The PSP is a device with an interesting history, coming out at a time when everything Sony was doing in the gaming sphere was red hot and people were skeptical of what Nintendo was talking about with their two-screen DS. History has shown us, however, that the DS was wildly successful and, while we certainly wouldn't label it a failure, the PSP never really managed to spark in the West the way it has in, say, Japan where it's among the most played game systems. Meanwhile, the iPhone has turned into Apple's backdoor into portable gaming, and trends with smartphones have shaken up preconceived notions of what a portable gaming machine can be.
Nintendo's successor in the 3DS is right out there for everyone to see and we have a good idea of what it is capable of, when it will release and roughly how much it will cost (smart money is on a $250 price tag). By contrast, the PSP2 has not been announced although it most certainly exists. Reports also suggest that it has a unique touch screen mounted on its back and that it is “pretty powerful.” Beyond those already somewhat vague descriptors, it is a mystery.
While the PSP2 has more unknowns than not, we thought we would give a few suggestions to Sony in making the PSP2 a worthy competitor in an increasingly crowded portable market.
Bite the Bullet, Go 3D
3D is clearly the wag of the 3DS (as if it wasn't obvious enough from its name). It not only has a 3D display that can be altered between 3D and 2D, but it can take 3D images. The “slide pad,” accelerometer, and gyroscope make the controls more multidimensional as well. And, of course, it has a touch screen like the DS before it.
As stated above, it is believed that the PSP2 has a unique touch screen on the underside, meaning you won't have to touch the display screen to use it – a very cool idea. However, touch screens are not new – so many devices have them that they're not even novel anymore! So doing that alone just isn't enough to make an impact.
When the 3DS was originally announced, Kaz bagged on the idea of 3D without the glasses on a small screen. I know corporate politics make it nearly impossible to be complimentary in that situation, but it was still a bit silly to say. So much of the entertainment industry is moving towards 3D right now, including Sony with their televisions and PS3, that discounting it on one medium makes no sense. What I'm saying is that despite what was said in the past, put in a 3D screen. Sure, fanboys will rage and spit over how Sony totally copied Nintendo, but in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't matter. If it's a good feature that consumers like, then who implemented it first won't be remembered but by a select bitter few. Considering how hard Sony is pushing 3D in every other area and presumptions of having the PSP platform be an all-in-one portable media device, incorporating 3D is just a smart idea.
Second Analog Nub, for God's Sake
When the PSP was in development, it promised to deliver graphics in a way that had never been seen before on a portable system. When it did release, it looked brilliant with a large, crisp screen that could portray polygonal images only slightly below that of a PS2. There was one problem with this, however: only one analog stick (or nub, in this case).
Before the original PSP even released, gamers were practically demanding a second analog for camera controls, aiming in FPS titles and the myriad of other uses that a second analog grants. Few features I can think of have been more vocally demanded from a system's community. There's also the bonus of adding functionality that the 3DS will not have. If you really want to have a system that appeals to hardcore gamers for modern titles as they are played these days, you must add this second analog – give people what they want!
PSP Should Stand For “PlayStation Phone”
There are plenty of people I've talked to who love and prefer traditional portable gaming, yet no longer play any portable console games. The reason for this is that they have a smartphone (usually an iPhone) that is with them all the time and there to scratch their gaming itch on the go. Eventually, they stop carrying around their portable consoles altogether and just carry their iPhone.
It's simple – people will carry as few electronic devices with them as absolutely possible, and most people already want/need a phone with them at all times. That's seriously going to cut into the PSP2's appeal if its going to be “just” a gaming machine. The solution is make the PSP2 into a phone, or at least give an option for 3G service in some models. That will also widen the usefulness of its PSN usage beyond just Wi-Fi.
N-Gage and “sidetalking” jokes are long in the past – plenty of people use phones as portable gaming systems whether they see it that way or not. By having phone coverage at least as an option (perhaps offer two SKUs, one with Wi-Fi only and one with 3G), you open it up to a wider client base that might never consider purchasing the PSP2 without it and you offer a feature the 3DS will not have.
Kevin Butler is Marcus 2.0
Look, the kid playing Marcus is a perfectly fine spokesperson. The problem is that PlayStation already has a much better spokesperson in Kevin Butler. From my experience, people prefer the Kevin Butler ads over the Marcus ads on a 10-to-10 basis.
When the PSP2 inevitably launches there will need to be a new product push and it'll be the perfect time to switch out for Kevin Butler. He's already pimping for all sorts of PS3 products and services, from MLB: The Show to Move, so he's clearly adaptable to a wide variety of things. Kevin Butler can handle being the face of the PSP2, I'm sure.
Make Every PSP Title Downloadable (And I Mean EVERY ONE), and More...
I'm guessing that this PSP2 will not have a UMD drive – that sort of disc based medium strikes me as very backwards thinking technology that would add size and weight. I'm sure some will be upset about this, and they'll have a right to be, but the real emphasis for the PSP2 will be on downloads.
While many traditional gamers are still getting used to the idea of downloading every game, that's pretty much the reality on most smartphones. The way to make up for this is to make the entire PSP library available for download, including those titles that have been missing. If they're offered at a reasonable price, it should make for a great initial library for the PSP2 to have right off the bat.
But it should be more than that. Along with PSOne games that are already available for download to PSP and PS3, there should be PS2 games available as well. Assuming the PSP2 is powerful enough, having PS2 titles would really expand the library and give fans a chance to play some of their favorite titles on the go or catch classics that they missed the first time.
Ball is in your court Sony. Time to make the PSP2 something memorable.
6 Comments
October 6, 2010
I absolutely agree with another analog "nub". One thing I don't agree with is the phone idea. 3G and skype would be nice, but selling the device as a phone in an increasing smart-phone market would be a bad idea. The best option for Sony is making this device more powerful than any smart-phone, and advertise it's superior strength.
Also, a big hard drive would be great. I'm tired of all the newest stuff still coming out with 8 and 16 gigabytes. At some point we need to have 32GB minimum.
October 6, 2010
Aside from the second analog nub the idea of supporting ps2 games is brilliant. I am not gonna hold my breath though. The ps2 still sells fairly well in the market place. Allowing you to buy and download ps2 games for the psp2 would likely hurt sales of hard copy ps2 games. Ps2 games are the only last gen games I can find used at game stop.
October 6, 2010
I agree that adding phone features to it might be more trouble than it's worth, but then, I've always liked the idea of being able to make calls with my DS or PSP. I say, leap frog it. Just give the phone some form of wireless Internet, probably 3G, and then give it net-phone capabilities, so that you can place and receive phone calls on it via the Internet connection, as just one of its many applications.
October 7, 2010
I don't go much for a 3D screen for a PSP2. I think that a normal looking screen would suffice but this time the graphics should be like that of the PS3. A second analog is very important. Sony should give room for a second analog stick. The screen doesn't have to be 3D but touch sensitive- that is also very convenient for gamers. I think that it should have a built in 12 mega pixels camera.I don't go for a PSP phone because of its battery issues. You will be using the device for gaming and talking and by the time you get back to gaming you have run out of juice. And also, if it's a PSP phone, well, phone models changes almost every year and look at you- you're still stuck with an older PSP phone while your wealthy friends have upgraded to the newer PSP phone design. And also, not every PSP game is a gem so you don't really have to make all of them available for downloads.
October 7, 2010
3D may dovetail with Sony's push in TVs, but it may be a problem if there are availability constraints... I think there's only one supplier for that screen, and Nintendo has them locked up I'm sure.
A second analog stick is a no-brainer, but that doesn't mean Sony will do it. They never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
All games should be downloadable, but somehow Sony has to get past the retailer revolt that doomed the PSPGo over this very issue. Cut the retailers in for a slice somehow by generating traffic through their stores?
I think the phone idea is a non-starter, because it brings another large player into the equation. Apple's had enough problems with AT&T. It brings to mind what Dino De Laurentiis said when asked if he would cast Barbra Streisand in his remake of King Kong. "Isa no good havea two monsters inna one movie."
The best way for Sony to make this a winner is to leverage their other media. Sell movies, TV, and music, and have great software for it. Open up App development for the PSP2 and create a whole range of software. People only have one pocket; if you're going to replace the iPod Touch you'd better offer most of its key functionality. Plus what's the use of Sony owning music and video libraries if it doesn't leverage them?
And the device has to have some impressive pixel-pushing mojo and a great screen if it's going to compete with the 3DS on one hand and the iPhone 4 on the other. Deliver a great CPU and GPU with a killer screen at a good price and you have a shot.
Sadly, I don't know if Sony will be able to do most of this... it'll probably be a major corporate battle just to add a second joystick.
Wait, I forgot about The Jungle... I guess Sony doesn't have a chance after all, once The Jungle crushes all competition.
October 14, 2010
To be honest, the 3D screen doesn't come out of what I want personally, I just think it'll be important for the PSP if its going to deign to be a portable media player.
As for phones, I think it would be a great option to include in the PSP2, but I wouldn't see it as something necessarily built into each device, kind of like how the iPad has Wi-Fi only versions. And sad to say, portable consoles already refresh pretty regularly - look at how many versions of the DS Nintendo has released and how often Apple releases new iOS devices. Updated versions of the PSP2 with better phone options is a somewhat distasteful but probably necessary move.
It's either do that, or fall into the niche in the West where it offers less functionally than a smartphone, and is thus passed up by older consumers, but manages to miss out on the younger market crucial to portable gaming that the 3DS will probably still get.