Create new account
Forgot password?

NEWS

Sony Wanted Dual Analogue Controls On PSP Go

Tom Ivan's picture

By Tom Ivan

July 22, 2009

  • Login or register to post comments

See also:

Related Articles:

SCE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has revealed that Sony wanted PSP Go to feature a second analogue nub.

However, speaking in the latest issue of Game informer (via Kombo), Yoshida said that backwards compatibility issues ultimately ruled out such a change to the handheld’s form.

"We also felt - like many users - that we wish we had a second analogue on the PSP. But we are talking about the mid-life cycle of this platform, and the PSP Go is designed to be perfectly compatible with the PSP-3000 and all the games that released before that,” he said.

“So we had a very serious discussion about this particular subject, but we decided not to add a second analogue, and some of the developers are doing quite a nice job translating the second analogue functionality to different buttons. We didn't want to divert their efforts either."

Officially announced at E3, PSP Go is set for launch on October 1 in Europe and the States, and a month later in Japan. At the event, Yoshida discussed with us the challenge of reinvigorating the PSP platform, among other things.

StealthBadger's picture
On July 23rd StealthBadger said:

Oh come on guys. If they added an extra stick then it would only take until the 1st double-stick only game for PSP3000 owners to implode.

Indrema's picture
On July 23rd Indrema said:

Couldn't Sony just call both of them & personally apologize?

Indrema's picture
On July 22nd Indrema said:

This is just like all the other things Sony wants -

* Sony wanted to be number-1 this generation
* Sony wanted Blu-Ray to sell like DVD's
* Sony wanted us to believe motion-controls were irrelevant in 2006
* Sony wanted to believe in unicorns to harness their chromatic properties - okay, that one's only a rumor

Everybody wishes they did something they didn't do when it doesn't work. Although it is surprising Sony's letting people's hopes down before release. Like people weren't complaining enough.

"Guys! Guys! We wanted to, but we didn't." - Nice answer Sony. It's not like you couldn't add a Pro-Duo slot for games or anything. It's not like an xGigabyte flash card isn't cheap to produce or that you own a flash-based format outright.

Ambrus_Veres's picture
On July 22nd Ambrus_Veres said:

Why not keep it to one analogue stick, but put it on the right instead, where the 'start' and 'select' buttons are now? Seems strange to have two movement controls right next to one another, and if it was on the right you'd near-enough have dual controls...

Limanima's picture
On July 22nd Limanima said:

Hum... I don't get it.
Why not add the second analog stick and not remove any of the previous buttons? That would make compatible with previously released games. New games could use the stick if they wanted to. I'm not getting this...

YoctoYotta's picture
On July 26th YoctoYotta said:

I think the use of the term backwards compatibility is slightly misleading. Even with dual analog sticks, the PSP Go! would be 100% compatible with any software (UMD format aside of course) released for the PSP platform. Sony's concern is that software developed to specifically take advantage of the PSP Go!'s dual sticks would not be compatible with all of the PSP hardware released prior to the Go! that lack a second analog stick (3000 series and earlier).

In other words, Sony doesn't want to harm the "early" adopters, they aren't worried about new or old software not being able to run on the new system.

NickgamertagO1's picture
On July 22nd NickgamertagO1 said:

I don't get it either. Adding a control mechanism while retaining all the previous ones shouldn't effect backwards compatibility at all. Maybe old games couldn't use the dual analog, but new ones could? Maybe they didn't want to expect developers to make games with a split userbase in mind. They'd have to program their games to work well with both the 3000 and the go, and having a dual analog scheme work well and also have a sinlgle anolog scheme work well within the same game might be challenging. Or maybe not?

Peadar's picture
On July 22nd Peadar said:

Sony are really pushing the idea that the PSP Go is a smaller alternative to (rather than a rival to) the existing model in order to keep retailers sweet.

Adding a second stick would mean that all of the dual stick games would become download only. Existing PSP owners wouldn't be able to play these games properly or buy them in the shops. Effectively they would have been releasing a network-only PSP2 making retailers very unlikely to carry the model.

vajrakila's picture
On July 22nd vajrakila said:

Except that retail interest for the PSP Go is far from enthusiastic. Regardless, if there were "download only" games for a dual stick PSP, Sony could appease retailers with the voucher system they used with Patapon 2 or with PSN "points" cards. After all, there are still people who don't have or use credit cards and would therefore be unable to purchase games through PSN.

Alex Walker's picture
On July 22nd Alex Walker said:

Dual sticks mean that devs would have to release download only games. As it stands, games can be released on UMD as well.