Official Sony Press Release: PSP US Launch Info

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m2845

CAG Veteran
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050203/sfth050_1.html

PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R) Portable) Set to Release on March 24 Across North America
Thursday February 3, 8:08 am ET
Sony Computer Entertainment America to Retail Single SKU PSP Value Pack for $249.99


FOSTER CITY, Calif., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the North American launch details for its highly anticipated PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R) Portable) handheld entertainment system. Available through retail outlets on March 24, the company continues its consumer-centric legacy with the release of the PSP Value Pack for a suggested retail price of $249.99 U.S./$299.99 CND. In addition to the revolutionary PSP hardware, the PSP Value Pack contains an unprecedented added-value package of accessories and entertainment content, including 32 MB Memory Stick Duo(TM), headphones with remote control, battery pack, AC adaptor, soft case and cleaning cloth, movie/music/game video sampler UMD disc including multiple non-interactive game demos, and for the first one million PSP Value Packs shipped, a special UMD video release of the feature film Spider-Man(TM) 2 from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Sony Computer Entertainment will manufacture one million units for sale in the North American market by the close of its fiscal year ending March 31. This figure is part of the company's total three-million-unit worldwide PSP system shipment estimate within the same time period. PSP released in Japan on December 12, 2004 and is already a hit, with more than 800,000 units shipped, including a 200,000-unit allocation that sold out on day one.

PSP sets a new standard as the first truly integrated portable entertainment system designed to provide consumers with a comprehensive entertainment experience including games, music, movies, communication, and wireless networking. Featuring graphics rendering capabilities comparable to the company's leading in-home console, PlayStation(R)2, PSP brings an unparalleled gaming experience to a portable platform, allowing users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality, full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PSP also allows for digital photo display and supports digital music playback in both MP3 and ATRAC formats.

"PSP will evolve and elevate portable entertainment, giving users the freedom to play full 3D games, watch movies, listen to music and connect wirelessly on their terms, their time and their place," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief executive officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "More than ever, today's consumer demands access to entertainment outside the home without compromising quality. With more than 100 PSP game titles currently in development worldwide, and the ability to download and listen to digital music and view feature films with breathtaking screen quality, PSP lets users control their entertainment options, all in one package."

PSP features an unmatched 4.3-inch, 16:9 wide screen TFT LCD that displays full color (16.77 million colors) on a 480 x 272 pixel high-resolution screen. PSP also comes complete with built-in stereo speakers, exterior headphone connector and diverse input/output connectors such as USB 2.0, and 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless LAN, enabling users to connect to the Internet and play online via a wireless network.* Up to 16 PSPs in the vicinity can also be connected to each other directly in ad-hoc mode, allowing for wireless head-to-head competition. In addition, wireless capabilities will allow software and data to be downloaded to a PSP and saved onto a Memory Stick Duo.

PSP also adopts a newly developed proprietary, compact, but high-capacity optical disc, Universal Media Disc (UMD(TM)), as its storage medium. UMD is the next-generation compact storage media, only 60mm in diameter but can store up to 1.8GB of digital data -- more than three times the data held on a CD-ROM. A broad range of digital entertainment content such as high quality 3D games, music, movies, video clips and other programs can be distributed on UMD. To protect this content, a robust copyright protection system has been developed for UMD, which utilizes a combination of a unique disc ID, 128 bit AES encryption keys for the media, and individual ID for each PSP hardware unit.
 
[quote name='m2845']http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050203/sfth050_1.html

In addition, wireless capabilities will allow software and data to be downloaded to a PSP and saved onto a Memory Stick Duo.
[/quote]

Hmm, in other words, PSP will be "backwards compatible" with GBA, SNES, Arcade, etc., within what? A month? If the PSP *really* has a pretty open software transfer feature it won't take long for emulators to appear.

And it also won't take long for me to admit I was wrong and buy one :D
 
[quote name='supermariomelee']Interesting, but doesn't this kinda belong in the one of the system-specific boards?[/quote]

Sorry! Wasn't sure were I should post this. I also posted this in the handheld section as well.
 
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I never thought about all the possibility w/ emulators... I wonder... can you hook the PSP up to a TV? It'd be nice if you could hook it up to a PS2 or PS3, like GBA to GC.. don't know what it would do though... but it'd be nice anyway.. I'll wait a while... the package is good, but the deals can only get better.
 
Wow. thats pretty expensive. Yet not too surprsing. Sony will sell millinos even for that price. Time to go cancel my preorder... Definitely can't afford it now...
 
God I hate Sony sometimes, all of that crap included in the "bundle" pack I could care less for other than the battery and charger which should be coming with it anyway and not even listed thats absurd.
 
Less than I figured, but still going to wait before I spend $250 on a handheld. .

Wonder if they will put the disclaimer to not point the unit towards children and small animals?


av6697ch2rt.gif
 
With all of the prolems people have had with their psps in japan $250 is a lot of money to spend on something that might have issues from the start
 
wait a minute this says value pack what about the regular one with out the extra"value" , I kno the japanese gamers has a choice of 2 prices one that was like 200 then this one which is like 250(the value pack). any onekno ?
 
I'm not going to be an early adopter on this one.
Even if I have pay the same price later on when I do decide to buy it, I'll wait until I'm more certain of the build quality of the US systems.
 
I'm still in. I was expecting it to be $200, but they'll sucker me into buying it for $250. Plus I'm a huge Spider-Man fan, so Spider-Man 2 is a nice bonus. Plus you get a memory card, so that would have been extra money spent anyway. Hopefully GameRush will get these things in their system soon so I can preorder.
 
u.s. wont have a system only Psp.

This really sucks because I dont want to pay for crap i dont want

Like spiderman 2 umd and a super small 32mb memory card.
 
The Value Pack in Japan was $235. The system by itself was $185. So its only an extra $15 and you get a UMD version of Spider-Man 2. Sign me up.
 
$250 is honestly not that bad.

I say this despite the fact that there's no chance I will buy one at that price, because they are positioning the PSP to compete directly with the iPod (another, admittedly well engineered product, that I probably won't be buying any time soon). At the price level with the memory stick, it's understandable. Die-hard ethusiasts will obviously opt for a higher capacity stick.

That said, it's still hard for me to gauge how this will stack up against the DS pricing and offerings by the time the PSP comes out. This news didn't blow me out of the water, but the price seems right for the market they are aiming for.

Which probably isn't us.
 
If the PSP can run emulators off of the memory stick I'm going to wet myself. $250 isn't that bad considering you get a movie ($20) and a memory stick ($20-30) and a bunch of other crap. It's more like the system is $200 but they force you to buy the extras...

I'm on the fence. The money isn't the issue - it's whether there is anything worth playing and if there are going to be any hardware issues like dead pixels or flying discs... I'd hate to cave in 2 months later and miss out on a free Spider-man 2.... hmmmm....
 
[quote name='whiteboy']is the UMD Spiderman 2 a full game or a demo?

EDIT: NM i know now, its a movie. (right?)[/quote]

Special UMD video release of the feature film Spider-Man(TM) 2 from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
 
evilmax17 wrote:
You guys know that the GBA can run emulators right?


I don't mean to sound stupid, but how?
Click to expand...

Through those blank GBA carts that people use to copy GBA Roms to. Thge GBA probably doesnt emulate anything well except GB/ GBP or NES.
 
[quote name='evilmax17']So much for only the system? We looking at 199?[/quote]

Maybe there's only a Value Pack in America. Think of it, it's a pretty smart move. People think they're getting a bunch of junk that they really will need anyway, and Sony takes less of a hit on each system sale.
 
I think I'm pissed the most about this because we preordered over 50 at our store (EB) with the idea that they would have both the bundle and regular editions available at launch... Thanks Sony
 
[quote name='whiteboy']
evilmax17 wrote:
You guys know that the GBA can run emulators right?


I don't mean to sound stupid, but how?
Click to expand...

Through those blank GBA carts that people use to copy GBA Roms to. Thge GBA probably doesnt emulate anything well except GB/ GBP or NES.[/quote]

Well, as far as you know, the PSP currently doesn't emulate ANYTHING.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
 
yes indeed, very smart move by sony, since MOST of the people who will buy it wouldve really bought it anyway, regardless of price or stupid crap that comes with it.

however I am not one of those - preorder canceled
 
yea at 150 you had me hooked, and I would have gotten one for my Birthday in August, but no way at that price. Metal Gear will still be there
 
Well, as far as you know, the PSP currently doesn't emulate ANYTHING.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Click to expand...

I dont understand. But if you send me a pic I might just put my hands in your bush.
 
Maybe there's only a Value Pack in America. Think of it, it's a pretty smart move. People think they're getting a bunch of junk that they really will need anyway, and Sony takes less of a hit on each system sale
Click to expand...

Who cares if sony takes a hit on the systems they should for all the defective PS2's they have launched on unsuspecting buyers lol. From what I've read the Headphones are junk and the remote is useless. The battery pack and charger should be included anyway. 32 MB Memory card is not something I was going to buy. Neither would I have purchased that Spiderman movie (I own it on dvd)
 
Keep in mind if you were to buy the system by itself you still could not play it until you got a Battery Pack and a AC adaptor. Which is most likely going to cost like 40 to 50 anyways.
 
right, but if you were to buy it buy itself, it SHOULD come with enough to at least play the thing (the battery and the adapter), for bobs sake.

Like the DS.
 
right, but if you were to buy it buy itself, it SHOULD come with enough to at least play the thing (the battery and the adapter), for bobs sake.

Like the DS.
Click to expand...

For real. Sony is charging for everything. Their PSP media converter even costs money.
 
[quote name='fifthcore']Keep in mind if you were to buy the system by itself you still could not play it until you got a Battery Pack and a AC adaptor. Which is most likely going to cost like 40 to 50 anyways.[/quote]

Um, the Japanese standard pack came with a battery pack and AC adapter. Sony is not stupid enough to sell a system without the one "accessory" needed to actually use the damn thing!
 
[quote name='fifthcore']Keep in mind if you were to buy the system by itself you still could not play it until you got a Battery Pack and a AC adaptor. Which is most likely going to cost like 40 to 50 anyways.[/quote]

The Japan system only PSP came with battery and adapter.
 
There is no way I am dropping $250 for a system with an on purpose faulty button. I was starting to get a bit hyped on the PSP but not anymore. If Sony doesn't replace systems with dead pixels and I spent $250 on it I would be pissed!!!! I'm not too thrilled with the games being in the $40 to $50 range either.

I own a DS and it is looking a lot more practical at this point. It would be a real shame if the PSP sells well at this point. I really think Sony is reaching for too much with this system. Yes people will buy it because of the name and the graphics but I will be waiting a long time before considering getting one again.

If you want a really great handheld system for portability and library of games....the SP is the best handheld system made to date. I like my DS it is just a little big.
 
Remember when Sony was supposed to have a big announcement, and then Nintendo came out (the very same day I believe) and said, Nov 21 at $149.99 - and then Sony decided to not really announce anything after all.

That really makes me wonder what they were planning to do. Maybe launch at $300+?
 
[quote name='evilmax17']You guys know that the GBA can run emulators right?[/quote]

yeah but those carts are extremely expensive... if someone figures out how to put an emulator and files on a memory stick that the PSP can read then that would be sweet.
 
Honestly, as one who owns a DS that I got off of eBay with Mario in perfect condition for $110, I seen this coming. Sony tried to get as many people to preorder and then announce the price hoping that most would not cancel thier preorder and this is probably the case. When I look at a lot of the PSP games I cant help but be amazed when comparing them to most DS games like Madden DS (absolutly horrible and ugly game), but when comparing it to Mario DS, the graphics really are similar. I assume that a lot of the launch and current games for the DS look so ugly, because they were rushed out. I beleive Madden 2006 will look similar on both systems when they come. I think it will be like comparing the PS2 version to the Xbox version.
 
I think Nintendo has just secured its place as the Number 1 handheld maker again. Look at the past, the Gamegear, Lynx, NEC's handheld, - all of them had superior graphics but costed too much and the battery life was not good. Most people won't spend $250 on a handheld system. It's just not worth it. Neither the DS or the PSP has any games that impress me yet but $250 for something with no great games really dissapoints me. I see history repeating itself in the handheld industry. The more things change the more they stay the same.............
 
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