PSP

God of War Meet up in Los Angeles

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 1, 2010 | 13 comments

Well I’ve finally made my way down to Los Angeles, or more so, North Hollywood and have landed at the Playstation Event, God of War. Today, Sony is going to be celebrating the up coming launch of the new God of War game for the PSP, as well as interviews and panels with the likes of David Jaffe and others. Keep an eye on this post as I continue to update it though out the day. At the moment, the event is still a few hours away and I’m sitting at the near by Starbucks, listening to gamers chat away. It’s fun.

So the following is my gear for the day:
Sony Cybershot HX5 for pictures.
Flip HD for any interviews that need be done.
iPad 3G so I can actually update this post with and of course, my trusty iPhone 4 which took this picture.

Just for anybody who is planning on coming to the event, there is parking right across the street for free, called retail parking. You can’t hang around the building till around 3 so plenty to do in the meantime with small cafe and Starbucks around.

Here is my pass. Don’t I look pretty?

And now the line waiting has begun. Lots of hilarious “gamer” conversations around.

Just did a fun interview with Playstations own Audry Cleo. She was a blast.

Still waiting to get in, although were at the door. Half seem to be in and the other half outside. Thanks LA for choosing to be hot today!

4:15

And we have finally been seated.

4:21
Aawww. Bummer. No photos or video allowed during it.

8:58
Alright. The event is now done with. Lots of goodies to write about.

Sony Blasts Mobile Phone Gaming, Winks at Apple

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 17, 2010 | 33 comments

This new commercial from Sony pretty much says all it needs to say. Sony is no longer just concerned with Nintendo in the handheld gaming market but is very well aware of the fact that Apple has taken a big leap with the App Store and the cheap games it offers. The message here is simple: on the PSP, you can get high quality games starting at $9.99. Sony also offers the Mini games as well which have a starting price of $2, but those are more like the content and sometimes straight ports of games on the App Store. Being a lover of my iPhone, I have to say that although the games on the Apple platform are fun for a few minutes, they are nowhere near the quality of a game designed for the PSP, especially AAA titles like God of War, Final Fantasy and LittleBigPlanet which offer far superior graphics, depth, and storyline. Of course, price plays into all of this as well and I think Sony is on the right track. It needs to further increase the presence of the PSP and let gamers know of the variety of titles it has, including Minis. From there, Sony needs to reach to the small time publishers of the App Store and let them know that the content they create is welcomed on the Playstation platform and then formulate a delivery method so they can actually pass those games to Sony.

Click Me For Video Because I Can't Embed Flash On Here...

DC Brings Its Comics To PSP

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 29, 2010 | 4 comments

DC is throwing its support behind the PSP and will now be offering its comics in the Playstation Comic Store, joining the likes of Sony Comics, Marvel and others. DC will be starting off with 80 titles; there will be more coming in the future. DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee went on to announce that there will be: “actually a fairly wide and diverse offering of kids comics like Tiny Titans, DC core titles such as Batman: Hush and critically acclaimed classics like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman”.

Lee also confirmed that the prices of the comics will range from $1 to $3. For those who want to try out this service, there will be several free issues and samples, including a 10-page preview of “Superman No. 700,” stories from “Batman: Black and White” and the first installments of “Bayou,” “Fringe,” “Mirror’s Edge,” and “Resistance.”

Some other launch titles include:

“Batman: Hush,” “Green Lantern: Rebirth,” “Fables: Legends in Exile” and “Planetary: All Over the World,” “Other Stories,” “Superman/Batman,” “Resistance,” “Free Realms” and “God of War.”

Gamer Log: PSPgo Saved My Night

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 27, 2010 | 21 comments

So here is a fun one. Last night, I had my girlfriend over. We had finished dinner with the family and we were going to eventually pop in a Blu-ray to watch. A few days prior to all of this, I had introduced my girlfriend to the Tester series on PSN. So while we waited for the rest of the family to get together, we decided to watch a episode or two. One down, no problem and we were into the next episode when the family was ready. We skimmed my now 197 Blu-ray titles (take that, Blockbuster) and we came on “The International” (from Columbia Pictures) and started to watch away. Half way through the movie, my girlfriend wasn’t feeling all that well so we decided to retire the night upstairs in my room. My room is geek heaven but there is no HDTV there so I haven’t even bothered buying another PS3 yet. But we were both also a little bored and wanted something entertaining to watch. Thats when it hit me. I grabbed my PSPgo off the Sony Dock, jumped on PSN and downloaded episode 5 of the Tester (135MB) in about 3 minutes and we finished that episode in bed. It’s times like this when that little guy really shines and I look at the Nintendo DS and cant help but wonder why Sony isn’t pushing more of these devices out.

Playstation Plus Content Revealed For Month 1 & 2

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 25, 2010 | 3 comments

If you’re wondering what the Playstation Plus is all about, we gave you a nice breakdown feature by feature to let you know what you have to gain from this new service from Sony. Now, here are all the goodies you will be getting:

Month 1: June 29th – August 3rd

Intro offer: Qore (LittleBigPlanet for Europe)
PSN PS3: Wipeout HD
minis: Field Runners, Age of Zombies
PSone: Destruction Derby
Full Game Trial: Shatter, Savage Moon
Discounts: LBP God of War Pack – 50%, LBP: LocoRoco costume pack – 50%, Gravity Crash – 20%, Fat Princess DLC – 20%
Premium Game Element: KillZone 2: Steel & Titanium DLC
Push demo: ModNation Racers, Heavy Rain
Themes: LBP Theme, SCEE produced: PlayStation “Game Is Just The Start” Dynamic Theme
2 x Fat Princess Premium Avatars

Month 2: August 4th – September 1st

PSN PS3: Zen Pinball
minis: Blast-Off, Alien Zombie Death
PSone: Medievil
Full Game Trial: Inferno Pool, Mushroom Wars
Discounts: Zen Pinball Earth Defence Table – 20%, Warhawk Triple Combo Pack – 50%, Super Stardust HD – 20%, WipeOutHD Fury – 20%
Premium Game Elements: Motorstorm Pacific Rift: Adrenaline Pack
Push Demo: Flower, Pixel Junk Shooter
Themes: “SCEE produced: PlayStation + Dynamic Theme (in production), Heavy Rain Crime Scene Theme
2 x Heavy Rain Avatars (Bird and Butterfly)

Playstation Plus: Full Details

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 24, 2010 | 11 comments

I’ll be giving my thoughts on PSN Plus later on, but I can tell you that indeed I will be getting this new service from Sony when it launches in the US and Europe on June 29th. Because the internet seems to go nuts and lose sight of what’s really going on, I will have to point out that all the remaining services you enjoy on your Playstation 3 and PSP will continue to be free. So online gaming, access to the Playstation Store, firmware updates etc. will all continue to be free. So what does Playstation Plus give you? Lots of content. Lots and lots of content. So what are these?

Games
Discounts
Exclusive items on PlayStation Store
Full Game Trial
Automatic Downloads

Hit the jump for full details and breakdown of every feature.

I Don't Use My PSPgo Because I'm Cheap

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 10, 2010 | 5 comments

On October 1st, 2009, I was a giddy person. It was the PSPgo launch date and I had my unit already paid for and only needed the UPS man to bring it to my door. It was a little opposite of the PSP-1000 launch as I waited in line that day at a GameStop store. The original PSP was one of my favorite gadgets. Before I had an iPod, that little guy would hold my music, I had a load of UMD movies and had downloaded Anime on my memory stick and a load of games. Fast forward the PSPgo launch: I received my unit, fired it up and was in love. I immediately downloaded Grand Turismo and a few other games and took my PSPgo with me everywhere. But I noticed I kept going back to my PSP-1000 and it was for the simple reason that I still needed to beat Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7. Because of lack of option of playing Crisis Core on my PSPgo, my PSP-1000 had me in. But now I owned this beautiful unit and I couldn’t even give it the attention it needed. Soon I noticed that Amazon had a fantastic deal on Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Of course, this was on the UMD version, but for $20, how could I say no?

It’s with this that I noticed that the reason I don’t use my PSPgo is because I’m cheap! Seriously, one of the reasons I have been playing my original PSP more than my PSPgo is because I can go on Amazon and get cheaper prices or sales on games. Plus, at the end of the day, it will be the same game because yes the PSPgo is sexier and has a better screen, but the game itself is and will be the same. So while I do love my PSPgo, I don’t want to pay extra for games when I don’t have to. Also, the whole point of digital distribution is that there is no shipping, no packaging, no producing and booklets and boxes, so does it not make sense for the digital version to be cheaper? Plus, the big worry with game publishers right now is secondhand selling and how they don’t get a cut of that market. Well have the UMD version for $40 which can go be sold again and the PSN version for $30 because I cannot share those and sell that copy.

That is ultimately not the only solution. Sony needs to give a retailer like Amazon the capability go also put the PSN versions on sale as well as the UMD and give the buyers a choice (remember, there is a PSN store on Amazon as well for those who want to gift games or just buy them some other way). So to wrap this up, I’m not against digital downloads. I own 2 iPhones (soon 3) and my iPad, and I have nearly 30 PSN games on the PS3, but when I can get the same game for cheaper on the PSP as opposed to the PSPgo version and they are of the same quality, capitalism and supply and end demand indicate that the PSPgo will flop and so far, its been true, sadly.

Here’s a funny thing: in order to take the picture I did for the profile, I had to plug my PSPgo back in and charge it up and during its initial setup, I felt very guilty about this post and the lack of attention I have given that unit and the lack of marketing and attention Sony has given it as well because it feels so damn nice in the hand. Dammit Sony!

Sony's 30 Best Playstation Network Games

by Jenni Petot | May 29, 2010 | 58 comments

I found a great article from GamePro listing the top 30 games for the Playstation Network. I’ve purchased some on the list but this reminded me of the great titles that I want to purchase and play. Two games that didn’t make the list that I think are worthy are: PAIN and PixelJunk Racer. PAIN is a very comedic game where you literally launch a character in the air and as he falls try to create the most destruction and damage to him; check it out and get a good laugh. PixelJunk has four fantastic games exclusively on the PSN and all but PixelJunk Racer were included on the list so don’t forget about racer!

I’ve spotlighted three PSN exclusive games on the list I’ve really really enjoyed

Echochrome: M.C. Escher is my favorite artist and I can’t help but to think of him during this puzzle game. Echochrome consists of over 56 levels with simple looking puzzles that get increasingly difficult as you guide your player through them. It’s all about point of view, angles and connecting walk paths for your player. You can also challenge friends by creating your own levels.

The Last Guy: This game has a simple concept of guiding survivors of a monster-apocalypse through large cities to safety. Bigger and bigger groups come your way in need of saving keep up the challenge and I love the birds eye view the game is played in. This game is fun, addicting with fun music. Check out the demo that’s available on the PSN.

Pixel Junk Monsters: This was one of the first PSN games I bought and I remember numerous late night session playing it. I love this game. The concept is your basic tower defense protecting home base from waves of monsters. As you move throughout the map levels get harder with more waves and stronger monsters. What’s great is the variety of defense towers you have, some to be unlocked, and the ability to power them up by ‘dancing’ in them. It’s such a great game that I recommend you buy, I don’t think you’ll be dissapointed. Also, there’s an “encore” expansion pack that adds another 15 levels if you feel you’ve outplayed the game and the levels are very hard.

Want to see the full list? Hit the jump for the list of the 30 games (and their prices!) that made the cut. [Via GamePro]

Read More ›

You Can Now Eat Your PSP

by Sohrab Osati | May 26, 2010 | 36 comments

One thing I’ve always wanted to do is experience a surprise and have it be a cake of something I love. So if anybody out there wants to, please make me a Matrix or Lost or PS3 or iPad cake. Chocolate, too. But the folks over at Debbie Does Cakes have now gone out and pulled at my taste buds in another way: A PSP cake! What’s freaking amazing too is the amount of detail on this thing. From the yellow port for the power plug, to the button placement and logos to the rough design over the joystick. If I didn’t love chocolate stuff so much, I would almost feel bad about eating this. Now, I want to see a PSPgo cake!

[Via Walyou]

PSN Videos Now Playable On Your PC

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 29, 2010 | 8 comments

Here is a little interesting tidbit. Today, I jumped on Media Go, which is Sony’s version of iTunes so to speak for the PSP. The service allows for you to add Music, Photos and Videos to your PSP. The Media Go Software will also talk with iTunes and grab files from it (Even over a network; my iTunes library is on my Mac and it was able to grab music from it no problem). To my surprise, when I logged into the Media Go software today, where you also have access to the PSN store to download content for your PC, I found a new feature.

Sony has now given you the ability to watch your downloaded videos, which were originally meant for your PSP and PSPgo exclusively, on your PC as well. This of course is a very welcome feature. If we have the files on our computer, why not be able to play them on there as well? In iTunes, the video content you download is not just meant for your iPhone or iPod. Those who ran the update will note that the Media Go software also asked for a new update which, besides the random enhancement and bug fixes, also adds compatibility for some Sony Ericsson phones as well. The reason this interests me is that like I’ve always said, PSN needs to be at the core of Sony’s business model. Its laptops, cellphones and other mobile devices all need to have access to the content on there. This not only makes PSN more valuable when you know your content is good for 10 platforms versus 2 (PSP and PS3), but also makes your products more valuable as it gives them an ever-growing content service.

While all these features and ideas are great, I do have one small caveat with the Media Go platform. Why is there not a Mac version? I mean, seriously. Do Mac users not buy PSP and PS3’s and other Sony products? The majority of my media is on my Mac it would be nice to be able to just dock my PSPgo and PSP-1000 with my Mac. Come on, Sony.

My Current PSP Setup:

Sony Working On PSP Music Store? More Like PSN

by Sohrab Osati | May 27, 2009 | 1 comment

Full Concept

A few websites are running with the news that Sony is looking to create a PSP music store. The theory goes that with the eventual death of the UMD drive on the PSP and the potential integration of build in flash drive and added Memory Stick expansion slot, Sony is looking to turn the PSP into an iPod Touch competitor, much like the touch is competing with the PSP/DSi.

Although I dont doubt such intensions, there is one piece of this story that I reject and feel like everybody is missing. Why would Sony just create a PSP music store? Do we forget that the download service was truly born for Sony on the PS3? (we will forget Sony Connect and such). And that at last E3, the movie side of the PSN store was born. So why would Sony suddenly just limit their music to the PSP? I think that the PSP is part of the puzzle, sure but this should be a PSN Music service. We must not forget that and I know im beating a dead horse, but Sony is a music company as well. Plus, Sony makes many devices like their new X1000 Walkman that is designed to head to head with the iPod Touch. So why limit the reach of your audience. It’s not like there is a separate iTunes music store for the iPod Touch vs. other Apple Products. In fact, the potential success of iTunes is the story of, sell music at a loss, but make the hardware like AppleTV, iPod Touch more appealing.

Sony must do the same thing with their PSN store if they are going to survive the next shift in the electronic industry. Just like how the PSN store made its way to the PSP, the Music side must a PSN service that Sony equipment can will tap into. Not a hardware to hardware specific service. Plus, wouldn’t those who use such a service (consumer) but happier knowing such a service will work with 15 of their Sony devices verses 1? And more so, what better way to lure content provider by saying that we have a reach of 80 Million (PSP+PS3, but hopefully, much more Sony devices in the future) then just 50 million (PSP users).

Skype Headsets Here for the PSP

by Sohrab Osati | May 15, 2008 | 4 comments

With the release of the PSP-2000, Sony later on rolled out the capability to make free calls with Skype. Not does that mean free calls, but that also means that if your every traveling, find yourself a Wi-Fi spot and you got yourself unlimited minus (unless you run out of batter but Sony might have a counter for that soon too). There hasent been official skype headset till now. For $30, the headset is both Skype ready and for in game voice chatting.

PSP Kicking Ass and Taking Names

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 15, 2008 | 18 comments

Look at the Japanese numbers for the week of April 10th. Seems like the PSP has kept its ever growing momentum from 2008 and keeps riding it high. This can only be good for Sony as news keeps leaking out of the DS has peaked. What Sony needs to do now though is not to fall asleep at the wheel and be too busy congratulating itself. When I view the PSP, I love everything it has to offer and I do admit that I was in line, March 24th on launch date and picked myself up a spanking new PSP, lots of games, UMD movies and accessories for the little guy so I’m a believer. But doesn’t everybody else was sold on it and that’s where Sony needs to step. What they have done right sense then is releasing the new lighter, thinner and better screen and battery life time unit (PSP-2000) and offering loads of colors is a fantastic idea. But from there, Sony really needs to make users aware of all the other functionality the PSP offers and smoothen out the process. Ranging from watching movies to listening to music and playing games online or just going online. So although we congratulate Sony, we hope they don’t let their guard down and continue to expand the PSP.

As always, hit the magicbutton for actual numbers, a chart and some pictures of the PSP Craze I witnessed, while in Japan.

MagicGate!

PSP Firmware 3.95

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 8, 2008 | 5 comments

The PSP is just growing left and right with these new firmware updates. Now unlike the previous update that offered alot of new features, this one only boasts some minor upgrades but this also brings functionality to both PSP and PSP Slim (2000) users. The update allows for reconfiguration of the PSP button for PS1 emulations so map them out to your liking. Also, you now have the ability to either turn off your PS3 or leave it running after Remote play.

Hit the MagicButton for a High Res Wallpaper!

MagicGate!

PSP Skype Headset

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 19, 2008 | 9 comments

More PSP news. So Skype for the PSP? Free and great. Headset also great, if you have one. Now the current PSP headset works just fine with games like Socom and Syphon Filter and so it equally works fine with Skype. But Sony is bringing an official Skype headset this April. Price not yet announced but were gonna speculate on $20.