PSP: one year on

[SuperDanX]

With a year having passed since the japanese release of the Sony PSP id like to hear the forums veiws on the success or otherwise of the PSP. Has it worked? Is it heading in the right direction? And how dissapointed/pleased are you with your PSP? Cheers!:-)

[Bleeders]

Well, mine's still gathering dust at the moment.

Once the novelty "wow" value of the machine wore off and IMO, that Lumines, Wipeout Pure and Ridge Racers are still the best games on the machine (two of the three which were released at launch), I think it's been quite a barren year for the PSP with regards to new releases, but then again, so was the PS2's and look what happened after GTA3...

[oblivion_6]

Man its been a year? Interesting how the list of games hasnt really grew much at all in that time

[VR46]

I thought of starting a similar topic, dawned on me recently, in the three months I've had my PSP it has been used over 50% of the time for program viewing. Sure had some very enjoyable games, Densha, RR, Wipeout, Star Soldier, NFSU Most Wanted, most others I've played I've bored of very quickly tbh.
Not too fussed about emulation now I've given it a try, just waiting for the next must have PSP title...
It's a great piece of kit and you really appreciate the quality/size of the screen when going back to the DS.

[Darwock]

There's a lot of games available I want to get, but don't currently have the time to dedicate to them. GTA and Lumines are keeping me busy, but I'd like to get Guilty Gear, Ghost in the Shell, Taiko no Tatsujin, Ridge Racers.... I don't spend enough time using handhelds to justify building up a backlog of games.

[rmoxon]

I have only owned one since its launch day in this country but I'm not really that impressed as far as gaming goes. I have only owned 5 games so far but the only one I have really enjoyed is Ridge Racer (unlocking all the races and cars is a lot more addictive than lumines IMO). There are a few others I plan to get soon, but the only one I really feel like I need to get hold of is Star Soldier, and when there seems to be only one game I really want for a year old machine it just dosen't seem good. Still at least I have a spare MP3 player now... even if it is a very expensive and overly large MP3 player.....

[Dirty Sanchez]

I've had mine since January.

Played Ridge through to completion, loved it.

Great for a blast at work during lunch, even better for use when I'm waiting for my flight/during flight.

It does everything I want it to do, flawlessly. I've used it for music, photos and video. My daughter used it when we went to the US to watch a couple of movies.

I've picked up Lumines (excellent), Wipeout (fun but a little random), Tiger Woods (as per console release, excellent but loading times irratating), Mercury (meh), Madden (excellent, being time framed it's ideal for a quick blast, controls are well executed), SSX (sex on a stick, eats time like no other game), Burnout (fun but by no means perfect, too 'easy')

That is plenty enough games for me over a year, most have not been completed. The draw of completion is there but the pick up and play is more important.

For me it has worked, it's taken handheld gaming to a new level. More effort could have been made with the online capability, having to use gaming services to connect is a pain in the ass.

[Dogg Thang]

Yeah I agree with Bleeders' analysis. The releases have been pretty sparse but, for me, games like RR, Wipeout and GTA have done something that has never been done before - given a true big console experience on a handheld. Gone are the days when a game can be judged as 'great...for a handheld'. The PSP has closed that gap for the first time in handheld history. I think that is an exceptionally important thing to recognise.

Aside from that, the releases have actually been pretty disappointing for me. The control scheme and comfort factor has never really grown on me - I still think the placement of the analogue nub is wrong.

But the good releases that exist - Wipeout, GTA, Guilty Gear, Lumines etc really shine. Those releases alone make the PSP a success for me.

[sj33]

A fair amount of decent games, most of which would probably have been much better if made for a full console.

[marc^o^]

Gathering dust for some months now. I loved ridge, mina no golf, wipeout and lumines but got tired of it after extensive play. Can't stand GTA, and PES was utterly disappointing for me. Something's wrong with Sony execution: where are the good new games?

[Duddyroar]

I sold my DS to get a PSP - and part of me regrets it, big time.

With the DS there seemed to be a constant flood of decent titles. However with the PSP, I've pretty much played all I wish to play on the machine and the releases have dried up. Meanwhile the DS is getting excellent stuff like Mario Kart, Princess Peach and Animal Crossing. And seeing the new Children of Mana screens this week just made things worse.

It's not all doom and gloom - Extreme Ghouls n Ghosts looks excellent on the PSP, and I've high hopes for the new Landstalker game, but to be perfectly honest once the 'gadget' appeal of the PSP wears off, there's little there to keep you going. Lumines is still my most played game, by a long way.

I know Sony can't 'make' developers produce stuff for the PSP but they should start encouraging them in whatever way possible. The massive support shown for the console before release has failed to appear, it seems.

Perhaps Sony's plan is flawed - developing for the PSP is too much like developing for the PS2 - so companies just stick with the PS2, where one would presume more money can be made. With the DS, games can be made fairly swiftly because the machine relies less on complex 3D visuals.

As this rate I shall be investing in another DS pretty soon I would imagine.

[Geoff D]

I'm disappointed so far - although the potential of the machine is obvious it's just not doing it for me at the moment. I'll probably sell mine shortly.

That said, Ridge Racers is sublime & I really enjoy Star Soldier as well.

[Nu-Eclipse]

The potential for the PSP to become a truly great handheld is obviously there, but for me it hasn't quite made that step up, whereas the DS seems to be showing its class and quality with each new release. I partly agree with Bleeders - it would seem that the 'wow' factor currently accounts for arguably 50% of the PSPs general appeal.

Some of the 'franchise' titles are obviously great (RR, WipeOut Pure, GTA, etc.) but more original content is needed, surely?

The PSP's multimedia capabilities are good, not great imo - it smacks to me of the "Jack of all trades, master of none" mantra. Could this (along with the infamous homebrew scene) be diverting from the gaming side of things?

On a personal note, I've had my PSP since February, and it has been packed away for the last few months. I find myself regularly thinking that I would have been better off purchasing a DS...

[sj33]

Perhaps Sony's plan is flawed - developing for the PSP is too much like developing for the PS2 - so companies just stick with the PS2, where one would presume more money can be made.

Bottom line really - why make a game on the PSP when the PS2 offers a larger audience, similar development costs, and less system constraints?

[kernow]

I'd class it as pretty dismal

they are losing the battle with the homebrew developers over the firmware too

as someone on another forum said "it'll be version 10.0 by the end of its life'

I predict a premature death for the 'current' psp and a new offering