John Koller, director of Hardware Marketing over at SCEA, is working to dispel myths in regards to the PSP-3000’s battery life. On the PlayStation.Blog, he confirmed that the battery life of the PSP-3000 will be equivalent to that of the current model PSP (PSP-2000).
Hi, everyone, there have been reports about the battery life of the new PSP system (PSP-3000) being shorter than the current model (PSP-2000), following an interview we recently did with Gamespot. I’d like to make a correction and clarify that the new PSP will have equivalent battery life to the current PSP, about 4 to 6 hours for games and about 4 to 5 hours for UMD videos. While the enhanced screen of the new PSP draws a little more power, our engineers in Japan worked to reduce the power consumption of the overall system including its components, so you won’t have to worry about losing any time when enjoying the more vibrant visuals displayed with the new PSP.
We hope this clears everything up, and we’re certainly excited about letting you all get your hands on the new PSP and checking out the enhanced screen when it hits retail next month.
According to IGN, the PSP will soon be seeing UMD’s as optional with full games being distributed via download. Sony announced recently that two of it’s forthcoming Japanese titles will be available both through retailers and via digital download. Not unlike what Sony did with Gran Turismo: Prologue, Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida or2 and Bleach Soul Carnival will be released both online and in retailers, though they will be priced online at a discounted rate of 2,800¥ as opposed to their retail counterparts which will be priced at 3,980¥. Yuusha is slated for a retail date of October 16, with Bleach shipping on October 23. Sony has not as of yet provided details on Memory Stick storage requirements or how it will be handling instruction manuals.
Slightly new details have emerged from the beta of PlayStation Home. Joystiq reports that users will be tied to the home regions of the console they are playing on. This is non-configurable. In example, players in Region 1 will be tied to players located in the USA, it’s territories, and Canada, players n Region 2 will be tied to players located in Western and Central Europe, etc. For more information about region codes, you can check the Wikipedia. This may present obvious problems to those who have imported their consoles.
Sony issued out a new firmware update yesterday for the PlayStation Portable. It is now at version 3.52.
Not much is included in this new update. “Support for PLAYSTATION®Network titles has been expanded”. Thats about all that is listed on Sony’s listing.
Of course what they aren’t telling you is that just like mostly every other update, security revisions were made. Homebrew just got less fun.
[ PSP Firmware Update ]
We already know the obvious. The new PSP is smaller, lighter, and boast faster load times. But its about time we cracked the sucker open and found out just what was on the inside.
Labeled PSP-2001, the following is a list of new features in the PSP, thanks to your friendly neighborhood Federal Communications Commission.
Its new features are based on a TA-085 PCB
RAM has been doubled from the PSP-1000’s 32MB to 64MB
The Composite AV cable comes with the unit however the Component AV cable will be sold seperately
You cannot use an original PSP remote with the new PSP
There is now a WLAN switch upon the top of the unit
The unit now uses a 1200mAH battery which boast the same 3-6 hour playtime rating as the original PSP’s 1800mAH battery
It is now possible to charge the PSP over USB
More information and pictures available at 0okm.
Sales of Nintendo’s Wii could top that of the PlayStation 2, making it the biggest hit in the industry’s history, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said on Thursday.
Nintendo Co. Ltd. sped past Sony Corp. in market capitalization last month to become one of the 10 most valuable companies in Japan. Iwata, in an interview, also played down the threat to Nintendo’s business of a price cut in Sony’s PlayStation 3 and the introduction of a thinner PlayStation Portable.
The Wii has outsold Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 monthly since its November launch, helped by its relatively affordable $250 price tag and a motion-sensing controller that can be swung like a bat, for instance. Instead of offering lifelike graphics to appeal to hard-core gamers, Nintendo has appealed to an audience including older individuals who may not have had a previous experience with video games in their current incarnation, and the elderly with innovative but easy-to-play games.
“Sony’s PS2 sales of 100 million units is an extraordinary number that our home game console business has not achieved,” Iwata said. “But if we can make our bid to expand the gaming population a continued success, we could exceed that.”
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Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced its 2007 second-quarter software line-up for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™), PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), and PlayStation®2 (PS2) computer entertainment systems. More than 100 first- and third-party PS3, PSP and PlayStation 2 titles will launch during the next few months of 2007, bringing to consumers an impressively robust software line-up. The catalog encompasses the most popular game genres, featuring industry leading franchises as well as new intellectual properties that will appeal to game enthusiasts of any level.
“Our second-quarter line-up of PS3, PSP and PlayStation 2 software titles demonstrates a continued commitment from both SCEA and third-party developers to the PlayStation family of products,” said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing, SCEA. “We are excited by the content being developed by our partners, but are also looking forward to launching PlayStation-branded exclusive games created by our own worldwide studios this quarter and throughout the rest of 2007.”
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Following the recent second anniversary of PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has announced a reduced price for PSP hardware. Effective today, PSP Core Pack will be available in North America for $169.99 (MSRP), delivering a significant $30 savings to consumers. SCEA also announced that Daxter™ and Syphon Filter®: Dark Mirror are the newest additions to the PSP “Greatest Hits” collection, enabling PSP users to build up their software library with two popular titles at great value.
“We have always been passionate about making great entertainment accessible to everyone, and the new price for PSP, as well as the continued growth of the ‘Greatest Hits’ library, reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting and expanding the PSP community,” said Jack Tretton, President and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America. “We are pleased that we are able to engineer savings for the consumer at this stage of PSP’s lifecycle, allowing more individuals to experience PSP for the first time. In particular, we have recently seen a steady rise in the number of teens adopting PSP as their primary handheld entertainment system, and we expect the new price will accelerate that trend.”
Now entering its third year on the market, PSP continues to redefine the portable entertainment space, with key software launches and new entertainment features driving hardware and software sales. In 2006, hardware unit shipments rose to nearly 25 million units* worldwide, with more than one million new PSP systems sold in North America in December alone. Software shipments increased to more than 90 million units* last year, and the platform is poised for further growth this year with a software release schedule that includes exclusive titles from major franchises, including God of War®, Ratchet & Clank®, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, and Syphon Filter®. The availability of Daxter and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror at $19.99 (MSRP) as part of the “Greatest Hits” program also will generate strong consumer interest and drive software sales
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the August 2007 North American release of Jeanne d’Arc, available exclusively for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. Developed by Level-5, creators of the renowned Dark Cloud series and the critically acclaimed RPG Rogue Galaxy™, Jeanne d’Arc delivers a new tactical role-playing adventure set across vast lands with detailed environments, unique characters, and a diverse combat and gameplay system. In Jeanne d’Arc, players will step into a colorful world that brings together history and fantasy, taking part in a magical tale inspired by the life and times of the legendary Joan of Arc. Combining an intricate tactical combat system, a heroic story with more than 40 hours of gameplay, and a stunning visual style that truly dazzles on the PSP system, Jeanne d’Arc is ready to deliver hours of strategic RPG action to players anytime, anywhere.
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Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is pleased to announce that it has teamed up with super-producer Timbaland to present Beaterator for the PSP system. Developed by Rockstar Leeds, Beaterator will be available this summer.
“Music has always been a hugely important part of everything we do here,” said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. “Two years ago, we launched a web-based version of Beaterator on our own website and people really embraced it. That inspired us to build and create something very interactive and unique. Having Timbaland involved in the game is a real honor and only adds to our excitement about the title.”
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