Okay- we all have waited with anticipation for Sony to release the final price of the PSP. The system was rumored to have a launch price of $189.00 USD and that was a decent price. Then Sony suddenly allowed stores like EB and GameStop to take pre-orders. However, there was no set price? The only info for months was the system would be priced around $149.00-$189.00 and they had the price set at $400.00 by default. Then the stores got word that Sony was going to be offering a value bundle offering the PSP, adapter, 1 PSP accessory and 3 games. Yet, again no set price and launch of March 13 2005? Now we all now that Sony released the PSP in Japan for just under $200.00 USD and it included a hard case, adapter, memory stick and headphones with remote. It was a decent price for a system that can do so much. The only thing not in the Japanese retail box was the USB cable and that soled for less than $10.00 USD. The Sony hinted that the US release would be about the same and offer the same value for the North American gamers. I found it odd that the launch was getting closer and Sony set nothing. I also found that there was only 3 titles out of the original 30+ games announced in short I was asking Sony what the hell are you doing? The price of the value bundle has been set and lets just say the price is far from a value priced bundle. Depending on the accessory and the 3 games you choose this little handheld system is going to set you back almost $600.00 USD. The final items in the bundle in my mind are a joke a 32MB memory stick? Oh goody I can download what? 5 MP3 files thank you Sony! I think the fact that the system is almost $50.00 higher than the Japanese retail bundle and you have to buy 3 titles is a huge mistake. Everyone will have to by another memory stick a 512 MB one will add on $89.99 to the final cost of your bundle. Now I am trying to understand the pricing structure here. I just think Sony is really shafting the North American market with this bundle. You can’t just get the bundle for $249.95 you have to order it with 3 games and the extra accessory. If it had a bigger memory stick it might make sense to me. However, 32 MB on a system that needs to use the memory for everything is like offering a case made of paper to protect the PSP system (Useless) Now I am impressed with the amount of release titles to choose from. Yet, there is going to be some hitches in the launch and I can see it already. Here is what the system will include and then I will tell you the potential hitches. · Sony PSP system which includes: ($249.99) o PSP Hardware o 32 MB Memory Stick Duo o Headphones with remote control o Battery pack o AC adaptor o Soft case and cleaning cloth o Movie/music/game video sampler UMD disc including multiple non-interactive game demo o And for the first one million PSP Value Packs shipped, a special UMD video release of the feature film Spider-Man 2 from Sony Pictures Entertainment. · One PSP accessory of your choice from a list of several launch accessories ($29.99 -149.99) · Three games of your choice from the finalized list of launch titles ($39.99-49.99) Now first of all okay you going to get a copy of Spiderman 2 the movie so what! I have that and I bet most others have the movie already. Will Sony be able to supply everyone at launch with the bigger memory stick they want $89.99? I sure hope so and then what about the games? You get to pick 3 and while the list is impressive some of the games are better than the rest and at $39.99-$49.99 for each it’s going to add up quickly. I see a shortage of memory sticks and the popular games also okay it does come with a soft case but the bottom line is Sony has really taken the system and set it at a price that is going to hurt the wallet big time. This is a handheld system not a new home console you would think Sony would want to set it a bit cheaper and not make it a set bundle? Then again this is Sony we are talking about. I don’t dislike Sony although I have to wonder the wisdom here at the pricing and the late timing of the price. I mean people have pre-ordered this system months ago. Well, I will get one but let me just say that the final price and the fact of the low amount of memory Sony is adding to the bundle seems a bit cheap! You then may as well add another $10- $15.99 for the USB cable or you won’t be able to make use of the systems full potential. I know I may sound harsh on Sony and it may seem a little like a rant. I am just surprised a little at the pricing and let’s face it is expensive. Of course the system will sell I try and let the member know what is going on and give you the latest news. I still think Sony waited too long to set the price and is really taking advantage of those who want this little system. I also think the bundle could have had a bit more demo’s and a movie is nice. It would have been wiser to offer more memory and a hard shell case something people could really use! Here is the list of games that will be offered at launch on March 24 and if you have this ordered you better go in to the store you placed the order at and pre-order the 3 games and your 1 accessory so your sure it will be available when you go to pick it up. I hope the launch will go smoothly but with the way Sony has set it up its bound to have some problems. I have included the final list of games that will be available at launch. A great selection I just wish Sony would have set the price at $249.95 and then allowed buyers to choose if they wanted to buy extra’s right away. In any case be prepared and get ready to drop a massive amount of cash in one day! Games available at Launch: (Please note Games are Subject to Change) ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin’ Trails Ape Escape: On the Loose Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower Dynasty Warriors FIFA 2005 Gretzky NHL Lumines Metal Gear Acid MLB MVP Baseball NBA NBA Street Showdown Need for Speed Rivals NFL Street 2 Unleashed Rengoku: Tower of Purgatory Ridge Racer Smartbomb Spider-Man 2 Tiger Woods PGA Tour Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix Twisted Metal: Head-On Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade Wipeout Pure World Tour Soccer PSP System & Specs: · Dimensions (WxDxH): 6.7 in x 2.91 in x 0.91 in · Weight: 8.36 oz · Controller: D-pad · Processor: MIPS R4000 · Processor Clock Speed: 1-333MHz · Processor (2nd): MIPS R4000 · Processor Clock Speed (2nd): 1-333MHz · Main Memory: 32MB · Video Memory: 2MB EDRAM · Fill Rate (pixels): 664 Mpixels/s · Fill Rate (triangles): 33 Mtriangles/s · Display: 4.3″ 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD · Resolution: 480×272 · Colors: 16.77 million colors · Brightness: o Maximum luminance 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using battery pack) o Maximum luminance 200 / 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using AC adaptor) · Speakers: Built-in stereo speakers · I/O Connectors: 1 x audio out, 1 x microphone, 1 x control connector, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x Memory Stick Pro Duo, IrDA, IR remote. Allows simultaneous multiple PSPs to be connected. · Integrated Communications: 802.11b Wi-Fi · Media Drive: UMD Drive · The UMD: The small, high-capacity optical medium Universal Media Disc (UMD). Allows for 1.8 GB of space and provides an extremely versatile format for games, music, and video. · Codec: o [Video]: “UMD”: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile Level3 o [Video]: “Memory Stick”: MPEG-4 SP, AAC o [Music]: “UMD”: linear PCM, ATRAC3plus o [Music}: “Memory Stick”: ATRAC3plus, MP3 (MPEG1/2 Layer3) o [Photo]: JPEG (DCF2.0/Exif2.21) · Data Transfer: The wireless LAN connections, USB connections, or the use of a Memory Stick PRO Duo. · Power: PSP’s battery is a removable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It’s possible to charge the PSP while using the system. · Buttons: Square, Triangle, X, and Circle face buttons, a digital pad, start, select, an analog thumb stick and two shoulder buttons on the top. · Basic Portable Functions: Exterior headphone connector, brightness control and sound mode selectors. · Protection: A robust copyright protection system utilizes a combination of a unique disc ID, a 128-bit AES encryption key for media, and individual ID for each PSP unit. |