Sony to announce PSP2 in Tokyo on January 27 (vg247.com)

[YoungMullah88]

ill buy two if its anywhere 200 dollars! knowing sony this thing will be 349.99....and above

[AaronSOLDIER]

They're doing this to try to "steal some thunder" from the 3DS but Sony's fighting an uphill battle on this one...A bigger better, more bad *** PSP will just be seen as another PSP with the same market as the last one...

Not if it has all the 3DS specs and more. The only thing Sony needs to bring is the games, hopefully they'll have more western devs this time round.

[Vulgotha]

Sony has an opportunity by pricing it identically to, or less than, the 3DS with its vastly superior specs. They'll take more of a financial hit per unit than the 3DS will but selling points against the PSP2 would be extremely difficult- Especially if it ships with some sort of 3D screen (which I think is a bygone conclusion).

[snooper71]

Anything under 300$ = day one.

If S-E pulls out a FFVIIr tech demo with no actual development going on or green lit, I'm never buying their products again!

[Galvanise_]

Since 3DS will be $250, it would be a very smart move by Sony to do a $200 price point.

Crazy. Absolutely crazy.

[snooper71]

3G and OLED touch screen!?!?!?!? Can someone say 4-500$?

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201.../psp2_details/

[Galvanise_]

3G and OLED touch screen!?!?!?!? Can someone say 4-500$?

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201.../psp2_details/

3G might be subsidised.

[snooper71]

3G might be subsidized.

A 3g chip goes on the cheap these days, it's the OLED touch screen that has me worried, no carrier will subsidize screens only. Anyone who doesn't need (or want to pay to use) 3g will have to pay full price on the unit. SONY still hasn't learned that people will not pay out the *** for a gaming device. They better market it has the holy grail to have any chance at a high price and we all know marketing is not SONYs thing.

[brebaz]

I'm hoping for a 6" - 7" screen, that would be awesome!! I don't really care about how much will it cost.

[Azu]

Sony has an opportunity by pricing it identically to, or less than, the 3DS with its vastly superior specs. They'll take more of a financial hit per unit than the 3DS will but selling points against the PSP2 would be extremely difficult- Especially if it ships with some sort of 3D screen (which I think is a bygone conclusion).

Yeeeaaah.... No. With the kind of specs it has, the PSP2 will definitely be a MINIMUM of 300$/€, and even that will probably cause them some serious losses. I'd say it will most likely be closer to 350$/€. Maybe even 399$. I mean, if recent news about the 3DS manufacturing costs are right, even it costs about 175$ per unit for Nintendo to make, then with the kind of crazy specs PSP2 is rumoured to have PLUS the OLED touch-screen and whatever else it still has under its sleeves, you're crazy if you think that Sony will be able to price it near 3DS's price. It is high-tech with a high price. So... yeah, if Sony is willing to take a hit with the hardware sales (which I'm quite doubtful of, given the disaster that was PS3's first years), I could see it being as low as 300$. But if they want a +/-0 or even a bit of profit with hardware sales, then we probably won't see it any lower than 350$, give or take 10-20$.



I'm highly anticipating all the meltdowns when Sony announces the price of PSP2, if it's even close to the kind of machine the rumors are hinting it to be. All you people anticipating it to be 200-250$ are insane and are quite likely in for a reality check. I'd be super-positively surprised if it was anywhere NEAR those prices.

Also, I'm pretty sure we won't hear the price on the 27th, unless the launch is within the next ~5 months. If PSP2 will be launched in September or later, don't expect any price announcements before E3. If the launch is later than October, then we might not even hear it before Tokyo Game Show. Though, I guess they could announce it on the 27th to maybe take a bit of steam away from 3DS IF they have a competitive price (299$) as well as some impressive software to back it up (more than just Uncharted PSP). But if they are going for a $300+ price, then I could see them just hyping it massively starting from January 27th and hope they make it sound like the best thing ever before they announce the price just a few months before launch, so that the right people (early adopters) will have enough time to really start wanting to buy one no matter the price.

[MxB-One]

A 3g chip goes on the cheap these days, it's the OLED touch screen that has me worried, no carrier will subsidize screens only. Anyone who doesn't need (or want to pay to use) 3g will have to pay full price on the unit. SONY still hasn't learned that people will not pay out the *** for a gaming device. They better market it has the holy grail to have any chance at a high price and we all know marketing is not SONYs thing.

I think this is a great step for sony to take, they obviously want to get in on what apple does with iphone etc. Including 3G is great for many reasons.

firstly, since it doesnt require insane amounts of data to be downloaded to your psp2 for use of online gaming, and most often you pay monthly mainly for what you download/(how much you game online in this case).

If sony has a deal with the networks in whatever country we might see special offers on 3g just for psp2.

I see this as a great thing for consumers as we have a choice, no need for 3g if you dont want it, just go wifi only.

What one has to keep in mind is this. If they simply release a more powerfull PSP but with 3g touch and wifi, then it will fail. However, looking at everything we've heard, it will most likely be packed with features that makes the device play a competative role against other giants. If it CAN do everything an iphone can do (minus calls), then we have all the great game styles we love on phone plus real controls for deeper game experiences that just dont work with only touch. Hell just give me a new stardust for PSP2, dual analogs and leaderboards will keep me busy for a year.

[Versus]

Well the problem I see for Sony is that if they have to have a handheld launch at a high price point, not only do they have to worry about Nintendo's 3DS (which is going to be a big success) but they have to worry about all the handheld devices out there that are competive now in the market. Look at the iPad, it may not be as big as a PSP or DS, but it's out there, and more and more companies want to put their sofware on devices that are not Sony's or Nintendo's.

The handheld market is quickly becoming more and more competitve Sony could really use some surprise big hit software titles to help in the launch lineup.

[bobtheduck]

If it has backwards compatibility to PSP games as well as PSOne games, I'm in.

There's a rumor the PS3 can natively play PSP games with some minor alterations to the files, so if that's true, I think it would be absurd if the PSP2 didn't.

[Vulgotha]

Yeeeaaah.... No. With the kind of specs it has, the PSP2 will definitely be a MINIMUM of 300$/€, and even that will probably cause them some serious losses. I'd say it will most likely be closer to 350$/€. Maybe even 399$. I mean, if recent news about the 3DS manufacturing costs are right, even it costs about 175$ per unit for Nintendo to make, then with the kind of crazy specs PSP2 is rumoured to have PLUS the OLED touch-screen and whatever else it still has under its sleeves, you're crazy if you think that Sony will be able to price it near 3DS's price. It is high-tech with a high price. So... yeah, if Sony is willing to take a hit with the hardware sales (which I'm quite doubtful of, given the disaster that was PS3's first years), I could see it being as low as 300$. But if they want a +/-0 or even a bit of profit with hardware sales, then we probably won't see it any lower than 350$, give or take 10-20$.



I'm highly anticipating all the meltdowns when Sony announces the price of PSP2, if it's even close to the kind of machine the rumors are hinting it to be. All you people anticipating it to be 200-250$ are insane and are quite likely in for a reality check. I'd be super-positively surprised if it was anywhere NEAR those prices.

Also, I'm pretty sure we won't hear the price on the 27th, unless the launch is within the next ~5 months. If PSP2 will be launched in September or later, don't expect any price announcements before E3. If the launch is later than October, then we might not even hear it before Tokyo Game Show. Though, I guess they could announce it on the 27th to maybe take a bit of steam away from 3DS IF they have a competitive price (299$) as well as some impressive software to back it up (more than just Uncharted PSP). But if they are going for a $300+ price, then I could see them just hyping it massively starting from January 27th and hope they make it sound like the best thing ever before they announce the price just a few months before launch, so that the right people (early adopters) will have enough time to really start wanting to buy one no matter the price.

I really don't care what you have to say on the issue.

And it has nothing to do with whether or not you've raised good points, which you have. And I have taken them into consideration.

Nintendo always sells their hardware at a profit up front, Sony rarely does.

I think they will price it very competitively. Within 50$.

[Avrum]

Not if it has all the 3DS specs and more. The only thing Sony needs to bring is the games, hopefully they'll have more western devs this time round.

Power and features were never a problem with the original PSP. That's something it has always had over the DS and I suspect the same will largely be true with the PSP2 and the 3DS. Without Sony altering course from what has currently transpired with the PSP though, the PSP2 could very well just come off as PSP ver. 2 as far as market perception and orientation is concerned.

[jlippone]

I wonder if it will have 720p display, rumors have stated it to have HD screen and sony already have 3.5 inch 720p screen on their video cameras.
This combined with good GPU and the rumored 1GB of memory, we would have beast in our hands.

[JCbossman]

Power and features were never a problem with the original PSP. That's something it has always had over the DS and I suspect the same will largely be true with the PSP2 and the 3DS. Without Sony altering course from what has currently transpired with the PSP though, the PSP2 could very well just come off as PSP ver. 2 as far as market perception and orientation is concerned.

Yup, this PSP2 has LOSER written all over it, look at it this way, PSP3000 is $169 got a decent(Not great) display,Wifi, TV output plays music and movies, and is selling not so well. Than you have PSPGo better everything(including form factor) only negative(and it is big) is incompatibility with most PSP regular software can be bought on clearance for less than 200USD FAR Bigger loser than the original PSP. NOW Sony wants to up the specs again? Better screen,wifi etc, and sell it for what? $169 PSP3000's are gathering dust in store shelves who is going to pay FAR more for a better PSP3000? What Sony should have done is rethought the whole idea of a portable system.How about this, start with a dual shock 3, make it bigger to accommodate a CPU and guts of a portable system, have a bunch of hookup ports on it, one of which is to a combo 2d/3d pair of 'glasses' that displays the images to appear like a 60" tv? That way playing outside isn't a problem, as there is no screen glare, it looks big like a movie theater, can do 3d too and if the glasses get damaged can be bought as replacements that jujst plug into the 'system' that would be rad.

[GMOESAF]

iv got a feeling we are going to see alot of ps2 remakes on the psp2

[Azu]

Yup, this PSP2 has LOSER written all over it,

Not really. PSP's problem was that it couldn't keep the momentum going on after a very successful launch and the ease of piracy. If PSP2 is as high-tech as it sounds, the price is kept relatively low (more expensive than 3DS, but still WAY cheaper than crappy iPhones), the firmware features are much improved (can use same PSN profile as on PS3, online multiplayer for all PSP2 games with multiplayer, better PS Store etc.), better protection against piracy and there's enough software to back it up AT launch as well as AFTER it, then it doesn't have to be a repeat of PSP (which, mind you, has sold over 60 million units, which is unprecedented in the history of handheld gaming against Nintendo's juggernauts). And I'm pretty sure Sony & 3rd parties would be perfectly happy with PSP-like hardware sales as long as the software sales pick up from what they've been with DS & PSP games.

look at it this way, PSP3000 is $169 got a decent(Not great) display,Wifi, TV output plays music and movies, and is selling not so well.

PSP is still selling really well in Japan, decently in Europe and only "not so well" in North America, for which blame can mostly be laid to the almost non-existent western support for the past couple of years (as well as the age of the hardware), not the price, not the hardware.

Than you have PSPGo better everything(including form factor) only negative(and it is big) is incompatibility with most PSP regular software can be bought on clearance for less than 200USD FAR Bigger loser than the original PSP.

Umph... PSP Go wasn't a failure (purely) because of its price. It's a failure because it's a digital-only handheld, which even most of the hardcore gamers just aren't ready to do. While people are all happy paying (or not even paying) 1-3$ for iPhone/Android games, paying 30-40$ for a proper downloadable game where you get no physical **** just isn't an option for most people. Also, PSP Go WAS over-priced since Sony had to lick the arses of retailers, who wouldn't have SOLD the handheld since they wouldn't get ANY money from game sales (that's where most of their money comes from). Sony probably would've sold it at 200$ from the start had it not been so, but they are dependent of retailers selling their hardware, so they had to keep them happy.

It's all about what people perceive the thing is worth (which is, of course, highly subjective). PSP Go was a DD only handheld, which already places in the category "should be cheaper than PSP 1000-3000 models" in most people's minds, certainly not in the "100$ more expensive is fine" one. So people didn't see the PSP Go being worth the asking price, at least not in today's market. Maybe if it was like that when PSP launched, more people would've bought into it. But yeah, now it was just old tech in new clothes, which almost never works, especially if the new revision is tons more expensive than the old one.

Besides, even Sony knew PSP Go wasn't going to be a MASSIVE success. It was more meant to become an alternative to those who don't mind NOT having a physical copy of their games, not one that replaces and sells ****tons more than the old models.

Anyways, that doesn't have to be true for a much more powerful handheld with much more features and some impressive looking games. PSP was already old hardware when PSP Go launched, which is why it was really hard to get any type of hype for it, and while PSP Go has a better screen and design, it still didn't change what was inside the damn thing.

NOW Sony wants to up the specs again? Better screen,wifi etc, and sell it for what? $169 PSP3000's are gathering dust in store shelves who is going to pay FAR more for a better PSP3000?

PSP is already 6 years old. Judging the potential of PSP2's sales based on its current performance makes absolutely no sense. Hype is always hype. The first Xbox sold like crap when compared to PS2, yet Microsoft turned things around for this generation. If Sony gets everything right (hardware powerful, it looks sleek, features are a-plenty and great, software-support is varied and big), an initial price of 300-350$ isn't impossible to turn into a success. A handheld doesn't need to sell like DS to be considered profitable & a success.

What Sony should have done is rethought the whole idea of a portable system.

Uhh.. no? The thing you fail to see here is... Nintendo already has the cheaper 130-150$ & the 200-250$ market covered with DS & 3DS, respectively. Sony HAS to distance itself from the original PSP. They HAVE to make a significant jump in power and hardware as well as features in general or else people would be all like "is this just some new revision from PSP1?" To do that, yeah, PSP2 will quite likely cost quite a bit more than 3DS, but it can also differentiate itself enough from both PSP as well as 3DS to make it tempting.

How about this, start with a dual shock 3, make it bigger to accommodate a CPU and guts of a portable system

A horrible, HORRIBLE idea. Not only would it be FUGLY AS HELL, it would be impractical.

have a bunch of hookup ports on it, one of which is to a combo 2d/3d pair of 'glasses' that displays the images to appear like a 60" tv? That way playing outside isn't a problem, as there is no screen glare, it looks big like a movie theater, can do 3d too and if the glasses get damaged can be bought as replacements that jujst plug into the 'system' that would be rad.

And how much do you think THIS would cost? If you think the current PSP2 is going to be expensive, your idea sounds even more so.

A handheld needs to be a freaking handheld. It needs to be kinda small, easy to pick up & play and I'm thinking a lot of people would like it if they don't attract too much attention when/if they play it in public.

If anything, it could be nice if the PSP2 had mini-HDMI output so that you could play while on the go and then continue playing on the big screen when you get home.

[LfCpS3]

Most people who buy these consoles ( the casual crowd) would be more excited and likely to buy a hand held console that has 3D and is cheap than something that has more ram, better graphics etc...

Sony should have a really good USP.

[Galvanise_]

This PSP2 sounds boss. I can't wait for this. Technically Sony have £200 of extra wiggle room with the price for me because Nintendo messed up.

[Wasib]

Surely it cannot be conceived that Sony will release a non-3D hand-held? Everything they are going into (TV's, cameras, recorders, Blu-ray players, PS3 etc etc) are going 3D. So whats going on?

[AaronSOLDIER]

I wonder if it will have 720p display, rumors have stated it to have HD screen and sony already have 3.5 inch 720p screen on their video cameras.
This combined with good GPU and the rumored 1GB of memory, we would have beast in our hands.

Yeah after CES Sony have a lot of Cameras supports 720P and 3D which is what I expect from PSP2. However, the touch screen is really going to bump the price, they should leave it out IMO.

[Copyright]

No matter how good the device is, it needs to be cool, add something fresh to it, and have good advertising. Nintendo 3DS launch had Jonathan Ross on it, a well respected comedian, widely known. Sony will just throw out someone that gaming fans might know, instead of a well known person, who would reach out to his own fan base as well. They loose hype that way.

[JCbossman]

Azu, my point about the 'Regular' PSP's are that they are decent, I personally own a PSP1000 and love it, this PSP 2 is an evolutionary machine, it's got EVERYTHING better but so what? were people REALLY saying 'I would LOVE to watch Feature length PSP movies but the resolution isn't good enough? REALLY? Or I would like PSP games IF they have some more pixels and shaders and stuff? I'll say it again PSP is solid, it has a DECENT color display, and a bunch of cool Multimedia functions, but there is only so much you can do with a sub 5" display.This thing might have the BEST sub 5" display ever made tons of ram and better processors and such, but given it's a handhold can games really look 10x better than GOW: Chains of Olympus? I doubt it. OK Nintendo is going for the stupid 3D, Sony should go for regular 2d but make it high quality, but the price has to be in the same ballpark as the 3ds or it is DOA. For me little handheld great color displays have lost their allure, it was groundbreaking when the PSP came out, today, it's me too, been there done that.Under $300 it has a chance over and it has none.