Network now...NEWS
Sony: UMD-Free PSP Was Always Planned
Naoya Matsui, the boss of Sony Computer Entertainment's product planning division, has revealed that the platform holder always planned to release a UMD-free PSP once the digital distribution market had matured.
"We'd planned to release a PSP model without a UMD drive since the very beginning," Matsui told GameBusiness.jp (via Develop).
"But if we'd simply released the hardware, there wouldn't have been much for everyone to enjoy. We needed to prepare the right environment for it first - things like the transferral of content with the PS3 and PSN, and PC software to manage content like music and movies such as Media Go.
"We wanted to release it when the delivery of digital content was on par with the delivery of physical media. That’s what we've been working on these past two years. We'll be selling the PSP Go alongside the existing PSP models, because it's a product targeted at those people who are more accustomed to digital content."
PSP Go, which will feature a download-only software model, is set launch in the US and Europe on October 1, and in Japan a month later.
Contact Us / About Us / Advertise With Us / BeltwayBlips / TechBlips / MassiveBlips / GamerBlips / FAQ
Subscribe To Edge Magazine / Corrections / Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
Subscribe To Edge Magazine / Corrections / Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
"..once the digital distribution market had matured."
But there's just one problem, the digital distribution market has no matured, unless Sony would call a three year old a mature human. Maybe it's going fine on iTunes, Amazon.com, Wii Virtual Console, and XBOX Live, but it has yet to be seen that the PlayStation Network does anything except make one wonder if anybody is keeping tabs on that marketplace. For example, there's (in the North American market) Loco Roco (PSP) on PSN Store for $22.99. In a retail store, such as Game Crazy or GameStop, the UMD version and the sequel, Loco Roco 2, are $19.99 each. Or the just released "Capcom Classics Collection Remixed." is going for $19.99. I have seen that game along with "Powerstone Collection" bundled together for $29.99 for the UMD Versions.
Then there's UMD Legacy games like "Guilty Gear Judgment" for $5.99 on PSN, which sounds like a fair price, but then there are PS1 games like Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil: Director's Cut for $9.99. Sure, Castlevania: SotN is $9.99 too, but it's not gimped. It doesn't even say if when played on PS3 if RE:DC and/or MGS have Dual Shock 3 Rumble Support.
Liars
If only Sony had planned how to word their their announcements, then maybe this would have sounded more plausible. And it wouldn't seem like... well, like they were trying to retrospectively justify obvious mistakes by claiming they hadn't made any. Hmm.
I ask this AS a PSP owner:
So, sony...Was this 'plan' before or after UMD was dropped as a movie format, You annouced plans to have films on memory cards in Blue Ray DVD`s for Psp owners to squirt across to psp and you released 3 models with a UMD drive?.
IF so....I look forward to your press release saying:
'We always planned for PS3 to come 3rd this time around. we were only aiming at killing off HD-DVD. CXould`nt really give a s*it about anything after that-We lost out on UMD, Minidisc and Betamax, buggered if we were going go for a 4th format. Besides, we saw off the N64, Dreamcast, XBOX and Gamecube. can`t win `em all."
Or even better:
'We are pleased to announce our new head of marketing and ideas, he wull be well known to a good few of you.....He goes by the online name of...Dreamhunk'
Seriously a poor choice of phrase I would much rather hear a company issue a statement saying they tried going in one direction, it didn't work out how they thought it would, so they're learning from the past and going in a new direction which seems like it will be the future. Though, considering MS has been on the digital download bandwagon a very long time (I believe Bill Gates was advocating this future even pre-Xbox), Sony's PR people even conceding even the tinyest bit, would be inviting some sort of future "I told you so" statement from a MS PR person.
Either way, I hate how most of the PR people think it's 1984 and they can change the past just by saying so. It really makes you think they consider all of us morons with the memory capacity of a goldfish.
If they were always planning a UMDless PSP, why are they "working on" a method for changing peoples UMDs for download games? Surely that'd be one of the first things you thought about?
When Sony says "working on," they actually mean they "don't give a shit." If you'll re-buy your PS1 games, then you'll re-buy (sooner or later) your PSP games is what Sony really has in mind. Look at Nintendo's Virtual Console and some of the latest "New Motion Control" games for Wii. Look at XBOX Live Arcade and XBOX Originals. Look at VHS to DVD to Blu-ray Disc. The Walkman, Discman, and now iPod (and others).
This is real serious business but the future is upon us.
Digital distribution will be a tough blow not only on retailers but also for distributers, manufacturers and second hand markets.
This will not only apply to games but also to films and music but it's time to face the reality: digital distribution is the future. Actualy it is starting to be the present.
There's no way to escape this. Blockbuster has it's days counted. Gamestop too.
Optical fiber is here. With connections of over 100mbs downloading an Hi def film or 5gb game is possible. Connections will only get faster.
I just hope that games get cheaper. They should, because there is no associated costs with manufacturing costs, packaging, distribution and no % goes for the retailer. We are being robbed if they keep the €40 price tags.
"We are being robbed if they keep the €40 price tags." -->> Don't forget that they have to store the digital games somewhere!! I don't believe that there are free servers ;-) So don't expect cheaper games...
It's big business for the company's because there will be no used games any more --> ashame for the customers :-(
The cost of making a physical UMD, a game case, printing the sleeve art and the instruction manual for games that nobody knows if they'll sell out or take up physical space at a game store or warehouse costs a lot more than putting a game on a server. Most PSP games are less than a Gigabyte anyway, so it's not an earth shattering demand.
I guess there are costs associated with the servers...So much for games at €20...No prob. I just keep on playing ps1 classics. for €5. My favorite kind of games to play on the psp. Can't wait to play FF VII,MGS, RE etc.
That's funny.
"You know, we've never believed in UMD technology either."
I suspected this. Now I'm just waiting for them to admit that dropping Memory Sticks in favor of SD-Cards was always planned, Cell-Processors can't do half as much as you'd imagine they could, and disc-based technology is considered antiquated even by employees working the mail room.
Sony is dropping the support for Memory Stick Pro Duo for the PSP Go in favor of Memory Stick M2. I guess it's cos the M2 are new and cost less to make, but will sell for more cos the Memory Stick Pro Duo is becoming too affordable for us commoners.