Believe it or not, the PSP Go was released yesterday. Yeah, I was kind of surprised too.
The slick, very portable, very pricey version of the PlayStation Portable officially but quietly launched stateside yesterday. The Go has a few differences from the PSP, namely, the size difference: it is a staggering 56% smaller than the first-generation PSP. That means two PSP Gos are more portable than the PlayStation Portable. That’s a pretty big deal.
The new hotness.
However, feature-wise, the new $249 system is almost identical to its $179 younger cousin, the PSP Slim. Instead of doing anything new, the Go opts to do things classier; all the portable media features of the PSP Phat are still there, but with 16GB of internal flash memory. That’s a lot of songs, movies, demos, and, as of lately, full retail games.
Actually, if you want to get technical, the Go takes a few steps back from the original. No UMD slot is a big deal made bigger by Sony’s abandonment of the proposed UMD conversion program, not to mention the fact that the screen is smaller than the original PSP’s. So why all the hubbub over what is ostensibly an underequipped system?
The PSP Go is a big deal because it marks the first time any major game hardware manufacturer has gone fully digital. A game system that forgoes physical media entirely from a company who knows what they’re doing (read: not the goddamn Phantom) is a watershed moment for downloadable games. It’s almost enough to make me want one for myself.
I think GiantBomb’s Jeff Gerstmann put it best: “[By buying a PSP Go], it’s like I’m voting for an all-digital future or something, even if this shelf full of PSP games I’ve got at home would become almost instantly useless in the process.”
Readers! Are any of you lucky enough to have gotten your hands on the PSP Go yet? Either way, let us know what you think of the damn thing in the comments!
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I’m all for digital distribution (obviously, as a Bytejacker fan) and most of the games I play on my Wii and PS3 are the inexpensive, inventive downloadable games from small studios. I bought a DSi on launch day because of the promise of downloadable games (which the previous DS models were incapable of) but the fact that the PSPgo’s only added feature over the PSP-3000 is bluetooth means it’s totally not worth it for me. Perhaps my major qualm so far has been Sony’s pricing of downloadable versions of retail games, which is nearly identical to the physical copies. The biggest argument in favor of mp3s during the Napster controversy of 1999 was that the majority of money paid for a CD went to the physical production and delivery of the disc and case, with the actual music being a mere 10% of the MSRP. If buying Patapon is going to cost me just as much as a digital download as it would as a physical product, I’d honestly rather have the box on my shelf. Taking out the physical production costs, they’re telling me that the digital game is essentially worth more than the physical copy… for the same content. Not cool. When that changes, maybe I’ll adopt, but still, the PSP-3000 plays the same stuff for $80 less. A new PSPgo costs more than a new Wii. You guys do realize we’re in a recession, right?
I agree, there’s no defending that they’re charging full retail for downloadable games, especially when the combination of online sales and the used game industry pretty much guarantee that you can find a physical copy of a game for far below retail. Microsoft is making this exact same mistake with their Games On Demand feature. $19.99 for Viva Pinata? Seriously?
However, Sony is doing a pretty good job of easing this pain for early adopters. Sony has a huge downloadable PSP game sale going on right now, including such radness as Puzzle Quest for $7.99 and Work Time Fun for $4.99.
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/09/playstation-store-update-105/
While I do think the ability to tether the PSP to a phone via Bluetooth is a pretty cool feature, yeah, you’re absolutely right. Adding nothing but Bluetooth means that this is a FAR more incremental upgrade from its predecessor than the DSi was.
Hmmm.
An all-digital game system? No cartridges, discs, or other physical media? The Playstation crowd probably has the ability to pull it off, but history is full of well-meaning and powerful, even innovative systems that fell by the wayside because of a lack of interest.
On the other hand, the reason why I eventually sold my PSP Slim was because the available games for it weren’t really getting my interest. I was too early for the potential Gran Turismo PSP release. THAT could have been an app to beat for the console. Online downloadable games and demos have changed the face of game availability, and who knows if this isn’t the start of even faster loading times than available now?
All the best to Sony as they push a rather radical (but not new) concept. Hopefully it will work for them this time…
The Gerstmann quote couldn’t be any more perfect. I’ve never, ever even considered owning a PSP for more than a second before the Go came out.
Yeah, it’s too expensive. Yeah, Sony is already fucking up pricing structure for games (full price for retail ports? iPhone ports that cost more than the iPhone version?) and screwing their PSP loyalists (thanks for the UMD sidegrade, fuckwits) – they’re Sony. They are pretty much known for coming up with a decent idea and then bleeding anyone interested dry.
BUT — you’ll find very few retail game cases on my shelf. I don’t own many DVDs anymore. I’ve traded my Barnes and Noble membership card in for a Kindle. I’m a genuine believer in digital distribution and its ability to level the playing field for anyone looking to make a name for themselves in any media.
So I want something like the Go to succeed very, very badly. Unfortunately, I also think they botched this thing out of the gate. There’s no compelling reason to own it, and not even their loyal fans want to switch over because they have shelves full of games they’d have to buy again (and in the case of some real suckers, a couple of shitty movies).
I’ll probably buy one before the Gran Turismo deal is up – we should have one for the show – but I can’t help but think this could’ve been done better, were it not for Sony’s insanely backwards corporate culture and poor view of its customers.
So what I don’t get is this: Are all of the games currently available in physical copies for the PSP available as digital downloads as well? If not then I’m afraid the point of this system has eluded me.
I bought a Zodiac in 2004. There were almost no physical games for it but a lot of great downloadable titles. After that I have owned a GP2X and ordered a Pandora, both work the same way. I only own two physical games for my 360 but I love the Arcade and “Indie” games. For my DS, I usually download games from the net and then buy them if I like them. However, I never use the physical copies and only put them on the shelf because it’s too damn annoying to keep carrying them around if you can simply put them all on one Compact Flash card. It’s a good thing that one of the big guys finally gets it. Too bad this is still a fucking PSP, with that one lonely analog nub. Seems like they STILL haven’t added a fucking touchscreen to it?! Come on, it’s 2009, people! At that price, this thing is a joke. If it was 200$, including 200$ credit at the download store, I’d think about it. As it is, I’m still looking for a cheap used classic PSP for my handheld collection and to play Umihara Kawase…
Hi, I purchased a psp go to replace my psp 1000 that is only used for emulating now. And here are my thoughts on it:
I don’t mind the fact that there is no umd drive, I have never liked umd’s and when the option was available I have only downloaded games from the playstation store. Also note that I am all for the death of physical media.
I like the size a lot!! It is surprisingly small. But that is about the only thing that I am impressed with so far.
The psp go in my opinion is too lite and feels a little cheap and flimsy. I am afraid if I drop my psp go that it will explode into a thousand pieces.
Sony really cheaped things up with the included items and content. There are no games included, not even a cheap ps1 game. There are no included headphones! None! WTF sony you actually make headphones! How much extra would that have cost?! There is no case, no screen cleaning cloth, and no hand strap. At least sony included a charger and usb cable and are not trying to find a way to make me pay for that. For what this thing cost that is ridiculously sparse.
The analog hub is too far indented for my small hands and makes using it uncomfortable.
I don’t like the smaller buttons and I feel that someone with larger hands will have problems.
I think I will be returning it for a psp 3000.