Breaking: Sony UK boss confirms PSP redesign

[devilscallmedad]

"Smaller, lighter" iteration on the way
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SCE UK managing director Ray Maguire has confirmed the platform holder’s intentions to release a redesigned version of its PlayStation Portable handheld.

Speaking yesterday afternoon at the national launch of Sony’s PSP in Education initiative, Maguire told an invited audience of press, teachers and education specialists that the current PSP is just the "first iteration".

In line with the firm’s strategy for previous consoles, a "smaller, lighter" system will be introduced in the future.

Responding to a query on Sony’s plans for redesigning the system, Maguire added that any changes to the industrial design would not affect the size of PSP’s screen - widely seen as one of the system’s key strengths - which is "fixed". He did not offer any suggestions as to when the new iteration might be released.

A reworked PSP has been rumoured for months, but this is the first time a Sony executive has gone on record to confirm the company’s plans. Aside from a reduction in size and weight, Maguire did not suggest any additional changes to the hardware.

If the cost of components for the reworked PSP is less, the machine itself could also carry a lower price tag. It currently retails for GBP 179.

Cutting the size and cost of console hardware has been standard practice for Sony since it introduced PSone in 2000, five-and-a-half years after the Japanese launch of the original PlayStation. The slimline PStwo launched four years after PlayStation 2.

Following the PSP in Education event, a Sony spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz that while there are no "immediate changes" planned for the handheld other than new firmware updates, "In the longest term, of course we are always looking at ways to continue our platform development, and this normal business practice is what Ray was referring to."

[Chandoo]

i hope they dont reduce the size of the psp screen, that thing is gorgeous.

[devilscallmedad]

....and has too many dead pixels and breaks easily and umm is a bit large, make psp half its size, more battery life, no dead pixels, sturdy, in built memory and 2 analogue sticks.

[A.Rafay]

shut up!!! psp is already good

[devilscallmedad]

No its not, it has waaay too many annoyances to be a good portable.

[Chandoo]

the psp is ps2 on wheels, thats always good.

[devilscallmedad]

but it only has one analogue stick and plenty of other "bugs" sony should have redesigned it a bit earlier still the handheld war may just not be over yet if sony deliver a good redesign cheaper price launching with gow it still could strike back.

[A.Rafay]

what do u mean by "other bugs"

[radd]

smaller , lighter and 2 analog sticks. thats what psp should have been from the start.

[devilscallmedad]

do you really want be to list all the problems? i think i already did
- too large in size/weight
- almost every psp has dead pixels
- breaks easily
- very small battery life
- no built in memory ( means no copying music/videos )
- copying stuff is tiresome to memory sticks
- One analogue stick
- Most games are ps2 ports which need two analogue sticks

[Chandoo]

http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/psp/gam...13144256984085



Five features we want from a Sony redesign
Words: Ben Richardson
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Tuesday 13 March 2007
Whatever you might think, PSP has been a success. Nearly 25 million of the sleek gaming portables have been sold since it was first launched in Japan at the end of 2004 .
However, PlayStation Portable could use some work. And, if the recently refuelled rumours of a redesigned PSP 2 are to be believed, Sony knows it.
Certainly here at GamesRadar we reckon PSP hasn't yet reached its full potential. Sony just needs to unlock the handheld's strengths and cut down on the weaknesses. So here are five things that we'd like to see included in a reworked PSP, aimed at improving its gaming credentials.
A better LCD screen
Don't get us wrong - PSP's gorgeous, bright screen still makes us grin like it's Christmas. But PSP's refresh rate (that's the speed it can update the image on screen) leaves something to be desired. With a better refresh rate PSP would lose those ghostly trails, and movies and games would look so pretty we'd doubtless be moved to joyful tears.
Integrated GPS and camera
GPS is cool, it's as simple as that. MGS Portable Ops hinted at the gaming possibilities - though only with the GPS attachment available in America and Japan - and combining GPS positioning with in-game action is exciting. Then, with an inbuilt camera, PSP could feature video-phone and camcorder abilities. Make it so, Sony.




Above: There's loads of fake PSP 2 pics, but what would you want the rumoured new design to look like?

Longer battery life
That whirring UMD guzzles battery power, but we'd expect to see Sony bring its laptop experience to bear in extending PSP's juice use. With DS offering a whopping amount of gaming time from a single charge, making PSP more efficient should be job one if Sony really are planning a new version.
Onboard flash memory
At least 5gb, please. This would stop us needing to buy new, easily-losable memory cards, and we could even see a PS3-insprired feature help with PSP's notorious loading times - if Sony let us upload a chunk of the game onto a PSP's harddrive, we could enjoy commuter gaming without the waiting.
No software restrictions
A real pipedream this, but if it was easier to transfer any kind of movies or footage onto PSP or play 'homebrew' games or software, Sony could turn PSP into a techno-geek's wet dream. Plus, it would mean the less experienced of us would still be able to watch next week's episode of Lost on the way to work.

[devilscallmedad]

Something needs to happen with the PSP, ASAP. That's the message retailers have, according to our sources, sent Sony. With sales of the PSP lagging (Sony's PSP hardware shipments to retailers last Fall were down 72 percent over the year before, only a meager 10,000 units in the U.S.), word is that a few big name retailers have given Sony a mandate: drop the price or they'll drop the system from their stores. Entirely. With shelf space at a premium, the expectation is for Sony to do something substantial to keep its hardware moving -- or else.
Coming up on the second anniversary of the PSP (March 24th), a price drop seems possible -- after all, the price was lowered by $50 two days before its first anniversary last year. But according to Sony, that's not yet in the cards. Speaking with John Koller, the Senior Marketing Manager for the PSP, at the Game Developers Conference last week, 1UP learned that a price drop was not announced to retailers at Sony's Destination PlayStation (http://www.destinationplaystation.com/) retailer event last week.
But something else was.
According to Koller, Sony did share plans that got retailers excited. Of course, what these plans were exactly, he wouldn't say. Could they be new PSP colors that have been previously shown (http://www.1up.com/do/%3Ca%20href=) and released (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3154825) in Japan and Europe? Or could they be the redesigned PSP with 8 GB of flash memory that's been rumored for ages (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153328)? Or could they be the launch of some new PSP video/music download service? We'll likely have to wait a few more weeks to find out.
And whether it's coming soon or later down the road, a redesign for the PSP is in the works. According to Koller, Sony is in the process of reducing parts and potentially adjusting the size -- similar to what's been done with the PS1 and PS2. "I can at least say this much, the screen won't be changing in size," he said.
It seems that Sony hopes to repeat the success Apple has had with the iPod's pricing structure -- thanks to new colors and models, the iPod's price has largely remained the same over the years. Koller also admitted that Sony paid close attention to the spark in sales the DS Lite iteration of the Nintendo DS caused once it released.
One thing is clear, though: something will happen with the PSP soon. Now, we just need to wait.

[A.Rafay]

@devil: so what do u want from a PSP.... name all the nice features and then say "I am not buying PSP coz its too expensive"

[Chandoo]

good one rafay lol

[devilscallmedad]

@devil: so what do u want from a PSP.... name all the nice features and then say "I am not buying PSP coz its too expensive"
err....price is the most important factor in anything i'd rather have a ferrari then a Toyota corolla but i don't what's the reason you think? not enough features maybe?
Bottomline: Cheap price can even make a bad product look good and vice versa

[A.Rafay]

i'll ask again.... what do u want from PSP

[Chandoo]

to love him and hold him and cuddle him when he's feeling alone :p lol

[devilscallmedad]

i'll ask again.... what do u want from PSP
i already listed it on page 1