PSP2 to sport 60GB Samsung hard drive?

Hard to imagine, but it's been over two years since Sony unleashed the PSP (at least in Japan), so it stands to reason that we're due for a little upgrade, right? Well, it's difficult to tell precisely what's going on due to the machine translation, but Samsung introduced its new N-Series line of 1.8-inch hard drives today and there's some indication that a 60GB version of the drive may end up in a future PSP. With any luck we may see a proper announcement at CES next month -- we definitely would not kick a 60GB PSP out of bed -- but for right now we're just trying to figure out exactly what Samsung announced today.

[FrankTheCrank @ Dec 28th 2006 8:26PM]

What does this mean??

"there's some indication that a 60GB version of the drive may end up in a future PSP"

What indication??

[Panzer_V @ Dec 28th 2006 8:36PM]

I been hearing loads of rumor that Sony is going to announce a new PSP next year. It will fix all the flaws of PSP's controller and also be backwards comptiable. PSP failure wasn't really to do with games but the design of PSP. PSP Controller design and UMD load times ultimatly degraded the psp.

[John Doe @ Dec 29th 2006 3:11AM]

I'd say 60/40%. Load times alone on the PSP suck like a black hole and that is due to software AND hardware.

PS- If you look at games sales WITH the PSP you will see that the system HAS failed. Simply put people by and large aren't buying the PSP for the games that are coming out for it. They are buying the system for the multimedia capabilities. In the long run this hurts any gaming system since they aren't making additional money off the system with additional game sales. Every person I know who has a PSP has at most 1 or 2 games for the system. I think I know 1 person who has 4. This is a horrid system to game ratio. And

[NeoDarkSaver @ Dec 29th 2006 6:02AM]

i wouldn't call PSP a failure.

[Dave @ Dec 28th 2006 8:38PM]

How pathetic is it that the Xbox360 has a maximum drive size of 20GB--and this portable gaming device is going to have a 60GB drive? I wish they'd get off their asses and release a new 360 drive already. 20GB isn't even enough to store my music collection.

[Cade @ Dec 28th 2006 10:55PM]

@Dave
Why don't you just get an external hard drive for your 360? It's not really that hard to figure out.

[Joshua Cartu @ Dec 29th 2006 6:18AM]

Why the hell would you want to store your music collection on your Xbox360 when it can read the contents of your iPod?

[Jonathan Keim @ Dec 28th 2006 8:38PM]

well, that sign clearly has a psp on it. I think that is where the indication is

My opinion is that a PSP 2 is comming, and I don't think anyone could honestly disagree with me. The place of argument is "when?". I am not going to argue "when" because I have no idea, just like everyone else.

I do have a hard time thinking that it will be 60 GB though. The PS3 is 60 GB.

[goku @ Dec 28th 2006 8:39PM]

samsung is unveiling this hard drive, and as an example of where it could be used, they chose the PSP.
Get it?

[Murc @ Dec 28th 2006 8:41PM]

If thats the case, It looks like there going to make the PSP2 the hybrid...games and movies (& music). Which is a smart thing to do...since they both need some of the same components. The Ipod was the first to start this...when it went from audio only, to movies and games as well. The Zune brought a larger screen and audio, video, and there looking into games for it as well.
Sony has being struggling in the audio player market, and its being trying to gain some ground with its mp3 player phones...but thats becoming the norm in phones now....so they need to take the next step...so it makes sense to put a large hard drive in the psp2...you could listen to music, watch tv shows and movies, and play games with a good amount of power behind it. They should keep a big screen...hopefully a little smaller then the PSP screen, and they should make the whole thing smaller and sleeker.

The DS was doing pretty good...but the DS Lite hit and the sales went through the roof, people buy good looking things...and the PSP didn't look all that great. Hopefully sony finds a creative way of having a big screen...with a clamshell design, since nobody wants to stare at a scratched to hell screen.

[jakeQ @ Dec 28th 2006 8:41PM]

oh that'll be nice .not.
$200 psp plus another $100 or more for the memory?
no one's gonna buy the 'indicated' psp's(psp2) for 300-400 dollars! shure maybe a ps3, but thats different. If there putting that much memory on a psp it better have a music download service, and a built in camara with video texting. Maybe it;s just me, but i dont think theres a need for that much memory on a psp 4gb is enough. if your watching dvds or something why not get an ipod?

[Jon @ Dec 28th 2006 9:11PM]

Why do people say to get an ipod to watch video?! Yes I realize there is a video ipod but come on, the screen is maybe around half the size of the PSP? The PSP needs more memory to store all this media: music, video, as well as downloadable demos & homebrew. Depending on how much of this stuff you have on the PSP you can fill a 4gb stick pretty quick. I think the 60gb drive would be great to have but agree price point would probably be a little ridiculous (and where as the price of memory sticks drops every few months you know the 60gb drive unit price wouldn't drop.

[Taylor @ Dec 28th 2006 9:47PM]

"Video texting"? Is that an oxymoron?

We're paying 400 bucks for a PSP anyway down here in Australia, once you factor in a 2GB memory card (the biggest they sell here, even on eBay), and then games are 80 dollars (!) each.

[pixelator @ Dec 28th 2006 8:51PM]

"PSP failure wasn't really to do with games but the design of PSP."

The PSP failed? So say Nintendo fanboys and Sony haters, maybe, but unless you consider the Gamecube and XBOX 'failures' you might need to rethink that, since neither of those consoles had sold as well as the PSP has at this point in their respective lives.

Some PS2 ports may have been lackluster and some games should've been better adapted to single analog, but with games like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark and Jetforce Gemini on the SINGLE analog N64 and all the pre-dual-shock AAA's on the PS1, I fail to see how that scheme is somehow inherently flawed. Numb d-pad and touchy analog nub?

As for the "PSP 2" - it's not. Just a revised model of the existing hardware, like Nintendo did with the Lite a scant year after the Phat debuted. OPM was talking about this (complete with slot load UMD, slimmer dimensions and the internal drive) months ago - and they were talking in very definite terms, like they had the insider info.

[JP @ Dec 28th 2006 8:54PM]

N-Series? Wow how original! Haven't heard that one before!

[nivz @ Dec 28th 2006 9:00PM]

PSP was the most uncomfortable hand held console i've played on... After an hour or even less on some games, your fingers start to feel like they've been crushing stones or something. I mean it really was uncomfortable.. So I sold my psp after a while, and bought the next best thing, an iPod nano. now i play bricks.

[JonR @ Dec 28th 2006 9:07PM]

@Dave,

Why would you want to store your entire music collection on the 360?

You can put the gig (Oh my God, only 250 songs!!!) of music that you would listen to as custom soundtracks on the 360.

And wow, the PS3 has 3 times more space... MAN!! I can put 6 HD movies on there instead of 2!!

I think at LEAST 250gb hard drives are going to be necessary to use these systems as a "media center"... (why do that with a 'gaming' console tho?!?!)

wii60 ftw.

[george @ Dec 28th 2006 9:08PM]

jakeQ - you really dont know it will be $300-400 and if it did people would buy it possibly if it had a smaller design like an ipod possibly. Maybe they could have an mp3 player and psp in one unit and make it closer to ipod size. You dont think people would buy a $300 device? Look how good the ipod sold at that price.

[nivz @ Dec 28th 2006 9:10PM]

And for all the people saying 360's only got 20gig and it's nt even enough for their music collection blah blah, it's prolly cuz u wont be carrying your 360 in a backpack and plugged it up your ass (or brain for some idiots) to carry ur music library. 360 suppose to be in your living room, playing games. Go buy a stereo.. retards..

[Moneyman @ Dec 28th 2006 9:42PM]

I have no problems with my ipods sised screen. Just put it on a table and look down. I thought about the Psp just causa' the screen but after seeing the Price of Memory Sticks and The cost of the Psp and knowing it wouldnt fit in my poket i just said screw it.

[ronin @ Dec 28th 2006 9:12PM]

What was wrong with the PSP controller? I've been using it since launch day and never really had a problem with it. I guess they could make the analog nub not so flat but besides that it works fine. I've always been a bit mystified as to why people like saying it's a failure. Sure most of the games are PS2 ports but what's wrong with that? I practically stopped using my PS2 cause playing on the PSP was just so much more convenient.

[nivz @ Dec 28th 2006 9:17PM]

Ronin, have you never thought the PSP was uncomfortable to hold?? I mean the shape of the thing and the button placement is so f****d up. Your right thumb needs an hour massage if you play a game using the thumbstick for 5 mins and there's too much strain on your palm because of the size and the location of the buttons, specially if u dont have big hands..

[pixelator @ Dec 29th 2006 11:44AM]

nivz and other PSP bashers talk about how uncomfortable a PSP is, doubtful they've even held one, let alone owned one or used it for any length of time.

Want to talk uncomfortable? Balancing stylus and DS trying to play an FPS where you have to tap to do things in addition to other movements.

[PEZ @ Dec 28th 2006 9:24PM]

sony already has 32GB memory sticks. They should stuck to embedded flash memory. A hard drive with impeed the battery life even more than that foolish UMD.

[IWantTouchScreen @ Dec 29th 2006 1:08AM]

Why are you getting ranked high for such an idiotic remark?? The hard drive sucking more power than a g'damn UMD?? What's wrong with engadget readers...

[John Doe @ Dec 28th 2006 9:25PM]

I've only played the psp a few times, but it was uncomfortable: the analog "stick" sucked, the screen was washed-out in sunlight, etc. It has great hardware, but its execution needs to be a lot better, much like the Zune. Incidentally, if they really name it PSP2, they officially take the "least innovative names" trophy.

[Jeff @ Dec 28th 2006 9:27PM]

This is great, because I really want to enjoy "the movie" everywhere.

[Hahns @ Dec 28th 2006 10:35PM]

Pfft, how bout no. Get an iPod video, It's alot more portable than the PSP and the only thing it doesnt do is play PS2 games. (I owned a psp for about 3 days before i returned it)

[Chris @ Dec 28th 2006 9:46PM]

So, lets go ahead and drop the battery life some more, add some weight, and make it cost more. Sony TOTALLY knows the portable market.

I do think samsung is just giving an example though, cause just saying "we have a new 60gb hd for mp3 players" isn't quite as exciting... its been done before.

[Taylor @ Dec 28th 2006 9:50PM]

Sorry about the double post, but yeah, I'd agree that Sony haven't got a clue about weight control. The PSP on its own barely fits in my pocket, let alone in a PlayGear Pocket. Hell, it probably fits snugly into Jarrad from Subway's old pants.

[Philip Wesley @ Dec 28th 2006 10:00PM]

The 60GB is the highest capacity they can fit into that size right now. That's what they are implying.

If a new PSP unit ships, it should have a better screen, about 1 or 2 GB of FLASH memory, and -maybe- this gem from Samsung.

http://www.samsung.com/PressCenter/PressRelease/PressRelease.asp?seq=20061227_0000308324

[ronin @ Dec 28th 2006 10:06PM]

nivz, nope, I don't find it too bad to hold really. Must have different hand sizes or something. I occasionally run into the problem where my wrists start getting sore from being bent backwards too much for too long but when that happens I'll either consciously tilt my wrists back to a less bent position or I just stop playing for awhile. The other comfort problem I find is my elbows need to rest on something during long play periods or my arm starts to get tired too.

[Jason @ Dec 28th 2006 10:11PM]

Uh, hello? this is Korea, not japan!
Samsung is a Korean company if you haven't noticed and look at the site -_-'

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Dec 28th 2006 10:25PM]

Just like with the Nintendo DS Lite, I can easily imagine an upgrade over the current PSP. I wouldn't call it a "PSP 2", maybe a 'PSP 1.5' or something.

What I'd like to see fix:

-Brighter screen
-More memory
-More clearer visuals.. the blurry effect is absolutely horrible to the eyes

[TIP @ Dec 28th 2006 10:36PM]

They need to get more game support for the next PSP. Owner of a PSP for almost a year now and they still don't have my GT4M and there really aren't that many games out. Stop with all this media stuff and get some good games! This is why homebrew is so popular.

[Dave @ Dec 28th 2006 11:50PM]

My point was that space is limited on the 360 hard drive. As far as I know, you can't put demos, downloaded XBL HD-videos, or patch files on an external or network drive. I made the statement that the drive is incapable of storing my music library to illustrate the lack of space.

[Erik @ Dec 28th 2006 11:31PM]

The website doesn't say that the HD will be included, but just uses the PSP as an example. It wouldn't be out of the question for Samsung and Sony to work together, their S-LCD joint venture makes LCD panels used in both companies' TVs, but I think Sony will be the one to make the announcement on this. (The website is in Korean, not Japanese, btw.)

[Dustin @ Dec 29th 2006 12:14AM]

Well, since all we're doing is speculating, did anyone think of the possibility that this might be an add-on for the current PSP, like Datel's HDD add-on, the Max drive: http://www.darkplanets.co.uk/datel-4gb-harddrive.asp

It interfaces a 1" IDE CF-type2-compatible microdrive (like in the ipod nano) with sony's memory stick interface. So, if they can do that easily, no reason not to attach any size IDE drive. The biggest factor now would be power consumption.

[Ken @ Dec 29th 2006 12:17AM]

Hm, is it possible for the Old PSP's to upgrade with paying some amount of money? Or is SONY just gonna try to get you to pay for this "PSP2" Its just pathetic that Sony even claims that the PSP can play movies, well yes from the UMD ones but on the memory sticks? = =

[TJ @ Dec 29th 2006 12:37AM]

im korean and i read the announcement, and most of it is all just marketing hype. They're saying they'll release the n-series(stands for nexus series apparently)as OEM products using an ATA-66 interface to go in mp3 players, etc. for mass production. The only key points I saw as I skimmed through the article was the fact that Samsung said the Japanese were dominating the 1.8" HDD market and it would be difficult to penetrate it quickly with success. In terms of the technology, there was nothing new, other than the fact that I guess they used perpendicular recording or some other technology to fit 60GB on one platter, making the HDD smaller and cooler running. I agree with others that it won't be 60GB, although it's possible that may be an option.(for a probably ridiculous price)

[Nathaniel C @ Dec 29th 2006 1:21AM]

OMG not after I just got a 4GB memory stick you bastards. If they do put a hard drive in it better be in a few years, not so soon >=(

[myscrnnm @ Dec 29th 2006 1:53AM]

"no one's gonna buy the 'indicated' psp's(psp2) for 300-400 dollars!"

Actually, quite a few people would. When you think about it, the PlayStation Portable is essentially the same thing as a PMC. The only thing holding it back is the capacities of the Memory Stick Duo. Usually, the highest ones are like 4GB (although the theoretical maximum capacity is up to 32GB). When you slap a 60GB, or hell, even 20GB, HDD into the PlayStation Portable, you've got a formidable opponent to the PMCs on the market, because they are usually in the same price range, and few have a screen as large and vibrant as the PSP's.

[Jake @ Dec 29th 2006 2:53AM]

Sony would do everyone a favor if they axed MemoryStick for SD-HC. Much less expensive, especially for those 4GB+ cards.

[Yubal @ Dec 29th 2006 3:09AM]

I thikn the PSP2 is a mere and much needed redesign, memory and size would be key areas, maybe camera integration, but they struggle in portable music playing bussiness and it's a smart move to put more mem in it.

the PSP is still powerfull enough to maintain, at least, another redesign. They could make it more powerfull and make it backwards compatible, anyways.

[John Doe @ Dec 29th 2006 3:44AM]

Oh and as for price. I HIGHLY doubt it will be under $250 for one simple reason. Sony is being slaughtered on how much money they are loosing on the PS3. They aren't going eat the manufacturing price of a PSP2 to make it palatable for consumers. And anyone who thinks that the PSP2 will do well at $300 should look at who is eating the current PSP's lunch. The DS lite is kicking the PSP ass. The PSP is the PS3 in that Sony expects the public to spend more because OMG! Its got the features. I think long term this is a failing combination. The vast majority of people buy a gaming console for.....no points for guessing....gaming first. Music/Movies/Internet a distant second.
I seriously eyed a PSP this x-mas season. I ended up getting a black DS lite for one reason....price. And the games on it are simply fun.

[Rai @ Dec 29th 2006 4:34AM]

John Doe... you are one odd person... Everyone that I know lines up to buy new releases of the PSP.. I personally owns 14 games...

Statistically, people don't care about the PSP's multimedia capabilities.. That's why UMD movies died!

People play PSP for its awsome games... you mentioned it has black hole, but what if I tell you that there is also tons of games that have literally no load times?? Have you even played a proper PSP game? Seriously, do you even own a system to make such an elaborate statement that lasts two text boxes?

[Dave @ Dec 29th 2006 11:05AM]

Here's my last post about this, Joshua. This is an exact quote of my last response on this topic:

"My point was that space is limited on the 360 hard drive. As far as I know, you can't put demos, downloaded XBL HD-videos, or patch files on an external or network drive. I made the statement that the drive is incapable of storing my music library to illustrate the lack of space."

[Seoung-Koo Yi @ Dec 29th 2006 9:31AM]

I think this is quiet reliable information based on many facts.
First, Sony want iPod fighter, and in their Walkman lineup, there are no audio player from Sony with capacity higher than 8 gb, so it would be wise for Sony to have an audio player that have similar amount of capacity to iPod if they wanted to gain back some portable audio player market.
Second, The hard drive is same drive that has been used in Apple iPod and JVC Everio and the 60 gb hard drive has only one disc, so battery life couldn't be compromised much.
Third, Samsung wouldn't lie to the people who attended this event. Unlike other drives Samsung has been manufacturing, these drives are for commercial uses only, and only press and corporation personnels were invited to this event. Samsung wouldn't lie to their primary customers to jeopardize their company. Also, if 60 gb capacity was not confirmed, then Samsung would just say their harddrive will be used in PSP, without mentioning specific capacity.
Finally, if anyone could read the web page, the page said that the Samsung specifically mentioned their 60gb hard drive will be in the PSP.

[Jerome @ Dec 29th 2006 12:19PM]

Like PEZ said, the maximun capacity of the memory stick is 32go, they could stick two of those chip inside and you would not need a 60go hardrive!

I love my PSP, I play all week in the bus! Even 20Go inside would be cool!

Jerome

[Rock Stone @ Dec 29th 2006 8:17PM]

The PSP truly works. It is a limits-notwithstanding PS2plus.

The failure of the PSP lies completely on Sony's shoulders. The complete LACK of ACCESSORIES and a corresponding environment for development is a great way to waste the Unit's potential.

At two years later we have: socom mic/headset

Wow. Can the damn camera and GPS please show up on shelves someday with localized menus/content?

No USB 2.0 love. Where are the keyboards, business card scanners, webcams, second player dual shock controllers, printers, external optical drives, dance revolution step sensor/pedometer, bluetooth data xfer, etc.???

Blame developers? I don't know... I'm convinced this is a revolutionary device but Sony failed to open the revolution up to the people. IMHO they tried to stifle it. The homebrewers brought IM, streaming shoutcast radio, VNC, Solitaire, streaming A/V, divx/xvid, PDF, file management and so on. The things you use the PSP for when you aren't playing games.

Since launch day USA I've played and my only complaint is when the gameplay gets exciting I will accidentally put it into standby 'cause of the switch placement. You get used to anything, people. We are human - we learn. BRING ON 32gb PRO DUOS!