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GameDaily grades the consoles, PSP gets a B
AOL-owned GameDaily recently gave grades to all of the consoles. They gave the PSP a very respectable "B." Here are some excerpts of their review:Though overshadowed by the Nintendo DS, the PSP still holds its own with a more mature game lineup, plus music playback, Web browsing and media storage... The UMD movie market may be slowly dying, but the game supply is holding steady. Younger gamers will like Daxter and Loco Roco; the nostalgia gamers can relive the past with Ultimate Ghosts n' Goblins and Capcom Classics Collection; and mainstream players can pick up Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Madden NFL '07."The system is praised for its more mature game variety. They recommend that a price drop would do a lot to help the PSP, and it would make the system "an easy choice for those who aren't into Nintendo's style." Nintendo's style, of course, net the Nintendo DS an "A" because of its position as a "gotta-have gadget."[Via Cold Pixel]
Don't worry: you don't need a PS3 to download PSone games
Sony's Gamer's Day revealed some interesting info about the exciting PSP-PS3 connectivity. But, we were left pondering whether or not we'd need a PS3 to download PSone games to our handhelds. It would be a little silly if Sony tried to force us to buy a $500+ piece of hardware simply to download games, and thankfully, Sony hasn't gone completely mad as we've feared. GameDaily interviewed everyone's pal, Peter Dille, and he confirmed that you do not need a PS3 in order to download PSone games to your PSP: BIZ: I know you guys have previously talked about a PSP emulation service where PS1 titles would be downloaded directly to the PSP (for example, if someone didn't own a PS3). This new PS3 download service of PS1 titles, which involves transferring to the PSP, is not going to replace the previous PSP emulation plan is it? PD: You are correct. We'll still have that. We have the PSP downloads site now, and you're right; these PS1 games will be available either from the PSP downloads site directly, so you don't need a PS3 to get them or if you do happen to be one of the lucky guys that gets a PS3, you can download the games to your PS3 hard drive and then slide it over to your PSP. Both services will be up and running. Whew! That's good to hear. I'm going to pick up a PLAYSTATION 3 one of these days, but I'm sure many of you are very relieved to hear this confirmation.[Via Gamespot]
GameDaily's steps to revitalizing the PSP
Sony's in need of some PR recovery for its multimedia gaming handheld. GameDaily listed a few suggestions, many of which should lead to the PSP's success:1. Drop the UMD movies already. Yes, I completely agree. But considering the lack of UMDs on the release schedules, I think Sony's unofficially officially given up. What we DO need is Sony's Connect to materialize some time soon. Apple now distributes movies for the iPod; I want Sony to distribute movies for the PSP's beautiful widescreen display. Now. And for cheap. 2. Lower the system price. We've heard tons of rumors of a price drop. I don't think it'll happen: what's more likely is Sony continuing to "update" its Value/Core/Giga packs. Not that the latest one was any good. 3. Fix the D-pad. I completely agree. There's something wrong when pre-order bonuses involve giving away free replacements for the D-Pad. 4. Get more exclusive games. I don't really agree with this point. While the system has been struggling early on, there's a lot to look forward to, as evidenced by Tokyo Game Show.
Jack Tretton reveals bullish numbers for Sony
An interview with GameDaily BIZ reveals optimism for SCEA Executive VP Jack Tretton. While many find it easy to criticize Sony's moves as of late, there's no denying that press attitudes and reality may differ greatly. For example, according internal sell-through data, the PSP is a much faster success than the original PS1: 18 months after launch of each system, the PSP sold 5.30 million units in America compared to the PS1's 3.48 million."We really feel we carved out new territory [with the PS1] and then we built upon that with the PS2. The parallel that we draw to the PSP is that it is exactly the same to portable gaming to what the PlayStation was to console gaming, that we are carving this new road out and we are selling again to 20-something consumers that were not fans of portable entertainment, were not playing Game Boys because the technology and the software offerings just weren't appealing to them... And now because of the technology in PSP and the game offerings it appeals to them and that same consumer we carved out with the PlayStation is now being carved out with the PSP at an even much greater rate than we did with the original PlayStation"The executive rightly questions whether or not Nintendo is truly "expanding" the market. He suggests that most DS owners have owned a Game Boy Advance in the past. The PSP can appeal to a wider demographic, considering how gamers are getting older and demand more mature games and multimedia functions out of their handhelds. He questions that older gamers would want Brain Age over a PSP: "I would tell you for a fact that there are much more people in their 50s and 60s playing PlayStation platforms in terms of console, than there are playing Nintendo platforms."[Via Joystiq]
AOL acquires GameDaily
It seemed just like every other morning at the GameDaily offices. Writers furiously hunching over their laptops, an antiquated espresso machine spluttering in the background and an irate Chris Buffa demanding to know why the cleaners still hadn't removed the decomposing horse from his office. Alas, the quiet productivity came to a grinding halt as soon as the ceiling caved in and a dark shadow fell over the office complex. Moments later, squirming and screeching GameDaily employees were carried off by what witnesses could only label as a "giant ball of random stuff."AOL's business katamari has officially picked up the GameDaily group and lumped it together with the AOL Games division. The AOL Games team will be integrated into GameDaily's editorial staff, though it is unclear at this time as to who will form the head. Ralph Rivera, Vice President and General Manager of AOL Games, explains that gaming sites "have become a valuable resource for advertisers wishing to reach the young male audience, and GameDaily is a brand that resonates with these highly sought after consumers. We look forward to continuing to serve this audience, maximizing GameDaily content with AOL's community features, and further expanding the AOL Games community."To assuage the inevitable fears that an evil, corruptive force will somehow alter GameDaily's editorial content, it is worth pointing out that AOL acquired one Weblogs Inc. last year, a deal which included an obscure gadget blog and some other, thoroughly outrageous video game blog. We don't care who's pushing the ball -- we're enjoying the view, same as always. Welcome to the family, GameDaily.Read - AOL acquires Gamedaily from GigexRead - AOL's Ralph Rivera explains the GameDaily purchase
Developers ditching PS3 for Wii and 360
Gamedaily BIZ has a nice little feature up where they ask if Sony can do something that someone has never done before: dominate the industry for three generations. Based on a report run by BusinessWeek Online, they analyze Sony's high-priced offering and claim that developers are instead diverting resources to the more cost-effective Xbox 360 and Wii. To quote the article:"At its autumn games preview on July 13, for instance, traditional Sony ally Electronic Arts spent far more time showing off innovative Nintendo games than it did titles for the PS3," emphasized BusinessWeek. "EA announced six Nintendo Wii launch titles and showed long working demos for two of those. But it offered only a short clip of a car-racing game for PS3. EA says it's still testing the potential of the PS3."Makes sense since the development costs are already extremely high as it is and with the incredibly-cheap process by which developers can make games on the Wii, a process more expensive on the Xbox 360, however less expensive than on the PS3, we're sure to see this occur even more should the Wii strike gold once released to retail.
PS3 wanted in CA, NJ, but not Colorado?
That's the vibe we're getting from this interesting write-up from GameDaily. They polled some gamers in each of those places only to find that California and New Jersey seem to be looking forward to the Sony system, but no love for it in Colorado?In fact, here's one quote that has a pretty good point: "With a price like $600, people might just come back to the arcade for affordable gaming. Well, either that or get a PS2." To those of you too poor not attracted to the PS3, think you may pick up your grassroots in the arcade for some gaming action? Seems like a viable alternative if you already own an Xbox 360 and don't plan on picking up Sony's console. Of course other gamers just spoke their mind like "They're out of their f***ing heads."Yeah, we've heard that one before too. Possibly the most valuable quote to take away from the whole affair pretty much sums it all up perfectly: "It's just the hardcore people that have a problem with it. Core gamers are little bitches. They complain about everything because they're used to a certain standard of living, and whenever anyone dares to change it they complain. You don't see people stressing out about the prices of new cars, computers, or appliances nearly as much. The cost of living is going up. If you don't want a PS3, then don't buy one."[Thanks boots]
A look at European developers
If you're interested in what's going on across the pond in terms of development, this GameDaily article is an interesting read. Despite a lot of focus on Japanese and American titles, it seems some European studios are coming up with the goods.The article looks at upcoming titles including Space Rangers 2 from Elemental Games and Black, the first-person shooter from Criterion. Much of the article is pimping the author's exclusive previews of the games, and it's by no means exhaustive, but there are some interesting titles on the way from both the UK and continental Europe that are worth keeping an eye out for.
