Will the iPod Ever Compete With the PSP? [Archive]

MelFet Wart

11-21-2005, 09:02 AM

Is Sony facing competition in the game industry.... from Apple?

This article, called Can the iPod Cripple the PSP (http://nintendo.about.com/library/ipodpsp/blipodpsp1.htm), looks at how the iPod's media abilities make it a sorta-competitor for the PSP. According to the article, the iPod might not play games, but with less than 4 of the PSP's recent titles earning good reviews in the last six months, the PSP isn't really a game machine at the moment, either.

In fact, a quick glance at the PSP display at your local Wal-Mart would convince someone that didn't know any better that the PSP was a movie player for all the UMDs on display... with some games attached, from time to time.

BleedTheFreak

11-21-2005, 09:17 AM

This is the very trend that I saw coming a few months back in August. As such, I sold my PSP and games for a shit-ton of store credit (+20% bonus at the time) and am using that to buy an X Box 360. I want games, not media. If I wanted media I would have used my PC. Sheesh.

Kamalot

11-21-2005, 09:30 AM

Since the PSP does not offer better games than the Nintendo DS, its media features support the system at the moment.

Fundamentally, the PSP's general appeal shrinks as the iPod Video becomes more popular. In fact, its general appeal shrinks as any cheaper or more capable consumer electronics, such as a cell phone, appears with the ability to play music or movies for less money and with equal portability.

This is painful but true. The nature of UMDs also makes the system seem like a dead-end in this emerging online marketplace. Where one can buy shows online, why would anyone want to go to the store and buy a UMD than can be lost, scratched or misplaced?

Samurai Joe

11-21-2005, 09:32 AM

It's sad to see the PSP go to waste like this... At least I am playing my PSP, mainly NES, SNES and Genesis games... I do own the games that are considered the systems best (GTA, X-Men Legends II and Burnout Legends). Hopefully the best has yet to come...

I am enjoying my DS a lot though!

MaiXu

11-21-2005, 09:35 AM

Even with decent games coming out for the PSP, the fact that you can only play the fucker for 3 hours before it craps out means it simply isn't a viable gaming platform yet. How the hell can anyone play GTA on the go with such poor battery performance?

I'm a hardcore gamer, so it's very telling that, if I had $400 to spend on a portable, I would without hesitation buy the 60GB video iPod over the PSP.

Lutheran

11-21-2005, 09:40 AM

Nintendo DS > Sony PSP

Dabombpizza

11-21-2005, 10:04 AM

http://www.gpx2.com/

Thought I would just point it out as it is fairly intresting to have an opensource handheld in direct contrast with Sony's PSP (which is an amazing piece of hardware, and it sucks that it's going to waste).

Most of the people I talk to that use a PSP seem to only use it for emulation. Has anyone checked out the GPX2? It's the unofficial succesor to the Gamepark handheld, which was a very homebrew friendly Korean handheld. The GPX2 come preloaded with Linux and plays emulation out of the box, instead of having the parent company fight you about using the hardware you bought the way you want to. Only down side: uses AA and has no wireless.

Groo

11-21-2005, 10:19 AM

Even with decent games coming out for the PSP, the fact that you can only play the fucker for [b]3 hours before it craps out means it simply isn't a viable gaming platform yet. How the hell can anyone play GTA on the go with such poor battery performance?

I'm a hardcore gamer, so it's very telling that, if I had $400 to spend on a portable, I would without hesitation buy the 60GB video iPod over the PSP.

The fact that you don't own a PSP reinforces your aboslute ignorance of the PSP's actual battery life, as apposed to the fanboy percieved battery life.

Klade

11-21-2005, 10:21 AM

According to the article, the iPod might not play games, but with less than 4 of the PSP's recent titles earning good reviews in the last six months...

So when you say "less than 4" does that mean 3? :D

Ya I had to ask heh.

Serapth

11-21-2005, 10:21 AM

Apple I dont think can make a good portable gaming machine. Traditionally they have sucked at supporting the gaming community, and really they dont have much to gain from turning the iPod into a gaming device.

First off, their profit margins as just a media device is obscene. Why would they willingly compete with the PSP, when the device they sell now does less, but costs more?

Secondly, one of the big advantages to the iPod was the attach rate. Either with iTunes on the PC, or people outright buying Macs to go with their iPod ( sounds stupid, but its actually true ). Music and devices go together well ( you need a computer to get, download, manage music, but from iTunes, etc... ). With games, this isnt exactly true.

Finally, Apple has done a shit job of supporting the gaming world. Really its just a handful of ports and some shit indy stuff with a few gems. A few years back Apple took a shot at getting gaming support on the Mac ( paying iD to release quake at launch at getting Carmack to say a few nice apple words ). But in the end, that fizzled out too.

Serapth

11-21-2005, 10:22 AM

The fact that you don't own a PSP reinforces your aboslute ignorance of the PSP's actual battery life, as apposed to the fanboy percieved battery life.

Actually, 3 hours doesnt sound that fair of the pace. I get anywhere between 3 and 5 hours on my PSP before charge time, depending on what im doing with it. Some games drain the battery faster, and MAME and emulators running at 333mhz really seem to suck the juice.

agentgray

11-21-2005, 10:26 AM

The fact that you don't own a PSP reinforces your aboslute ignorance of the PSP's actual battery life, as apposed to the fanboy percieved battery life.
I owned one and your statement is true. I always got much longer than the internet's perceived life.

Acidpoptart

11-21-2005, 10:37 AM

I owned one and your statement is true. I always got much longer than the internet's perceived life.

/agree

But the lack of good game selection is really a bummer... I dont mind too much, however, since lumines, Hot shots golf, and burnout are still keeping me very entertained. So maybe the lack of temptation is not a bad thing... Im actually playing the games I buy for more than a few hours now haha.

Dabombpizza

11-21-2005, 10:51 AM

Apple I dont think can make a good portable gaming machine. Traditionally they have sucked at supporting the gaming community, and really they dont have much to gain from turning the iPod into a gaming device.

Apple isn't turning the ipod into a gaming device. The article is saying that the PSP is a multimedia device first, and a gaming device second. Apple does not plan on entering the gaming world, but they are putting video on the iPod. That puts it close to the PSP, since the PSP doesn't really do too much gaming at the moment. So, if the PSPs selling point is that it's a multimedia machine, will the video iPod be able to disrupt the PSP market and become a competitor?

This would be a lot like Sony owning the portable music industry with the walkman until the iPod came out. Personally, I think if the video iPod was somehow coupled with a DivX iTunes would be a pretty fierce competitor. But the PSP does have that massive and beautiful screen...

whish

11-21-2005, 10:51 AM

I purchased a PSP this past summer and after a brief stint with Lumines, Metal Gear Acid and Wipeout I have used the PSP mainly as an MP3 player and a video player. Is there a lack of great games on the PSP? Yes, but those who complain about the price of the PSP are off the mark. For roughly the same price as a music iPod - I get 3 in 1 functionality on the PSP (and the amazing 16:9 screen).

Unfortunately, Sony doesn't seem to know how to market this great device. The focus on UMD is a good example. I only purchased one UMD and that was when I bought the system. I won't be buying or renting any others - Why would I when I can download video files with decent quality over bittorrent and use PSP Video 9 to get them onto the PSP.

Last thing: The lack of RPGs on the PSP hurts the system in a MAJOR way. I wish I was playing DragonQuest VIII on the PSP instead of my PS2. They should have had a few solid RPGs ready for the system at launch(even remakes would have been great).

agentgray

11-21-2005, 10:52 AM

/agree

But the lack of good game selection is really a bummer... I dont mind too much, however, since lumines
Yes, which with the DRM fiasco is why I no longer own one. I love Lumines. Once I reaced top score, I stopped playing. Plus, no matter how much I love Lumines, it wasn't worth $280 to play or keep.

Kamalot

11-21-2005, 10:56 AM

For roughly the same price as a music iPod - I get 3 in 1 functionality on the PSP (and the amazing 16:9 screen).
Um, what good is a 3-in-1 device if you have to purchase a huge-ass $200 memory stick for the thing to make it a half-ass media player?

At the time of this writing, the largest memory stick available is 2 gigabytes, and costs around $200. In contrast, the iPod Video ships with 60 gigabytes internal memory, or 30x the storage capacity, and sells for only a bit more than the PSP memory stick alone.

Dabombpizza

11-21-2005, 10:58 AM

Unfortunately, Sony doesn't seem to know how to market this great device. The focus on UMD is a good example. I only purchased one UMD and that was when I bought the system. I won't be buying or renting any others - Why would I when I can download video files with decent quality over bittorrent and use PSP Video 9 to get them onto the PSP.
I agree that the PSP does have good value when looked at as a multimedia machine, but when bought under it's initial guise, which was gaming I do recall, it becames a terrible time sink. It's also not very portable as an mp3 player, and that's what you're paying for with an iPod--size.

I was thinking that files stored on your mem stick should extend the battery life since it's not constantly spinning like a UMD. Is that right?

MaiXu

11-21-2005, 11:01 AM

The fact that you don't own a PSP reinforces your aboslute ignorance of the PSP's actual battery life, as apposed to the fanboy percieved battery life.

Oh yeah? So when the system ran out of juice 3 hours after playing my friend's Tiger Woods, that was my ignornace turning it off, not the battery, huh?

Groo

11-21-2005, 11:27 AM

Oh yeah? So when the system ran out of juice 3 hours after playing my friend's Tiger Woods, that was my ignornace turning it off, not the battery, huh?

Yes, yes it was. After all, your extremely scientific method of "playing Tiger Woods at my friend's house" renders all other PSP battery tests null and void.

ChaosDent

11-21-2005, 11:28 AM

I think the premise of the article is backwards. The iPod has been the gold standard of portable media accessability since its launch, and was very deliberately targetted by the PSP. They should be asking, "does the PSP compete with the iPod?" The answer was no before the iPod video, and the answer is still no after it.

Sony made a mistake when they focused the PSP as a media player first, and a video game system second. The media features might have been decent "added value" to a system with solid games, but they don't represent enough value in themselves to become a threat to the iPod. Fortunately for Sony, they can still correct some of their mistakes by putting more resources into game development and developing an iTunes-like simple media management system.

Kamalot

11-21-2005, 11:36 AM

Yes, yes it was. After all, your extremely scientific method of "playing Tiger Woods at my friend's house" renders all other PSP battery tests null and void.
Right on Groo!

I assume you're talking about these battery tests?

Based on our estimates and a few battery-draining tests, Ridge Racers seems to last somewhere between 90 minutes and three hours. (http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-11721-1344-4-4-x)In this PSP WiFi test, Ridge Racers for PSP was switched into Battery mode at 2:10PM, and was heard and seen to be dead later in the evening at 4:56PM... FINAL RESULTS: 2 hours, 46 minutes (http://psp.ign.com/articles/574/574557p5.html)
Arguably when talking about the PSP, the most glaring flaw is its weak battery life, which can drop below two hours when playing certain power-intensive games. (http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000590032020/)

MaiXu

11-21-2005, 11:37 AM

Yes, yes it was. After all, your extremely scientific method of "playing Tiger Woods at my friend's house" renders all other PSP battery tests null and void.

You're right. How foolish I am to trust personal experience! When will I ever learn that the int3rn3ts holds teh truth.

DeadlyDonkey

11-21-2005, 01:35 PM

Right on Groo!

I assume you're talking about these battery tests?

(http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-11721-1344-4-4-x)[/url][url=http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000590032020/]
(http://psp.ign.com/articles/574/574557p5.html)

Did you actually read those links? That 2 hour 46 minute one on ridge racers is with max screen brightness (which is pointless and unneccessary), max volume (also unneccessary) and playing wirelessly ad-hoc.

And that first link? That was posted BEFORE THE PSP WAS EVEN RELEASED. 3/4s of it is speculation.

My ridge racers lasts 6 and a half hours with mid screen brightness, about 3/4s volume and single player.

Groo

11-21-2005, 07:02 PM

Pumped'Up

11-21-2005, 08:55 PM

PSP > DS
PSP > iPod

PSP is teh win.

As well, many of you dumb ass's need to realize that the price of flash memory can not be compared to harddrive storage. Actually, the iPod is a complete waste of money. For the premium price of the 60Gig version, you should be getting 500Gigs storage device. Not a freakn measley 60Gigs. LOL

Anyways, I'll take the PSP over the iPod any day. Can't imagine watching anything off that shitty and tiny 4:3 screen. Well atleast the iPod is good for those into retro screen sizes.

Groo

11-21-2005, 08:58 PM

Pumped'Up

11-21-2005, 09:19 PM

The iPod is much better for listening to music.
Yep, agreed.

However, this 1 function only? or 2 (+photo) and/or now 3 (+video) functions? Still very unimpressive.

The fact is, the PSP still has a large library of games. Yes, not all that great, but still it has a games library (and a colossal size of homebrew/emus games to boot)...which makes the PSP a GAMING system. The writer of that original article of this thread is a complete moron.