Bach: There are 'cautionary tales' to learn from the PSP Options

[Xbox-Scene]

Bach: There are 'cautionary tales' to learn from the PSP Posted by XanTium | June 14 23:27 EST | News Category: Xbox360

From gamesindustry.biz: [QUOTE] "The PSP is a reasonably successful product at the profit-and-loss level. But as a product concept, there are cautionary tales to learn from it," said Bach, speaking to Dean Takahashi at Venture Beat. "While it is good at producing audio, it's not a good music player because it doesn't have local storage (except for flash memory slots). You can't keep your music there. It has a beautiful screen, but you can only get the video under the Universal Media Disc format. That format hasn't been successful. "On a game level, it has done well. But even there, it is mostly PlayStation 2 ports. There isn't much original content," he added. Bach said that Microsoft's philosophy with its Zune handheld will be to take things slowly, to focus on individual elements over time instead of trying to offer everything - such as music, games and video - out of the box. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamesindustry.biz

[Ranger72]

But what he doesn't not say is how wonderful the home brew scene is for the PSP.

It is like a portable xbox 1 with all that can be done with it.

[cory1492]

What people won't say to try and put down all competitors at once in a single (faulted) statement...

While it is good at producing audio, it's not a good music player because it doesn't have local storage (except for flash memory slots). You can't keep your music there. It has a beautiful screen, but you can only get the video under the Universal Media Disc format. That format hasn't been successful.

Huh? So 8 and 16Gig memory sticks aren't enough for such things as music, it requires a power hungry fixed size built in flash to be worth while? PSP supports video only on UMD? Well how the hell am I able to record a vid with my PSP cam and play it back on the machine then, since apparently I have to play them back from a UMD? I guess those video converters that are kicking around to convert pretty much anything to PSP compatible MP4 format are just outright jokes then?

When one wants to learn lessons, it's best to know that the teacher isn't teaching from broken/bad information

Bach said that Microsoft's philosophy with its Zune handheld will be to take things slowly, to focus on individual elements over time instead of trying to offer everything - such as music, games and video - out of the box

So, basically out of the box it will do "next to nothing" and in maybe a few years it might do... something? Great way to try sell a product to compete with those that already do music, game, video (and much more) out of the box - and in most cases quite well even without 3rd party modifications to the built in software.

If one were to ask me, which they haven't, I'd say Zune as it currently stands is COMPLETELY lacking any original content, and if this statement is outlining the idea of the product - it's "riding the short bus to school."

This post has been edited by cory1492: Jun 15 2008, 05:54 AM

[mlapaglia]

sony was great with marketing the psp. even though it doesn't have original games or "good audio," they still sell like hotcakes in Japan don't they?

[viperware]

"While it is good at producing audio, it's not a good music player because it doesn't have local storage (except for flash memory slots)."

I love this statement, the Xbox 360 doesn't even have local storage to put your mp3s on. Your mp3 storing device can only be used on xbox360 whilst it is still plugged in, same concept.

[g8crapachino]

"While it is good at producing audio, it's not a good music player because it doesn't have local storage (except for flash memory slots)."

I love this statement, the Xbox 360 doesn't even have local storage to put your mp3s on. Your mp3 storing device can only be used on xbox360 whilst it is still plugged in, same concept.

In case you missed the point, the PSP is a Portable device, the 360 is not. The 360 has never been marketed as a portable music player/game console/Video device so why are you trying to use the 360 to rationalize the above statement as being the same concept? It's not.

Bach's article is from the perspective of other portable devices. Compared to some other portable music or video players on the market the PSP is mediocre. Bach is certainly not the first one to ever say the PSP game library was lacking.

IMO, SOny did with the PSP the same thing they did with the PS3. They made too many early promises and tried to market the device as being more then it really was. There's no focus and it ends up not being particularly best at anything.

This post has been edited by g8crapachino: Jun 15 2008, 01:23 PM

[LockmanSal]

I love this statement, the Xbox 360 doesn't even have local storage to put your mp3s on. Your mp3 storing device can only be used on xbox360 whilst it is still plugged in, same concept.

the Pro and Elite sku's have Hard Drive so you can save your music in it. but then again the XBox360 isn't a portable gaming device.

[[TR]]

There's no focus and it ends up not being particularly best at anything.

I would say that while it isn't the best at any of the various things it does, it is the best at doing all those things at once.

Bach's comments are WAY off on everything. The games, for example, are not ports from PS2, but spin-offs or re-imaginings of PS2 games to suit the PSPs limitations (mostly control). And I've heard mostly good things about those. In fact it goes the other way around and many of those have been ported to the PS2.
And there are plenty of PSP original titles. Maybe not as good, but look at the Wii and you might not see something too different.
About audio and video on the PSP the guy clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. No need to even go into detail.
And trying to stick the Zune with the portable console bunch says more about the lack of direction of it than Sony's PSP. iPods have had games and video for a while now, but no one feels the need to point them out as "portable consoles".

PS: I don't have a PSP, but have considered it a good investment if I'm ever on the market for a portable audio/video device. Also plays games as a great bonus! (I also have 3 XBOXs vs. 1 PS2, BTW)

[bucko]

sony was great with marketing the psp. even though it doesn't have original games or "good audio," they still sell like hotcakes in Japan don't they?

I'm sure the DS has outsold them 10fold, even in Japan. PSP's sell well there cause it's a Japenease make and it's portable.

The Zune is just a music device, and imho I don't have one but it will always be a music device. MS have stated they can't beat Nintendo DS so why would they try and put games on it? Sure it's a nice little extra, but with a device like Zune they need to focus on one area, or it will just become a mesh and fail.

I think they also need to release it in Europe. I would personally like to see one in operation but it's hard replying to topics like this for the fact they aint even out here in the UK.

[gAm3 Fr3aQu3]

Bach is just full of himself...
I mean, c'mon... no original content? Give credit where it's deserved.
Like the Zune is an original design? The way I see it, it's a wanna-be iPod.

[erexx]

Bach has been dipping into the secret stash again.


My PSP plays MP3's incredibly well, 8GB is plenty for on the go music and 16GB is currently possible.
It also plays almost every video format except divx and that is rumored to be in the next firmware update.
I convert my own movies from DVD, they look and play as good if not better than UMD without the extra cost.

It also has some great games.
They only thing that may have hurt its "profitability" is piracy.

Spin Bach Spin!

[h_2_o]

that whole article was either messed up or wrong, then trying any type of comparison to the psp and zune in any way/shape/form is just stupid. yes i know they were trying to talk philosophy/development of a product but still the 2 are in such different markets that it doesn't apply. I guess this just goes to show us that "insiders" are just as stupid as the idiots who run the MPAA and the RIAA

[avatar1976]

Bach has been dipping into the secret stash again.
My PSP plays MP3's incredibly well, 8GB is plenty for on the go music and 16GB is currently possible.
It also plays almost every video format except divx and that is rumored to be in the next firmware update.
I convert my own movies from DVD, they look and play as good if not better than UMD without the extra cost.

It also has some great games.
They only thing that may have hurt its "profitability" is piracy.

Yep I agree with you regarding PSP and movies, the other thing is the movie format it uses is the ipod video format.
So realistically if you can get a movie for ipod video then you can put it on your PSP provided it's not DRM I suppose.
(Edited to add bit regarding DRM)

This post has been edited by avatar1976: Jun 16 2008, 06:05 AM

[hamwbone]

But what he doesn't not say is how wonderful the home brew scene is for the PSP.

It is like a portable xbox 1 with all that can be done with it.

Why would he mention that? You think they make their money selling hardware?

[luther349]

what is this bs. psp not a good audio player???? last i knew it supported mp3 playback from a memery stick. umd only video???? doesent it support mpeg4 video also from the memercard. lets not forget its wireless connecyivy both gaming and mobile web and even remote gaming from a ps3 ps1 titles only thow.

the game lineup has some point to it good realses on a psp tend to be pretty spaced but that was abought the same for the old xbox. and being its a handheld that only sold ok doesent help. being thers nearly100$ diffrence from the ds to the psp hurts it to granted you do get some nice bundles thow oh and with softwhere like orb 2.0 its even a mobile mce extender and if you use kai link yes alot of psp owners do it literly has internet gaming from around the world. and we havent started the hacking scene on it. thats just all the features a stock psp has. think xbox but smaller.

ports well the name itsself world assume most games would from from other platstation models. i might bash the pos that called ps3 but when it comes to psp sony did well.

ds on its own is good in terms of being diffrent and thers even mobile web on it if you can hunt down a copy of the broswer and its far weaker/slower then the psp based one. but thats not what the ds was built for anyways itas all abought the tuch screens. but ds suffers from the same issue of few good games if anything worse. 90% of the lineup is kid based ds = gamecube of this gen. other then the few n64 ports for the ds like mario i havent seen anything that sceams buy me. unlike the 2 games psp relesed this year aruldy ff7 crises core and god of war psp.

zune well i never even messed with them so that tells my intrest in them.

This post has been edited by luther349: Jun 16 2008, 04:03 PM