Sony announces PSP2

[Croooow!]

Is anyone else getting the feeling that Nintendo and to a lesser extent Sony are trying to cater to the "core" more with their portables and making their consoles more family oriented. I'm not sure how I feel about that, and both the 3DS and NGP will probably cost more than I care to pay for a few years.

I can see this to an extent. A portable is going to be played by an individual and any multiplayer is going to be with someone online. If it costs less than a console or delivers better graphics or interface someone can justify the cost to themselves or to a parent more easily. Parents will pay more money for a piece of hardware the entire family can use at the same time and the Wii made it obvious that parents will pay for fun with the whole family.

[t0yrobo]

making their consoles more family oriented. s.

And MS didn't with Kinect?

Oh they definitely are, but they don't have a big portable like Sony/Nintendo either. And I don't really know what they're doing with their phone OS.

[AmishSamurai]

making their consoles more family oriented. s.

And MS didn't with Kinect?

Oh they definitely are, but they don't have a big portable like Sony/Nintendo either. And I don't really know what they're doing with their phone OS.

nb4 microsoft announces an xbox handheld (Jewelbox? Xbox 180?)

[EvilRyu2099]

making their consoles more family oriented. s.

And MS didn't with Kinect?

Oh they definitely are, but they don't have a big portable like Sony/Nintendo either. And I don't really know what they're doing with their phone OS.

Honestly I think they are just trying to make the biggest profit possible on both fronts.. They realize solo friendly titles will sell on portables, and multiplayer/family titles will sell on consoles..

[Croooow!]

And I don't really know what they're doing with their phone OS.

With the 3D2, NGP, Android, and iPhone/iPod Touch I think Microsoft might view the portable gaming market as becoming too crowded for serious investment.

[Pulsar_t]

Boring.. CFW and Dreamcast emulation might change that though

As for Microsoft- http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=1316531

[Stark]

I don't understand all the 'ugly' comments, I think it looks great! I also think I have a higher chance of buying this on launch day over the 3DS, if they have something like Uncharted Portable on launch day. None of the interesting 3DS titles are coming on launch (Zelda or MGS3), so why wouldn't you wait for a price drop?

As far as the comment about 3G gaming, Activision has already announced a game with 3G multiplayer, which even if it's not interesting to you, is huge for pushing systems.

[wip3outguy7]

I think what people are missing here is that, while not innovative, Sony appears to have gotten things right this time around. I mean we still don't have battery life specs, price or build quality, but we'll see.

But it fixes most of what was wrong with the original PSP and answers complaints people have about other mobile gaming platforms. It HAS two analog sticks (not nubs, sticks). It HAS a touch screen (not stylus, but touch). The iPhone can be difficult for "core" gaming simply because it lacks tactile feedback. Now we have both tactile and touch with the PSP2.

Shit, they even appear to have fixed the D-Pad. Like... really fixed it.

I think the design is fine. I hated the GO's shape and size. The PSP2 looks to have the same footprint as the original systems but with a bit more bulk. It looks like an excellent hand held to play games on.

If Sony can nail out some solid exclusives and price this thing around $249, it could be a serious contender.

I think I'm going to start saving now. Damnit, Sony.

[ZeroAX]

Anyone having a deja vu?

The 3DS launching many months before the PSP2. The DS not having any worthwhile games for the first 6 months. The PSP2 having great graphics but no original games.

All we need now is for Sony to announce an 1 hour battery life and a 350$ price tag and we are set for the sequel.

[casterofdreams]

Is anyone else getting the feeling that Nintendo and to a lesser extent Sony are trying to cater to the "core" more with their portables and making their consoles more family oriented. I'm not sure how I feel about that, and both the 3DS and NGP will probably cost more than I care to pay for a few years.

I felt like this for awhile now. If you look at the DS library of games, granted that least 80% of the games are crap, there are a lot of old school/hardcore games. There are too many to list but if you scan the complete library you can see what I'm saying. I feel that this holds true for the GBA as well.