Sony Update, Mini sized PS2, PSP delayed Options

[*kryogenix*]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...h_japan_sony_dc
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/17/sony_pstwo/

Sony is believed to be preparing a more compact version of its PlayStation 2 console intended to give the platform mid-life boost in much the same way it did with the original PlayStation.

Sony announced the PSone in June 2000, initially alongside the original console, but later, once the PS2 was widely available, in place of it. Sony used the device to win over consumers for whom the latest-generation console was too pricey.

The consumer electronics giant's move to register the name 'PStwo' as a trademark, signalled by market watcher PJ McNealy of American Technology Research, suggests that it is considering a similar strategy as the company prepares to launch the PS3, currently scheduled for Q1 2005.

Once the PS3 is announced, Sony may also feel the PS2 will need refreshment in order to counter a potential tail-off in sales as consumers prepare to wait for the new machine. A redesign might also subtly shift the console away from the audience the PS3 will be pitched at.

Some commentators have suggested that the PStwo could ship in time for Christmas - an idea given weight by the low levels of PS2 stock in the US, reported by GamesIndustry.biz. Indeed, the site suggests Sony's Computer Entertainment division may use its annual strategy meeting next week to announce the box.

Such an announcement could be seen as an attempt to counter Microsoft's upcoming Halo 2, which is expected to give Xbox a kick in the run up to Christmas.

However, with PS3's ship date -as opposed to its formal launch - still a long way off, and PS2's pricing now at an all-time low, now may not be the time to launch an alternative version. Sony may simply be registering the PStwo name now in readiness for a launch next year, or just in order to be sure of the name's ownership if it ever decides it needs the brand. ®

And the good news (if you're optimistic)

http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/18/commentary.../column_gaming/

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick told investors yesterday that his company does not expect the PSP to launch in North America until the second quarter, according to an analyst note from P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research. That could conceivably push the system's launch back to June 2005.

"We have not discussed or given any indication that an adjustment to the PSP launch window is on the horizon," said Molly Smith, director of public relations for Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Wall Street, though, is skeptical of Sony's timetable.

"We have maintained that it has been at best a 50-50 proposition that Sony will make its scheduled holiday 2004 Japan launch, and any delay in the Japan launch would likely push the North American launch out of the March quarter," wrote McNealy. "We believe the next significant update from Sony (including any possible schedule changes) will come in late September at the Tokyo Games Show."

Boasting roughly the same graphical quality as the PlayStation2, the handheld PSP will play movies and digital music in addition to games. Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Ken Kutaragi, when introducing the machine in 2003, called "the Walkman of the 21st century". Games and other forms of entertainment will be stored on a new device known as the Universal Media Disc, which Sony said will hold three times as much data as a CD-ROM.
The PSP will play games, movies and music. 
The PSP will play games, movies and music.

While the system has received significant consumer and developer interest (nearly 100 publishers have committed to make games for it), Sony has not been particularly forthcoming with several details.

Foremost among those has been the PSP's price. Most analysts and executives expect the device will retail for somewhere between $199 and $349, but Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell caused a stir in June when he predicted the PSP would retail for as much as $500.

Battery life remains a big question mark as well. In May, Sony predicted gamers would be able to play for roughly 10 hours before having to recharge the device's lithium-ion battery. Listening to music, it said, would result in a battery life of approximately eight hours. And when it's used as a portable movie player, the PSP's battery would last 2.5 hours.

Developers were openly skeptical of those numbers immediately. And those putting games together for the system say Sony has urged them to avoid streaming game levels from the Universal Media Disk, to lengthen the system's battery life. (Peripherals such as CD drives, which are similar to the UMD, drain batteries faster.)

The PSP was originally scheduled to go on sale worldwide this holiday season. In February, Sony pushed back the U.S. launch of the system to the first quarter of 2005, but said it still planned to launch on schedule in Japan.

Software publisher earnings aren't likely to be greatly affected if the system does get further delayed. Electronic Arts (ERTS: Research, Estimates) and Activision (ATVI: Research, Estimates) have modest sales expectations for initial games, said McNealy. And THQ's (THQI: Research, Estimates) guidance included no revenue from PSP software through March of next year.

Any delay could only work in Nintendo's favor, however. Its Game Boy Advance is the machine to beat in the portable gaming market – and many industry insiders question whether Sony will be able to assume a market leader position in the field. Meanwhile, Nintendo remains on track to release a second handheld gaming system this holiday.

The Nintendo DS will feature two screens and a touchpad, and will include Wi-Fi capabilities. In addition to proprietary software, the DS will also be backward compatible with all previous GameBoy titles. 

[*kryogenix*]

Jeez, i hope they make the darn PS3 like that size.

They always come out with the big players first... man...>~

not going to happen. it will have to lose funcionality if they wanted to make it that small.