Gamernode: Latest Sony PSP News

PSP Price Drop Predicted

The analysts are at it again with predictions about what will happen within the game industry. The latest word out on "The Street" is that Sony,s PSP is headed for yet another price reduction. The handheld unit first hit the store shelves at a hefty $250 price tag and has since been discounted to $199. However, if the business prognosticators are right, the PSP will go for a nice price of only $149.

P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research said, "There is a price cut coming in the second half of the year [because the PSP] has lost momentum. Nintendo has had a great run since it launched the DS Lite and Sony needs to regain some ground."

Chris Morris, of CNNMoney, believes that while the PSP has sold approximately as many handheld units as Nintendo,s DS, (20 million and 21 million respect...

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EA Questions State of the PSP

Electronic Arts Executive VP David Gardner has made some interesting comments with regard to the future of EA in the handheld market. Gardner openly stated that the current state of the PSP has caused the company to reevaluate its stance regarding the Nintendo DS and its Sony rival; the PSP. MCV reports that in a recent interview, Gardner had some choice words when asked about what he thinks of the PSP's place in the market.

"I don,t think Sony can afford to sit back... I think they still have things they can do with the price and performance of the machine – things that they need to address... There,s no doubt that EA has historically bet more on PSP. I think we were excited by the technology, but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun. We must never forget tha...

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Medal of Honor Being Developed for the PSP

Medal of Honor fans who own a Sony PSP will be happy to know that Electronic Arts has recently announced that their next addition to the franchise will be geared towards gamers on the go. Making use of the PSP's hardware and wi-fi capabilities, Medal of Honor Heroes will sport multiplayer modes supporting up to 32 players online and 8 players through a local connection. The game will also feature a full length single player campaign featuring an original storyline with a recurring cast of characters from past MoH titles.

"For the first time ever, the epic WWII battles synonymous with Medal of Honor can be played anytime and anywhere in the world on the PSP," explained Mike Quigley, Group Vice President of Marketing at EA. "The PSP-specific feature set, especially the 32-player wireless supp...

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Scarface Handheld-Bound

Vivendi Games' Sierra Entertainment is brining Tony Montana to your pocket. Say hello to his little friend, Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. for the Sony PlayStation Portable, a turn-based strategy game which features real-time combat. The game expects to stay true to the storyline of the movie. The game will be developed by FarSight studios.

Money. Power. Respect. will also complement Scarface: The World is Yours, an open-ended action game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC, shipping this Fall, developed by Radical Entertainment. The expected Xbox 360 version of Scarface: The World is Yours will not be shipping.

"Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. will challenge players to strategically direct Tony Montana,s legendary and meteoric ascent to the biggest drug kingpin in Miami," said Cindy Cook...

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PSP Titles Will Receive Greatest Hits Status

Sony PS2 fans have long enjoyed the benefits of the "Greatest Hits" releases from Sony. Specific titles, which once retailed for full price, become discounted to a wallet friendly $19.99 with new packaging and the status of being a "GH" title. Now, Sony is passing this tradition on to the PSP platform, starting immediately.

Sony will be releasing the following games under the Greatest Hits banner and will have a suggested MSRP of $19.99:, Ape Escape: On the Loose, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, Wipeout Pure, and Twisted Metal: Head On.

In addition, other titles will be hitting the GH status later this year. Among those expected to be released under the bargain status are: Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, Star Wars Battlefront II, Lum...

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Sony Says DS Lite Has No Impact on PSP Sales

John Koller, product manager for Sony,s PSP, gave his views on the differences and direction of the PSP versus Nintendo,s DS Lite in a recent interview given to Joystiq. According to Koller, the DS Lite has had no effect on sales of Sony's competing handheld.

"There has been no impact on sales. We have had steady sales since before the DS Lite and to today. Looking at it objectively they've had a very successful launch, obviously, and I think they're seeing a lot of Nintendo loyalists jump back in the market and there's a lot of retail initiatives to trade in your old DS for a DS Lite. If you look at the numbers, they did very well in June. But, if you look at our numbers since launch until now, we have outsold the DS by approximately 900,000 units in North America. Statistically speaking t...

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Miami Vice Video Game Announced

The tie-in game to the movie Miami Vice has been released to retailers for the PSP, according to an announcement from Sierra Entertainment. Miami Vice: The Game, is a third person action shooter with Narc officers Crockett and Tubbs going undercover in an attempt to break into the underworld crime scene.

Cindy Cook, marketing officer for Vinvendi said, "By allowing players to go dangerously undercover as Crockett and Tubbs in the rich, glamorous and decadent world of Miami Vice, as well as providing game design elements that maximize the technology of the PSP system including cutting-edge motion capture, highly-detailed environments, and lighting effects inspired by the film, Miami Vice The Game delivers a truly authentic Miami Vice experience that will appeal to fans and action gamers."

Mov...

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Sony Describes UMD Decline as a Problem of Educati...

Recent news of Hollywood studios pulling back their support of Sony,s UMD format for PSP movies has been addressed by Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing at Sony. The failing proprietary movie disk format has had Sony trying to boost sales by offering special bundles which offer standard DVD movies and the UMD version at a reduced price. The UMD format continues to lose support in the movie industry as a viable format.

However, in remarks made to United Press International, Dille explained the downturn in UMD movies as a result of Hollywood not understanding the intend audience-the PSP user. "SCEA has been providing the Hollywood studios with data on the PSP consumer, both from a demographic and psychographic point of view, in an effort for them to better tailor their product of...

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Memory Stick Movies From Sony to Replace UMDs

Sony, whose Universal Media Disk (UMD) movies failed to establish a strong foothold with the PSP crowd, has announced a new strategy in selling movies to PSP users. This time, the electronics behemoth will hawk films on 1GB and 2GB memory stick duos. The new scheme involves the release of a Memory Stick Entertainment pack which includes a 1 or 2GB memory stick, plus a DVD which offers four movies. The user loads the DVD onto a computer and chooses one of the four movies to unlock. The movie can then be transferred onto the memory stick and viewed on the PSP.

Sony,s proprietary UMD movie format experienced slow sales and lack of interest from consumers and retailers, with several movie studios dropping the format entirely from their rosters. Typical prices for UMD formatted movies are about ...

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Sony Pulls Controversial PSP Ads

Sony has withdrawn its highly controversial PSP ad campaign in the Netherlands and issued a public apology, following allegations of racism. The billboards depicted a caucasian woman in an aggressive stance over a woman of color while grasping her jaw. The subtitle read, "Portable PSP White is coming."

Sony said, "We recognize that the subject matter of one specific image may have caused concern in some countries not directly affected by the advertising. As a result, we have now withdrawn the campaign."

Earlier this year, Sony found itself in another controversial ad campaign with its PSP ads in which graffiti artists were hired to tag walls and buildings with pre-designed artwork advertising the PSP. The ads, which many saw as defacing public property, caused some city officials to levy pe...

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PSP Ads Racist?

Sony Computer Entertainment has set its shields on to "double front" status as they attempt to deflect accusations of posting racist advertisements for the PSP. The ads appear in the Netherlands and market the new "ceramic white" color. The ad depicts two women, one with light skin and the other with dark skin. The Caucasian woman is clasping the woman of color tightly by the jaw. The text below the photo says, "PlayStation Portable White is coming."

Sony has responded in its defense by saying, "The marketing campaign for the launch of the White PSP in the Benelux focuses on the contrast between the Black PSP model and the new Ceramic white PSP model. A variety of different treatments have been created as a campaign to either highlight the whiteness of the new model or contrast the black an...

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PSP Vending Machines Coming

You,ve had a hard day and decide to go to the company vending machine to buy a pick-me-up. As you scan the offerings, you see something that catches your eye; the perfect thing to cure you of the doldrums. You take out your credit card, swipe it through the slot, and out pops a Sony PSP with a couple of games. Happy as a clam, you return to your desk, with the handheld device in tow. Suddenly your day at the office is looking a lot better.

The unlikely scenario above is already here as Sony of America has announced plans to place their Sony vending machines in various strategic locations, like airports and shopping malls. The first machines are on their way to California, Colorado and Georgia, according to Interweb news.

These super vending machines will also offer items such as music CDs, c...

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Adopt a Panda; Win a PSP

No. Not a real panda, but buying or renewing your Panda Titanium 2006 or Panda Platinum 2006 consumer security solutions during the World Cup finals lands you an entry into a daily drawing for a PlayStation Portable and EA Sports, FIFA World Cup 2006 game.

According to Panda Software, the FIFA World Cup gives hackers the ideal occasion to launch massive scale phishing attacks and hoaxes against computer users. In May 2005, the Sober.V worm enticed users with free tickets to a match but infected them with a nasty virus instead. This year, Panda wants you to be ready! "I wish the best of luck to participants in the promotion, so they can enjoy this World Cup with a little but more excitement thrown in," said Marketing Director Pedro Bustamante. "In any event, users that choose Panda Software ...

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Myst Goes Mobile!

Midway Games announced today that gamers will soon be able to get their 'mobile Myst' on in the latest adventure coming to the PSP. Managing Director of Midway Games Ltd. Martin Spiess commented, "We,re thrilled to be bringing one of the best known and most successful game franchises to a handheld format for the first time. Myst promises a one-of-a-kind adventure experience and contributes to the broadening of our PSP portfolio."

It will come as no surprise to seasoned Myst fans that the new adventurer begins on a mysterious island rife with puzzles, mazes, and a chilling back-story to uncover. The player first finds himself alone on this island but quickly discovers there are more people trapped somewhere in a parallel dimension. Gamers must travel through space and time, sans Delorean, in...

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Tenchu Slips Away

The stealth-assassination-ninja series has announced multiple new titles, but will we get to play all of them?

Ever since the first PlayStation version of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins came out, I was hooked. This was like Metal Gear Solid without all the cutscenes and shooting! For those of you that don't know the Tenchu series, it is, at its heart, a stealth killing game. With brilliant level design and one-shot kills (as long as you're not seen), it taxes your abilities, timing, and strategy to the utmost. In short, it's a great series, and further releases have stayed very close to to the winning formula.

Now "From Software" has released information about no less than THREE new Tenchu games. Time of the Assassin's for the PSP, Dark Secret for the Nintendo DS - formerly known as Dark Shadow (...

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Developer Blasts Quality of PSP Games

Are you a PSP owner that is more than concerned about the lack of quality games for your handheld? You are not alone nor are your views represented by only the gamer community. Didier Malenfant of Ready At Dawn games has broken the dawn,s silence by blasting developers who say the PSP limits their creativity. His remarks were given in an interview to GameIndustry. Malenfant said, "Everything is compromised, and it bugs the hell out of me when you hear a lot of developers saying, 'Well, we can't do this that way because it's a handheld game,' or 'We can't do this because it doesn't have a second analog stick.' Those are all excuses." His goals are not only to make a good PSP game, but to send a message to the industry. "We really set out to prove that you can do a game that is as good, if n...

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No More Katamari?

Katamari Damacy is the game with a weird name where you collect the whole world,s objects on a giant sticky ball. It was recently given a sequel on PS2 (titled "We love Katamari" in translation), and has recently gone gold for its PSP release, titled "Me & My Katamari." The PSP is set to hit store shelves on March 21st. At the same time, the producer of "Me & My Katamari," Toshiya Hara, has left a sinking feeling in the stomachs of fans everywhere when he said "The core concept of the Katamari series was complete from the first game... The PSP version was made basically so that the game could be... played on the go. So for now, this is where we wrap it up," To back this statement, the original creator of Katamari Damacy announced plans to leave the gaming industry to pursue, of all things,...

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PSP 3.0 Firmware Feature Leak?

The internet is abound with rumors and supposed pics from the 3.0 firmware upgrade for the PSP. While none of this is set in stone as of yet, the results look promising and is propelling the PSP toward PDA status with such features as Sony Mail, Sony Paint, and Sony Organizer. The list goes on with PS3 connectivity, Music Store Connectivity, Console Security, Writepad and Alarm Clock. This of course is an update from the recent 2.0 software that added web browsing and a few other minor features to the mix. If this update does indeed go through it will be the most ambitious upgrade for the PSP yet. However some of these applications while suitable for a PDA don't seem apt for the PSP's lack of touch screen. How well can you draw with directional controls or the thumb stick analog controller...

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Sony Japan Opening 300 New PSP Hotspots

There will be a lot more places for PSP owners in Japan to download content to their handhelds very soon. Sony Computer Entertainment announced that it will increase the number of PSP wireless kiosks to 300 throughout Japan. The sites will allow PSP owners to download games, game demos and other content. These new Playstation Spots will be located at major train stations, selected Internet cafes and retailers. Although the idea of these hotspot kiosks has been advertised since last October, the number available was limited to only a handful of locations. With the new push to open up 300 new locations in Japan, Sony is hoping to establish its PSP as the preferred wireless handheld of choice. In America, Nintendo™s DS machine has over 6,000 hotspots, located throughout selected McDonal...

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UMD's Are Lagging In Sales

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Warner Home Videos, and Paramount Home Entertainment are going to cut back on the production of UMD formatted movies for the PSP, according to reports from Variety Business. Jeff Baker, senior vice president at Warner said, "We are re-evaluating our position on any future [UMD movie] releases at this time. We're looking at this on a case-by-case basis. We're disappointed with consumer demand at this time." Chris Ansley, a buyer for media company Virgin said, "We continue to carry most new titles and there is a modest demand for them, but there simply hasn't been a consistent growth of this new format to justify making more space for it. We have been encouraged by the results of a couple successful campaigns that we've featured to help promote them, but the...

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