Old PSP model to be phased out

Not that we weren't assuming this anyway, but Sony has gone on record to say that when the new PSP starts shipping in September, it will completely replace the original, 19 percent fatter PSP model. Sony definitely ain't no Nintendo, which continues to sell GameBoy Advance models alongside the DS. We've got to wonder how likely it is that the PSP will suffer from a kind of Osbourne effect until September: would you pick up a PSP knowing that a thinner, faster version of the same device is just around the corner?

[Via PSP Fanboy]

[Ellianth @ Jul 15th 2007 5:37PM]

test

[Ellianth @ Jul 15th 2007 5:39PM]

Sorry, i couldn't post, was trying to figure out why.

Now a comment on the article:
Tomorrow you'll hear them saying that they have no plans to stop producing the fatter psp.

And a side note:
What happened to the e-ink watch draw? wasn't it supposed to be Friday night?

[nj @ Jul 15th 2007 5:41PM]

actually its like Nintendo.. the ds and the gba are different lines of products... its compatible to the old fat ds and the ds lite.. Nintendo stopped selling the fat after releasing the lite... but no suprize here/

[Mike @ Jul 15th 2007 5:59PM]

They couldn't stand writing a Sony article without finding some way of saying Nintendo is better, no matter how irrelevant that may be.

[Gene @ Jul 16th 2007 3:43PM]

The DS Lite is physically different, but it does not have more memory than the original DS.

[Ben @ Jul 15th 2007 5:44PM]

I bought my PSP 2 weeks ago(even though I knew that the new revision was being announced soon). I have already downgraded and have been playing around with homebrew (lots of fun). I have already ripped down the games that I bought and Iam running them off the memory stick (for ease when commuting and help conserve the battery).

But I have to say, not real happy to hear that they aren't going to continue selling the existing model. Makes me think that any future upgrades with firmware will be few. Any future improvements will probably be focused on the new hardware.

[cDub @ Jul 15th 2007 9:58PM]

If you have an old psp that has been hacked, the newer custom FWs should have all included updates.
SHOULD. Team m33 is taking over where DA left off.

[menuka @ Jul 15th 2007 5:45PM]

I actually saw a family buy an old psp yesterday at Best Buy...
I was about to tell them not to buy it and wait until September...but I didn't...

The only reason to buy an old one now is for homebrew...but I guess the new one will be hacked sometime...

[Daniel Cheung @ Jul 15th 2007 5:46PM]

Sony is still producing the slim PS2 and sells them right alongside the PS3: http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/08/sony-lightens-ps2-components-by-almost-a-third/

Ryan, please get more consistent bloggers for Engadget.

[Ellianth @ Jul 15th 2007 5:50PM]

it's not the bloggers that are inconsistent :P.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jul 15th 2007 6:36PM]

Yeah, but the price difference between a PS2 and a PS3 is several hundred dollars- not the case with old PSP and new PSP.

[StevO @ Jul 15th 2007 6:58PM]

They don't sell the ps2 phat anymore do they? the "reliable one.

[John Doe @ Jul 15th 2007 5:52PM]

Yah whatever. As if the sales from aprox 2 months is going to even register as a blip for PSP sales. The phrase nowhere to go but up seems to come to mind.

[melloncollie @ Jul 15th 2007 7:30PM]

Or, you know, there's always down.

[Alex @ Jul 15th 2007 5:58PM]

the new PSP is an upgrade to the old one.. not a different machine like GBA to DS.. its like car company phasing out 07 model for 08 model.. it makes sense that they are phasing out the old PSP.. why would people buy an old one when the new one does the exact same thing but faster and video output

[Rob @ Jul 15th 2007 6:04PM]

I'm not too sure if this new PSP is such an improvement over the one currently in the market. Sony claims that games will load faster, how fast are talking about here? Also, claims have been made about battery life having increased. But, I can seem to let go of the feeling that they've ruined the whole thing by giving it a cheapo feeling to it. The loading tray for the discs looks like a cheapo cd player sold at Walgreens or Wal-mart for $12. What happened to the infrared sensor. What were Sony's plan for it? I'm curious.

The tv out doesn't do it for me. I'll skip on this one as I already have the PSP(1) and PS3 working together quite nicely. Plus, I have an iPod with video too. And, if you encode your stuff properly, you can encode your clips once and use it on PS3, PSP, and iPod with video. So, I'm set in that area.

So far I'm not convinced to "upgrade" as I don't think this would be such an "upgrade" to begin with. I'm not putting it down. I'm just not very convinced yet.

[Ben @ Jul 16th 2007 10:38PM]

How do you encode your videos? Does MP4 work on all 3?

[Rob @ Jul 16th 2007 11:06PM]

Ben, the best way is to use "m4v" files with AAC audio.
Take a look at "Handbrake", it's made for Windows, Mac, Linux ...

[cc @ Jul 15th 2007 6:24PM]

I thought the new one was 19% thinner... Now engadget is saying the old one is 19% fatter, which isn't the same thing. Which is it?

[Dster @ Jul 15th 2007 6:50PM]

Total difference between the two expressions: around 3% of the width of the original PSP, which comes to about .7 of a mm, or the width of 7 human hairs.

*Please* tell me this isn't keeping you up at night.

[dglaz @ Jul 15th 2007 6:52PM]

Certainly 19% thinner. Engadget got their information from Sony and Sony
would never introduce their new product by calling their old one
fatter than the new one. I do agree that the reporting should be
careful to be consistent and accurate with those kind of details.

[B @ Jul 16th 2007 9:12AM]

"I thought the new one was 19% thinner... Now engadget is saying the old one is 19% fatter, which isn't the same thing. Which is it?"

19% thinner new model = 19% fatter old model

How is that not the same thing? Is the glass half full or half empty? (the glass is still filled halfway)

[matjet @ Jul 16th 2007 9:48AM]

19% thinner= 81% of original width.
19% fatter = 1.19*0.81 = 0.9639.
so no it is not the same.
very basic math.

[Mickey Jones @ Jul 16th 2007 10:36PM]

I think they meant it's 19% Phatter.

[Poom @ Jul 17th 2007 12:22AM]

Dude, people, know your math.

The new PSP being 19% thinner than the old one doesn't mean the old one is 19% thicker.

Say, the old one is 100 unit thick. The new one is then 81 unit thick (19% decrease)

Now, 100/81=1.235 (3 d.p.) So, the old one has 123.5% the thickness of the new one.

Which means the old one is 23.5% thicker than the new one.

[js @ Jul 15th 2007 6:33PM]

Sooooo.... the question still remains.

Where the hell is the memory stick duo slot?

[Ratchet the Lombax @ Jul 15th 2007 6:52PM]

It's on the opposite side near the power switch. When I got to mess around with the new one (for about 5min) trying to get the memory stick in and out was a little bit difficult for me. Although the new slim feel is a little nicer, the new finish on it is real bad at getting fingerprints. I might get one if my current one ever breaks but as of right now I'm in no hurry for one.

[fke @ Jul 15th 2007 6:36PM]

Relatively speaking, the new one is 19% thinner than the old one or the old one is 23% fatter than the new one.
, no, 23%
"it will completely replace the original, 19 percent fatter PSP model."

no, no, 23%!

[Castle @ Jul 15th 2007 6:41PM]

NO shit, this happened with the DS LIte. Why the hell would people buy an older model when the newer model is available at a lower price.

[dglaz @ Jul 15th 2007 6:47PM]

Engadget got their information from Sony and Sony
would never introduce their new product by calling their old one
fatter than the new one. I do agree that future reporting should strive
to be consistent and accurate with those kind of details.

[ninjakamster @ Jul 15th 2007 7:03PM]

Okay Conrad? Use your brain cells here please, their precious and a gift, don't let them go to waste. Okay, see, the GBA and DS are completely different platforms and so its alright for Nintendo to sell them side by side, same with the PS2 and PS3 okay? You got that wittle baby? The original DS isn't being sold now because the DS-Lite replaced it, which is the SAME platform, you getting all that? Am I going too fast for you?

[PEZ @ Jul 15th 2007 7:10PM]

How about some pictures of both PSP's next to eachother at all angles, so I can see less of what the dfference is - because there isnt. :)

[pixelator @ Jul 15th 2007 7:14PM]

Hey, I was all set to mention how the DS Phat was immediately phased out and point out the usual Engadget anti-Sony bile and undisguised fact-twisting preference for Nintendo... And look! Folks are catching on.

Good. Now, all we need to do is get a few folks behind the scenes at Weblogs who don't actively despise Sony and insert pro-Nintendo subtext in every other blog entry and we're making progress.

LOL. Like that'll happen. N-gadget and Nintenstiq are, to put it politely, industry shills for Miyamoto & Co. And look out if you catch wise to that, because they're not stingy with the IP bans for those who point that out.

[melloncollie @ Jul 15th 2007 7:34PM]

This is a blog, they're bias.
Whoop-de-friggin-do.

[BrettB @ Jul 15th 2007 7:15PM]

I'd like to grab a "fat" PSP come September if I could find it for $100 or so. I'm not at all convinced the new one is much of an upgrade (at least for my purposes, which don't include using the video out) so the price break would be great. Of course, they may never hit that price, but if they do, let me know;-)

[leo2178 @ Jul 15th 2007 7:23PM]

If the firmware is locked out on the new one it will fail no matter what(at least till its hacked).
It has been the ones who hack it keeping the system alive. You can tell that by the pretty good hardware sales and crappy software sales.

[galileomagnifico @ Jul 15th 2007 7:42PM]

i would not buy one. with the "fat", you can already overclock through custom firmware to the same speed they are claiming for the "thin". for that matter, you can USE custom firmware on the "fat". tv out isn't a big deal. for me at least.

[AirStrike X2 @ Jul 15th 2007 7:43PM]

Nope not at all. I'm gonna wait for the "lighter, faster" PSP. I was really planning on buying the current one like 2 weeks ago until I started hearing rumors about this updated one..

[ADMINVOID @ Jul 15th 2007 8:56PM]

IM glad i didn't buy one a month ago!!!

[Neebs @ Jul 15th 2007 9:04PM]

This is news?

[Tim @ Jul 15th 2007 9:28PM]

I actually haven't been able to find the PSP at the Wal-Mart or the GameStop by my house. It's almost blasphemy. Meanwhile, there are piles of Nintendo DSs everywher.

[ChillyWilly @ Jul 15th 2007 9:34PM]

Dumb move by Sony, unless they are planning to further discount the current PSP model or people really want to save $30. I see Overstock.com getting the bulk of what's in the market now (being shipped back to Sony) and what Sony still has in the warehouses.

[gadjitfreek @ Jul 15th 2007 9:44PM]

I bet that Sony kills the old PSP and charges $250 for the new one out of the gate. I am actually amazed that the PS2 is still available, but then again, the PSOne was available for some time (in a slimmer form) even after the PS2 was released. I have been tempted to get a PS2 for some time now, except for some reason, I never play games (except Minesweeper, which I still play rabidly several times a day).

[greg @ Jul 15th 2007 10:27PM]

note to Conrad Quilty-Harper, a dumbshit at engadget:

just because the new psp is 19% slimmer, that doesnt make the old psp 19% fatter

go back to school and study maths.

p.s. who cares anyway, the psp is bullshit

[oGMo @ Jul 15th 2007 10:38PM]

"Sony definitely ain't no Nintendo, which continues to sell GameBoy Advance models alongside the DS."

Nintendo definitely ain't no Sony, which continues to sell Playstation 2 models alongside the Playstation 3...

(And old/new PSP comparison is obviously silly; Nintendo doesn't continue to sell original GBAs---remember those?---alongside GBA SPs, or original SPs alongside the "new-screen" SPs.)

[qazwsx1298 @ Jul 16th 2007 12:18AM]

Would you pick up a PS2 knowing that a bigger, faster, more powerful, and more expensive version of the same device is available?

[Uchiha Sasuke @ Jul 16th 2007 12:57AM]

No, but I will buy a Wii, if I can beat the eBay scalpers at the store.

[BowserUSC @ Jul 16th 2007 2:37AM]

I already own a fat one and I never use it, but I might have to get that darth vader one. It is so sick. Sorry that was off topic.

[lefty @ Jul 16th 2007 3:21AM]

As soon as this new PSP model is hacked to enable custom fw, I'll purposely brick my current PSP and use my extended warrenty to upgrade to the new model.

[raimo @ Jul 16th 2007 5:35AM]

I doubt Sony will have any problems getting rid of the old PSPs as they're on quite a sale in most places. At least in Finland you can easily grab one for 99 euro (that's including our 22% VAT)