The bigger concern here should be the price of the machine itself as well as that of the software. If it is "PS3 level graphics", does that mean that if they port a game like, say, Batman 2, it's going to cost $60 for PSP2 too? That's a hara-kiri right there.
I'm glad the PSP2 will have dual analog, the first one hurt my left hand if I played it too long. Seriously, when I tried to play a FPS the controls were worse than the iPod Touch, and we all know how bad those controls are.
I agree, but I actually think that touchscreen controls work particularly well on an FPS, especially if you prefer keyboard/mouse over dual-sticks.
1) Seeing as it's not even out yet, I don't think you can say the 3DS has captured the majority of next generation handheld sales yet. It has a cool gimmick, for sure, but there have been a few issues raised already -- the limited battery life (3-5 hours), the fact it can't be jiggled (a big deal for a portable device, I'd think), the somewhat iffy launch line-up (at the moment, of course -- that could change once it's officially unveiled for North America) -- that could make it a bit of a flop. Until both systems are actually out, you can't say one's already beaten the other. 2) Maybe it's just because I only bought my PSP in August -- which meant I was specifically doing research on whether there'd be a new generation coming out any time soon -- but I don't think the PSP2 will have come out of nowhere at all. There have been rumours about it since at least last spring (when people seemed convinced it was going to be revealed at E3 2010), so it's probably been in the works for some time. I'm pretty excited by this news, but I still have some reservations about it. I'm a little worried by how much it's going to cost (if the 3DS is launching at $300, then Sony may take that as a license to sell theirs for $400 even more), and I really hope that there's physical media to go along with the digital downloads (it's nice to be able to trade in games after you're done with them). Regardless, I'm really looking forward to the 27th!
What's so iffy about the 3DS launch lineup? Last I saw it was the best looking list of dev/game names ever announced before the release of a new console. Have they all been delayed or something? The battery life thing is a bit of a shame, but it's pretty much the same as my iPod Touch, DS and PSP Go... so it's nothing unusually bad.
Yeah, iffy launch lineup matters squat when you look back and see that practically all launches were iffy to some extent or another. It's par for the course and matters little in the long-term. Anyway, I personally am anticipating the PSP2. All proper control options available (dual analog, touch, AR, gyro), lovely image quality and (hopefully) an announcement for Monster Hunter (even if it's Portable 3rd G). There's also a good chance that a Peace Walker sequel will be made too, and with the proper controls in place I'll enjoy it even more.
My wish is that it has physical games over dowload ones, unless it's got an in-built store and a fast Internet connection and can download quickly. I don't want to connect to a computer everytime I want a new game - I wanna get playing.
RE: the launch line-up, I'm going entirely by this post -- people's feelings on its strength are largely a matter of preference, but I can't say that any of those games would be enough to make me run out and buy a 3DS at launch. Obviously, the game line-up will most likely get stronger the longer the system is out, but that's no sure thing. In any case, my point was only that it's far too early to crown a next gen handheld winner, since neither of the consoles vying for that title are out yet...and lest I come off sounding like a fanboy, I'll admit that even if the PSP2 itself is amazing, I'm sure Sony could come up with a way (mainly in the pricing) of shooting themselves in the foot too.
According to a Nikkei rumor (Extremely reliable when it comes to rumors) the PSP2 will have 3G and a OLED screen. Sounds ridiculous.
If it had 3g, they would not give that to you for free and I would not pay for it. I'm paying for enough 3g already. 3g might be built-in, but I'm not paying to have the service activated. You are better off buying a mi-fi hotspot, which I've done already.
The kindle had free 3G. If this does too, then this will actually be competition for the 3rd. Of course it you have to pay, then
Yeah I doubt it'd be free. Amazon lose money both on the Kindle and the free 3G, they only did it to get ahead of the competition (and it worked) so now they can start to make back the loss with book sales. Sony can't afford to take those kind of risks, not with their history. ...or maybe it's just the kind of crazy risk they need. I can't see it personally.
It's not completely insane to think they might do that. They've been eating costs on the PS3 for years now, and it was only last year that the system actually made them money. Sony might decide that beating the 3DS is more important than making a profit, so they bundle the wireless into the cost and hope that games/peripherals make up some of the shortfall. It may seem like a crazy risk to an outsider, but there is precedent (of sorts)...
I kind of agree with this. If they were do so ever, they would do this now. Getting ahead of the competition would benefit them overall I think.
It's certainly an idea, but one you can only go through with if you know it's gonna work... and do we know that? Would we buy a PSP2 instead of a 3DS for free 3G? I might end up with both anyway 'cause I'm a nerd like that, but it definitely won't be free 3G that swings it because multiplayer on portable consoles still feels like an in-progress technology to me.
I would doubt they would give away free 3G. e-books on the Kindle are fast and very small and wouldn't eat up a lot of bandwidth. Besides, you download a book ounce and then read it for a while, so it's not like you use bandwidth every time you open a book on a Kindle. But online multiplayer would consume insane amounts of data and isn't remotely comparable to downloading a tiny book.
