PSP slipping to 2005?

Bobo, what are you talking about?

PSP may miss launch target
10/5/2004 7:29:56 PM, by Eric Bangeman

Depending on which analyst is doing the talking, the picture surrounding the debut of Sony\'s new gaming handheld, the PSP is starting to look cloudy. Right now, the PSP — which will feature a 480x272 4.3" widescreen LCD along with 802.11b and USB 2.0 connectivity — is set for a Japanese launch in December, with the North American debut following in March 2005.

One scenario has the PSP being delayed into next year due to hardware issues. According to an analyst note released by brokerage Piper Jaffray & Co., Sony has not yet solved all the PSP\'s technical issues.

We are hearing that the platform has other issues such as thermal problems (transistors are running very hot) and a very short battery life (90 minutes) that will almost certainly delay the launch.

Yikes! For a handheld gaming console that\'s being touted for its video and music playback abilities, the battery life needs to be much more than just passable. Sony\'s choice to go with optical rather than cartridge media may be part of the issue, as optical drives are more power hungry — you\'ve got to keep the disc spinning to read the data, which takes more juice than reading from a cartridge.

Another possibility is that a slimmer-than-expected library of titles will delay the Japanese launch into 2005, with the North American launch expected soon after. Similar to Nintendo with its upcoming DS handheld, Sony has trumpeted the number of titles coming to the PSP. Those include a couple of big-name titles from gaming giant EA.

Where does the truth lie? We\'ll have a better picture as the launch comes closer. If Sony cannot muster up a decent lineup of titles by the holiday shopping season, they might be better off delaying the launch for a few months. If titles are few and far between, it could cause some people to hold off on PSP purchases, or even go for instant gratification with the Nintendo DS. It\'s one thing to drop US$300 on a handheld. It\'s another thing entirely to do so with few titles (even if more are forthcoming).

If the launch is pushed further back, especially past the summer, Sony could run into other problems. Most importantly, significant delays give the Nintendo DS a bigger head start. While Sony sees the multipurpose PSP as targeting an older, different market than the DS, there is still a lot of overlap. Some analysts are also pointing out that overly long delay would mean that the PSP would be competing with the Xbox 2 for gamers\' attention. If the two come out withing a short period of one another and you\'ve got US$300 to spend, what do you do? Delay or not, Nintendo\'s head start may prove to be difficult for Sony to overcome.

>>>Link<<<

[Bobs_Hardware]

Uhh.. what the hell are you talking about?

That article didn\'t really have anything to do with what Avvy mentioned, and I questioned him on.

Originally posted by Bobs_Hardware
Uhh.. what the hell are you talking about?

That article didn\'t really have anything to do with what Avvy mentioned, and I questioned him on.

I was addressing your earlier comment...
 
"No, no Ginko. I don\'t think you get it. It\'s still being launched this year in Japan.... GET IT?"

Look at the very first sentence in the post above Evisceration\'s then look at the post above JP\'s.  Both report that the PSP will still be out this year in Japan and that\'s the reason I questioned "NO...it\'s still being released this year in Japan..."  

0_o

[Evi]

Originally posted by Ginko
We cleared that up several posts ago and if you would have taken a second to look at the very post above yours you\'d notice a second confirmation...but thanks anway.

I read every single post, thanks...and I did read your post above mine before submitting my comment. I was just saying...it\'s all good.

[Evi]

"It sometimes amazes me how fast negative information on a console can spread, no matter how ridiculous the information may be. This would be one of those cases.

Currently, there are reports from various “analysts” that the PSP is going to be delayed until mid to late 2005 because of technical problems. With all the attention being given to these articles, I imagine that some of you may want to know how I stand on these issues.

The issues brought up by the "analysts" are rather astounding when you think about it. They claim that the PSP will be delayed because of problems with overheating and battery life. I’m not sure how they came up with these issues- perhaps some sort of magic hat was used to hold mystical paper with sacred writings on them. The truth is, some very fortunate folks know, for a fact, that these reported "issues" are completely unfounded. After reading hands-on reviews from journalists who were able to play the PSP during TGS, it becomes blatantly obvious that these analysts had never interfaced with the PSP themselves and that their research is incredibly false.

One reviewer mentioned, after playing the PSP at TGS for a full hour straight, that there was no affect on the battery level at all. It was noted that the games were being played off of Memory Sticks, not UMDs. However if there was a "serious" problem with battery life, they would have seen some effect on the battery level (especially when these analysts claim a 1.5 hour battery life). Also, during the same review, it was mentioned that the unit was warm to the touch; however the review further elaborated that it wasn’t any warmer than other portable devices. Furthermore, these "analysts" contentions are even more absurd when considering that Sony finalized the PSP hardware weeks ago."

LINK

^^^^^

I\'m bored...I guess we\'ll just have to wait and see what the heck is going on with the PSP...it\'s all giving me a headache...

[Bobs_Hardware]

Oh, ok.

I was joking.

Kind of.. making fun of Evisc (no offense, buddy).

I thought that was pretty clear myself.

Sorry.

[Evi]

^^^^

I know you were...no hard feelings Just don\'t do it again...*cough*

My boss was just in Orlando for some contest he won at work and he said one of the big shots for Sony was there and the guy said that if PSP doesn\'t come out by March 05 that Sony will be "in the red" for the first time in 20 years.  Meaning they expect PSP to do big time numbers and are putting a lot into it.  He also said it will be $399.99 when it debuts.

Originally posted by unfocused
My boss was just in Orlando for some contest he won at work and he said one of the big shots for Sony was there and the guy said that if PSP doesn\'t come out by March 05 that Sony will be "in the red" for the first time in 20 years.  Meaning they expect PSP to do big time numbers and are putting a lot into it.  He also said it will be $399.99 when it debuts.

Yea, I hear Sony isn\'t doing all that hot these days.  

$399.99...