The GPS games: more details revealed
The upcoming camera and GPS peripherals have been getting a lot of attention, most notably because they have the ability to extend the PSP's already impressive capability set, and interface with games in new, original ways. One of the more creative examples we mentioned earlier was Hot Shot Golf's communication with GPS that transforms the game into a personal golf assistant when you're actually on one of Japan's golf courses. According to IT Media, this can become the "golf tool of the new age." This will certainly bring in a very unique audience to the world of gaming: golfers, who might pick up a PSP just to get all the golf data they could ever want. (But we wonder, how many people will actually use this functionality? And: will it work on US golf courses?)
Of course, Hot Shots Golf isn't the only game using PSP's GPS feature. Read on to see how other software is taking advantage of the device.
The PSP's widescreen is noted as a significant advantage for GPS users: you can simply see more of the map at once. The automatic route guidance (featured in many modern cars) will tell you how to get to a location, and can be used both in the car, and when walking on foot.
Homestar allows you to use the GPS system to see the stars up in the night sky. I don't really understand this screen from the software, but I'm sure fans of constellations and star-gazing will be able to decipher some sort of meaningful data out of this. Once again, it appears the PSP is being used to attract non-gamers to get the system.
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops allows you to randomly generate new characters based on the wi-fi points you access during multiplayer play. However, it appears that there may be more functionality added for GPS users. It appears that you'll be sent on a treasure hunt, which tracks your location via GPS. (Of course, someone proficient in Japanese can try to translate and find more info!) I'm glad that MGS is using the GPS feature, but so far, it appears very, very gimmicky (but Kojima does love using gimmicks).
Check out the rest of ITmedia's article to see more pictures and (Japanese) coverage of the peripheral.
[Thanks, ineo!]
