Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: aldo_14 on March 24, 2005, 10:44:46 am

Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 24, 2005, 10:44:46 am
Apparently this thingy was released in the US yesterday.

I've actually been looking at the DS and PSP; normally I'm not much of a player of portables, but the idea of WiFi multiplayer intrigues me.... so what I'm wondering is whether any of our transatlantic cousins have got either/both, and how good both actually are.  Especially RE: loading times and battery life.

(NB: DS is out in the UK justnow, PSP might not be until Xmas - although I can get my parents to pick up one when they go on holiday to the states if there's no region protection).
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 24, 2005, 10:47:55 am
Just to let you know, I have absolutly no idea what your talking about.

Too many abreviations. :p
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 24, 2005, 10:55:22 am
PSP = wee dicky portable console by Sony called Playstation Portable/Pocket/Portaloo
Nintendo DS = DS
WiFi = techno-thingigummy allowing wireless connection
RE: with regards to
US = United States of...something.  Big place, bit weird in some parts, full of shouty people.
UK = United Kingdom.  Cold, dreary place most famous for tea and exporting convicts.  Who then beat the Southerners at cricket.
Xmas = Christmas
Title: PSP
Post by: vyper on March 24, 2005, 11:03:40 am
At first I was expecting something about Paint Shop Pro... :wtf:
Title: PSP
Post by: Primus on March 24, 2005, 11:12:46 am
Quote
Originally posted by aldo_14

US = United States of...something.  Big place, bit weird in some parts, full of shouty people.
UK = United Kingdow.  Cold, dreary place most famous for tea and exporting convicts.
 


:lol: I always thought it was Kingdom.

Quote
Vyper

At first I was expecting something about Paint Shop Pro...


Same here...
Title: PSP
Post by: Scuddie on March 24, 2005, 11:19:07 am
At first I was expecting PlayStation Portable...  Not PlayStation Pocket.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 24, 2005, 11:22:43 am
Quote
Originally posted by vyper
At first I was expecting something about Paint Shop Pro... :wtf:


Ditto.

Quote
Originally posted by aldo_14
UK = United Kingdow. Cold, dreary place most famous for tea and exporting convicts.


And then the convicts beating them at Cricket?
Title: PSP
Post by: vyper on March 24, 2005, 11:42:45 am
Beating the ENGLISH at Cricket. :p
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 24, 2005, 11:44:00 am
pfff, same place. They're all above the equator ain't they? :p
Title: PSP
Post by: Col. Fishguts on March 24, 2005, 12:06:37 pm
*trying to get back on topic*

I wanted to get me a PSP, but now they've moved the european release date again....and I'm looking for alternatives.
I don't really want it for playing games, but the ability to play mp3 and watch MPEG4 video from a flash memory card on a pretty big screen is intruiging (I'm in trains pretty often).

And AFAIK there's no region code on the games/movies

And for those who have no idea what I'm talking about. That's a PSP:

(http://www.denai.co.uk/images/psp.jpg)
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 24, 2005, 12:28:25 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Grug
pfff, same place. They're all above the equator ain't they? :p


I'll have you know we Scots don't like cricket, don't play cricket, and take pride in not having anything to do with it.
Title: PSP
Post by: Night Hammer on March 24, 2005, 01:48:27 pm
ill prolly be picking up a PSP, not so much a fan of Nintendo
Title: PSP
Post by: Rictor on March 24, 2005, 03:23:07 pm
No, the scots prefer to throw tree trunks around the place, acting like they're hot ****.

As for the PSP, well, send me a few hundred bucks (with the exchange rates, its probably like 2 pounds) and I'll let you know how it is.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 24, 2005, 03:30:20 pm
Quote
Originally posted by aldo_14


I'll have you know we Scots don't like cricket, don't play cricket, and take pride in not having anything to do with it.


Yeah your right, Cricket is pretty gay. As gay as wearing a dress... :p

But seriously, OMG you a scot? awsome. *respect goes up 2 points* ;)

I'm mostly Irish myself though, but I'm sure there's a splash of scot in me aswell.
Scotland and Ireland are on the list of places I want to visit before I a) die or b) become to decripd to do anything.

New Zealand is also on the list. :)

edit: whoops back on topic.

So the PSP can play PS2 games on it? =O
Title: PSP
Post by: vyper on March 24, 2005, 03:31:28 pm
And play rugby perhaps?
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 24, 2005, 03:36:50 pm
There are so many versions of footy now-a-day that its confusing.
Personally I follow the NRL, but there is also AFL, ARL, and obvcourse soccer. That is if you can call soccer a sport... :doubt:

BTW. Are those mini DVD's the PSP takes? I presume so, otherwise wouldn't be really worth it, with such high content data these days.
Title: PSP
Post by: Flipside on March 24, 2005, 03:40:11 pm
http://www.cricketeurope.org/SCOTLAND/home.shtml

Mwahahahaha! ;)
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 24, 2005, 03:46:44 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Grug
There are so many versions of footy now-a-day that its confusing.
Personally I follow the NRL, but there is also AFL, ARL, and obvcourse soccer. That is if you can call soccer a sport... :doubt:


Oi....careful now.  And get the bloody name rightl it ain't football unless you use your feet constantly to kick the ball when you play it.

Quote
Originally posted by Grug

BTW. Are those mini DVD's the PSP takes? I presume so, otherwise wouldn't be really worth it, with such high content data these days.


(http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/01/psp_8.jpg)

UMD, which I think stands for 'universal media disk'.  It's about DVD capacity, though; sony have a few deals to release full movies on the format.
Title: PSP
Post by: Deepblue on March 24, 2005, 04:18:13 pm
Meh. PSP will suck as long as it cost $250. I'm not gonna pay that much for a piddly little thing when I can spend the same amount and get myself a nice next-gen console.
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 24, 2005, 05:12:26 pm
I heard it was $180.  Which is ~£90 UK

:D

I've heard people say it's worth it as a high tech 'thing' (suppossedly sony are creating a firmware update to add a simple word processor or something and email, plus it has support for mp3 and movie playing via the disks or stored on flash mem, and also it has that kick-arse superblack screen you get on laptops nowadays.... ); obviously you'll always pay over-the-odds for new tech, though.

I'll admit I was more interested in the Ds initially (it's more 'unique', plus the stylus opens up interesting possibilities), but the PSP is getting rave reviews......plus I've budgeted about £100 for a new MP3 player, and the PSP can do that, so it's tempting me.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 24, 2005, 05:15:57 pm
Sounds interesting. I wonder, we here in  Australia must get it a year after theUK going by Sony's organization.

But yeah, intrigues me also...
Title: PSP
Post by: Grey Wolf on March 24, 2005, 05:41:04 pm
Not really that impressed. The only portable I have that I really use much is my GBA SP, and that's used for playing old NES and SNES games. The PS3, that's something that is tempting me. It's about time I get a new console anyway to replace the N64, and after playing the Playstation I borrowed, I'm rather impressed by Sony's controller design. I'm also rather intrigued by the design of the CPU. One cut down PowerPC chip and a half dozen or so secondary processors, all lacking the out of order processing capabilities of a modern computer CPU, would be a foolish idea for a PC, but is potentially brilliant for a console.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 24, 2005, 05:56:44 pm
Yeah, go Perfect Dark! ;)

I'd say go for an Xbox(2?) though. You've got Halo, and more Halo! :D
Title: PSP
Post by: Grey Wolf on March 24, 2005, 06:02:14 pm
Not really impressed by Halo, as I'm not really an FPS sort of person. Space combat sims and RPGs are more my focus. The game I actually borrowed the PS for was FF7, and I'm quite impressed by the game. And as the FF series is, for the most part, a Sony franchise, PS3 seems to be a better choice.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 24, 2005, 06:16:18 pm
I liked FF7 too, mind that's an old game and  is available on PC also.

I think either next gen machine is gonna kick ass anyway so it probably doesn't matter all that much. I'll follow Halo2 for now though. :)
Title: PSP
Post by: Deepblue on March 25, 2005, 01:43:26 am
Yeah, except Xbox 2 will have Halo 3, and PS3 wont. And the creator of Final Fantasy is making 2 RPGs for the Xbox 2. And then there is Perfect Dark Zero... Xbox 2 is gonna kill.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 25, 2005, 03:11:38 am
Here, here! :D
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 25, 2005, 03:17:17 am
Quote
Originally posted by Deepblue
Yeah, except Xbox 2 will have Halo 3, and PS3 wont. And the creator of Final Fantasy is making 2 RPGs for the Xbox 2. And then there is Perfect Dark Zero... Xbox 2 is gonna kill.


It will if they don't fix those dodgy power supplies :nervous: :D

Personally I don't like Halo, and I can't think of any other interesting games pn the X2, so I'm waiting to see the Nintendo Revolution & PS3.  Interestingly, I've read a few statements (mostly from the GDC, I think) that the PS3 should actually be (possibly vastly) superior to the X-Box 2 but that both systems are an incredible pain in the arse developing for - because apparently all the technological improvement has been focused on improving the graphics ahead of other things (like simply improving calculation speed).
Title: PSP
Post by: Gloriano on March 25, 2005, 03:25:34 am
I'am getting both Ps3 and Xbox2
Title: PSP
Post by: Deepblue on March 25, 2005, 04:02:51 pm
Quote
Originally posted by aldo_14


It will if they don't fix those dodgy power supplies :nervous: :D

Personally I don't like Halo, and I can't think of any other interesting games pn the X2, so I'm waiting to see the Nintendo Revolution & PS3.  Interestingly, I've read a few statements (mostly from the GDC, I think) that the PS3 should actually be (possibly vastly) superior to the X-Box 2 but that both systems are an incredible pain in the arse developing for - because apparently all the technological improvement has been focused on improving the graphics ahead of other things (like simply improving calculation speed).


One Cell 4.0 gig chip VS. three 3.0 gig chips.
Title: PSP
Post by: Kie99 on March 25, 2005, 04:25:19 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Holy Imperial Gloriano
I'am getting both Ps3 and Xbox2


*Questions the wisdom of using an apostrophe AND the letter its replacing*

We're not all that rich!
Title: PSP
Post by: Dough with Fish on March 25, 2005, 09:32:07 pm
Well, first off, the PSP isn't $180.00, it's $249.99. Which may sound like a lot for a handheld gaming system, but remember it is also a portable movie player, mp3 player, picture storeage unit, and game system all in one.

And, yes, I did get me one. Man is she a sexy beast. The screen is crystal-clear, the image quality is amazing, the graphics are insane for a handheld, and the controls are nice and responsive. My only real complaint with the system itself is that it gets dirty real easily. And these UMD's are really something, I think that Sony is really onto something here with them. I got two games with it, the new Twisted Metal, and Untold Legends, both very fun games, especially Twisted Metal.

But, is it worth the pricetag.... Well, kinda-sorta. What you get in the package is the system, Spider Man 2 on UMD, a demo disc with movies and music  on it, a memory stick, and a pair of spiff-tastic headphones. I think that I should have waited for a while to get one, but when I saw that Target only had two left my brain shut off and I just bought the damned thing since, I guess, they are selling like mad.
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 26, 2005, 10:19:16 am
Quote
Originally posted by Deepblue


One Cell 4.0 gig chip VS. three 3.0 gig chips.


If you're using that to compare relative performance, it's complete bollocks.  

Firstly, Htz is of no use whatsoever comparing chips of different architecture.  The Cell is shaping up to vastly different from the IBM-developed processor the XBox2 will use.

For reference, the 4GHz cell processor is rated as performing 100 times more operations-per-second than the 2.5GHz P4.  That's how much architecture matters (incidentally, the Cell in the Ps3 apparently is using about 16 processing cores - less high-end ones are likely to have around 4, I believe)

EDIt; I'm not sure the XBox 2 uses three processors; I've read stuff that indicates it uses 3 cores.  Both consoles are presumably designed to use massive parallelisation.

Secondly, there's the overall console architecture - bus arrangements, memory access speeds & memory sizes, cache, GPU architecture and the bus interconnection, even the IO speed.... and soforth.

What I've read, is professionals - the people that are developing for these consoles - saying the PS3 will be better performing, and the question is by how much, and how much that will count against the Xbox2s' apparent release date.  Given that sod-all details seem to be available about any of the new consoles architecture, i'm inclined to believe them.

NB: I've read the PSP as being priced at £180; mixed up the currency :D

Still, $250 / 2 is still not bad all things considered ;)  Hopefully it'll go down a bit by July, of course.
Title: PSP
Post by: Dark_4ce on March 26, 2005, 10:23:15 am
I bet Xbox will come out with some portable xbox thingy. Prolly the Xbix or something, like the size of a weetabix.
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 26, 2005, 10:29:12 am
Quote
Originally posted by Dark_4ce
I bet Xbox will come out with some portable xbox thingy. Prolly the Xbix or something, like the size of a weetabix.


There was a rumour they were going to do that with the Gizmondo, IIRC.... possibly even simply rebrand the current model.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grey Wolf on March 26, 2005, 02:07:10 pm
Let's go through what we know about the systems, shall we?

PS3:
-Backwards compatible with PS1 and PS3
-Uses a multicore processor made by IBM with one primary core (PPE, derived from PowerPC processors) and eight secondary cores (SPE). Lacks the ability to handle out of order commands
-nVidia graphics
-XDR memory
-Blu-Ray drive
-Wifi is a distinct possibility
-Storage Unknown

Xbox2 (name is still up for debate):
-Backwards compatibility unknown
-IBM processor, multicore
-ATi Graphics
-Wifi is a distinct possibility
-Storage Unknown

Nintendo Revolution (codename):
-Backwards compatible with GameCube
-IBM processor, codenamed Broadway
-ATi graphics, codenamed Hollywood
-Wi-Fi
-Storage Unknown

That's all we know for now, however as all three will be unveiled at E3, we should have a better idea in two months or so.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 26, 2005, 04:28:23 pm
But I can't wait two months. :(

The Xbox is supposedly to have an optional Hard Drive. Which I'm guessing will have an impact on load times, and also save features and Live Downloads.
Title: PSP
Post by: redsniper on March 26, 2005, 05:07:33 pm
Xboxes already have hard drives. If they make it optional (i.e. don't give you one) with the xbox 2 then I think that's a step backwards.
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 26, 2005, 05:19:37 pm
Quote
Originally posted by redsniper
Xboxes already have hard drives. If they make it optional (i.e. don't give you one) with the xbox 2 then I think that's a step backwards.


It cuts down their manufacturing costs, though. First X-box was basically a loss-leader to get into the market; I don't think this one is intended to be, they seem to want to eventually create a sort of ubiquitous living room based PC-cum-entertainment center.  Running Microsoft Windows, of course.
Title: PSP
Post by: Grey Wolf on March 27, 2005, 12:19:13 pm
My real hope is that the rumoured prices are false. I can't honestly picture paying $400 or more for a game console.
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 27, 2005, 12:19:24 pm
I'd expect there to be a price war between all 3; IMO it'd be nuts to buy any of them as soon as it comes out.
Title: PSP
Post by: Gloriano on March 27, 2005, 01:11:27 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Grey Wolf
My real hope is that the rumoured prices are false. I can't honestly picture paying $400 or more for a game console.


Well i do think that price will be around 300-350$, and that is quite cheap actually when you think about what they have inside (Hight tech hardware that won't be out for PC in long time (6-12 months or more)

or they could but price to 900$ and see how many peoples buys nextgen console
Title: PSP
Post by: Rictor on March 27, 2005, 05:30:32 pm
ooooh, fancy.

(http://www.fumanchuu.com/pspdev/P1010066.JPG)

http://www.fumanchuu.com/pspdev/
Title: PSP
Post by: Grey Wolf on March 27, 2005, 06:24:05 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Holy Imperial Gloriano


Well i do think that price will be around 300-350$, and that is quite cheap actually when you think about what they have inside (Hight tech hardware that won't be out for PC in long time (6-12 months or more)

or they could but price to 900$ and see how many peoples buys nextgen console
Actually, given the release date for the consoles, they won't be ahead of computers. The release date for everything except for the successor to the Xbox is currently 2006. Multicore processors will be available from all chip manufacturers by the end of the year, with the exception of Intel, who actually is releasing a multiprocessor chip due to cutting some corners, but that's not the subject at hand. Also, the next generation of video cards, which will be more powerful variants of what's ending up in these consoles, will come out at roughly the same time. Current indications suggest the desktop parts will have twice as much memory at the very least. Also, by getting a console in place of getting a computer, you decrease the number of uses you can get out of the hardware.

Even if it was beyond all current hardware, I'd still consider $400 to be too expensive. $250, maybe even $300, but definitely not $400.
Title: PSP
Post by: pyro-manic on March 27, 2005, 07:19:55 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Rictor
ooooh, fancy.

(http://www.fumanchuu.com/pspdev/P1010066.JPG)

http://www.fumanchuu.com/pspdev/



Bastard. Now I want to buy one....
Title: PSP
Post by: Deepblue on March 27, 2005, 08:07:36 pm
FYI the Xbox 2 is coming out end of 2005.
Title: PSP
Post by: aldo_14 on March 28, 2005, 04:42:09 am
Quote
Originally posted by Deepblue
FYI the Xbox 2 is coming out end of 2005.


Although it's not been confirmed yet (the date is based on the release date of apparently XBox2-destined titles, namely November 05)... you'd think they'd get their arse in gear in give it a formal name, though.

Oh, and did anyone else not see this coming? - ake Your Porn on the Road  (http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,67007,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5).

he PSP uses Sony's Universal Media Disc for video, a format that is anything but universal. Even if you already own a movie on DVD, you have to purchase it again on UMD if you want to watch it on your PSP, or go through a torturous workaround to get part of the video from the DVD onto the device.

Sajeeth Cherian has solved that problem for us all.

Cherian has developed PSP Video 9, an elegant application that converts several digital video formats -- including MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and AVI -- to PSP format.

Configure PSP Video 9 to work with Cherian's other program, Videora, and you can automate video transfers from BitTorrent to your PC to your PSP -- overnight.

No need to buy UMDs. Just sync your PSP with your computer and off you go, porn in hand.

Because this, of course, is a wet dream for porn fans. Once you get your porn on the PSP, delete it from your hard drive, and you can enjoy your porn in private while keeping the family computer freed up for other things. Like games.
Title: PSP
Post by: Deepblue on March 28, 2005, 09:24:24 am
Disturbing...
Title: PSP
Post by: redsniper on March 28, 2005, 11:37:01 am
:rolleyes: Of course.
Title: PSP
Post by: Rictor on March 28, 2005, 02:54:40 pm
Is that a PSP in your pocket or are you just happy to to be carrying around a handheld porn theatre?
Title: PSP
Post by: Grug on March 28, 2005, 03:00:21 pm
lol.

So thats what it was made for. :p