Quotes are taken from the article in the last month's issue of US OPM. Photos are from the pre-last month's issue of EDGE
What do I like most about the PSP?
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Yannis Mallat: Producer, Ubisoft (Prince of Persia)
What I like the most is the immediate appeal it creates! When you see it, you want it. This is an amazing toy for adults, and I think Sony is just re-creating the walkman effect with this piece of hardware. You have to have it if you're cool. Now, the screen and it's huge resolution combined with the powerful capabilities of the machine altogether make it a real breakthrough in visuals and gaming experience for handheld consoles.
...
I would definitely see myself playing PoP game on PSP rather than a poor 2D platform game on any other handheld.
Yuji Naka, Director, Sonic Team, Sega:
The WiFi capabilities and the 16:9 aspect ratio are brilliant. You can play wireless online everywhere. Puyo Pop Fever, my first PSP game will be the first Puyo Pop Fever game to support online play on consoles or handhelds. It utilizes the Widescreen, so you'll be able to play with your friend face to face by holding one PSP from both sides.
Bob Stevenson, President, Planet Moon
After seeing and holding the PSP at E3, I had one of those rare moments in this industry when you say to yourself, "This is just really, really good; I must have one now!" It looks as sexy as an Ipod, the screen clarity is better than anyone expected, and the size of the unit and it's control placement feel just right.
...
The PSP is the first handheld that is technically strong enough for us to make the kinds of games we want to create without having to make huge compromises. From a production standpoint, we should be able to make one great game every year, or even two or three games with multiple teams, rather than having one gigantic team working on one concept for three years. It will keep us fresh creatively. Also, from a creative and technical standpoint, the PSP is better fit than Nintendo DS for the types of games that PlanetMoon builds.
Alex Ward, Creative Manager, Criterion
What do I like most about PSP? That I'll own one in a few months time! Frankly, I'm astonished by this hardware. Some of the Criterion engineers shot video of the machine at E3. All you can hear on this tape is them talking about how amazed they are by the screen quality. This video sent a wave of excitement through the Criterion office. It's certainly the most exciting machine since the arrival of the original PlayStation back in 1995.
...
We are going to make some great titles for this system. Image quality on the screen is near HD quality, so we think that's our favorite thing about PSP right now.
What are it's weaknesses-----------------------------
Yannis Mallat:
It's going to be easy to develop regular PS2 games on PSP, which could lead to developers to quickly port their games on it. Thus, in terms of creativity, original content, and handheld design approach, I think consumers may have to wait a little or pick up a reduced choice of good games to fully benefit from the gaming part of the machine. In the meantime, if you already have your games on the PS2, do you really want to pay for the PSP versions?
Yuji Naka:
The price might possibly be the problem It is my hope that Sony is preparing the pricing strategy that will make everyone happy.
Bob Stevenson:
The main perceived issue is the assumed cost of the PSP itself. There tends to be a knee-jerk reaction that such a price point would be too high to compete in the handheld space. However, Sony is clearly hoping to create a new market for handheld gamers, much in the same way they did in the console market with PS1 and PS2.
Alex Ward:
I suppose with any portable device, the big question is always going to be, How long the batteries will last? But I'm more than confident that Sony has some cool solutions for this. They said the same about the portable DVD players a few years back, yet we're at the stage where five or six hours of play is not a problem.
What do I like most about the PSP?
---------------------------------------
Yannis Mallat: Producer, Ubisoft (Prince of Persia)
What I like the most is the immediate appeal it creates! When you see it, you want it. This is an amazing toy for adults, and I think Sony is just re-creating the walkman effect with this piece of hardware. You have to have it if you're cool. Now, the screen and it's huge resolution combined with the powerful capabilities of the machine altogether make it a real breakthrough in visuals and gaming experience for handheld consoles.
...
I would definitely see myself playing PoP game on PSP rather than a poor 2D platform game on any other handheld.
Yuji Naka, Director, Sonic Team, Sega:
The WiFi capabilities and the 16:9 aspect ratio are brilliant. You can play wireless online everywhere. Puyo Pop Fever, my first PSP game will be the first Puyo Pop Fever game to support online play on consoles or handhelds. It utilizes the Widescreen, so you'll be able to play with your friend face to face by holding one PSP from both sides.
Bob Stevenson, President, Planet Moon
After seeing and holding the PSP at E3, I had one of those rare moments in this industry when you say to yourself, "This is just really, really good; I must have one now!" It looks as sexy as an Ipod, the screen clarity is better than anyone expected, and the size of the unit and it's control placement feel just right.
...
The PSP is the first handheld that is technically strong enough for us to make the kinds of games we want to create without having to make huge compromises. From a production standpoint, we should be able to make one great game every year, or even two or three games with multiple teams, rather than having one gigantic team working on one concept for three years. It will keep us fresh creatively. Also, from a creative and technical standpoint, the PSP is better fit than Nintendo DS for the types of games that PlanetMoon builds.
Alex Ward, Creative Manager, Criterion
What do I like most about PSP? That I'll own one in a few months time! Frankly, I'm astonished by this hardware. Some of the Criterion engineers shot video of the machine at E3. All you can hear on this tape is them talking about how amazed they are by the screen quality. This video sent a wave of excitement through the Criterion office. It's certainly the most exciting machine since the arrival of the original PlayStation back in 1995.
...
We are going to make some great titles for this system. Image quality on the screen is near HD quality, so we think that's our favorite thing about PSP right now.
What are it's weaknesses-----------------------------
Yannis Mallat:
It's going to be easy to develop regular PS2 games on PSP, which could lead to developers to quickly port their games on it. Thus, in terms of creativity, original content, and handheld design approach, I think consumers may have to wait a little or pick up a reduced choice of good games to fully benefit from the gaming part of the machine. In the meantime, if you already have your games on the PS2, do you really want to pay for the PSP versions?
Yuji Naka:
The price might possibly be the problem It is my hope that Sony is preparing the pricing strategy that will make everyone happy.
Bob Stevenson:
The main perceived issue is the assumed cost of the PSP itself. There tends to be a knee-jerk reaction that such a price point would be too high to compete in the handheld space. However, Sony is clearly hoping to create a new market for handheld gamers, much in the same way they did in the console market with PS1 and PS2.
Alex Ward:
I suppose with any portable device, the big question is always going to be, How long the batteries will last? But I'm more than confident that Sony has some cool solutions for this. They said the same about the portable DVD players a few years back, yet we're at the stage where five or six hours of play is not a problem.
