Hacking 3DS will spell the end of portable gaming for Sony

[DeadLocked]

The 3DS came outWas announced recently and the PSP is about 5 years old IIRC, why wouldn't they bring out a better PSP next E3 (I bet they do, if not just unveil it before then)
I'm sure the 3DS will influence Sony PSP sales at this moment in time but when the next PSP comes out it will probably even out.
(People been saying that Nintendo is the clear dominator in gaming now, but all I see is casual games and SOME games meant for hardcore gamers such as RPGs and other things for wii, while you look over to Xbox and PS3 shelves and you will struggle to find that many casual games.) I'm impartial, I have a DS, Wii, PS2, (about 4 PS1 XD), Xbox360. And I seriously cannot see the 3DS spelling the end of portable gaming for Sony.

 

[SylvWolf]

From a few years of owning both a DS and a PSP, my impression is this:

PSP: The games are either just incredible or total garbage. There haven't been many "average" games, so when you do finish the awesome stuff, you're left bored.

DS: Tons of shovelware, but also a good mix of incredible and average stuff. There are plenty of top-tier titles, and once you've played them all, there's still a good collection of other stuff there for you to play.

That's what I think, at least. It might be because I follow DS releases and don't follow PSP releases, but it seems that devs either go big or go home on the PSP; this makes it awesome in the short-term, but cripples its lasting power, which is why I think it's fallen to the DS. Nintendo's had an iron-grip on the portable market for years anyway, and I somehow doubt that'll change anytime soon. The DS has surprised me with both its quality and longevity, and I hope to see the 3DS do just as well, if not better.

 

[Gnargle]

Piracy on PSP is hard, so it is't much of a problem unlike with Nintendo and Apple. YET they are the ones progressing. Maybe piracy is what people want? Anyway, PSPgo isn't spectacular.
So unless Sony pull off a Vaio PSP sized, there going down.
On that note, i hope Microsoft doesn't join the hand held war. Can you imagine what they'll make?

I am not responding to somebody who thinks i made up the nintendo and apple as competitors if you dont read the news and what nintendo have already said. As for the quote above I shudder to think what kind of crap microsoft would push into the handheld market considering their abysmal attempts at the phones

Hurr durr hurr I can't grammar hurr I forgot about Windows Phone 7 hurr durr Xbox 360 certainly ISN'T the most popular HD console herp

 

[DEagleson]

Microsoft will focus on the Windows Mobile 7 and Xbox Live for that rather than a dedicated gaming handheld.
It will be like gaming on a "iDevice", cheap games (With questionable quality) that everyone can afford and then spam DLC for it.

 

[XLarge]

The 3DS came outWas announced recently and the PSP is about 5 years old IIRC, why wouldn't they bring out a better PSP next E3 (I bet they do, if not just unveil it before then)
I'm sure the 3DS will influence Sony PSP sales at this moment in time but when the next PSP comes out it will probably even out.
(People been saying that Nintendo is the clear dominator in gaming now, but all I see is casual games and SOME games meant for hardcore gamers such as RPGs and other things for wii, while you look over to Xbox and PS3 shelves and you will struggle to find that many casual games.) I'm impartial, I have a DS, Wii, PS2, (about 4 PS1 XD), Xbox360. And I seriously cannot see the 3DS spelling the end of portable gaming for Sony.

The problem with the nintendo Wii is that it has something for everything. Stupid 'hardcore gamers' can't wrap their minds around that, that there are other people that do not feel like shooting people but rather play something for the whole family. People saying that the Wii has SOME hardcore games are stupid too. Look at all the games that are coming out/came out for the Wii. I mean two of the best games came out for it (super mario galaxy 1 and 2). These are rated second and third on gamerankings.com and still people see it as a casual console with no hardcore games. I barely even touch my XBox 360 because there are no interesting games coming out this year. I'll be happy to play Epic Mickey, Donkey kong and Kirby epic yarn this christmas. All I'm gonna play this christmas on my XBox may be some Modern Warfare (No I'm not buying black-ops because I'm certain it will be mediocre) or maybe some Halo Reach.

 

[antwill]

The problem with the nintendo Wii is that it has something for everything. Stupid 'hardcore gamers' can't wrap their minds around that, that there are other people that do not feel like shooting people but rather play something for the whole family. People saying that the Wii has SOME hardcore games are stupid too. Look at all the games that are coming out/came out for the Wii. I mean two of the best games came out for it (super mario galaxy 1 and 2). These are rated second and third on gamerankings.com and still people see it as a casual console with no hardcore games. I barely even touch my XBox 360 because there are no interesting games coming out this year. I'll be happy to play Epic Mickey, Donkey kong and Kirby epic yarn this christmas. All I'm gonna play this christmas on my XBox may be some Modern Warfare (No I'm not buying black-ops because I'm certain it will be mediocre) or maybe some Halo Reach.

Excuse my ignorance, but how is that even remotely a problem with the Wii and not a problem with the gamers instead. You seemed to start off the paragraph seemingly about to list problems with the console and then go on to list problems with gamers perceptions which has nothing to do with the Wii at all. Maybe a little to do with marketing, but still...

 

[XLarge]

The problem with the nintendo Wii is that it has something for everything. Stupid 'hardcore gamers' can't wrap their minds around that, that there are other people that do not feel like shooting people but rather play something for the whole family. People saying that the Wii has SOME hardcore games are stupid too. Look at all the games that are coming out/came out for the Wii. I mean two of the best games came out for it (super mario galaxy 1 and 2). These are rated second and third on gamerankings.com and still people see it as a casual console with no hardcore games. I barely even touch my XBox 360 because there are no interesting games coming out this year. I'll be happy to play Epic Mickey, Donkey kong and Kirby epic yarn this christmas. All I'm gonna play this christmas on my XBox may be some Modern Warfare (No I'm not buying black-ops because I'm certain it will be mediocre) or maybe some Halo Reach.

Excuse my ignorance, but how is that even remotely a problem with the Wii and not a problem with the gamers instead. You seemed to start off the paragraph seemingly about to list problems with the console and then go on to list problems with gamers perceptions which has nothing to do with the Wii at all. Maybe a little to do with marketing, but still...

That's my point. It's not the console. It's the gamers that keep on moaning for MOAR hardcore games. I think they shouldn't be whining if they look at the line-up that came/will come this year.

 

[toguro_max]

Console Wars. It has always happened. It will always do.
Fanboys vs Fanboys. It has always happened. It will always do.

I'll add a little rand here, but you don't need to read, ok?

Spoiler

Back on the day where I followed a Console Wars (Sega X Nintendo), I was at the Sega side, but that was just because i had a Mega Drive and my neighbors had Snes' and Neses.
Then I noticed it was bulshit. Every console has its pros and its flaws.
Genesis was fast and less colors, had lots of platformers. Snes had graphics and was slower, had lots of RPGs. (please, no trolls with techno-babble here)

Back at that days, companies always copied each other (like it is today). Nintendo "invented" the cross-shaped D-pad. EVERYONE copied that. Sega make the most colorful and fun games ever.

Follow me:
NES vs Master System = NES win
NES vs Genesis = Genesis win
Genesis vs SNES = Draw
Genesis + Sega CD + 32X vs SNES = Technical draw (which is a technical loss for Sega)

NES was made. Sega "copied" and made Master System. It failed in almost everyone (in Brazil it was a success, tho).
The Sega made Genesis. Ooooh!
Nintendo "copied" and made SNES.
Sega "copied" turbo graphx 16 CD and made Sega CD.
Nintendo tried "coping", but at that time CDs and Nintendo didn't mix.

Sega Saturn came into challenge. It owed everyone.
Nintendo did N64. It was a OK console, but the cartridge restriction was no good for it.
The Sony, after being kicked by Nintendo, evolved the PSX project and launched the Playstation.

It was the 3D era. Saturn was not that good with polygons. Its hardware was a little difficult to program (hell! There isn't even a proper emulator yet!)
Playstation was easier to program with polygons. But Saturn was way better with bitmaps.
But it was the 3D era.
So...
Saturn vs Playstation = Playstation win

Then the Dreamcast came. And with it, everyone also did.
It had the graphics. It had the power. It had the gameplay. It had the games. It had online gamming!
But it also had the boot loader...

PS2 came into challenge. It "copied" Dreamcast (no, really. Most of the best games, at the beginning at least, were ports of Dreamcast games), but it had more power.
And gamers were beginig to "migrate" from "fun games" to "beatifull games". Deamcast had both. But PS2 had more "beauty".

Dreamcast + Piracy vs PS2 + Piracy - PS2 win (noooooooooooooo)

Then, with the fall of Dreamcast, Microsoft, who did a "test" on gamming industry by supporting Dreamcast, made XBOX.

It was the start of a new real Console War.

XBOX was Dreamcast 2 (sorta). It had graphics. It had games. It had online gamming. Bu it was from Microsoft. And there were, back at that time, more Microsoft haters than sony fanboys (a wild guess). And the Japanese market didn't like that huge piece of console.

XBOX x PS2 - Technical draw (But XBOX had a little advantage).

Then the Next Gen appeared. XBOX 360 was launched. O.M.G. What an amazing console. Graphics, games, online. AND japanese market.

Then Sony "copied" Microsoft and launched PS3, the almighty one. So powerfull developers can't use its full potential.

360 + Piracy x PS3 - piracy = 360 win (really. PS3 is great, but piracy DO improves a console popularity).

Then Nintendo awoke. It made the weakest of the 3 "next gen" console. EVERYBODY laughted at it(Nintendo started a joke, that made the whole world crying...), said it would fail miserably.
Wii is the most successfull console of'em.
Motion controls? Bleh, it sucks.
Sony and Microsoft copied Nintendo, and made Move (a Wiimote and a flashlight baby) and Natal (Kinect is not a cool name).

Now onto the handhelds. Nintendo owns, period. Since Game Boy, no one were able to beat Big N. Sega tried with Game Gear, and even though it was more powerfull, it failed. Atari tried with Lynx, and also failed. Hell, Nintendo failed itself with Virtual Boy.

Sony entered the market with PSP, providing handheld cosumers what they never had: Power and graphics.
It is a great handheld, but it is just not that portable. And its initial flaws did not make a good first impression (that same happened with plasma TVs, but that's another story).

This rant continues on the main post.

Will 3DS kick Sony out of the handheld market? I really doubt it. Sony will most probably "copy" the "3D without glasses" idea and life will goes on.

Another rant, now about hardcore gamers and Wii.

Spoiler

You know, self proclaimed hardcore gamers are a pain in the ass. "Bleh, Wii sucks. No hardcore games". What is hardcore for you? A War game, like Medal of Honor?
Wii has a lot of unique games, that the other consoles lack. No, really, check the "E3 Best graphics Award" from Gametrailers.com and see what i mean. From all the new games, most a so much alike. It seems that you are watching the same game over and over again. This is not hardcore.
Hardcore is games like the old times. Diverse games. Games that dare to innovate.
360 and PS3 have some of these, but let's face it, Wii has more. Some of'em fail, i know, but they at least try.
Self proclaimed hardcore gamers are also hardcore pirates. They ask for a hardcore game on a console just so they can download it.

Aff, that's enought, i've lost my track and am tired of typing >-p

 

[KingVamp]

They might add a little hd with mini blue ray in there portable

Seriously tho even I think they will come up with some new portable.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

God this such a troll thread,

Sony still competed in this handheld market and the DS is the most successful Nintendo platform to date, console or handheld. And the PSP still sold pretty well. Software on the other hand sells like shit but Sony still gets money.

Everyone is under the impression that everyone has to win in any market. Sony probably knew they couldn't beat Nintendo in terms of handhelds. Nintendo has cornered that market since day one. Sony just wants to make a profit. And if they make a better PSP that can actually, you know, sell software, then they'll do just that.

But yeah, trolling is trolling.

 

[Bladeforce]

God this such a troll thread,

Sony still competed in this handheld market and the DS is the most successful Nintendo platform to date, console or handheld. And the PSP still sold pretty well. Software on the other hand sells like shit but Sony still gets money.

Everyone is under the impression that everyone has to win in any market. Sony probably knew they couldn't beat Nintendo in terms of handhelds. Nintendo has cornered that market since day one. Sony just wants to make a profit. And if they make a better PSP that can actually, you know, sell software, then they'll do just that.

But yeah, trolling is trolling.

I'm sorry but Sony dont compete they try to monopolize competition hence a looong list of failed formats. Just like microsoft they get competition and bam that company's gone through a takeover. i have to saythe best (for hilarity) aquisition for microsoft was the takeover of Rare from Nintendo. As soon as it was dne the better part of the rare team did one LOL Left microsoft with a hodge podge staff that cost millions

 

[Beige]

My points on this fun bit:

DS - Has something for everyone, and a lot of crap too. It's cheap, easy to use, and has a pretty massive library. Piracy is easy, and sure it does some serious market damage, but most DS owners don't even know what a Flashcard is (or they just use R4 as a term but still don't own one XD) Truth be told, Nintendo has been in the longest and they know what they are doing.

PSP - I hate to stereotype, but I see more African Americans with PSP's than DS's. In my area, it's mostly Caucasians that have DS's (I'm a cracker with both.) Most people buy it because it does the games and media. The Go barely sells at all and half of the morons buying it don't realize it doesn't take UMDs (despite what the guy behind the counter at GameStop says) and end up just cycling a bunch of games into the used market. Sure, piracy is a problem, but it's a shrinking problem due to issues with late2000/3000/Go models, the shrinking availability of 1000/early2000 models, the turn that the Custom Firmware scene has taken, and the fact that the CFW users are still technically a minority. The only times I see CFW users are at Campus (about 50% of PSP owners) and my High School Friends (roughly 5 PSP owners.) If I were Sony, I would be in a bit of a Flip-Flop over another handheld, but I wouldn't go sh!tting out another Go.

iPhone/iPod - This isn't a games console. The good majority of games are crap and there are many that could be good if we had some damn buttons. Last I checked, Nintendo wasn't threatened by Apple and for good reason. Truth be told, the only game I think is genuinely good on this platform is Song Summoner Encore, mainly because it's unique, well done, has good controls, and is the kind of game that should be on something that is primarily a music player. iPad shouldn't be considered a games device either, it's just a waste of time. I love my iPod Touch and my MacBook, but I'm hating the current Apple decisions and the attitude that they are carrying.

Android (Nobody else has said this) - This could be a good platform. The fact is, unlike the iPhone, people can actually put this on better hardware and create their own device drivers so we can have buttons and controllers! There aren't many games due to limitations in Android versions before 2.2, but I have a feeling we may see an Android-Powered games console at some point. Oh, and Android Tablets can own iPad for one good reason: Proper USB Capability.

Microsoft - I don't think they'll be doing anything. Maybe some Zune games but I think they're making the right choice in staying out. 'nuff said.

 

[Sterling]

Well said beige!

 

[dsfanatic5]

Nintendo has, and always will prove that a handheld's success lies in the games. I'm oldschool, and I got my original GameBoy in 1989 when I was 9 years old. When I aquired an Atari Lynx, I migrated to buying games for it, since the graphics were color, and more impressive. But I sat back and watched as the Lynx died, alongside the Sega GameGear and NEC TurboExpress. How could a crappy green-screen 6-8-Bit system win this war?

Simply put, it was portable. It lasted a long time on fewer batteries, it had great games, and it outlasted all of the competition, even though the competition had more impressive hardware. This trend continued to pummel competitors such as the Tiger Game.Com, which ironically had a touch screen, and better graphics than the Gameboy Pocket. SNK released the NeoGeo Pocket Color to compete against the Gameboy Color, but it rotted on retail shelves.

When the PSP launched, I bought it on release day. Sure I had to return it twice due to dead/stuck pixels and dust under the screen, but I was happy with it. I will admit that once they hacked it, I never upgraded my original 1.5 firmware, because I'd rather have a portable Snes/Nes/TurboGrafx/Genesis, than play what Sony was offering at the time. So basically my PSP was the ultimate homebrew portable, but none of the games beyond launch titles like Lumines made me want to update.

Meanwhile, I was completely bummed by the original DS (phat) launch title options, and it took way too long for good titles to arrive. But once the good titles arrived, I never looked back, and still own over 30 games, all bought before flashcarts became an option. While owning all systems, I came to the conclusion that Nintendo once again found the formula for success on a handheld, a formula that carried on from the Gameboy franchise.

The 3DS is a first for Nintendo though. This might be the first time that Nintendo has actually beefed up the graphics beyond the competition, even though they've sustained themselves on good games/gameplay over graphics until now. When I see 3DS games with graphics that rival Wii, I wonder how Sony might compete. UMD is a fragile format, and the games tend to break out of their shell (literally), making them unplayable. The loading times are also horrendous for a portable.

I think Sony needs to strike a balance between storage medium, loading times, battery life, and portability before they can become a true contender against Nintendo.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I'm sorry but Sony dont compete they try to monopolize competition hence a looong list of failed formats. Just like microsoft they get competition and bam that company's gone through a takeover. i have to saythe best (for hilarity) aquisition for microsoft was the takeover of Rare from Nintendo. As soon as it was dne the better part of the rare team did one LOL Left microsoft with a hodge podge staff that cost millions

What do you mean by "failed formats"? Most of what Sony has done for video gaming has been a success. The PSX? Blew Nintendo out of the water. Over 100 million sold. PS2? Highest selling console to date, until the DS eventually succeeds it (even then, it'll still be the highest selling home console to date). The PS3? Rough start and yeah, it's still an underdog but it's rising fast. The major fight this generation is gonna be Sony and the PS3 vs. Nintendo and the Wii. As for the PSP, yeah, it didn't beat the DS but anyone entering the handheld market knows it's near impossible to beat Nintendo. The PSP still sold 50+ million units, which isn't too bad for the market. Software sells like shit on it but hey, it's the PSP.

And for the record, Nintendo monopolized the market for years, don't go shitting on Sony for trying to do the same thing. If you think Nintendo is a "for the gamers" and the "selfless martyr" company, then you're absolutely, 100%, dead wrong. Every move Nintendo makes is for their own interest. Same goes with Sony and Microsoft. Companies are greedy, every single one.

Also, why are you bringing up Microsoft's acquisition of Rare? It has nothing to do with the debate at hand. It was a stupid decision everyone knows about. It's completely irrelevant. All you're trying to do is take a stab at all of Nintendo's competitors with the little bit of useless information you have at hand.

 

[Veho]

3DS will spell the end of portable gaming for Sony

No it won't.

 

[Bladeforce]

I'm sorry but Sony dont compete they try to monopolize competition hence a looong list of failed formats. Just like microsoft they get competition and bam that company's gone through a takeover. i have to saythe best (for hilarity) aquisition for microsoft was the takeover of Rare from Nintendo. As soon as it was dne the better part of the rare team did one LOL Left microsoft with a hodge podge staff that cost millions

What do you mean by "failed formats"? Most of what Sony has done for video gaming has been a success. The PSX? Blew Nintendo out of the water. Over 100 million sold. PS2? Highest selling console to date, until the DS eventually succeeds it (even then, it'll still be the highest selling home console to date). The PS3? Rough start and yeah, it's still an underdog but it's rising fast. The major fight this generation is gonna be Sony and the PS3 vs. Nintendo and the Wii. As for the PSP, yeah, it didn't beat the DS but anyone entering the handheld market knows it's near impossible to beat Nintendo. The PSP still sold 50+ million units, which isn't too bad for the market. Software sells like shit on it but hey, it's the PSP.

And for the record, Nintendo monopolized the market for years, don't go shitting on Sony for trying to do the same thing. If you think Nintendo is a "for the gamers" and the "selfless martyr" company, then you're absolutely, 100%, dead wrong. Every move Nintendo makes is for their own interest. Same goes with Sony and Microsoft. Companies are greedy, every single one.

Also, why are you bringing up Microsoft's acquisition of Rare? It has nothing to do with the debate at hand. It was a stupid decision everyone knows about. It's completely irrelevant. All you're trying to do is take a stab at all of Nintendo's competitors with the little bit of useless information you have at hand.

and also highlighting the fact both sony and microsoft fanboys have zero humor

 

[Joe88]

God this such a troll thread,

Sony still competed in this handheld market and the DS is the most successful Nintendo platform to date, console or handheld. And the PSP still sold pretty well. Software on the other hand sells like shit but Sony still gets money.

Everyone is under the impression that everyone has to win in any market. Sony probably knew they couldn't beat Nintendo in terms of handhelds. Nintendo has cornered that market since day one. Sony just wants to make a profit. And if they make a better PSP that can actually, you know, sell software, then they'll do just that.

But yeah, trolling is trolling.

I'm sorry but Sony dont compete they try to monopolize competition hence a looong list of failed formats. Just like microsoft they get competition and bam that company's gone through a takeover. i have to saythe best (for hilarity) aquisition for microsoft was the takeover of Rare from Nintendo. As soon as it was dne the better part of the rare team did one LOL Left microsoft with a hodge podge staff that cost millions

failed formats...
granted the betamax did flop in favor of VHS and UMD didnt hit it off that great either

I guess we just forgot about the CD (probably on the biggest technology leap and breakthrough moving from the tape) or the blu-ray which is currently unchallenged in the high definition formats after beating HD-DVD

 

[Bladeforce]

Cd wasnt a sony format, Phillips and Sony simply licensed much of their claim from technology that was invented 20 years earlier. Betamax in 1975, Digital Audio Tape in the mid 80's, Minidsc 1993, ATRAC Audio Compression 1993, MemoryStick 1998, Universal Media Disc 2005. The only reason Blue ray has took hold is because sony used their billions to buy studios out. Ourselves as consumers will now face endless players that will not perform correctly because of "new" discs. I beleive there has been one already announced?

http://www.gizmag.com/bdxl-ih-bd-blu-ray-disc/14750/

the start of many to come. the ironic thing is toshiba got out of the war with blu ray so consumers could have an easier life with HD without the confusion but as usual we get screwed with the "winner" being a format propelled by sony that was never going to be a solid format ie like dvd where we could buy any disc and play it without worrying about what f**king player it will play on!

 

[Joe88]

what did you just copy your info from here?
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/...etary-standards

alot of the stuff is arguable
the memory stick for instance, it didnt really fully take on SD cards the way that it should, mainly due to pricing and memory sticks were only used on Sony devices
the memory stick will still be used on pretty much any sony device, I dont see them stopping production anytime soon, the M2 is actually priced competitively to MicroSD cards, its a new format though not that popular / widely used at all yet, it has an unknown future right now

the other stuff you mentioned, wernt that great as far as formats go I will admit that, not very popular thats why I only mentioned the 2 most recognized ones

hd-dvd failed due to studio backing, sony already had a few big names behind them where as hd-dvd did not, there were alot of studios still left
they only paid about a half billion to make warner bros switch over
microsoft & toshiba did the the same thing with paramount
and basically with no studio backing how could toshiba make any money, it wasnt because they wanted to make things easier, it was because they were set up for a big loss of money if they continued, they knew it was over and just plunged the final nail in HD-DVD's coffin

now as far as the BDXL is concerned, most likely we will never touch this unless for data storage
current blu-ray disc movies dont even come close to using the space on a single layer disc
if they need more they could just include another BD disc or step up to a dual layer one which to date I think only MGS4 has used (GT5 might be the next but im not sure)
were not really getting screwed out of anything