GamerNode: Latest Sony PSP News

PSP-Lite? Yup!

For those of you that heard a few peeps during E3 about the PSP Lite; you were probably really excited, then you didn't really see any improvements and then you were really disappointed and kicked the cat.

Please! Leave the cat alone, the PSP has more under the hood than you may have guessed.

PSP Lite Improvements:

Downsides? Yes everything has a downside and the few gripes about the new system are as follows:

And as a final note, the volume buttons are still designed to be used by tiny magical elves as they are still so tiny that they're effectively un-usable for our giant handed friends at Gamernode, but I digress.

All in all, I'd say this is a positive step for the PSP platform, that finally addresses some of the complaints we've had all along. However it's not dramatic, so unless you'...

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Newer, better. longer battery life PSP coming?

Is Sony planning a redesign of their PlayStation Portable? Maybe taking some hints from the massive success of the Nintendo DS Lite (combined sales with the DS reached over 42 million units), Sony appears to be planning a trimmed down version of the PSP. Because in the end, smaller is better!

New design changes include a new LED screen (for extra crisp images), a higher battery life (up to 4 times longer), an upgraded UMD drive (faster loading times), an included 8GB internal flash drive and a revamped D-Pad and button configuration (similar to the PS3 D-Pad).

Sony is also throwing around the idea of including a built-in camera but unfortunately, a touch-screen has been shelved till the "next portable gaming device." As for the colored finish, the new PSP will be black, but Sony is thinking ...

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PSP 3.50 firmware in Japan. Remote Play added.

The PS3 recently received an update - firmware 1.80 - that allows for remote play via the PSP.

Unfortunately, the PSP didn't support that particular feature. Well, now it does. PSP firmware 3.50 allows for remote access of your PS3 via any wireless network anywhere on the planet.

There's a catch, though. "Remote play" only lets gamers stream their media files - not play games. So what this really amounts to is getting age-old PSP functionswith access to a larger storage space. In addition, the firmware update adds a channel guide to the RSS section of the PSP XMB.

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Exclusive Star Wars Battlefront game going to PSP

LucasArts announced today that it will be releasing Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron later this fall for the PSP.

The new title will be exclusive to the PSP and will unveil "the previously untold story of a ragtag ensemble of battle-hardened rogues and scoundrels assembled by Han Solo. Gathered to execute some of the most secretive operations in the Rebel Alliance's war against the Galactic Empire, the Renegade Squadron participates in battles spanning the galaxy."

Multiplayer will allow up to 16 of your Star Wars buddies to compete over the internet. For more info on the latest SW Battlefield game logon to the official Star Wars site.

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Napoleon Dynamite video game coming. Gosssssssh!

Sweeeeeet. Crave Entetainment says it will be publishing titles based upon the hit comedy, Napoleon Dynamite. There isn't a lot of details concerning the game as of yet, but Crave did indicate that your favorite characters will be in the title. So you can look forward to seeing Kip, Tina the Llama, Pedro, Uncle Rico and of course, Napoleon in the game. What? No LaFawnduh or Rex? What's up with that?

Mark Burke, Senior Vice President of Product Development at Crave said, "Napoleon Dynamite is one of the great cult classics of the past decade. It's one of those films that has great memorable lines and characters, and we expect that fans of the movie will really like the game."

The games will be released on the DS and PSP. As fans of Napoleon Dynamite, all we can say at GamerNode is, "luuckkkk...

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J Allard loses PSP bet -- wears dreads

Microsoft exec J Allard made a bet in 2005 with Newsweek staff writer N'Gai Croal. The bet? Croal said that the PSP would surpass the 10 million unit mark in a shorter amount of time then the PS2. If Croal won the bet, J Allard would have to make a speech on stage wearing dreadlocks. If Croal was wrong, J Allard would get to shave the hair off of Croal's head.

It turns out that the PSP did exceed the PS2's selling pace and two year's later, J Allard has owned up to his lost bet and has done what he said he would do. On Microsoft's official bio-page of J Allard, there appears a photo of the Xbox exec sporting some rather long dreads and holding a PSP in his hands. (We think he should wear this outfit to all of his board meetings.)

J Allard explained the circumstances leading up to his new hai...

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PaRappa the Rapper is coming again

People refer to Guitar Hero as the preeminent title for rhythm music games, but before there was GH there was PaRappa the Rapper. The game had amazing 2D graphics and gameplay that was entertaining and novel for its time. PaRappa was released on the original PlayStation in 1997 and Sony has decided that the puppy faced rapper will make his reappearance on the PSP for PaRappa's 10th anniversary. Get ready for another visit to Chop Chop Master Onion's cool rap tunes and lyrics.

The game is scheduled for a July launch and will offer all of the original gameplay found in the original PlayStation game. However, Sony says that some added enhancements and features will be available for the PSP edition to spuce things up a bit. It will also be offering remixes of the original game songs for downloa...

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PSP price drops in the UK and Europe again

In April, the PSP core system price dropped from $199 to $169. In the UK, the PSP will also get a price cut that will lower the cost of the unit from 149.99 GBP ($300 USD) to 129.99 GBP ($260 USD). The new pricing will go into effect during the first week of May with similar price reductions occurring throughout Europe at a price of 169 euros. ($229 USD)

According to NPD sales tracking data, Nintendo's DS handheld game console sold 508,000 units to the PSP's 180,000 last month. Some industry watchers attribute the price drop of the PSP to lagging sales and an attempt by Sony to boost business traffic.

A Sony exec said the real reason was due to make the PSP available to a wider audience. "PSP is unique and is constantly evolving. It offers the widest palette of mobile entertainment, from gam...

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The best PSP game description ever

There are lots of new games that come out from the game companies, but one in particular seemed to hold our attention -- a new game for the PSP named, Pocket Pool. Ok, we did a double take on the title of the game, but we were even more amused when the official PlayStation site described the game thusly:

"Grab your stick and go head-to-head with the Dream Models in Pocket Pool for the PSP ...And when you're up against the Dream Models, wins mean more than just a notch on your cue - they unlock video clips and image galleries of the luscious Dream Models."

Well, so much for being subtle. Does Jack Thompson know about this game?

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Final Fantasy I and II coming to the PSP

Final Fantasy fans are all familiar with the long hours that are typically needed to complete any of the popular RPG titles. But with the recent announcement by Square Enix, you'll be able to take Final Fantasy with you wherever you go -- the first two original episodes will be coming to the PSP on June 26 in North America.

Square Enix says FF I and II will be anniversary editions and will include new character art, dungeons, camera angles, graphics and a 16:9 widescreen format. No word was mentioned of changing the gameplay and the often criticized high frequency of random battles found in the original games. But apart from these problems, the redone FF titles will be sure to drain the battery life of PSPs as RPG fans experience the beginning episodes of the 20 year-old franchise.

Shinji Ha...

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PSP Marketing Plans Revealed

Wired examined some quotes from a few Sony employees behind the reasoning of lowering the cost of the PSP and the planned marketing campaign to promote the handheld console to the 13-17 year old demographic. The planned campaign, titled "Dude, Get Your Own," will succeed last Christmas' failed "All I Want For Christmas is a PSP" marketing campaign. John Koller, Senior Product Manager for the PSP, said that most of the PSP consumer base ranges between 13-17 years old. "The intend-to-purchase crowd is living mostly in that group as well. We're looking to expand beyond where we've been. PSP started as a device to appeal to 18-34 year-olds, but north of 26-27."

Koller expanded on the reasoning behind the price cut for the PSP. The first reason was that Sony is able to save more money on product...

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Daxter and Syphon Filter Follow Suit with Price Dr...

Today marks the long-awaited price drop of Sony's PSP, and the Japan-based consumer electronics giant appears to be offering up some extra incentive to buy one. Not only has the PSP dropped from $199.99 down to $169.99, but two of the best games on the system are receiving similar treatment.

Daxter and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror are both heading to the PSP Greatest Hits lineup, beginning today. What this means to gamers is that now they can get some high quality PSP content for $20 a pop. They're just a couple more good reasons to buy yourself a PSP. Good moves, Sony.

Now, about the PS3...

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PSP Price Drop Tomorrow

As of tomorrow, the Sony PSP core system will be marked down from $199.99 to $169.99. GameStop/EB Games already has all of the signage necessary, and is set to go for the April 3 price drop.

Too bad for Sony that the Nintendo DS already costs $129.99. It seems like the handheld market is an uphill battle for anyone who dares take on Nintendo. All console war discussion aside, if you've been waiting for this kind wallet treatment (and who hasn't), it may just be about time you picked up Sony's little portable delight.

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PSP Firmware Updated to 3.30

Sony has updated the PSP's firmware to version 3.30, with a list of features that probably won't make PSP owners jump out of their seats to update their handheld. Chiefly among the features is an expansion of support for PlayStation Network titles and support for video resolution of up to 720x480.

The full list of features includes:

Check out the official Sony website for more details.

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Square Enix Party 2007 to be Held in May

An announcement has come down the wire that Square Enix plans to hold a press event--or a party, if the name of the event is to be taken with no grains of salt--this year on May 12 and 13.

The Square Enix Party 2007 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Final Fantasy franchise, and while nothing official has emerged thus far, it's entirely plausible that we'll see a progress report--or, more likely, trailers--for the multitude of FF games currently in development. "The List," as it stands right now, includes Final Fantasy XIII (PS3), Final Fantasy XIII: Versus (PS3), Final Fantasy XIII: Agito (Mobile), Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (PSP), Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (DS), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii), and the l...

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Sony Damage Control: No New PSP Coming

There was a lot of excitement over a "leak" from Sony UK Managing Director Ray Maguire, who mentioned that the PSP may be going small. During Sony's PSP in Education meeting, he said that the PSP was the "first iteration" of the unit and as it was with other Sony game machines, a "smaller, lighter" version would be coming.

When GameIndustry.biz heard about the potential of a remodeled PSP, Maguire was tracked down and asked what he meant. Maguire responded that the screen size of the PSP would not change, although cosmetic changes or other hardware differences might be made.

But before anyone could say "spin control," the chief spin doctor at Sony, David Karraker, immediately dismissed Maguire's comments and told Gamasutra that Maguire meant something else by his comments. Karraker remarked,...

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Sony to Offer Downloadable Movies for PSP

Sony's new downloadable movie service, set for launch early next year, will provide digital downloads of films for playback on the PSP. Sony is in negotiations with several companies regarding service subscription, including Amazon.com and movie downloading sites MovieLink and CinemaNow.

According to a Financial Times report, movies will be downloaded first to a computer and then can be moved onto a memory stick. While it may sound like a hassle to move from computer to memory stick, it could ultimately make things easier for users, if all of their downloaded movies were to be stored locally for a quick and easy move to the PSP. Such a simple process seems unlikely, however, when piracy is taken into account--the major reason why many movie studios have hesitated to make their films availab...

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After Burner: Black Falcon Announced

Back in August, SEGA announced that they had hired handheld developer Planet Moon Studios to bring back one of their old franchises for the PSP (story). Today, that franchise was revealed: it's SEGA's classic air combat action title After Burner.  Planet Moon will be developing a new game in the franchise titled After Burner: Black Falcon.  The game's plot surrounds a terrorist group named the Black Falcon stealing 13 fighter jets from the CIA. It will be up to the player to take to the skies with various planes, including F-14D Tomcats, F-22 Raptors and F15E Strike Eagles, and attack the terrorists. Each plane will be customizable, and the game will support multiplayer challenges, in both 2- and 8-player co-op modes. After Burner: Black Falcon is set for release in Spring 2007.

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BioWare Forms New Handheld Game Division

Today, BioWare announced the formation of a new handheld gaming division. The new group will be led by Dan Tudge, who has overseen development of titles for several major publishers, including Nintendo, Microsoft, THQ and Sega Sports. "We're thrilled to have Dan leading our new handheld group," said Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare. "Dan has an exceptional pedigree of game development, and we're excited to have him bring his proven track record of successful games to BioWare's new DS project!"

BioWare's first handheld game will make its debut on the Nintendo DS. "As always, we are committed to creating the best story-driven games in the world, and the Nintendo DS offers us an exciting new platform to engage," said Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare. "The new project offers tremendous opportuniti...

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Sony Confirms New Entertainment Bundle for PSP

Sony has confirmed stories that it will be releasing a special bundle package for their handheld game machine, the PSP. The kit will contain the PSP, the game ATV Offroad Fury: Blazing Trails, the movie Lords of Dogtown, and a 1 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo for the MSRP of $250. This new offering by Sony will emphasize the PSP,s various talents, which has been often touted as a multi-media machine.

Peter Dillle, vice president of marketing at Sony said, "The PSP system's success stems from its ability to combine console-quality gaming with multimedia applications, and this new package showcases all of the system's strengths. Whether consumers want to pick up and play one of our top racing franchises, watch a movie, or enjoy their own music, photos, downloadable content and more, the PSP Entertai...

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