Sony to enter hand-held gmes arena

[stickofjoy]

:blink:

confirmed!

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT READIES FOR MARKET EXPANSION WITH CREATION OF A NEW HANDHELD ENTERTAINMENT PLATFORM
Company Unveils Plans to Extend PlayStation® Family of Products with “PSP™”
LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2003 – Enhancing its strong platform strategies, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today plans to expand its in-home entertainment to outside the home with a new, all-in-one portable entertainment platform, “PSPTM.” Scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2004, the company’s goal is to extend the reach of PlayStation™ to a broader audience, allowing consumers to enjoy gaming and other entertainment content anytime, anywhere. Specific details on release timing and pricing will be disclosed at a later date.
The introduction of “PSP” highlights the company’s long-awaited foray into the portable entertainment market. With unmatched advantages of the Sony Group, such as global brand awareness, superior technologies in the most advanced semiconductor processes, “PSP” further broadens entertainment experiences into the portable arena.
The foundation of this new platform is “UMD”, Universal Media Disc, which comprises of a 60mm optical disc (1.8 GB) in a cartridge, developed by the Sony Group, utilizing its latest disc technologies. Compared to the out-dated mask ROM cartridge, optical disc has huge advantages such as shorter turn around time for manufacturing, larger data capacity, and lower media costs. The latest secure copy protection technology will be applied to ensure that a safe and copy protected environment is offered to content developers and publishers.
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2-2-2-2 SCE Readies for market expansion with creation of a new handheld entertainment
platform

“PSP” will be equipped with a wide screen 480 x 272 pixel (16 by 9) TFT LCD monitor with a backlight, and powered by super chipsets utilizing the latest 90 nm semiconductor technology. For graphics, 3D rendering will be enhanced by the employment of curved surfaces (NURBS) along with conventional polygons. Video quality will also be enhanced with MPEG4 that delivers quality equivalent to DVD video at a low data rate.
“PSP” will have an USB 2.0 port for further expandability and connectivity to other “PSP” as well as to PlayStation 2 and many other systems, along with Memory StickTM slot for network applications and data transportability in a wireless environment.
SCEI will offer PC-based development tools starting from fall 2003 for the preparation of a new range of computer entertainment content. A new license scheme for “PSP” software development will be announced by summer 2003. Pursuing the founding principles of the PlayStation business, Sony Computer Entertainment will expand its efforts to support content developers to create new forms of computer entertainment.
Together with its business partners, SCEI aims to aggressively promote this new platform to further broaden the arena of entertainment.

“Just as PlayStation and PlayStation 2 revolutionized in-home computer entertainment, we aim to become a new driving force in the portable entertainment platform arena,” said Ken Kutaragi, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “The world of PlayStation encompasses hundreds of millions of users worldwide, most of whom view computer entertainment as part of their everyday lives. We look forward to extending the experience through a portable entertainment platform, and are excited about the possibilities and impact ‘PSP’ will have on the market. Along with game applications, ‘PSP’ will have a huge potential for delivering other forms of entertainment as well as live entertainment through the network, anywhere, anytime. This is the ‘Walkman’ of the 21st century.”


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3-3-3-3 SCE Readies for market expansion with creation of a new handheld entertainment
platform


“PSP” Specification
Platform name: PSPTM
Display: Wide screen (16:9) TFT LCD with backlight
(480 x 272 dots)
Disc medium: “UMD” 60mm optical secured ROM disc with cartridge (1.8GB)
Video CODEC: MPEG4
Graphics: 3D Polygon/NURBS
Sound: PCM (built-in stereo speakers, stereo headphone output)
I/O: USB 2.0, Memory StickTM slot
Battery: Rechargeable (lithium-ion)


About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd. and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc., develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these two platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.

 

[VirtuaLeech]

Where can I place my pre-order?

Bye, bye TapWave

 

[Mofokubik]

I sware, if this is real...this sucks. Why cant sony just leave the gaming market alone. Im happy the way things are going now and I dont need sony to screw things up. I hate sony :angry:

If this thing comes out, I am never buying another sony product as long as I live.
I will buy both, a Helix and the next Gamepark, but NOT sony.

 

[stickofjoy]

to be honest, the friend i got this from is trying to get to the source of the email, it could be a hoax.

 

[unlucky]

i totally agree Mofokubik sony r just a faceless corporation who i just h8 i swear that i will NEVER by a sony product o w8 doh! i hav those cordless headphones but no consoles or crap like that ! its just expensive crap all their next gen consoles r crap but the major developors still follow them makes me sick long live gp32 best portable console evr screw sony ! :

 

[Makenai]

I sware, if this is real...this sucks. Why cant sony just leave the gaming market alone. Im happy the way things are going now and I dont need sony to screw things up. I hate sony

i totally agree Mofokubik sony r just a faceless corporation who i just h8 i swear that i will NEVER by a sony product

Better Sony than M*crosoft, I say.

 

[sask]

i dont think its a hoax imho.
it's been well known for ages that sony is wishing to development a handheld games console.

the opticial disk sounds like a good idea, but it still won't take long for the hackers to find a way around it.

the 3d graphics in a hand held, i think will not be as good as we all wish.

lets just wait and see what happens at E3, just incase they make a formal statement, but i won't hold my breath. :rolleyes:

 

[unlucky]

RAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! gr8 annoyance dont they no its my birthday ! ! ! ! ! <_< <_< <_<

 

[Rambozo]

Gameboy versus Gamegear: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Lynx: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus TurboExpress: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Game.com: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Neo Geo Pocket Color: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Wonderswan: Gameboy wins.


I don't foresee any problems.

 

[Axeman]

Gameboy versus Gamegear: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Lynx: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus TurboExpress: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Game.com: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Neo Geo Pocket Color: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Wonderswan: Gameboy wins.

If this one is true, I think it could be the one to break that pattern...

Lets wait and see eh?

 

[RobertG]

It's very unlikely that Sony would release an SDK to the public, and as it's using some wierd custom disc/cart it'd be really hard to get your own code running on the thing.

Is anyone here interested in a CLOSED platform, even more closed than the GBA? Didn't think so


The whole thing sounds a bit iffy anyway, could be a hoax. If not the handheld market is going to get really crowded, really fast.

 

[Mofokubik]

Gamepark will own as long as the community supports it.



Edit- Heh, I took out all the "bad" stuff.

 

[RobertG]

Gameboy versus Gamegear: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Lynx: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus TurboExpress: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Game.com: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Neo Geo Pocket Color: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Wonderswan: Gameboy wins.


I don't foresee any problems.

Yeah, but this is Sony. If this thing is real it's most likely going to kick the GBAs ass in the market place. Nintendo have got LAZY with the GBA, look at it's library... All snes games, shelf filling crap, stupid 3D games that should never have been made because they run & look like crap on the GBA, and the occassional great original game. People just buy into the GBA because there isn't anything else.

Last time I checked (pre GBA-SP) the GBA was doing pretty badly here in the UK. Alot of UK GBA developers have closed down because there's no money in it (poor sales because the market is flooded, expensive to publish cart games, etc). If this is real it's most likely going to give Nintendo a big wakeup call.

 

[thebluenewt]

Sounds impressive, I don't care who makes a product as long as it's good! Hell I even like Microsoft, Win2k pro is programming work of art!

I don't understand the problem people have with the PS2, it may not be as powerful as X-box or GC but then it is older and it does have by far the best games, which is surely what it's all about.

 

[Flip & Flop]

Gameboy versus Gamegear: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Lynx: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus TurboExpress: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Game.com: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Neo Geo Pocket Color: Gameboy wins.
Gameboy versus Wonderswan: Gameboy wins.


I don't foresee any problems.

i would think this will finally change nintendo into a software provider rather than that and hardware.

 

[Mofokubik]

I really dont know what to think about the new consoles. Ive always sided by sega, but now they are out of the picture. Ps2 just threw Dc to the ground and crushed it like a bug. I dont understand what the hype is about between the new consoles. Ive always liked sega better than anything else, but all the other consoles were way more popular. I think I might just stop buying consoles alltogether. I will have my pc and gamepark to make me happy. Plus all of the consoles that I already own.

 

[RobertG]

Mofokubik, PS2 is better than you think Have you seen SH3, ZoE2, etc? They look easily as good as the best Xbox and GC games.. It's still very capable. It also has alot more decent games than the XB or GC (because it's been around alot longer).

 

[unlucky]

i'll b happy aslong as u special dev ppl dont run off 2 this evil evill console it'd just ruin my life ! !! ! gp32 must survive + win i get fed up with large corporations with control over the market seems 2 hold new technology back

 

[Rico]

Addressing a few things:

Sony revolutionised the gaming industry, cut them some slack.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=...G=Google+Search -- no results for this supposed disc. Hoax methinks.

Also it went through e-mail. No press releases anywhere.

Sony want to launch a gaming console handheld, sure, but not at the moment, they'll wait for GBA SP to stop selling I expect.

Finally, they would release an SDK, they released Linux for the PS2, why not some sort of development platform for their handheld?

- Rico

 

[Mofokubik]

Revolutionized the gaming industry? Sorry but I think almost every console did that considering the newer the console, the better the hardware. But the next gen consoles are not even gaming machines anymore. All of the system developers are trying to fit 1000s of useless features that I am not really interested in. PS3's hardware looks promising, but i will stick by my pc, xbox, and gamepark for now. And if your buying a console for the games, why even bother looking at the newer consoles, Nes Snes Genesis Etc, have plenty of great games to get for very little money. Im still buying dreamcast games, and loving every minute of them.