PSP maybe no support for wifi and mp3 playback

[hey69]

- UNCONFIRMED: Sony revealed some new tidbits regarding to the PlayStation Portable. The PSP will have connectivity features with PS2, similar to the GBA and GameCube. Players can save the progress of a PSP game and continue in the PS2 version of the same name. Sony is intended to sell PS2 + PSP bundle of identical games to make them more appeal to customers. However, Sony hinted that certain PSP features may not be available in the final version, such as wireless networking and MP3 support.


according to magicbox

 

[Paul]

And Magic Box got it from PSPinsider which in turn got it from a user from their boards..

 

[hey69]

yeah, most probably 8)

 

[Guden Oden]

...and who CARES, really? Who would buy a PSP to play fricken MP3s anyway? Noone! Wifi, hm, well, color me unimpressed, it's mainly just a waste of power, you're not going to stand a football field away from another person in a multiplayer game, you can just as well hook up with them via regular cables and get much longer battery life and connection speed and reliability on top of it all. I don't care the slightest about wifi, it's a total gimmick feature on PSP or other portables.

I use bluetooth with my cellphone for handsfree and downloading pictures I take with the camera. It's convenient, but not essential. For gameplay purposes, I see it as even less so.

 

[Megadrive1988]

there is also the rumor of PSP specs being cut back. I dunno if that involves graphics performance or what. I guess all will be revealed at E3 in May.

 

[Guden Oden]

there is also the rumor of PSP specs being cut back.

That's just DM making waves, nothing we should concern ourselves with.

 

[hey69]

Guden, i'm sorry but lack of wifi i think is not unimportant actually.
more and more WIFI hotspots are being installed on most public places
and that alone is just interesting to play online while on the go for ex.(train, waiting for the plane, mcdonnalds , etcc..)
yes playing mp3 and stuff is maybe not THAT important but then again..
it's not gonna cost them extra to let it act as a audio player (be it mp3 or atrac or in shiznit format )

I don't know for other countries in detail but here in Belgium there is a very big penetration of broadband and a lot of people have wifi setup at home. wouldn't it be great for example a kid (adult whatever ) to play a few matches of online Grand turismo PSP while laying in bed ...
(ugh, what an example but you get the point )

 

[nobie]

I don't really care about MP3 playback but WiFi would be very nice for multiplayer. A link cable is just so 1990's :]

 

[kaching]

Agreed with hey69 regarding Wifi. It enables online gaming for the PSP, if nothing else. I'd hardly call that a gimmick.

 

[Guden Oden]

I really doubt already announced features will be removed at this stage, but even if any were, I wouldn't miss wifi even a second. I don't really see playing online being big on this thing. For starters, the screen is TINY! Ergonomics WILL suck, just as with all handheld game devices. You're going to get tired, and no matter HOW common hot-spots will get, they're NOT going to be common enough to really make the feature ubiqutous.

Besides, wifi standards keep changing constantly, in a few years who can tell if your PSP can even connect using the wifi equipment at the time?

 

[kaching]

So, in other words, the same problems that you think plague handheld gaming in it's current state will plague online handheld gaming. Fine. But if the screens are already too tiny and the ergonomics already suck by your measure, what difference does it make if the game is online or off?

Hotspots don't have to be ubiquitous. Wired access to the Net isn't ubiquitous either, whether broadband or narrowband. Not sure why ubiquity needs to be the determining factor here...

Wifi standards are changing but that's typical of most standards. They evolve, they don't remain static, but they also typically maintain at least several iterations of legacy compatability in their spec.

 

[Guden Oden]

But if the screens are already too tiny and the ergonomics already suck by your measure, what difference does it make if the game is online or off?

Because offline you play a while and then you don't. If you're going to play online or wifi with friends, would you really just go at it for like a bit until you start getting crosseyed, or would you want to do a good session if you're going to bother? I mean, if you're a regular person and not a nut who don't care you're going crosseyed because you're about to level-up, you just have to play another 45 minutes to get enough EXP...

Hotspots don't have to be ubiquitous.

Uh, well, actually they WOULD. Why else would you bother to go for this kind of functionality if it's only going to work in a few places? It wouldn't be worth the development costs or the hit to customers' wallets.

Wifi standards are changing but that's typical of most standards. They evolve, they don't remain static, but they also typically maintain at least several iterations of legacy compatability in their spec.

Uh, dude... All wireless variants use the same frequency range, you couldn't fit multiple standards in the same space or they'd totally trip each other up. With wired connections you connect to a router/switch which will negotiate the connection/speed on a per-port basis, it's not the same thing by a long shot.

 

[kaching]

There's all kind of game experiences. I'm not sure why you're making the assumption here that online play requires that you play for hours or until you're "crosseyed". There's plenty of game experiences that could be satisfying in short bursts. Fighters, racers, puzzle games all lend themselves well to quicky game sessions. Not every online game is a MMORPG where getting a feeling of satisfying progression requires hours.

Regarding hotspot ubiquity, if you're going to take the attitude that you don't try to take advantage of it until it's everywhere, how do you make progress towards that end in the first place? You won't be able to establish the demand that will engender further development and expansion unless you give people reasons to use it in the first place. If nothing else, I will be able to use it with my wireless home network and if I encounter anyone else with a PSP and we want to play a multiplayer game, we won't have to worry whether one of us brought a link cable.

I think we're missing each other on the standards issue. As far as I can tell, devices based on the 802.11a, b and g standards are interoperable to some extent, no?

 

[Vince]

Uh, dude... All wireless variants use the same frequency range, you couldn't fit multiple standards in the same space or they'd totally trip each other up. With wired connections you connect to a router/switch which will negotiate the connection/speed on a per-port basis, it's not the same thing by a long shot.

Uh, AFAIK 802.11a utilizes the 5GHz range, while 802.11b and g use the 2.4GHz range. Furthermore 802.11g is backwards compatable with 802.11b.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Uh, dude... All wireless variants use the same frequency range, you couldn't fit multiple standards in the same space or they'd totally trip each other up. With wired connections you connect to a router/switch which will negotiate the connection/speed on a per-port basis, it's not the same thing by a long shot.

Uh, AFAIK 802.11a utilizes the 5GHz range, while 802.11b and g use the 2.4GHz range. Furthermore 802.11g is backwards compatable with 802.11b.

Correct.

 

[Guden Oden]

There's all kind of game experiences. I'm not sure why you're making the assumption here that online play requires that you play for hours or until you're "crosseyed".

I'm not ASSUMING anything, I'm not even stating a hypothesis, I'm just setting up a scenario based on my own experience.

Regarding hotspot ubiquity, if you're going to take the attitude that you don't try to take advantage of it until it's everywhere, how do you make progress towards that end in the first place?

I don't see the PSP being the driving-force that will accomplish that though. Besides, what kind of network quality will you get from a public hot-spot anyway? What if devices using wifi grows faster than the performance of the base stations? What kind of ping can one expect to get? Also, some places may well require you to pay first before you get access, etc.

if I encounter anyone else with a PSP and we want to play a multiplayer game, we won't have to worry whether one of us brought a link cable.

I'm wondering how much configuration stuff this will require. It damn better be both foolproof and idiot proof or else it'll bomb no matter what...

As far as I can tell, devices based on the 802.11a, b and g standards are interoperable to some extent, no?

Not sure exactly how inter-operable they are, but that we do have a, b and g standards ALREADY is a bit worrysome, don't you think?

 

[Vince]

Not sure exactly how inter-operable they are, but that we do have a, b and g standards ALREADY is a bit worrysome, don't you think?

No, A & B were in competition initially - B kicked A's ass hard, G then superceeded B.

 

[cthellis42]

...and who CARES, really?

I certainly would. Why on earth NOT have it? It would be retarded to have a machine with high-class audio hardware AND Memory Stick, and not let it do something as simple as function as what "flash MP3 players" can. Or any recent PDA.

As such, I pretty much expect it will have it, though I might go so far as to say it could get excluded at launch and added later in a firmware update, a la PSX, if they need to concentrate on more important parts first. <shrugs> I don't see the issue, though.

WiFi would be a poor loss as well, seeing as how they're supposed to be creating a "new type" of device with it. Ease of connectivity should be emphasized, and they'd certainly be better off with it integrated than something to stick on later and compromise the form factor. Suck a bit of a loss if they have to--it should be there.

 

[marconelly!]

That's just DM making waves, nothing we should concern ourselves with.

The rumor of hardware downgrade originates on the Japanese electronic hobbyist site Gamelabo. I have no idea how relevant or trustworthy they are though, especially in the light of much more backed rumor of the hardware (memory) upgrade.

 

[Tagrineth]

Because offline you play a while and then you don't. If you're going to play online or wifi with friends, would you really just go at it for like a bit until you start getting crosseyed, or would you want to do a good session if you're going to bother? I mean, if you're a regular person and not a nut who don't care you're going crosseyed because you're about to level-up, you just have to play another 45 minutes to get enough EXP...

Wow! Your eyesight must really SUCK! if you get cross-eyed from playing on, say, a GBA.

You know, nothing's forcing you to hold the screen more than ~1" away from your eyes...

Uh, well, actually they WOULD. Why else would you bother to go for this kind of functionality if it's only going to work in a few places? It wouldn't be worth the development costs or the hit to customers' wallets.

Online play wouldn't have to be available everywhere. I mean, jeeze. The PC space has had online gaming for years - are you going to say that laptop owners should avoid getting wireless network cards now because they can't use them anywhere and everywhere?

You could, say, play the game online at home, and while on the move you can practice in single player (say, if it's an FPS... or a fighter).