Huge PSP Software announcement from Sony

[Arwin]

From gaming-age through neogaf, comes this pretty big pack of news:

http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2009/2/24-58
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=353408

At its annual retail and publisher conference Destination PlayStation, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced its unprecedented line up for PSP (PlayStation Portable), including a new hardware offering that extends the PSP market to young female gamers, the debut of blockbuster franchises MotorStorm and LittleBigPlanet on the platform, and major software support from Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, MTV Games, Square Enix, Ubisoft, and other publishing partners.
"With a year of record sales ushering us into the new year, we continue to raise the bar on providing consumers the deepest and broadest entertainment content for every member of the family to enjoy," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "With new content being added every day to the PlayStation Network combined with an unmatched line up of exclusive titles on PSP, and the roll out of truly groundbreaking games such as Killzone 2 for PS3, we remain confident in our approach and strategy for another record year of growth and momentum."

SCEA also previewed its deepest and broadest content line up for the PS3 system, including groundbreaking exclusives such as Killzone 2, inFamous, MLB '09: The Show, MAG, UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves and God of War III to hit throughout the fiscal year. Promising to be a blockbuster hit, Killzone 2's immersive and sensory gameplay sets the stage for PlayStation's continued momentum on the PS3 this year, accompanied by truly innovative and genre- defying content such as MAG, the industry's first online shooter to allow up to 256 players, combined with artistic and niche games like Flower and Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic on PlayStation Network.

With a rapidly growing install base, the PSP platform is riding a wave of momentum that will be paired with a new hardware offering and its best software line up to date, demonstrating significant support from SCEA's publishing partners. Two new limited-edition PSP Entertainment Packs will be available in 2009, bundling everything consumers need to jump onto the PSP platform, from the hardware to games, videos, and other content -- all for $199.99 (MSRP).

-- Hannah Montana PSP Entertainment Pack -- As part of a new focus on expanding the PSP market to female gamers, SCEA will launch this new bundle in July. The pack includes the introduction of the "Lilac" PSP system, Disney Interactive's Hannah Montana PSP game (an exclusive dancing and rhythm action game for gamers to design the show and go on tour as the teen icon), a selection episodes from the Hannah Montana TV series on UMD, a 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, and stickers to customize the PSP.

-- Assassin's Creed PSP Entertainment Pack -- Ubisoft will debut an exclusive installment of the popular Assassin's Creed franchise on PSP later this year. To commemorate this highly anticipated title, SCEA will launch a new bundle that includes the game, a "Piano Black" PSP, and other content that will be announced later.

SCEA's push toward teen and "tween" girl gamers will also be supported by Ubisoft's Petz(R) software line, which will make its debut on PSP with new, unique titles later this year. The Petz series allows young players to create and care for cute, furry pets chosen from many different breeds of dogs, cats, horses, hamsters, dolphins, tigers and bunnies.

Publisher support for the PSP system will continue throughout the year with Rock Band Unplugged, launching exclusively on PSP. MTV Games and Harmonix announced separately that gamers will be able to take Rock Band Unplugged on the road with the first ever portable version of the popular music and gaming experience. Rock Band Unplugged will take center stage as it leverages the PSP system's Wi-Fi capabilities and becomes the first PSP game to include a fully-featured in-game store for downloadable content in the North American and Europeans markets.

The third party support for PSP will continue throughout the year with a stellar line up of titles from EA SPORTS. Madden NFL 10 will enable NFL fans to build their own formations and plays from scratch on the PSP. Then, through connectivity with the PS3, the plays can be downloaded and perfected on the console. In addition, Madden NFL 10 will deliver a faster and more "PSP- friendly" gameplay experience to adapt to the PSP owner's lifestyle. And for the golf fans out there, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 will allow gamers to experience the drama of major golf tournaments with revamped gameplay modes for on and offline play. Look for more EA SPORTS titles to be announced for the PSP this year.

Rounding out the unprecedented publisher support, Square Enix's DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY, which has sold 850,000 units since launching before the holidays in Japan, will make its way to North America this summer.

From a first party perspective, SCEA will bring its biggest franchises from the PS3 to the PSP this year, starting with MotorStorm Arctic Edge and LittleBigPlanet in Fall 2009. These titles will be built from the ground up for PSP, offering users a unique portable experience based on the critically acclaimed franchises. Following are details for each game:

-- LittleBigPlanet -- Developed in conjunction with MediaMolecule, the critically acclaimed game LittleBigPlanet makes its way to the PSP, offering new SackBoy adventures with the same play, create, share experience for gamers on-the-go, in addition to brand new levels and environments specifically created for the platform.

-- MotorStorm Arctic Edge -- Developed by the award-winning Bigbig Studios, the team behind the best-selling Pursuit Force series, MotorStorm Arctic Edge sees the music, the festival and the brutal off-road racing arrive in the breathtaking yet lethal and unpredictable setting of Alaska. The game is also expected to hit the PlayStation 2 platform in Fall of 2009.

As the connective tissue of the PlayStation experience across the PS3 and PSP systems, SCEA announced continued PlayStation Network content from new movie releases through the video delivery service and new game spaces for PlayStation Home. Launching this week, the new "Warhawk Command Center" space makes its way into PlayStation Home offering Warhawk fans a new place to socialize and strategize featuring the sand table. PlayStation Home is the ultimate social community gathering gamers via a rich, 3D high-definition environment and will continue to expand overtime.

Still looking for a better source, as gaming age doesn't seem to give it's source other than that it was announced at this year's Destination Playstation event.

 

[eastmen]

well two titles i'm interested in which is good news I guess. AC and LBP. Hopefully at e3 they announce alot more than this though.

Its a shame the psp isn't a bad system it just has very little compelling software.

 

[tha_con]

well two titles i'm interested in which is good news I guess. AC and LBP. Hopefully at e3 they announce alot more than this though.

Its a shame the psp isn't a bad system it just has very little compelling software.

Please elaborate on "very little". I mean, what justifies the purchase of a system?

For me, if you've got more than 10 compelling titles to play, then the system is worth it.

I, for one, thought the following were all great titles:

Tekken 5: Dark Ressurection
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Silent Hill: Origins
Crush
Patapon
LocoRoco 1/2
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters
Daxter
Syphon Filter titles
FFVII: Crisis Core
Killzone: Liberation

Along side a good handful of upcoming titles:

Final Fantasy Dissedea
New Parasite Eve Title
New Kingdom Hearts Title
FFXIII Agito
Madden 2010 (with good PS3 connectivity)
Motorstorm
LittleBigPlanet
Assassins Creed (if it's not terrible)
Resistance: Retribution

I mean, just how much compelling software does this system need before that absolutely ridiculous stigma is gone? Same goes for all platforms past and present. I had to listen to this as a Gamecube owner, as well as an Xbox owner, now as a Wii, PS3 and PSP owner.

 

[patsu]

I don't want to get into this compelling software argument... but the PSP software list has to include:

* Metal Gear Portable Ops
* Metal Gear Ac!d
* Monster Hunter (still selling well in Japan I heard)

[back slap tha_con]

 

[eastmen]

Please elaborate on "very little". I mean, what justifies the purchase of a system?

For me, if you've got more than 10 compelling titles to play, then the system is worth it.

I, for one, thought the following were all great titles:

Tekken 5: Dark Ressurection
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Silent Hill: Origins
Crush
Patapon
LocoRoco 1/2
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters
Daxter
Syphon Filter titles
FFVII: Crisis Core
Killzone: Liberation

Along side a good handful of upcoming titles:

Final Fantasy Dissedea
New Parasite Eve Title
New Kingdom Hearts Title
FFXIII Agito
Madden 2010 (with good PS3 connectivity)
Motorstorm
LittleBigPlanet
Assassins Creed (if it's not terrible)
Resistance: Retribution

I mean, just how much compelling software does this system need before that absolutely ridiculous stigma is gone? Same goes for all platforms past and present. I had to listen to this as a Gamecube owner, as well as an Xbox owner, now as a Wii, PS3 and PSP owner.

Well i'm talking more about my personal tastes as i thought was apparent by my first statement. However of that list iv'e only bought one game and only 2 of the upcoming titles interest me. I would perhaps buy some of the shooters however they control imo horrible and i much rather invest my time on a 360 for that with a great online community.

I also find it od that in 5 years its only been able to produce 11 titles for you worth buying. For me so far its produced 2.



There are now rumors of a psp redesign with a sliding screen and personaly i think they should save it for a psp 2.

Don't worry though as my ds barely gets anymore play than my psp and the main reason it gets more is that it fits better in my pocket than my psp

 

[catisfit]

I would perhaps buy some of the shooters however they control imo horrible and i much rather invest my time on a 360 for that with a great online community.

I guess you never play when you're not at home. That is after all reason #1 for the PSP existing. I don't think anyone would claim that PSP shooters are better than home console ones, but they are a lot easier to play on a train

 

[eastmen]

I guess you never play when you're not at home. That is after all reason #1 for the PSP existing. I don't think anyone would claim that PSP shooters are better than home console ones, but they are a lot easier to play on a train

I play on the road alot or waiting on the train. Its just that i normally play puzzle games. They may be better to play on a train but if the controls are fustrating why play them ?

I certianly think with two analog nubs (or something better ) the psp could have been great for shooters and I might have played it. however imo the system wasn't well designed for portability. A sliding screen would help alot with that but then again if i own a psp 2000 and there are a handfull of games at best that apeal to me i'm not goign to go out and buy one.

The system to me excels at platformers and there is certianly a lack of quality ones on the platform.

This was listed as a huge PSP software announcement and it really hasn't amounted to much for me and i'm sure for others. There is a reason after all why psp software has done poorly and why ti has a stigma of a failed system dispite the 50m hardware units its sold

 

[catisfit]

There is a reason after all why psp software has done poorly and why ti has a stigma of a failed system dispite the 50m hardware units its sold

Yes, but that reason disappeared with the TA-088v3 (IIRC) motherboard and hasn't resurfaced yet. While it doesn't, it will return to being a viable platform for third party developers and this announcement seems to be the start of that.

 

[tha_con]

Well i'm talking more about my personal tastes as i thought was apparent by my first statement. However of that list iv'e only bought one game and only 2 of the upcoming titles interest me. I would perhaps buy some of the shooters however they control imo horrible and i much rather invest my time on a 360 for that with a great online community.

I also find it od that in 5 years its only been able to produce 11 titles for you worth buying. For me so far its produced 2.



There are now rumors of a psp redesign with a sliding screen and personaly i think they should save it for a psp 2.

Don't worry though as my ds barely gets anymore play than my psp and the main reason it gets more is that it fits better in my pocket than my psp

No, your first post said out of the titles announced, you were interested in two of them. Completely separate from that statement, you made the absurd sweeping claim that it has "very little compelling software".

I'd be willing to bet you haven't played half of the games I listed, not even once, and would gladly play them were they on a console. Of the titles I listed, only THREE were shooters. One of them controls wonderfully (Killzone: Liberation).

The problem is, you've taken your somewhat isolated experience with the PSP, and somehow applied that to every PSP owners experience. There is a TON of great software available for it. Just because you proclaim they "aren't your taste" (which I find hard to believe, frankly) doesn't mean it's not compelling software.

To discuss another point you brought up: How is the PSP not portable?

Also, you say you wouldn't buy the system for just a handful of games. How many games exactly might you own on your 360? And how many of those did you know about at launch? When did you dive in on that purchase? It all seems a bit strange to me. Why is this the exception?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Hold your horses, people! This is not a 'is PSP worth buying?' thread. It's for discussing the recent announcements.

Still looking for a better source, as gaming age doesn't seem to give it's source other than that it was announced at this year's Destination Playstation event.

PlayStation Blog. A true 2D LBP could be a truly excellent portable game, allowing for tinkering in spare moments.

 

[eastmen]

Yes, but that reason disappeared with the TA-088v3 (IIRC) motherboard and hasn't resurfaced yet. While it doesn't, it will return to being a viable platform for third party developers and this announcement seems to be the start of that.

if your talking about what i think your takling about then its already been broken again and has resurfaced.



Anyway I personaly believe for myself that the amount of software announced isn't compelling enough to make the platform viable for me and i'm sure there are many others that feel the same way.

PlayStation Blog. A true 2D LBP could be a truly excellent portable game, allowing for tinkering in spare moments.

It could be very fun and what would be great is if you can create levels on your ps3 and play them on the psp and even share them when your out and about with friends through the wifi.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It could be very fun and what would be great is if you can create levels on your ps3 and play them on the psp and even share them when your out and about with friends through the wifi.

I imagine, and hope even, that LBPSP is true 2D with only a single plane, elliminating the depth issues of the PS3 version. That'd make cross-unit design rather awkward. Plus the PS3 can do a lot more pjysics making some levels plain impossible on PSP. And the RAM issue of course. So I expect the PSP version to be a standalone, LBP in style and principle, but not directly interchangeable with the PS3 version. That doesn't preclude a PS3 LBPSP creation tool, but I can't imagine someone going to that effort. Best case would be a tweak of the LBP editor to have an LBPSP mode, using the reduced assets and options.

 

[patsu]

They need to tap on the modding momentum in PSP. Both LBP and Home (if user generated content is enabled) should be a good start.

 

[tha_con]

I'd actually love to see a sprite based 2D LBP on PSP. Something akin to NSMB on DS perhaps, a combination of sprites and models.

I'd really love to see the PSP become more successful from a software perspective. I understand that NPDs are a large part of peoples purchasing decisions, so hopefully it can become more successful.

Not only that, but if the software were to sell better, it would more than likely get a price drop. I'm sure Sony makes a pretty penny from the PSP hardware.

 

[catisfit]

if your talking about what i think your takling about then its already been broken again and has resurfaced.

I'm talking about loading custom firmware, playing UMD games from memory stick and thus piracy - the major reason why third party publishers became more reticent about releasing games for PSP. From your comment it seems you are talking about the HEN GripShift exploit which is not the same thing at all.

The HENs available do NOT allow the installation of custom firmware, nor playing UMD games from memory stick, the only thing they allow is running homebrew while the PSP remains on.

It remains impossible to date to perform those steps necessary for piracy on any Slim & Lite since the TA-088v3 motherboard revision, or any PSP-3000.

Mods: I know that piracy is a touchy subject on any board, and obviously I don't condone it in any way whatsoever, but I am demonstrating that piracy is still NOT possible on later PSPs, despite the incorrect claim above to the contrary. Long may it remain so, as it is important for the platform to draw third party publishers back, and this announcement seems to be the start of that process.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Mods: I know that piracy is a touchy subject on any board, and obviously I don't condone it in any way whatsoever, but I am demonstrating that piracy is still NOT possible on later PSPs, despite the incorrect claim above to the contrary...

Discussing piracy techniques and workarounds is not a taboo, as long as it's understood there's no condoning of the practice nor anyone looking to do it. Indeed open discussion of weaknesses is needed to inform system designers of areas to patch/consider in future designs.

 

[tirminyl]

It's great seeing more titles come to the PSP but I just wish they were original and not spin-offs, or ports.

 

[patsu]

One of my favorite PSP titles, Patapon:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/02/27/patapon-2-it’s-pata-pata-pata-on/

Hope Patapon 2 is more generous in dropping good equipments. I had to grind a lot for the first one to collect precious weapons. War at sea would be great but it looks like a land-based game so far.

EDIT: Missed the Patapon SackBoys

 

[tirminyl]

I LOVE Patapon!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fearsomepirate]

Cool...maybe my local Wal-Mart will end up carrying more than 16 PSP games as a result.