PSVita (Successor to PSP, was PSP2 then NGP)

[Number45]

As long as they provide retailers the means to sell games/accessories etc. I don't see why it would be a problem, as long as people always have the option of buying the games/points from the store.

If not, what options do they have on the storage medium? I can imagine one of their primary focus points will be security, which rules out a huge number of the standard card based mediums.

[Neon Ignition]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=247873

More from Sony Australia that's being taken as a hint that PSP2 will be download only.

These days I don't think I could rule out Sony making a choice like this but doing so, to me, would signal them handing the market over to Nintendo in the next run of handhelds. The PSP Go proved that Sony doesn't have the skills yet to properly handle this method of distribution as a sole method, that retailers won't support the format properly and that most gamers aren't interested.

[Profit]

They could use Memory Sticks with MagicGate. There were no reliable 3rd party PS2 memory card because of the encryption.

[Brad]

The Go's failure is that publishers have the opportunity to publish on UMD only if they want. Take that option away and suddenly no one thinks they're missing out on anything. Also, publishers will start to have access to sales figures of how games sold during special PSN sales etc. and might be able to find a sweet spot. The voucher in the box system is already starting to kill off the 2nd hand market so the days of buying a cheap second hand game are numbered I reckon (for new titles I mean).

I posted earlier but it's appropriate here also. I just spotted Mod Nation Racers in my Indie for £29.99. It's £16.99 on PSN and it's the exact same game. You can stick a copy on your kid's PSP as well if you like. As much as I liek having physical games on shelves I also love that my PSP Go is packed with loads of games without the need to drag a dozen UMDs around with me.

[Number45]

As much as I liek having physical games on shelves I also love that my PSP Go is packed with loads of games without the need to drag a dozen UMDs around with me.

I still maintain to this day that I wouldn't have played anywhere near as much of Burnout Paradise if it was on a disc. To be honest, pricing aside, I'll take digital versions almost every time - I love being able to switch games without ****ing around with the disc.

[Dogg Thang]

I'm with Number45 on this, though I'm sure I probably said stuff dead against this at some point in the past.

There are problems with the Go, mainly that some games I want are just not on the PSN store. And switching accounts is a pain and I wish that there was a way to avoid that because I have games from the local PSN store and US store.

But the system itself, I really like, and the ease of having a whole bunch of games right there on the system and never having to worry about where I put this disc or that cart (who stole my Elite Beat Agents cart?!) is fantastic. So handy.

And, in spite of me wanting some games that aren't there (where is Lumines?), already the store has taken a massive leap and there are absolutely loads of great games. One of the big worries was that games wouldn't drop in price like they do with physical versions but, as it turns out, there have been loads of discounts and sales, temporary and permanent.

As FullSpecWarrior points out, one of the big problems here is that punblishers can go UMD-only if they want. And some do.

That would change if it was a whole new generation, whole new games and no UMD versions.

I'm okay with download only. But I'd really appreciate being able to play games from several accounts.

[spinpug666]

My problem is that i'd run out of space on something like a 16gb PspGo within a few months. I've currently got well over 130+ Psp games, tho picked up 70% of them 2nd hand for around £5 a pop. But that's still nearly 40 full price games i've bought new.

What does a UMD hold space wise?
If a game used close to a full UMD, how many could you fit on a PspGo?
And How much of that 16gb is taken up with profiles etc?

[Dogg Thang]

I'm not sure exactly what the answer is to that but, right now, I have a 16GB memory card along with the 16GB of storage that came with it and I have 30 PSP games and 17 PS1 games on it.

[Number45]

Up to 1.6GB if memory serves (Many don't use anywhere near that though). I would have thought the best thing to do was buy it through the PS3 and store it there so you have easy access to it when you need it rather than having to completely download it again.

[Brad]

40 PSP games on 1 m2 card = less space than 40 UMDs

[abigsmurf]

Personally I've like to see the best of both worlds. Retail doing boxed download codes. Still get the reductions, still get the portability.

The PSP Go was a spectacular failure and has kinda highlighted how lacking online stores still are compared to retail in terms of value for money, communicating with the buyers ("Lumines may be on the PSN... sometime!") and presentation (why is a typical Amazon page head and shoulders above any of the descriptions on any of the download stores?)

[Brad]

Digital downloads should give you more digital stuff. It's basically free for them so I'd want to see colour PDF manuals and maybe a small soundtrack as well. Make it feel like you're getting something (controls instructions at the very least).

[Number45]

Nothing then, unsurprisingly.

A decent number of games being shown there, but I don't see anything that's going to turn it around. I can only assume they want to squeeze any last drop of money out of the platform (I assume they're making money from the platform as a whole, I know it's branded a total failure but that's not really true) and will announce it next year.

Unless people really think it'll see the light of day at TGS?

[abigsmurf]

Could turn up at TGS. Would've been a bad idea unveiling it here, would've likely been overshadowed by the 3DS

[dvdmike]

TGS or next E3, they have a powerful Handheld console already, it will do for another year.
With a price drop they could have done some numbers