We checked out a working demo version of Skype on the PSP at Sony's booth and are pleased to report that audio quality was pretty decent -- certainly comparable to what we experience when using Skype either on a PC or on the receiving end of one. The only caveat is a bit of lag time in the audio transmission, less than a second but enough to be noticeable. The interface is super simple -- just select the Skype icon and you can see your buddy list of who's online; select someone to ring them up. At the demo station the headset in use was just a regular PSP headset jury-rigged up to the video out jack via the remote control cable -- not something we'll see in production. Since third-party manufacturers will be free to make their own PSP Skype headsets, there should sooner or later be some range of options available for headsets to use according to taste.
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We’ve heard it many times before. Sony is working on a PSP phone. It’s going to be a PSP and a phone. Can you imagine that? What a high-tech device that could only be achieved through space age technology! Well, the undying rumor resurfaced again this weekend, as the publication Nikkei business daily reports not-so-new details, according to Reuters. According to this weekend’s scoop, Sony is considering working on a “cellphone-game gear hybrid” in order to “better compete with Apple Inc’s highly popular iPod and iPhone.” Sony is reportedly planning on setting up a project team as early as July to work on this new product, which should combine functions of the current PSP and Sony Ericsson phones.
That’s great, but what I don’t understand is why Sony feels threatened by a “cellphone that can do games” (which is what the iPhone really is) when they clearly have the superior handheld gaming console. I don’t think it makes sense to work on a “cellphone-game gear hybrid” when your standalone console could use a few improvements itself.
We should see how Sony plans to make its next move in the next month or so. Personally, though, I’m not very excited about the possible end-product of all this.
The PSP and Skype, it was bound to happen !
If you are using you PSP not only for games but for, well browsing the internet on its lame browser and oh so slow speed, rejoice yourself, since now you will have ALSO the possibility to use your PSP as a Skypephone, thanks to an official Skype version for the PSP. You will finally be able to call your favorite Pizza delivery service while being in the toilets thanks to your Skype Powered PSP.
I must admit that I am not over excited by this news, but, if you can use Skype while playing online with other players why not, otherwise... I would say that FOR MY personal usage I will definitively skip this one.
TOKYO, Jan. 6 -- Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI)
today announced that it would introduce Skype(TM) features to the new slim and light PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) handheld entertainment system (PSP-2000 series). More than 246 million members are registered for the use of this communications software, which enables users to communicate with other Skype users around the world over the Internet. Calls between Skype users are free of charge.
By introducing Skype on PSP, the following features and services will
be made available to PSP users (*1) (*2):
-- Free voice calls between Skype users
-- Skype contact list management (view existing contacts, add new ones)
-- Skype presence (see which friends are online and available to talk)
-- SkypeOut(TM) calls to make calls to landlines and mobile phones
anywhere in the world (requires the purchase of Skype credit)
-- Optional SkypeIn(TM) number that lets users receive calls on Skype from
landlines and mobiles anywhere in the world (requires the purchase of
Skype credit)
-- View and modify Skype settings and account details (including username
creation, SkypeOut settings, voicemail settings and call forwarding)
PSP users worldwide will be able to start using Skype features and services through a simple system software update scheduled in late January. After updating the PSP system software, a Skype icon will be added to the Network category in the home menu. PSP users who do not yet have a Skype username can register by clicking the icon and following the instructions. PSP users who already have a Skype username can immediately sign in by clicking the Skype icon and entering their username and password.
SCEI will deploy various measures to meet users' demand and vigorously
promote the expansion of the PSP platform as a handheld entertainment
system to enjoy a variety of interactive digital entertainment.
* For more information on Skype, please visit http://www.skype.com
(*1) To enjoy Skype features on PSP, users will need Memory Stick Duo(TM),
a wireless Internet connection and a Skype-compatible audio input device.
(*2) In order to receive calls, users must be connected to the Internet and signed in through the Skype screen on PSP.
The PSP is a great machine. Some people say it lacks great games but, while a few more would never hurt, I’ve played plenty. What’s weird is that, not long after PSP’s initial launch, Sony seem to have promoted it as everything but a games machine. New add-on devices have been announced to increase its non-gaming functionality, making its key strength even less clear. So, is it a games machine anymore? In fact, does it need to be?
In my previous entries, I’ve been unsure whether having Skype on PSP, or iPlayer on the Wii, were of any real use. We live in a world where every device competes to be everything to everyone. I understand the financial drive to achieve this, but I don’t think that’s in my interest as a consumer if no device excels at any task.
Versatile devices make us feel better about our purchases. A new range of items announced by Sony, called Go!PSP, add lots of amazing features using snazzy, little USB add-on hardware devices:
- Go!Explore - 3D Sat nav
- Go!Cam - Stills and video camera with sound recorder
- Go!Messenger - Voice and video calls, instant messaging (all using WiFi)
- Go!View - Download TV, sports and films to watch on your PSP (via a PC) at a feee
The PSP’s connectivity to the PS3 has been talked about for a long time and is still arriving slowly. I hope it will re-awaken interest in the PSP, but not just as PS3’s bitch. The PSP needs a purpose when attached to the PS3. Using a PSP as a remote screen to watch content stored on a PS3 which is acting as a PVR is a great use (ignoring the fact that you can get wireless transmitters to send TV anywhere in your house). But what about game usage when linked to a PS3? There were a handful of clever ideas of this type of connectivity with the N64 and GBA which could plug together, but they were few and far between.
Overall, anything but games that play specifically on a PSP dilute its core offering. Other applications are cool and strengthen the overall PSP benefit but this needs to be the support material for a games machine and not the main focus or it becomes a jack-of-all-trades device. Every device needs identity. If people forget the PSP is a great games machine, publishers will stop creating games for it.
In my mind, the PSP needs portraying as a games machine once again. Several years old and it still looks and plays great. Some people comment that good games for the PSP are limited but I’m not so sure. It depends what you want to play and where. For me, portable (it is the first P in PSP after all) gaming is 80% snackable games for travel and 20% console gaming experiences (like adventures or racing games) that really need long periods and somewhere stable to sit. I’ve enjoyed and completed at least 5 PSP games in the last few months - it would have been more had my DS, some books and the backs of my eyelids not all had their fair share of my daily commute time. Yes, more good games would be great, but good PSP games do exist - they’re just not identical to the gameplay of those on your home console.
Sony Japan today revealed a new TV tuner add-on for their PSP portable gaming system. The PSP-S310 tuner plugs into the PSP’s cartridge port and provides digital television reception on the system’s TFT screen.
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Unfortunately, the tuner is only planned for markets that support 1seg digital broadcasts at this point, which means that you won’t be able to use it outside of Japan. Also, it will only work with the newly released, thin PSP models (PSP-2000), not the original model (PSP-1000.) The tuner is expected to be released on September 20th for ¥6980 (about $57 USD.)
