves are still apparently a few weeks away (unless you're in Japan, in which case you can get your Tekken 2 fix today). When they do show up, however, you can plan on dropping between $5.99 and $10.99 for the games, with each taking up between 140MB and 550MB on your Memory Stick Duo. The biggest sticking point for many PSP users, however, is that, as previously reported, you can't just download the games directly to your PSP -- instead, you have to download them onto your PS3's hard drive first and transfer 'em to your Memory Stick Duo from there. No problem for some but, last we checked, there's a heckuva lot more people with PSPs than PS3s, and at the rate things are going, that looks like it'll be the case for a while yet.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
PreGHz @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:42PM
This has been planned for a loooonnnngggg time. Before the Wii was the Wii.
Daviel @ Nov 22nd 2006 10:15PM
Zed:
agreed! seriously, what's up with all their stealing from the other peoples???
John W @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:14PM
Will this work with the 20GB version of the PS3....or do you have to have the 60GB WiFi version?
T.I.P. @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:17PM
I really don't think it matters what PS3 you have. Also what Sony needs to invest money into is trying to come out with some really good PSP games rather than porting PS1 games to it. I mean, the PSP is seriously dying. This is why so many people use homebrew. Please Sony I want my Gran Turismo 4 Mobile!!!!!!!
DEEZNUTZ @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:25PM
What if you already own the PS1 game? Can the PS3 allow you to pass the game onto your PSP? Why would I want to pay again for a game I already own? You SONY execs listening?
tiuk @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:37PM
No, they aren't.
Jeff @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:36PM
Wow. If this didn't require the PS3 I might just buy a PSP. From the looks of it right now it will be at least a year before I buy a PS3. If I end up buying a Wii it will be even longer.
Grail3x @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:40PM
/Looks dissapointingly at his PSP...
Dammit, Yet another FUBAR by Sony... It's going to be a long time before I get to play PS3... I hope it doesn't loose momentum.
hemmy @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:52PM
The PS3 is required for the time being. I can imagine they are purposefully withholding direct/web methods to boost PS3 sales, if any, if possible :) Direct to psp downloads will come in (hopefully near) future.
SLUSHIE @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:03PM
How is this method going to boost their sales if They can;t already meet demand?
A better method would probably be to produce more consoles.
PreGHz @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:44PM
Hemmy:
I heard somewhere that this was technically not possible. Don't quote me though.
nick @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:55PM
better than 10 dollar n64 games and 8 dollar snes games... Thank you wii
Sean @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:12PM
Please explain how? Last time I checked, PS1 and N64 were in the same generation, thus the same price. Add in the fact that you will need an overpriced MemoryStick and it's not that cheap any more.
Open your eyes fanbot.
Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Nov 22nd 2006 8:57PM
@ 550mb a game, you're going to spend an awful lot for those 4GB or 8GB memory sticks. Once the game is on the card can you transfer the file to the PC?
par @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:05PM
Has anyone thought that maybe the reason Sony doesn't allow direct download to a PSP is very practical? Most people have a 1GB card and can store 2-3 games on it. Now if the games are stored on the PS3 and can be transfered to the PSP anytime it means you keep all the games you purchase and upload them to your PSP whenever you want to play them.
Then again they could do that similarly via a PC.
Blair Thiessen @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:05PM
So... can I play the PS1 games I've downloaded on PS3 right away? I know their adding that but it would suck having it sit on your HD and can't run it yet :P
PreGHz @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:47PM
Sean:
You're right. It's not cheap to pay ten bucks and having to have a memory stick. But... Where are the Wii games gonna be stored? On the non-existant hard drives?
Evan @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:17PM
you know how long it would take to dl like 500mb to your psp
it takes a good 5 minutes to download like a video podcast via the rss feed you would be sitting there forever
humpty @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:41PM
Sean dont be a tard.
Playing the fanboy card is the cheap way out, if you dont have a coherent statement to make then just shut the f*ck up.
Karl Viklund @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:46PM
Quake 2, for PS1? LOL. FPS on a console.....
evilfixx @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:47PM
It's funny how people are saying that Sony is copying Nintendo or Nintendo had the idea first... do you know this? Downloading your PS1 games straight to your PSP would take considerable amount of time... it may be easier to do it the PS3 way. I understand that there aren't a lot of PS3s, and that is a valid grudge. Microsoft had their teething problems in the beginning, so I think we need to be patient... the console war isn't even started yet.
greg @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:50PM
if i download a ps1 game could i play it on my ps3???
stevo @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:53PM
Looks like Sony will have to add that $600 PS3 to their PSP spec list.
myscrnnm @ Nov 22nd 2006 9:57PM
"Will this work with the 20GB version of the PS3....or do you have to have the 60GB WiFi version?"
This has already probably been answered by someone else, but just to clarify, yes, this will indeed work with the 20GB version of the PlayStation 3. The software of both systems are the same. The only difference is in the hardware, such as no wireless adapter, but obviously, you can just use good old Ethernet.
pwfletcher @ Nov 22nd 2006 10:00PM
IDIOTS ... who are these bozos at Sony that have absolutely no idea how to make money in the US? $3.99 and downloadable to your harddrive and they make a fortune on retro games. $10.99 and force people to download to a memory stick and they make squat. Well, all the better for US based companies such as M$ :-)
PreGHz @ Nov 22nd 2006 10:18PM
pwfletcher:
What in the world are you saying?
nick @ Nov 22nd 2006 10:46PM
So you have to spend $500-$600, so you can then spend an additional $6-$11 to put an older game on the PSP.
Rus @ Nov 22nd 2006 11:19PM
Unfortunately, my favorite PS1 game (and the most valuable) won't make it to the "download section" = Intelligent Qube ... it is BY FAR the most unique and fun game since Tetris. I love playing it on my old PS1 and wish I could play it on the PSP.
PreGHz @ Nov 22nd 2006 11:34PM
IQ won't?!?!??!
I really wanted it to. I had it on an OPM demo disc. Anyone remember it?
Scott Neary @ Nov 22nd 2006 11:22PM
this is horseshit. there should be an online library of downloadable old games thats free. period. these are decade old games we're talking here. this should just be a benefit of owning a psp. WTF
PreGHz @ Nov 22nd 2006 11:37PM
Neary,
Don't be absurd.
Think about publishers and developers who want to get paid. And the bandwidth costs.
If you could demand this to be free, you should also demand free gas because you bought a car.
I, Robot @ Nov 22nd 2006 11:28PM
Talk about adding insult to injury. What idiot came-up with this dumb-ass idea? I have to buy a $600 PS3 in order to download a couple of “old school” PS1 titles into my PSP, for $6.00. That’s great marketing. The Sony Execs are brilliant. This plan is defiantly going to stop people from using homebrews. Good job.
Scott Neary @ Nov 23rd 2006 1:40AM
PreGHz,
Terrible analogy. These publishers and developers DO get paid. How about new computers? They come with software. You can buy the newest office suite, but an older, not so great one comes with the PC. What about the radio in your car? Do those artists make money even though you're not paying for each song you hear? And bandwidth?! I guess youtube.com is gonna be the downfall for the internet, huh? Common chief, get a clue and come up with something intelligent to say.
David @ Nov 22nd 2006 11:52PM
This would have tipped me over into buying a PSP if I could buy/download games straight to it through wifi - too bad they're trying to make you buy a PS3 first. Screw you, Sony.
mikemania @ Nov 23rd 2006 12:14AM
silentbob, yes we do know how its gonna work, you will need a PS3 in order to play PS1 games on your PSP. No one is talking about usability, which I hope will be fine... or not, who knows.
The bad thing about this is that downloading PS1 games was a PSP feature but it somehow needs a $600 PS3 to work. Now why can't they have made it work through a PC or at least both? If they really care about pushing this feature rather than making people buy PS3's they would have enabled PC functionality first given the amount of people in the world who currently have a PS3.
metal @ Nov 23rd 2006 1:36AM
I wouldnt trust sony to do psp software straight from your pc. Sonicstage anyone?
PreGHz @ Nov 23rd 2006 1:48AM
Neary:
Extreme? Maybe. Terrible? Hardly.
The bundled software comes at a price to the manufacturer. It's not free. They make their money marking up the hardware. Sony doesn't make money off their hardware, so how could they offer free software?
The radio? It has two different payment schemes. Either the radio stations pay to play the artists music, or little known artists can pay the radio station. Someone still gets paid. You pay a listening "fee" by allowing ads to be broadcast to you. Satellite Radio? You pay.
Bandwidth? Advertisements. Now that Google owns it, AdSense ads on there.
You're asking for a totally free platform, yet you're suggesting "ad revenue" analogies. That's not free.
If you're suggesting PS1 games riddled with ads, then sure, it'll work and you'll get what you want. Otherwise...
Come on Chief, get a clue.
PreGHz @ Nov 23rd 2006 1:50AM
I almost forgot. Some software companies will pay to have their products placed on the computer, as demos and such.
Still, that's not free, and I highly doubt there will be PS1 games following this business model.
nuclearlab @ Nov 23rd 2006 1:49AM
Does it means if I want to play PS1 game on my PSP, I have to buy PS3 for download the game first, right?
F_cking SONY...
Scott Neary @ Nov 23rd 2006 2:07AM
Thats what I'm talking about. I've also heard that the XBOX 360 live service has a library of "free" or rather "no charge" games available to subscribers to that service. Even though there is a monthly fee for the XBOX 360 live, there is no direct charge to download and play one of these games. I suppose Sony would have to come up with their own live monthly pay service for this type of business model to work.
PreGHz @ Nov 23rd 2006 2:14AM
It still wouldn't work. Sure there are some demos on XBL, but most full games aren't free. They cost points which equal to real money. At least Sony is being upfront.
The PS3 store will have arcade titles that are free.
The PS1 games will not be.
Does Microsoft offer something like Tekken 2 or Metal Gear Solid for free? I highly doubt it. Even with their subscription model.
PreGHz @ Nov 23rd 2006 2:16AM
Rather,
WOULD Microsoft offer games of that caliber for free, even if it was 8 years old. Subscription or not. Would they even have a choice of offering it for free, since I think Namco and Konami would have a say in their own games.
gwellz @ Nov 23rd 2006 3:17AM
God it sucks living in the UK, at least there are 400,000 people in the US who could do this. We have to wait till March to pay $670 for the 20GB and over $800 for the 60GB.
And yet Sony tease us by offering the 3.01 firmware update with remote play.
Dave @ Nov 23rd 2006 9:01AM
Games for $6? Cool!
mck @ Nov 23rd 2006 10:25AM
Huh, and I was actually going to consider downloading a game or two, but now that I need a PS3. . . screw Sony.
Bill @ Nov 23rd 2006 12:15PM
I think that it's obvious that Sony is treading lightly (just like they always do) before fully implementing the download service. They're releasing it in Japan and requiring a PS3 to control the amount of people who are going to hack the service. Once the service is hacked, they'll patch it up. Eventually they'll feel secure enough to release it to the rest of the world. After that's done, they'll fine tune it until they think the security is ready to withstand PC e-distribution.
Bob Barker @ Nov 23rd 2006 2:54PM
NEWS FLASH:
- A 1 GB SD-Card cost less than $20.00, and can be used in other products.
- A 1 GB Memory-Stick Duo, bluh, bluh, bluh, cost about $50.00, and can ONLY be use in SONY products.
So can we move on, because that lame argument is sort of DEAD, don’t you think? And has NOTHING to do with the converstion. So stop bringing it UP.
dave @ Nov 23rd 2006 6:32PM
q2 on my psp, now that will be interesting :)
http://www.bontragerphotography.com/psp/
Solsys @ Nov 24th 2006 5:35AM
This sounds more like a case of a braindead exec not wanting the game images to pass thru those evil pirated data havens... er PCs... Right now Sony controls the entire flow of data (Sony Server > PS3 > PSP). Chances are, when you purchase the game, you get the game data + a key to unlock the data based on an account created on your PS3 & the serial # of your PSP. You'll probably be allowed to store the data on your PS3 indefinitely, and copy the games over to your PSP as space allows. If you connected directly to Sony with the PSP's WiFi, you would be limited in the number of games you could download based on the size of your average Memory Stick and would be more likely to copy them onto the PC and share them with all of your evil pirate friends who spent $250-$300 on Sony hardware...
It will be interesting going forward, I bet within a couple weeks we will begin to hear horror stories from people who bought half a dozen games only to have their PS3 go up in smoke. They'll get the classic "Your waranty only covers hardware damages" line, leaving the gamer SOL and forced to buy the games over again if they want to play them. I seriously doubt that you will be able to re-download the content for free unless you spend ALOT of time bitching at Sony Tech Support.
Welcome to the world of Digitally Restricted Media...
silentbob343 @ Nov 24th 2006 2:26PM
Nice, it's not even out yet, but everybody already knows the in and outs of the system and how it works?
Give it some time guys before you tear in to it. Non-PS3 owners will get theirs, but the guys who spent 500-600 on the 17th get some exclusive content.
The Wii has 512MB internal memory and you guys are bitching about storage on a 1-2GB memory card? Nice. Nor does the Wii have any type of transfer for the downloadable retro games to the DS or non-that I have heard about. Yet Sony is shit?
Who's to say you wont be able store these downloads on you PC at some point.
Let's see where it goes.