Avery Score/Assistant Editor, Mobile Games "In our Game of the Year Awards, we called Sony's offering of the PSP for 19,800 yen ($185 US) the biggest news of 2004. We naturally assumed this would correlate to a similar price on US shores, which seemed like the sort of thing capable of wiping the perpetually wide-eyed, smirking expression from Shigeru Miyamoto's pedomorphic face. What we didn't count on is that Sony's executives, to use a term coined by the current holder of our national executive office, are a bunch of 'freedom haters.' Freedom is about not having to drop a massive wad of cash for the privilege of buying a 'Value Pack,' which includes a host of Sony products that may or may not be of interest to a given consumer. Being forced to buy more than you bargained for can rarely be described as a 'value.' Of course, the lucky first million get a free UMD copy of Spider-Man 2! Now we can watch our Sony-published films on our Sony console with our Sony headphones! This Value Pack is sounding more and more like a mugging. At least when you have your cash literally stolen, you don't feel like a piece of consumer cattle. It's hard to not be resentful of a populace that's effectively getting its PSPs for 50 fewer dollars than we. Was the theory that the Japanese population is more likely to notice that its square buttons don't work properly? Is this restitution for the flying UMD issues that cropped up in the PSP launch units? Whatever the reason, I am supremely displeased. Were it not for the region encoding of UMD movies, as well as prohibitive shipping costs, it might make sense to simply import the device. You'd be saving more pride than actual cash, but that's nonetheless an interesting situation. I can't think of a single other instance when hardware has been cheaper to import from Japan than to purchase domestically. I thought hardware was supposed to get cheaper over time, not more expensive. For example, I bought my first-gen PlayStation 2 in Japan for around $400. I was later ridiculed by friends who picked up the system for much cheaper...and who didn't end up playing the Bouncer 50 times until real games started coming out. Come to think of it, that was another time Sony screwed me over! Dammit!" I'll still buy a PSP, but I'll scowl as I do so. Hopefully, the cashier will note my displeasure, and Sony reps will be somehow notified. Call it trickle-down scowling."
I'm not buying one. Sony can die for all I care :smt067 I know it seems I have been doing a lot of Sony hateing lately, and acting a little fanboyish, but it's because I am sick and tired of Sony screwing us over with shitty hardware and high prices.
yea, the ps2 was a total disaster... there is even a theory that sony designs the systems to break after a certain amount of time... I kinda believe it. I really do enjoy some of the games that are on the ps2, but i really do not want to purchase any sony hardware, Especaily after all of the stories about the projectile UMDs, sticky buttons, and busted analog sticks,... Sony just makes crap hardware.. Now that all of the best PS2 games are begining to hit xbox now anyways, there is begining to be no reason to own a ps2 at all... The PSP is looking to follow the same path. Even its games are a bunch of casual gamer crap like tony hawk. I'll take a slight hit of graphics and go with the DS. At least I'll know that its guaranteed to last a while because its a nintendo handheld.
Ryan, my thoughts exactly. It seems many stores down here also pander to the casual gamer, leaving ME out of finding good games. It's pretty much what the PSP will do to the western market. Only to realise, the "casual" gamer would rather buy an Ipod to listen to ... boy, I don't even remember what crap is fashionable nowadays. You get the Idea. Seeing a screenshot of Tales of Eternia, however, I'm very tempted to sell my soul and buy a PSP.... I'm a huge fan of that. But the chances of it being localised? Zero. Dammit. I'm getting a DS. At the worst case scenario, I get to play GBA games with a better screen. Since I don't have a GBA and carts are cheap down here, that's pretty much what I'm gonna do.
$50 more... wow, come moan when it's like with us and you have to pay $160 more (than yours, even more when compared to the JPN release)
you arent serious are you? They lose money on producing the console, or they did...now they lose money repairing them. There's no conspiracy to get you to buy a new ps2 every few months. It's actually a well known fact that nothing turns consumers off more than experiences with shitty products. Like if you buy a Ford and it breaks down all the time or has recalls, you probably wouldnt buy another one. Sony probably did go with cheaper parts to lower the initial price, but now MS is thinking about doing the same thing with the xbox 2. Excessive loading is the problem most ps2's have, and with games like San Andreas constantly reading the disk like a HDD, no wonder the lasers die quickly.
The PS2 was a disaster b/c it was rushed. I mean hell... if I had a million people willing to preorder my product I'd try to get it out there too. The launch titles were pathetic though... I completely empathize with the writer. I will eventually buy a PSP, but not until there's at least 3 decent games. They're all crap so far.
I had my PS2 for almost 2 years, and it hasnt broke, yet. I had an OLD playstation that crapped out on me, but I bought it at a pawn shop, and it still lasted about a year after that. Havent had ANY trouble with my PS1, either. I guess im "Lucky".
Oooh, me next My playstation 2 is second hand AND its a launch model (verified by version number checkign and games listed on back of box). It still works fine and I use a swap disc to play my imports (I add that because of the rumours that it damages your PS2).
