End User

PSP Go is Looking to be About a Lot More than Games

True, the new generation of PlayStation Portable (PSP) hardware, the PSP Go, scheduled for release in October '09 won't have telephony functionality, aside from Skype, which will ensure that its niche will almost certainly remain limited to gamers, but by all indications it is being positioned to be even more download friendly than was expected, which can't hurt in broadening its popularity.

The first indicator of this new and improved Web-enabled tenet is the long-known fact that Sony would dump their UMD media standard with this release. They've yet to say specifically how/if loyal PSP user will be able to access their game and movie library with the new hardware, but I can't imagine downloads are not part of the equation. More to the point though are a couple of bits of info that recently came to light. The first, is that Sony will be releasing a 32GB Duo stick in the near future. As someone who has been using a 4GB stick pretty comfortably for a while for downloading game demos, and storing music and movies converted to MPG-4 format for watching in the always cramped nooks and crannies of coach flights, 32GB sounds huge, especially when you consider that the PSP Go will come with 16GB of built in memory. The other bit of pertinent news is Sony's plan for what are being called "snackable" game and app downloads. That there will be small, inexpensive games designed to get people in the habit of downloading using the PSP is a given, but apparently 50+ studios are in the process of building out the Apps portion of the equation, with special attention paid to non-game content, which will be sold in a separate area of PlayStation store. If this sounds a lot like Apple's App store, that's because that's pretty much what it will eventually be. So, we'll we see the emergence of yet another "iPhone killer?" Of course not, since the PSP Go will have no telephone capabilities. Now if it did, that might have been another thing entirely. Sony, Sony, Sony. You are so good at dealing yourself out of the game, aren't you.

The PSP Go is set tentatively to launch October 1. If you are a gamer, definitely check it out if you haven't already. And if you are just curious, you might want to do the same as well. See you in coach.

--Tom Milnes

Sony's Considers PSPgo a Bridge to a True Download Only Device

There have been rumors for at least a year that Sony had a successor in the works to the PlayStation Portable (PSP). In true Sony fashion these were first vehemently denied, then dismissed with a wink, and finally confirmed. That confirmation came last week with the official announcement of the PSPgo at E3. In the end the device is looking a lot like both a fan-created mock up that made the rounds on the blogs late last year, as well as last year's Sony Mylo. (good catch on Gizmodo's part on that). Anyway, if Sony can save a few bucks on the design side by going the Mylo route then more power to them, especially since the PSPgo will list, at least initially, at $249. This could make it something of a hard sell in some quarters.   

The basic rundown of the device is that, as was predicted, it has dumped the UMD drive and will instead rely on a download only content model. We are talking games, movies, TV and almost certainly music here. With the new model's 16GB of memory and inexpensive external memory available, that shouldn't be a problem. What is though is the rumor that existing accessories might not be compatible, and much more importantly all the existing games and movies out there on UMD discs. Regarding the later, Sony has made statements that they are working toward having all of these available digitally at launch, but the rub is how not to turn off current PSP owners who have an existing library of games and movies. According to Sony they are working on a content transfer workaround that is a "short term good will program that would continue for years afterward." There are no concrete details yet on what that actually means, but we'll definitely hear more soon since the PSPgo is scheduled to launch in October of '09.

None of this is to say that Sony is completely abandoning the existing content model. According to an interview of John Koller, director of hardware marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment of America on Kotaku.com earlier in the week, Sony thinks,

"The PSPgo will be a good way to bridge to a next generation download only device," which will no doubt lean heavily on the PlayStation Network. He also added, "Our consumer research shows that many people still continue to prefer purchasing games on tangible disc-based media, and we'll continue to serve this segment of the market, while also providing digital content to the growing segment demanding this format."

This strategy of phasing out the original content model also helps Sony with their relations with retailers wary of losing a software market. They will need this help when it come to selling the new hardware. If Sony can propose a workable backwards compatibility solution, keep retailers from revolting and perhaps manage a price break not too far into the hardware life cycle, the PSPgo may do well and perhaps give iTunes a little more competition, especially considering the pull Sony has in the motion picture and recording industry and the reasonable assumption that Sony has considered the download only model for the PlayStation 3. Granted that's a whole lot of ifs, but assuming they happen don't be surprised to see credible rumors in 2010 of a new hardware version of the PSPgo that has touchscreen and telephone technology built in. If that happens, the game will definitely be on. For now though take a look at an overview of the PSPgo's specs, or see them in full here.

Key Specifications:

• Approx. 128 x 16.5 x 69 mm (width x height x depth)
• Weight: 5.6 ounces (including batter)
• CPU: 333MHz
• 64MB memory
• 3.8-inch display (480 x 272 resolution)
• Built-in stereo speakers and microphone
• 802.11b WiFi
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• USB 2.0
• Memory Stick Micro slot
• Analog video out
• 16GB storage

--Tom Milnes

Sony Ericsson Prez Seeding Rumors of a PSP Phone

Truth be told I've never come across a PlayStation Portable (PSP) rumor that I didn't like, and in recent months there have been plenty of those, or at least one reoccurring one regarding the impending release of the UMDless PSP 2. The latest on this that we'll be seeing/hearing something about this next month at E3 in LA. Oh, I want one, but I'll believe it when I see it; and then I'll buy it. But there is another long-lived PSP related rumor that is gaining more momentum and making the rounds, that of a PSP phone.

Actually, it is probably stepping over the line to call this a rumor. It is really the seeding of a rumor, and in this case it started from the dubious source of Sony Ericsson President Hideki Komiyama. Although many PSP users, myself included, would line up to put in a pre-order for a PSP that had cellular functionality, this has yet to happen, and drawing on the Financial Times article that quoted Komiyama, that makes sense since apparently Sony Ericsson has produced only a handful of smart phones and not a single one with the functionality to compare with the iPhone. Sound like a desperate situation? With regards to this Komiyama told the Financial Times,

“If we do not adapt to this new technology or new market environment, we’re going to lose.”

I concur. So, this of course led to he later being quoted as saying,

"a PlayStation mobile, building on the Walkman and Cybershot phones, “could happen”."

Could happen Komiyama-san? The way things sound it would seem to me that this had better happen, especially if it could coincide with the release of a PSP 2 model with enhanced functionality and the space-saving dumping of the UMD drive. Again, if it was a good, affordable product with compromised gaming functionality and decent support from wireless carriers it would be money in the back. And by the look of things over at Sony Ericsson, that would be a good thing indeed.

--Tom Milnes

How Green Are Your Favorite Electronics Manufacturers?

As 'gadget heads' it's a given that specs are going to be first and foremost in our minds when it comes to making a buying decision on our toys, but there are certainly other considerations beyond price, speed, processing power, OS and the like to take a look at. For one, how green are the manufacturing processes we are encouraging when we lay down cash for the latest must-have gizmos?

Granted, for the majority of us this line of questioning might never pop into our heads, but in a world where products are less expensive than ever, resulting in a flood of discarded electronics hitting the landfills, dumps, and hopefully recycling centers every year, it should be something that we give at least a little consideration to. Thankfully Greenpeace continues to take the lead on this, publishing the eleventh edition of its quarterly 'Guide to Greener Electonics' report last month. In it the top 17 manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TV's and games consoles are ranked according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. Leading the way as it did in the last report is Nokia, with its comprehensive voluntary take-back program and reduced levels of manufacturing based toxic pollutants. Similarly, continuing to bring up the rear is Nintendo, with a "pitiful" showing regarding e-waste, among other criteria. All the other big names are there too, mixed up in the middle. Regardless of their standing all could stand to improve their processes and we to be aware of that. It just takes a second to check out the findings of the guide, either through synopsis or a downloaded report featuring promises made, kept and broken, etc. Obviously we will never base our buying decisions strictly on a rating system such as this, but it is another piece of information that deserves consideration before making a buying decision, so take a look.

--Tom Milnes

Onlive.com Looking to Make 'Cloud Gaming' a Reality by End of Year

Since the glory years of PlayStation 2 and the limited challenges to its dominance by the first generation Xbox, action in the gaming world has been made up of the "console wars" on one side, and PC gaming, in a seemingly ever-diminishing role in the other. It wouldn't be long before the money making juggernaut that is World of Warcraft would come along and make it clear that barring technical limitations or excessive game system requirements, millions of gamers all over the world would not only game on their PCs and Macs, but would be willing to pay to do so on a monthly basis. That was great news for Blizzard, and a few other developer/publisher teams, but the fact was that in very large part the tremendous growth that the gaming industry would experience would be based on the horsepower of gaming consoles.

Fast forward a few years. The broadband revolution on which online gaming services like Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network and to a much lesser extent the channels of the Wii platform were built on were also helping to further cloud computing technologies. No need for ultra powerful computers if your applications actually live in a data warehouse somewhere. Again, no change to a burgeoning gaming industry focused on competition between the big three hardware players. Then a funny thing happened. At the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) this week in San Francisco, exhibitor Onlive dropped a bombshell. They are projecting to have a 'cloud gaming' service up and running by the end of the year and they already have a lineup of game publishers on board pledging simultaneous availability of games on the service as they hit retail, and they have an initial list of confirmed titles. Through their service players with sufficient bandwidth (1-5Mbps) will be able to rent or buy games, which run on Onlive's ultra low latency servers, that are playable on entry level PCs or Macs, or TVs and HDTVs via a mini console device. The result at GDC was a mix of excitement, disbelief and a fair bit of worry in some parts of the console and PC gaming sectors. This was a HUGE claim, with so many caveats: feasibility of a 'there-and-back' signal even at 5 Mbps, features, pricing, continued cooperation by the publishing industry, possible lack of game modding ability, and much more. Is this deal for real? Well, their Beta is scheduled to start this summer in preparation for a holiday launch. My name is already in the hat for it. There will be A LOT of eyes on this, and if it succeeds, even partially, there could be huge fallout in the industry. I though that PC gaming would experience a resurgence this year, but not in this way.

I glazed over a lot of this stuff, much of which will rightly give naysayers a lot to point to. In the end though it will work or it won't. There are two videos below featuring Onlive CEO Steve Perlman. He fills in a lot of the gaps I left and is pretty convincing. Check these out and take a look at the Onlive site as well.

Part 1

Part 2

--Tom Milnes

Survey Says...Netflix Could Be Playing Game Consoles off Each Other

It is doubtless true that over the last several months Netflix has reaped the benefits of expanding their "watch instantly" movie functionality, so much so in fact that chatter of threats to the continuing growth of their market share from traditional competitors like Blockbuster and their own OnDemand Web movie set top project, are now little more than a whisper. But competition is good for business; competition in the gaming console market if you are Netflix that is. Case in point. Based on a questionnaire that was making the rounds on the blogosphere last week, the rumor was that Netflix was considering the Wii as the next device for its streaming video functionality. The previously mentioned, and profitable, expansion of this was to the Xbox 360. Now comes yet another rumor by way of a nearly identical questionnaire, that Netflix may be considering the PlayStation 3 as a conduit for streaming video as well. See a screen capture of that questionnaire below: 

Is either Nintendo or Sony seriously interested in this. You bet they are, but they are not about to show their cards to Microsoft or consumers yet. Netflix has yet to comment on the questionnaires either. So, is this all just a bunch of chafe or maybe just Netflix researching what the future might hold for their overall business model? Perhaps, but it may also could be Netflix putting some new found influence in the market to work. It wasn't so long ago that the Bay Area company was seen to be in a precarious position, brought on by wedging itself between its DVD by mail model and a crazy idea to deliver content via the Web. It is clear that these two models work fine and are actually complimentary. Now it would seem that Netflix figures that the best thing to do is to see what they can get out of it. Hopefully consumers will benefit as well.   

--Tom Milnes

Sony Finally Scraps the Clamshell Packaging

Amazon.com has already taken steps to limit the effects that nearly indestructible plastic packaging has on the environment, as well as consumer's hands, teeth and muscle with their Frustration-Free packaging program. And according to a recent posting on the Sony Electronics Blog, Sony is planning on doing the same. Sony's clamshell design of packaging does what it is designed to do, that is maximize product visibility while protecting the product from damage and due to the packaging's size, shoplifting opportunities, but it is so hard to open that sometimes it seems like a pair of tin slips should be included. As much as I like the idea of an entirely pristine device when I fire it up for the first time, I'm sure the same effect can be created with less waste and effort.

Hopefully Sony will be following through with this change soon and I don't see why they wouldn't since retailers seem to want it. Yet although the blog posting noted earlier "declares death to the clamshell," as far as details of this death go, all Sony really states is that "...we will have a new alternative to announce soon..." I'm sure they mean it, but as the holiday gift giving season kicks into gear be sure to keep your cutting device of choice at the ready. If you are lucky, you will be needing them and for the last time.

Check out the viral video Sony put together as a promise of easier openings to come:

--Tom Milnes

Sony's Denials of PSP2 Development Are Probably True

It hurts me to say this, but it appears that Sony's denials of the development of the PSP2 over the last few days are probably accurate. Sony's response to the rumors in a nutshell, in two words, according to John Koller, Sony's Director of Hardware Marketing, "Completely unfounded." My pain over this stems primarily over the fact that I am still using my first generation PSP and had hoped that I'd be able to skip over anything between it and the next generation. Silly, but true.

The rumor that a PSP2 was in the works for the near future gained credence through comments on Euro Gamer that "developers are already working on games." But games for what Euro friends? There is a new PSP in the works, the PSP 4000, but that is just the latest iteration in the current PSP hardware line, due out next year. I find it hard to believe that the 4000 series won't contain new functionality, but it almost certainly will be more than anything else an attempt by Sony to distance itself from the interlacing issue/feature that turned off many customers who purchased the PSP 3000. Another possible factor in the confusion over the PSP 4000 and a possible new PSP handheld line has to do with the direction that Sony has been moving in with the PSP. Since the beginning, the PSP's proprietary UMD media has been an issue since it can only be used in the PSP. To deal with this Sony has been working for sometime on integrating the PSP with the PlayStation Network (PSN) for game an movie downloads, which works pretty well. And specifically to the confusion, Sony has been pushing developers to develop games specifically for the PSP with an eye towards the platform's digital download future. I've a feeling that these are the games that Euro games comments really refer to.

Eventually, of course there will be a PSP2, not for a while though, and it certainly won't be the fan-created piece of fiction pictured above. This image has been making the rounds online for months and has only fanned the flames of the PSP2 rumor. You gotta admit it looks pretty sharp and couldn't help but be attractive, especially to cheapskates like myself hoping to avoid having to buy into an outdated piece of hardware.

--Tom Milnes

How to Build a Foot Pedal for a "Guitar Hero" Plastic Guitar

Although recent news has been that the crazy popularity of guitar video games, i.e. Guitar Hero and Rock Band may be on the wane, with the millions of guitar peripherals sold over the last few years, this unfortunate possibility that may have video game industry headliners like Activision and EA and Harmonix asking 'Where have all the good times gone?' opens the door to a quasi musical undertaking, right up the ally of rhythm gamers, plastic guitar modding.

Of course, rock and proto-rock aficionados have been modding guitars since before Les Paul stuck a pickup into a hollow body acoustic back in the 30s, creating the blueprint for the modern electric guitar we know today. Also, video game players have been modding consoles and controllers since the days of Pong. So, it would seem that we have a match made in heaven, or keeping with rock ethos, 'raising my right hand to shout at the devil,' perhaps hell. Regardless, check out the video below, taken from a posting today on Engadget. With just few tools and materials the guy in it has managed to build a wah-wah pedal that allows him to play what, looks like Rock Band (there is some peripheral compatibility between games), one-handed, using the pedal to mimic sounds normally created by the controller's strum and whammy bar. As a result, he is free to knock back a cold one and contemplate why the rest of his band sucks so much. Very nice, and more importantly oh so Rock n' Roll. Mod on!

--Tom Milnes

The Real Reason The PS3 Keypad Is Due Out In December

I'm really just taking a shot in the dark here, but it's one that followers of the Next-Gen console wars might relate to.

Late last week Sony announced that the PS3 Wireless keypad, a Bluetooth device that attaches to DUALSHOCK 3 and SIXAXIS wireless controllers making texting, IM, Internet browsing and e-mailing through PlayStation 3 MUCH easier, had been pushed to December from its November release date. Granted that's not much of a push, but considering the fact that the keypad has been positioned since its announcement as being designed to enhance the functionality of Sony's much delayed PlayStation Home, a community-based online social network that much of the PS3's PlayStation Network (PSN) is thought will be anchored to for years to come, it's hard not to see the two as attached at the hip. So, my guess is that the PS3 keypad will release in the first week of December, quickly followed by the launch of the open Beta of Playstation Home (closed Beta is going on now) and a quick hard launch by the New year.

           

These question marks around timing might be altogether minor if it were not for the fact of what PlayStation's opponent in the Console Wars are doing, oh, tomorrow; that would be launching the New Xbox Experience (NXE). Although PlayStation has a large install base and assumed number of active PSN accounts--14 million according to the PS3 birthday post on the PlayStation blog the other day--continuing to allow Xbox LIVE to beat them to the punch in the online arena will eventually take a very heavy toll. The most expensive part of that toll will be in the non-gaming arena via the streaming video on demand that NXE is pioneering through its deal with Netflix. This in conjunction with a low cost could in effect increase the Xbox 360's install base and paying Gold Memberships to the LIVE service (PSN is free, hence the large number of users) by millions in a very short period of time. Today Sony took action to lessen the impact of the Netflix functionality by rescinding Netflix's rights to stream content owned by Sony Columbia Pictures to Xbox 360s. Nice block on Sony's part, but there is a lot more work for them to do yet, beginning with the PS3 Keypad-PlayStation Home release and launch, and hopefully soon streaming functionality of their own.

Check out more details and specs on the PS3 Wireless Keypad at the PlayStation.com.

--Tom Milnes