PlayStation® General

[Wikiality]

With all the recent rumors that Sony's gaming division is pairing the PSP with a Phone and the AndriodOS (an excellent move imho), I just wanted to pass along a few things I would love to see from the PSP2.

Yes, I know I'm not speaking for all gamers, and many people here might disagree with me because they love the PSP exactly as is (that's why they're here isn't it, because they love the PSP). But it's apparent from sales figures that the original PSP is indeed in decline (not here, but among gamers in general). I think you'll find the ideas below are all good ideas that would prove very popular among gamers in general (not neccesarily the people on this forum though).

The PSP2 absolutely needs to trounce it's 3D competitor in every respect in terms of both gaming and functionality if it wishes to compete. As happy as I am with the PSP, it is a 6 year old device. With all the hype and momentum the 3D handheld is gaining, Sony will either have to come out with a successor to the platform in the next year or two, or bow out of the portable market completely. I think the latter isn't something that Sony wants to do. The original PSP sold 50+ million copies. It has made Sony billions of dollars. So while it wasn't anywhere near as profitable as it's competitor, it was still extremely profitable for Sony, more so than the PS3. I think it's pretty clear that a PSP2 is on the horizon.

And the reason that the original PSP was so profitable for Sony and sold over 50 million copies was in part because of the fantastic functionality it offered. If Sony can again offer a more capable more functional handheld, all while fixing the weaknesses of the original PSP (lack of dual analog, poor battery life, load times, lack of a touch screen, piracy, a poor web browsing experience), it can strike gold.

Design

Here is a mockup outlining the general design I would love to see for the PSP2.

Imagine that, but with high resolution 3D screen that doubles as a touch screen when not being used for gaming, and without the ugly oversized bezel on the bottom (where it says sony and has the PS logo)

With a slide out, the device would look awesome when it's closed and all the buttons are hidden.

Plus since it would have a touch screen and running Andriod OS (as Sony recently announced), it would be usable for everything except for the gaming functions while the device is closed. It would make for the perfect media playback device/ebook reader/smartphone/ipad tablet while the screen is closed with a nice 4.3 or 4.5 inch screen.

Dual Analog Nubs

I actually think that if the original PSP had dual analog nubs that allowed for seamless fps gameplay, better battery life (if they went with cartrages instead of umds) and nubs that were actually comfortable, it would have gone toe to toe or possibly beaten other handhelds in terms of sales. By not offering dual analog nubs, Sony crippled the original PSP. It couldn't replicate the smooth gameplay that the PS2 offered and players were stuck with very clunky controls for shooters and other action games.

A Large High Resolution 3D Screen

In my humble opinion, if someone is trying to market their handheld as a 3D multimedia device that can be used to watch 3D movies on the go, as well as play games, they are making a huge mistake by using a low resolution 3D screen, and pairing it with .3 megapixel cameras that are laughably outdated. The 3.5 screen size on a 3D handheld is also laughably small when pitted against the PSP's much nicer 4.3 inch size screen.

Yes, there is demand for a portable 3D movie player/gaming device, especially among casuals. A device that can be used to play 3D games, watch 3D movies, play music, read ebooks (in 2D of course), browse the web, take flash photographs and video, run skype over wifi/3G, run apps, use for navigation and even make phone calls would be highly sought after. It would be like the iPhone/iPad but with even more functionality (gaming the way it should be, and a 3D display). Most smartphones can do much of that, and they are selling like hotcakes. However, 3D gaming and 3D movie playback is something no smartphone can offer, and that defining feature can lure in a lot of buyers who otherwise might not be interested in the PSP2.

But if the viewing experience is low resolution and pixelated on a crappy 400 x 240 resolution screen, it won't be sought after for this purpose. This might be a bit of a stretch, but the PSP2 should ideally offer a 1200x480 resolution 4.3 inch 3D screen, even if they have to wait a little while till such a screen can be manufactured cheaply.. While gaming or watching a 3D movie, the screen could be used to render a 600x480 resolution image twice to produce a 3D effect at dvd resolution on a beautiful 4.3 inch portable screen.

Games/Movies Stored on Encrypted microSD cards rather than on UMDs

The PSP2 should have absolutely no moving/rotating disc drives like the UMD. Moving disc drives...

1.) Suck up battery life

2.) Have slow read speeds and thus cause significantly longer load times

3.) Are easier to damage, bulky and a pain to carry around and swap.

Ideally, they should go with tiny portable 2-4GB flash memory cartrages. It would simultanously increase the battery life and reduce the load times.

Encrypted SD/microSD cards seem like the best option. Several korean stores 4gb microSD cards for the equivalent of $3. Even in the US, they can be had for $7 or so if you look around. I imagine that they are cheaper to manufacture than a UMD. The actual manufacturing cost of it couldn't be more than a $1 considering how nicely it was packaged, the fact that they had to ship it over from China, and the fact that they had to pay importers, wholesalers and retailers, and still make a profit.

I guarentee that given how cheaply 2gb and 4gb sd cards can be had in retail, they'll be substantially cheaper to use than UMDs ever were.

In addition, SD cards have MUCH higher read speeds than UMDs, and use much less power. This would substantially cut back on load times while improving battery life.

This quote below is exactly how Sony should approach game cartrages. It's an exceptional idea...

---

Wakefulness wrote:

I'd like to see Sony push their own line of psp2 with two microSD readers and a encrypted microSD line of cards that they hand out to developers (as the default physical gaming media). It's tiny, will be enrcyption backed, really simple to get your hand on from a manufacturer for a regular microSD, and it will mean there is still something you can buy at the game store.

It would also be a really neat feature if you could plug in your psp2 and, if you have special software, it can read the slot dedicated to the encrypted MicroSD (with the game) and scan it and manage all that stuff (i.e. delete, sort, scan the web for newer add-ons, etc) so, theoretically, you wont need ever need to have to place new monster hunter DLC into any place other than the encrypted microSD its self (assuming that the capacity of the memory isn't already suprassed) . . .

So, say the default “encrypted” MicroSD card given out by sony to all devs/publishers is 8gb at launch. One game may be developed that only uses 4.5GB, meaning, there will be (approximitaly) 3.5Gb left. Due to this encryption in the MicroSD, this extra 3.5gb will not be able to be used for placing your mp3's or any sort of files you would normally place into a MicroSD card, instead, (if you have it) there will be special software (on the PC) that may read the encrypted slot, verify this specially encrypted card, assure what game it is reading, match the sequence of numbers that are in the PSN library DB (DataBase), and say "do you want to add/assort/delete DLC from this game?" Giving you the choice of what you want to do with DLC, if there is any in the DB url reference library. Of course, the DLC will also be able to be saved and be functional in whatever other memory you may have. And, of course, you can always download the content in the game itself, using the games DB url references.

In my specifications, I built the psp2 to have internal memory (ranging from 16-32-64gb) and a unencrypted (or plain) MicroSD slot that scans for encryption which will not play or make readable "enrypted" Micro data, and a secondary "encrypt safe" MicroSD slot which will only read encrypted data and can be used in-compliance only with special software to "add/assort/delete" downloadable content from the people who encrypted the MicroSD (by which I mean the game company). 

I think this is much more ideal than a never re-writable UMD format that is currently out. I can't imagine a company such as Capcom wanting to develop a large game for the psp2 that Capcom realizes will need DLC sometime after release and, have their consumer assume they will have the 500mb available for DLC in order to play an add-on . . .

Of course, this "encryption" will mean extra investment by Sony in the MicroSD technology like in previous memory cards (i.e. ms pro-duo); totally ditching the UMD by the time PSP2 arrives. This isn't a change that is completely out there though. Remember, Sony choose for the PS1&2 to use the best and most capable form of technology to place their games on so, they chose the CD-ROM. Now, for a portable system, they have the ability to use this technology which is the best standard for holding memory and retains a portable form factor. So, it's good thinking now and going into the future for Sony PlayStation to invest tech into the MicroSD.

---

AndriodOS

The AndriodOS is an efficent multimedia monster that basically nailed the multimedia functionality you would want in any portable device. It has a far superior web browser, video player, music player etc than anything Sony has been able to develop into their PSP. So why not take advantage of this multimedia functionality by loading the Andriod OS onto the PSP2? The PS3 offered linux but that didn't make the system easy to hack or homebrew. The PS3 still hasn't been hacked. So Sony could use the same exact method to implement Andriod on the PSP2 while keeping it damn near unhackable. The AndriodOS doesn't need access to the GPU to be able to run. It runs fine off the CPU. So Sony could use a hypervisor to prevent AndriodOS for accessing the GPU to both save battery life and also prevent homebrews and hacks.

Symmetric Design Loaded With Functionality

As explained above, the PSP2 should run the andriod OS in the background and offer a 4G antenna and 512 mb of ram, so that it would double as a cellphone and could be acquired for FREE when you sign a 2 year contract with a phone company. The device would be sold without a contract for $249 like the original PSP, the free with cellphone contract is just a way to get the device into a lot more people's hands.

The 512mb of RAM is critically important. Every single generation of consoles is bottle necked by the ram more than any other component. Game makers always find innovative ways to squeeze better performance out of the GPU, but they always run into a brick wall in terms of the number of textures and other in-game assets they can squeeze into the systems ram a few years into the generation. This happens every single generation, with every single console, without fail. Putting 512mb of RAM into the device right off the bat would do the best to minimize this bottleneck in the future. Almost every major smartphone being released these days packs in 512mb of RAM, so there is no reason Sony couldn't do likewise with the PSP2, especially if they can subsidize the prize by partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Letting people get the device for significantly cheaper by signing a cellphone contract would allow Sony to sell the PSP2 like hotcakes. Plus, like other smartphones, it should be able to offer both a front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with flash that can take 720p video, gps and basically all the other hardware features found in the iPhone 4 and other smartphones. And it should likewise provide twice the battery life of the current PSP while gaming, and comparable battery life to the HTC HD2 while using the nongaming functions. All these features could be subsidized simply by allowing the device to function as a phone for those inclined to use it as such.

The PSP2 should offer a more symmetric, more rectangular and more aesthetically pleasing design compared to the original. Symmetry is very important to good design and yet for some reason was ignored by Sony with the PS2, PS3 and PSP. There is a reason why Apple products are rectangular and symmetric almost to the point of insanity, because symmetric devices convince consumers that they are higher quality products. The PSP was very close to being symmetric, expect for the plastic loop for the wrist strap in the lower left corner. It however was too rounded. More importantly however is all the wasted real estate on front of the original PSP and PSP go. The screen should cover almost the entirity of the front of any device with a slide out design. I think a rectangular slide out design with a large rectangular screen that takes up almost the entire front of the device would be ideal. The smaller and less noticable the bezel, the better.

Keep in mind that even if it's unveiled soon, the PSP2 still likely won't be out until the end of 2011 at the very earliest. And ALL of the technology I'm proposing is already in mass production and being used in either a wide variety smartphones or other handhelds. So it's not unreasonable to expect those same components to find their way into a device that won't be out for another 18 months. By the time the PSP2's release date rolls around, higher resolution 3D screens should be even cheaper than the rumored $14 that the current 3D screen is costing the upcoming competing 3D handeld.

It was recently revealed that the feature packed iPhone 4 and Evo 4G devices both cost around $180 to manufacture, despite the fact that they're loaded with features and technology. This is now. Twelve months from now, when the PSP2 is likely to launch, similar technology will be substantially cheaper even with a 3D screen. Unlike smartphones, the money on handhelds is made selling games, not hardware. Infact, Sony, Sega and MS have a long history of releasing consoles at a substantial loss and making up for loss and turning a profit entirely through software sales. So Sony could afford to sell the PSP2 at cost ($200), offer it for free with a cellphone contract partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to get a surge of customers, and make a killing in software sales.

[Wikiality]

With all the recent rumors that Sony's gaming division is pairing the PSP with a Phone and the AndriodOS (an excellent move imho), I just wanted to pass along a few things I would love to see from the PSP2.

Yes, I know I'm not speaking for all gamers, and many people here might disagree with me because they love the PSP exactly as is (that's why they're here isn't it, because they love the PSP). But it's apparent from sales figures that the original PSP is indeed in decline (not here, but among gamers in general). I think you'll find the ideas below are all good ideas that would prove very popular among gamers in general (not neccesarily the people on this forum though).

The PSP2 absolutely needs to trounce it's 3D competitor in every respect in terms of both gaming and functionality if it wishes to compete. As happy as I am with the PSP, it is a 6 year old device. With all the hype and momentum the 3D handheld is gaining, Sony will either have to come out with a successor to the platform in the next year or two, or bow out of the portable market completely. I think the latter isn't something that Sony wants to do. The original PSP sold 50+ million copies. It has made Sony billions of dollars. So while it wasn't anywhere near as profitable as it's competitor, it was still extremely profitable for Sony, more so than the PS3. I think it's pretty clear that a PSP2 is on the horizon.

And the reason that the original PSP was so profitable for Sony and sold over 50 million copies was in part because of the fantastic functionality it offered. If Sony can again offer a more capable more functional handheld, all while fixing the weaknesses of the original PSP (lack of dual analog, poor battery life, load times, lack of a touch screen, piracy, a poor web browsing experience), it can strike gold.

Design

Here is a mockup outlining the general design I would love to see for the PSP2.

Imagine that, but with high resolution 3D screen that doubles as a touch screen when not being used for gaming, and without the ugly oversized bezel on the bottom (where it says sony and has the PS logo)

With a slide out, the device would look awesome when it's closed and all the buttons are hidden.

Plus since it would have a touch screen and running Andriod OS (as Sony recently announced), it would be usable for everything except for the gaming functions while the device is closed. It would make for the perfect media playback device/ebook reader/smartphone/ipad tablet while the screen is closed with a nice 4.3 or 4.5 inch screen.

Dual Analog Nubs

I actually think that if the original PSP had dual analog nubs that allowed for seamless fps gameplay, better battery life (if they went with cartrages instead of umds) and nubs that were actually comfortable, it would have gone toe to toe or possibly beaten other handhelds in terms of sales. By not offering dual analog nubs, Sony crippled the original PSP. It couldn't replicate the smooth gameplay that the PS2 offered and players were stuck with very clunky controls for shooters and other action games.

A Large High Resolution 3D Screen

In my humble opinion, if someone is trying to market their handheld as a 3D multimedia device that can be used to watch 3D movies on the go, as well as play games, they are making a huge mistake by using a low resolution 3D screen, and pairing it with .3 megapixel cameras that are laughably outdated. The 3.5 screen size on a 3D handheld is also laughably small when pitted against the PSP's much nicer 4.3 inch size screen.

Yes, there is demand for a portable 3D movie player/gaming device, especially among casuals. A device that can be used to play 3D games, watch 3D movies, play music, read ebooks (in 2D of course), browse the web, take flash photographs and video, run skype over wifi/3G, run apps, use for navigation and even make phone calls would be highly sought after. It would be like the iPhone/iPad but with even more functionality (gaming the way it should be, and a 3D display). Most smartphones can do much of that, and they are selling like hotcakes. However, 3D gaming and 3D movie playback is something no smartphone can offer, and that defining feature can lure in a lot of buyers who otherwise might not be interested in the PSP2.

But if the viewing experience is low resolution and pixelated on a crappy 400 x 240 resolution screen, it won't be sought after for this purpose. This might be a bit of a stretch, but the PSP2 should ideally offer a 1200x480 resolution 4.3 inch 3D screen, even if they have to wait a little while till such a screen can be manufactured cheaply.. While gaming or watching a 3D movie, the screen could be used to render a 600x480 resolution image twice to produce a 3D effect at dvd resolution on a beautiful 4.3 inch portable screen.

Games/Movies Stored on Encrypted microSD cards rather than on UMDs

The PSP2 should have absolutely no moving/rotating disc drives like the UMD. Moving disc drives...

1.) Suck up battery life

2.) Have slow read speeds and thus cause significantly longer load times

3.) Are easier to damage, bulky and a pain to carry around and swap.

Ideally, they should go with tiny portable 2-4GB flash memory cartrages. It would simultanously increase the battery life and reduce the load times.

Encrypted SD/microSD cards seem like the best option. Several korean stores 4gb microSD cards for the equivalent of $3. Even in the US, they can be had for $7 or so if you look around. I imagine that they are cheaper to manufacture than a UMD. The actual manufacturing cost of it couldn't be more than a $1 considering how nicely it was packaged, the fact that they had to ship it over from China, and the fact that they had to pay importers, wholesalers and retailers, and still make a profit.

I guarentee that given how cheaply 2gb and 4gb sd cards can be had in retail, they'll be substantially cheaper to use than UMDs ever were.

In addition, SD cards have MUCH higher read speeds than UMDs, and use much less power. This would substantially cut back on load times while improving battery life.

This quote below is exactly how Sony should approach game cartrages. It's an exceptional idea...

---

Wakefulness wrote:

I'd like to see Sony push their own line of psp2 with two microSD readers and a encrypted microSD line of cards that they hand out to developers (as the default physical gaming media). It's tiny, will be enrcyption backed, really simple to get your hand on from a manufacturer for a regular microSD, and it will mean there is still something you can buy at the game store.

It would also be a really neat feature if you could plug in your psp2 and, if you have special software, it can read the slot dedicated to the encrypted MicroSD (with the game) and scan it and manage all that stuff (i.e. delete, sort, scan the web for newer add-ons, etc) so, theoretically, you wont need ever need to have to place new monster hunter DLC into any place other than the encrypted microSD its self (assuming that the capacity of the memory isn't already suprassed) . . .

So, say the default “encrypted” MicroSD card given out by sony to all devs/publishers is 8gb at launch. One game may be developed that only uses 4.5GB, meaning, there will be (approximitaly) 3.5Gb left. Due to this encryption in the MicroSD, this extra 3.5gb will not be able to be used for placing your mp3's or any sort of files you would normally place into a MicroSD card, instead, (if you have it) there will be special software (on the PC) that may read the encrypted slot, verify this specially encrypted card, assure what game it is reading, match the sequence of numbers that are in the PSN library DB (DataBase), and say "do you want to add/assort/delete DLC from this game?" Giving you the choice of what you want to do with DLC, if there is any in the DB url reference library. Of course, the DLC will also be able to be saved and be functional in whatever other memory you may have. And, of course, you can always download the content in the game itself, using the games DB url references.

In my specifications, I built the psp2 to have internal memory (ranging from 16-32-64gb) and a unencrypted (or plain) MicroSD slot that scans for encryption which will not play or make readable "enrypted" Micro data, and a secondary "encrypt safe" MicroSD slot which will only read encrypted data and can be used in-compliance only with special software to "add/assort/delete" downloadable content from the people who encrypted the MicroSD (by which I mean the game company). 

I think this is much more ideal than a never re-writable UMD format that is currently out. I can't imagine a company such as Capcom wanting to develop a large game for the psp2 that Capcom realizes will need DLC sometime after release and, have their consumer assume they will have the 500mb available for DLC in order to play an add-on . . .

Of course, this "encryption" will mean extra investment by Sony in the MicroSD technology like in previous memory cards (i.e. ms pro-duo); totally ditching the UMD by the time PSP2 arrives. This isn't a change that is completely out there though. Remember, Sony choose for the PS1&2 to use the best and most capable form of technology to place their games on so, they chose the CD-ROM. Now, for a portable system, they have the ability to use this technology which is the best standard for holding memory and retains a portable form factor. So, it's good thinking now and going into the future for Sony PlayStation to invest tech into the MicroSD.

---

AndriodOS

The AndriodOS is an efficent multimedia monster that basically nailed the multimedia functionality you would want in any portable device. It has a far superior web browser, video player, music player etc than anything Sony has been able to develop into their PSP. So why not take advantage of this multimedia functionality by loading the Andriod OS onto the PSP2? The PS3 offered linux but that didn't make the system easy to hack or homebrew. The PS3 still hasn't been hacked. So Sony could use the same exact method to implement Andriod on the PSP2 while keeping it damn near unhackable. The AndriodOS doesn't need access to the GPU to be able to run. It runs fine off the CPU. So Sony could use a hypervisor to prevent AndriodOS for accessing the GPU to both save battery life and also prevent homebrews and hacks.

Symmetric Design Loaded With Functionality

As explained above, the PSP2 should run the andriod OS in the background and offer a 4G antenna and 512 mb of ram, so that it would double as a cellphone and could be acquired for FREE when you sign a 2 year contract with a phone company. The device would be sold without a contract for $249 like the original PSP, the free with cellphone contract is just a way to get the device into a lot more people's hands.

The 512mb of RAM is critically important. Every single generation of consoles is bottle necked by the ram more than any other component. Game makers always find innovative ways to squeeze better performance out of the GPU, but they always run into a brick wall in terms of the number of textures and other in-game assets they can squeeze into the systems ram a few years into the generation. This happens every single generation, with every single console, without fail. Putting 512mb of RAM into the device right off the bat would do the best to minimize this bottleneck in the future. Almost every major smartphone being released these days packs in 512mb of RAM, so there is no reason Sony couldn't do likewise with the PSP2, especially if they can subsidize the prize by partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Letting people get the device for significantly cheaper by signing a cellphone contract would allow Sony to sell the PSP2 like hotcakes. Plus, like other smartphones, it should be able to offer both a front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with flash that can take 720p video, gps and basically all the other hardware features found in the iPhone 4 and other smartphones. And it should likewise provide twice the battery life of the current PSP while gaming, and comparable battery life to the HTC HD2 while using the nongaming functions. All these features could be subsidized simply by allowing the device to function as a phone for those inclined to use it as such.

The PSP2 should offer a more symmetric, more rectangular and more aesthetically pleasing design compared to the original. Symmetry is very important to good design and yet for some reason was ignored by Sony with the PS2, PS3 and PSP. There is a reason why Apple products are rectangular and symmetric almost to the point of insanity, because symmetric devices convince consumers that they are higher quality products. The PSP was very close to being symmetric, expect for the plastic loop for the wrist strap in the lower left corner. It however was too rounded. More importantly however is all the wasted real estate on front of the original PSP and PSP go. The screen should cover almost the entirity of the front of any device with a slide out design. I think a rectangular slide out design with a large rectangular screen that takes up almost the entire front of the device would be ideal. The smaller and less noticable the bezel, the better.

Keep in mind that even if it's unveiled soon, the PSP2 still likely won't be out until the end of 2011 at the very earliest. And ALL of the technology I'm proposing is already in mass production and being used in either a wide variety smartphones or other handhelds. So it's not unreasonable to expect those same components to find their way into a device that won't be out for another 18 months. By the time the PSP2's release date rolls around, higher resolution 3D screens should be even cheaper than the rumored $14 that the current 3D screen is costing the upcoming competing 3D handeld.

It was recently revealed that the feature packed iPhone 4 and Evo 4G devices both cost around $180 to manufacture, despite the fact that they're loaded with features and technology. This is now. Twelve months from now, when the PSP2 is likely to launch, similar technology will be substantially cheaper even with a 3D screen. Unlike smartphones, the money on handhelds is made selling games, not hardware. Infact, Sony, Sega and MS have a long history of releasing consoles at a substantial loss and making up for loss and turning a profit entirely through software sales. So Sony could afford to sell the PSP2 at cost ($200), offer it for free with a cellphone contract partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to get a surge of customers, and make a killing in software sales.

[Wikiality]

With all the recent rumors that Sony's gaming division is pairing the PSP with a Phone and the AndriodOS (an excellent move imho), I just wanted to pass along a few things I would love to see from the PSP2.

Yes, I know I'm not speaking for all gamers, and many people here might disagree with me because they love the PSP exactly as is (that's why they're here isn't it, because they love the PSP). But it's apparent from sales figures that the original PSP is indeed in decline (not here, but among gamers in general). I think you'll find the ideas below are all good ideas that would prove very popular among gamers in general (not neccesarily the people on this forum though).

The PSP2 absolutely needs to trounce it's 3D competitor in every respect in terms of both gaming and functionality if it wishes to compete. As happy as I am with the PSP, it is a 6 year old device. With all the hype and momentum the 3D handheld is gaining, Sony will either have to come out with a successor to the platform in the next year or two, or bow out of the portable market completely. I think the latter isn't something that Sony wants to do. The original PSP sold 50+ million copies. It has made Sony billions of dollars. So while it wasn't anywhere near as profitable as it's competitor, it was still extremely profitable for Sony, more so than the PS3. I think it's pretty clear that a PSP2 is on the horizon.

And the reason that the original PSP was so profitable for Sony and sold over 50 million copies was in part because of the fantastic functionality it offered. If Sony can again offer a more capable more functional handheld, all while fixing the weaknesses of the original PSP (lack of dual analog, poor battery life, load times, lack of a touch screen, piracy, a poor web browsing experience), it can strike gold.

Design

Here is a mockup outlining the general design I would love to see for the PSP2.

Imagine that, but with high resolution 3D screen that doubles as a touch screen when not being used for gaming, and without the ugly oversized bezel on the bottom (where it says sony and has the PS logo)

With a slide out, the device would look awesome when it's closed and all the buttons are hidden.

Plus since it would have a touch screen and running Andriod OS (as Sony recently announced), it would be usable for everything except for the gaming functions while the device is closed. It would make for the perfect media playback device/ebook reader/smartphone/ipad tablet while the screen is closed with a nice 4.3 or 4.5 inch screen.

Dual Analog Nubs

I actually think that if the original PSP had dual analog nubs that allowed for seamless fps gameplay, better battery life (if they went with cartrages instead of umds) and nubs that were actually comfortable, it would have gone toe to toe or possibly beaten other handhelds in terms of sales. By not offering dual analog nubs, Sony crippled the original PSP. It couldn't replicate the smooth gameplay that the PS2 offered and players were stuck with very clunky controls for shooters and other action games.

A Large High Resolution 3D Screen

In my humble opinion, if someone is trying to market their handheld as a 3D multimedia device that can be used to watch 3D movies on the go, as well as play games, they are making a huge mistake by using a low resolution 3D screen, and pairing it with .3 megapixel cameras that are laughably outdated. The 3.5 screen size on a 3D handheld is also laughably small when pitted against the PSP's much nicer 4.3 inch size screen.

Yes, there is demand for a portable 3D movie player/gaming device, especially among casuals. A device that can be used to play 3D games, watch 3D movies, play music, read ebooks (in 2D of course), browse the web, take flash photographs and video, run skype over wifi/3G, run apps, use for navigation and even make phone calls would be highly sought after. It would be like the iPhone/iPad but with even more functionality (gaming the way it should be, and a 3D display). Most smartphones can do much of that, and they are selling like hotcakes. However, 3D gaming and 3D movie playback is something no smartphone can offer, and that defining feature can lure in a lot of buyers who otherwise might not be interested in the PSP2.

But if the viewing experience is low resolution and pixelated on a crappy 400 x 240 resolution screen, it won't be sought after for this purpose. This might be a bit of a stretch, but the PSP2 should ideally offer a 1200x480 resolution 4.3 inch 3D screen, even if they have to wait a little while till such a screen can be manufactured cheaply.. While gaming or watching a 3D movie, the screen could be used to render a 600x480 resolution image twice to produce a 3D effect at dvd resolution on a beautiful 4.3 inch portable screen.

Games/Movies Stored on Encrypted microSD cards rather than on UMDs

The PSP2 should have absolutely no moving/rotating disc drives like the UMD. Moving disc drives...

1.) Suck up battery life

2.) Have slow read speeds and thus cause significantly longer load times

3.) Are easier to damage, bulky and a pain to carry around and swap.

Ideally, they should go with tiny portable 2-4GB flash memory cartrages. It would simultanously increase the battery life and reduce the load times.

Encrypted SD/microSD cards seem like the best option. Several korean stores 4gb microSD cards for the equivalent of $3. Even in the US, they can be had for $7 or so if you look around. I imagine that they are cheaper to manufacture than a UMD. The actual manufacturing cost of it couldn't be more than a $1 considering how nicely it was packaged, the fact that they had to ship it over from China, and the fact that they had to pay importers, wholesalers and retailers, and still make a profit.

I guarentee that given how cheaply 2gb and 4gb sd cards can be had in retail, they'll be substantially cheaper to use than UMDs ever were.

In addition, SD cards have MUCH higher read speeds than UMDs, and use much less power. This would substantially cut back on load times while improving battery life.

This quote below is exactly how Sony should approach game cartrages. It's an exceptional idea...

---

Wakefulness wrote:

I'd like to see Sony push their own line of psp2 with two microSD readers and a encrypted microSD line of cards that they hand out to developers (as the default physical gaming media). It's tiny, will be enrcyption backed, really simple to get your hand on from a manufacturer for a regular microSD, and it will mean there is still something you can buy at the game store.

It would also be a really neat feature if you could plug in your psp2 and, if you have special software, it can read the slot dedicated to the encrypted MicroSD (with the game) and scan it and manage all that stuff (i.e. delete, sort, scan the web for newer add-ons, etc) so, theoretically, you wont need ever need to have to place new monster hunter DLC into any place other than the encrypted microSD its self (assuming that the capacity of the memory isn't already suprassed) . . .

So, say the default “encrypted” MicroSD card given out by sony to all devs/publishers is 8gb at launch. One game may be developed that only uses 4.5GB, meaning, there will be (approximitaly) 3.5Gb left. Due to this encryption in the MicroSD, this extra 3.5gb will not be able to be used for placing your mp3's or any sort of files you would normally place into a MicroSD card, instead, (if you have it) there will be special software (on the PC) that may read the encrypted slot, verify this specially encrypted card, assure what game it is reading, match the sequence of numbers that are in the PSN library DB (DataBase), and say "do you want to add/assort/delete DLC from this game?" Giving you the choice of what you want to do with DLC, if there is any in the DB url reference library. Of course, the DLC will also be able to be saved and be functional in whatever other memory you may have. And, of course, you can always download the content in the game itself, using the games DB url references.

In my specifications, I built the psp2 to have internal memory (ranging from 16-32-64gb) and a unencrypted (or plain) MicroSD slot that scans for encryption which will not play or make readable "enrypted" Micro data, and a secondary "encrypt safe" MicroSD slot which will only read encrypted data and can be used in-compliance only with special software to "add/assort/delete" downloadable content from the people who encrypted the MicroSD (by which I mean the game company). 

I think this is much more ideal than a never re-writable UMD format that is currently out. I can't imagine a company such as Capcom wanting to develop a large game for the psp2 that Capcom realizes will need DLC sometime after release and, have their consumer assume they will have the 500mb available for DLC in order to play an add-on . . .

Of course, this "encryption" will mean extra investment by Sony in the MicroSD technology like in previous memory cards (i.e. ms pro-duo); totally ditching the UMD by the time PSP2 arrives. This isn't a change that is completely out there though. Remember, Sony choose for the PS1&2 to use the best and most capable form of technology to place their games on so, they chose the CD-ROM. Now, for a portable system, they have the ability to use this technology which is the best standard for holding memory and retains a portable form factor. So, it's good thinking now and going into the future for Sony PlayStation to invest tech into the MicroSD.

---

AndriodOS

The AndriodOS is an efficent multimedia monster that basically nailed the multimedia functionality you would want in any portable device. It has a far superior web browser, video player, music player etc than anything Sony has been able to develop into their PSP. So why not take advantage of this multimedia functionality by loading the Andriod OS onto the PSP2? The PS3 offered linux but that didn't make the system easy to hack or homebrew. The PS3 still hasn't been hacked. So Sony could use the same exact method to implement Andriod on the PSP2 while keeping it damn near unhackable. The AndriodOS doesn't need access to the GPU to be able to run. It runs fine off the CPU. So Sony could use a hypervisor to prevent AndriodOS for accessing the GPU to both save battery life and also prevent homebrews and hacks.

Symmetric Design Loaded With Functionality

As explained above, the PSP2 should run the andriod OS in the background and offer a 4G antenna and 512 mb of ram, so that it would double as a cellphone and could be acquired for FREE when you sign a 2 year contract with a phone company. The device would be sold without a contract for $249 like the original PSP, the free with cellphone contract is just a way to get the device into a lot more people's hands.

The 512mb of RAM is critically important. Every single generation of consoles is bottle necked by the ram more than any other component. Game makers always find innovative ways to squeeze better performance out of the GPU, but they always run into a brick wall in terms of the number of textures and other in-game assets they can squeeze into the systems ram a few years into the generation. This happens every single generation, with every single console, without fail. Putting 512mb of RAM into the device right off the bat would do the best to minimize this bottleneck in the future. Almost every major smartphone being released these days packs in 512mb of RAM, so there is no reason Sony couldn't do likewise with the PSP2, especially if they can subsidize the prize by partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Letting people get the device for significantly cheaper by signing a cellphone contract would allow Sony to sell the PSP2 like hotcakes. Plus, like other smartphones, it should be able to offer both a front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with flash that can take 720p video, gps and basically all the other hardware features found in the iPhone 4 and other smartphones. And it should likewise provide twice the battery life of the current PSP while gaming, and comparable battery life to the HTC HD2 while using the nongaming functions. All these features could be subsidized simply by allowing the device to function as a phone for those inclined to use it as such.

The PSP2 should offer a more symmetric, more rectangular and more aesthetically pleasing design compared to the original. Symmetry is very important to good design and yet for some reason was ignored by Sony with the PS2, PS3 and PSP. There is a reason why Apple products are rectangular and symmetric almost to the point of insanity, because symmetric devices convince consumers that they are higher quality products. The PSP was very close to being symmetric, expect for the plastic loop for the wrist strap in the lower left corner. It however was too rounded. More importantly however is all the wasted real estate on front of the original PSP and PSP go. The screen should cover almost the entirity of the front of any device with a slide out design. I think a rectangular slide out design with a large rectangular screen that takes up almost the entire front of the device would be ideal. The smaller and less noticable the bezel, the better.

Keep in mind that even if it's unveiled soon, the PSP2 still likely won't be out until the end of 2011 at the very earliest. And ALL of the technology I'm proposing is already in mass production and being used in either a wide variety smartphones or other handhelds. So it's not unreasonable to expect those same components to find their way into a device that won't be out for another 18 months. By the time the PSP2's release date rolls around, higher resolution 3D screens should be even cheaper than the rumored $14 that the current 3D screen is costing the upcoming competing 3D handeld.

It was recently revealed that the feature packed iPhone 4 and Evo 4G devices both cost around $180 to manufacture, despite the fact that they're loaded with features and technology. This is now. Twelve months from now, when the PSP2 is likely to launch, similar technology will be substantially cheaper even with a 3D screen. Unlike smartphones, the money on handhelds is made selling games, not hardware. Infact, Sony, Sega and MS have a long history of releasing consoles at a substantial loss and making up for loss and turning a profit entirely through software sales. So Sony could afford to sell the PSP2 at cost ($200), offer it for free with a cellphone contract partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to get a surge of customers, and make a killing in software sales.

[Wikiality]

With all the recent rumors that Sony's gaming division is pairing the PSP with a Phone and the AndriodOS (an excellent move imho), I just wanted to pass along a few things I would love to see from the PSP2.

Yes, I know I'm not speaking for all gamers, and many people here might disagree with me because they love the PSP exactly as is (that's why they're here isn't it, because they love the PSP). But it's apparent from sales figures that the original PSP is indeed in decline (not here, but among gamers in general). I think you'll find the ideas below are all good ideas that would prove very popular among gamers in general (not neccesarily the people on this forum though).

The PSP2 absolutely needs to trounce it's 3D competitor in every respect in terms of both gaming and functionality if it wishes to compete. As happy as I am with the PSP, it is a 6 year old device. With all the hype and momentum the 3D handheld is gaining, Sony will either have to come out with a successor to the platform in the next year or two, or bow out of the portable market completely. I think the latter isn't something that Sony wants to do. The original PSP sold 50+ million copies. It has made Sony billions of dollars. So while it wasn't anywhere near as profitable as it's competitor, it was still extremely profitable for Sony, more so than the PS3. I think it's pretty clear that a PSP2 is on the horizon.

And the reason that the original PSP was so profitable for Sony and sold over 50 million copies was in part because of the fantastic functionality it offered. If Sony can again offer a more capable more functional handheld, all while fixing the weaknesses of the original PSP (lack of dual analog, poor battery life, load times, lack of a touch screen, piracy, a poor web browsing experience), it can strike gold.

Design

Here is a mockup outlining the general design I would love to see for the PSP2.

Imagine that, but with high resolution 3D screen that doubles as a touch screen when not being used for gaming, and without the ugly oversized bezel on the bottom (where it says sony and has the PS logo)

With a slide out, the device would look awesome when it's closed and all the buttons are hidden.

Plus since it would have a touch screen and running Andriod OS (as Sony recently announced), it would be usable for everything except for the gaming functions while the device is closed. It would make for the perfect media playback device/ebook reader/smartphone/ipad tablet while the screen is closed with a nice 4.3 or 4.5 inch screen.

Dual Analog Nubs

I actually think that if the original PSP had dual analog nubs that allowed for seamless fps gameplay, better battery life (if they went with cartrages instead of umds) and nubs that were actually comfortable, it would have gone toe to toe or possibly beaten other handhelds in terms of sales. By not offering dual analog nubs, Sony crippled the original PSP. It couldn't replicate the smooth gameplay that the PS2 offered and players were stuck with very clunky controls for shooters and other action games.

A Large High Resolution 3D Screen

In my humble opinion, if someone is trying to market their handheld as a 3D multimedia device that can be used to watch 3D movies on the go, as well as play games, they are making a huge mistake by using a low resolution 3D screen, and pairing it with .3 megapixel cameras that are laughably outdated. The 3.5 screen size on a 3D handheld is also laughably small when pitted against the PSP's much nicer 4.3 inch size screen.

Yes, there is demand for a portable 3D movie player/gaming device, especially among casuals. A device that can be used to play 3D games, watch 3D movies, play music, read ebooks (in 2D of course), browse the web, take flash photographs and video, run skype over wifi/3G, run apps, use for navigation and even make phone calls would be highly sought after. It would be like the iPhone/iPad but with even more functionality (gaming the way it should be, and a 3D display). Most smartphones can do much of that, and they are selling like hotcakes. However, 3D gaming and 3D movie playback is something no smartphone can offer, and that defining feature can lure in a lot of buyers who otherwise might not be interested in the PSP2.

But if the viewing experience is low resolution and pixelated on a crappy 400 x 240 resolution screen, it won't be sought after for this purpose. This might be a bit of a stretch, but the PSP2 should ideally offer a 1200x480 resolution 4.3 inch 3D screen, even if they have to wait a little while till such a screen can be manufactured cheaply.. While gaming or watching a 3D movie, the screen could be used to render a 600x480 resolution image twice to produce a 3D effect at dvd resolution on a beautiful 4.3 inch portable screen.

Games/Movies Stored on Encrypted microSD cards rather than on UMDs

The PSP2 should have absolutely no moving/rotating disc drives like the UMD. Moving disc drives...

1.) Suck up battery life

2.) Have slow read speeds and thus cause significantly longer load times

3.) Are easier to damage, bulky and a pain to carry around and swap.

Ideally, they should go with tiny portable 2-4GB flash memory cartrages. It would simultanously increase the battery life and reduce the load times.

Encrypted SD/microSD cards seem like the best option. Several korean stores 4gb microSD cards for the equivalent of $3. Even in the US, they can be had for $7 or so if you look around. I imagine that they are cheaper to manufacture than a UMD. The actual manufacturing cost of it couldn't be more than a $1 considering how nicely it was packaged, the fact that they had to ship it over from China, and the fact that they had to pay importers, wholesalers and retailers, and still make a profit.

I guarentee that given how cheaply 2gb and 4gb sd cards can be had in retail, they'll be substantially cheaper to use than UMDs ever were.

In addition, SD cards have MUCH higher read speeds than UMDs, and use much less power. This would substantially cut back on load times while improving battery life.

This quote below is exactly how Sony should approach game cartrages. It's an exceptional idea...

---

Wakefulness wrote:

I'd like to see Sony push their own line of psp2 with two microSD readers and a encrypted microSD line of cards that they hand out to developers (as the default physical gaming media). It's tiny, will be enrcyption backed, really simple to get your hand on from a manufacturer for a regular microSD, and it will mean there is still something you can buy at the game store.

It would also be a really neat feature if you could plug in your psp2 and, if you have special software, it can read the slot dedicated to the encrypted MicroSD (with the game) and scan it and manage all that stuff (i.e. delete, sort, scan the web for newer add-ons, etc) so, theoretically, you wont need ever need to have to place new monster hunter DLC into any place other than the encrypted microSD its self (assuming that the capacity of the memory isn't already suprassed) . . .

So, say the default “encrypted” MicroSD card given out by sony to all devs/publishers is 8gb at launch. One game may be developed that only uses 4.5GB, meaning, there will be (approximitaly) 3.5Gb left. Due to this encryption in the MicroSD, this extra 3.5gb will not be able to be used for placing your mp3's or any sort of files you would normally place into a MicroSD card, instead, (if you have it) there will be special software (on the PC) that may read the encrypted slot, verify this specially encrypted card, assure what game it is reading, match the sequence of numbers that are in the PSN library DB (DataBase), and say "do you want to add/assort/delete DLC from this game?" Giving you the choice of what you want to do with DLC, if there is any in the DB url reference library. Of course, the DLC will also be able to be saved and be functional in whatever other memory you may have. And, of course, you can always download the content in the game itself, using the games DB url references.

In my specifications, I built the psp2 to have internal memory (ranging from 16-32-64gb) and a unencrypted (or plain) MicroSD slot that scans for encryption which will not play or make readable "enrypted" Micro data, and a secondary "encrypt safe" MicroSD slot which will only read encrypted data and can be used in-compliance only with special software to "add/assort/delete" downloadable content from the people who encrypted the MicroSD (by which I mean the game company). 

I think this is much more ideal than a never re-writable UMD format that is currently out. I can't imagine a company such as Capcom wanting to develop a large game for the psp2 that Capcom realizes will need DLC sometime after release and, have their consumer assume they will have the 500mb available for DLC in order to play an add-on . . .

Of course, this "encryption" will mean extra investment by Sony in the MicroSD technology like in previous memory cards (i.e. ms pro-duo); totally ditching the UMD by the time PSP2 arrives. This isn't a change that is completely out there though. Remember, Sony choose for the PS1&2 to use the best and most capable form of technology to place their games on so, they chose the CD-ROM. Now, for a portable system, they have the ability to use this technology which is the best standard for holding memory and retains a portable form factor. So, it's good thinking now and going into the future for Sony PlayStation to invest tech into the MicroSD.

---

AndriodOS

The AndriodOS is an efficent multimedia monster that basically nailed the multimedia functionality you would want in any portable device. It has a far superior web browser, video player, music player etc than anything Sony has been able to develop into their PSP. So why not take advantage of this multimedia functionality by loading the Andriod OS onto the PSP2? The PS3 offered linux but that didn't make the system easy to hack or homebrew. The PS3 still hasn't been hacked. So Sony could use the same exact method to implement Andriod on the PSP2 while keeping it damn near unhackable. The AndriodOS doesn't need access to the GPU to be able to run. It runs fine off the CPU. So Sony could use a hypervisor to prevent AndriodOS for accessing the GPU to both save battery life and also prevent homebrews and hacks.

Symmetric Design Loaded With Functionality

As explained above, the PSP2 should run the andriod OS in the background and offer a 4G antenna and 512 mb of ram, so that it would double as a cellphone and could be acquired for FREE when you sign a 2 year contract with a phone company. The device would be sold without a contract for $249 like the original PSP, the free with cellphone contract is just a way to get the device into a lot more people's hands.

The 512mb of RAM is critically important. Every single generation of consoles is bottle necked by the ram more than any other component. Game makers always find innovative ways to squeeze better performance out of the GPU, but they always run into a brick wall in terms of the number of textures and other in-game assets they can squeeze into the systems ram a few years into the generation. This happens every single generation, with every single console, without fail. Putting 512mb of RAM into the device right off the bat would do the best to minimize this bottleneck in the future. Almost every major smartphone being released these days packs in 512mb of RAM, so there is no reason Sony couldn't do likewise with the PSP2, especially if they can subsidize the prize by partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Letting people get the device for significantly cheaper by signing a cellphone contract would allow Sony to sell the PSP2 like hotcakes. Plus, like other smartphones, it should be able to offer both a front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with flash that can take 720p video, gps and basically all the other hardware features found in the iPhone 4 and other smartphones. And it should likewise provide twice the battery life of the current PSP while gaming, and comparable battery life to the HTC HD2 while using the nongaming functions. All these features could be subsidized simply by allowing the device to function as a phone for those inclined to use it as such.

The PSP2 should offer a more symmetric, more rectangular and more aesthetically pleasing design compared to the original. Symmetry is very important to good design and yet for some reason was ignored by Sony with the PS2, PS3 and PSP. There is a reason why Apple products are rectangular and symmetric almost to the point of insanity, because symmetric devices convince consumers that they are higher quality products. The PSP was very close to being symmetric, expect for the plastic loop for the wrist strap in the lower left corner. It however was too rounded. More importantly however is all the wasted real estate on front of the original PSP and PSP go. The screen should cover almost the entirity of the front of any device with a slide out design. I think a rectangular slide out design with a large rectangular screen that takes up almost the entire front of the device would be ideal. The smaller and less noticable the bezel, the better.

Keep in mind that even if it's unveiled soon, the PSP2 still likely won't be out until the end of 2011 at the very earliest. And ALL of the technology I'm proposing is already in mass production and being used in either a wide variety smartphones or other handhelds. So it's not unreasonable to expect those same components to find their way into a device that won't be out for another 18 months. By the time the PSP2's release date rolls around, higher resolution 3D screens should be even cheaper than the rumored $14 that the current 3D screen is costing the upcoming competing 3D handeld.

It was recently revealed that the feature packed iPhone 4 and Evo 4G devices both cost around $180 to manufacture, despite the fact that they're loaded with features and technology. This is now. Twelve months from now, when the PSP2 is likely to launch, similar technology will be substantially cheaper even with a 3D screen. Unlike smartphones, the money on handhelds is made selling games, not hardware. Infact, Sony, Sega and MS have a long history of releasing consoles at a substantial loss and making up for loss and turning a profit entirely through software sales. So Sony could afford to sell the PSP2 at cost ($200), offer it for free with a cellphone contract partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to get a surge of customers, and make a killing in software sales.

[Wikiality]

With all the recent rumors that Sony's gaming division is pairing the PSP with a Phone and the AndriodOS (an excellent move imho), I just wanted to pass along a few things I would love to see from the PSP2.

Yes, I know I'm not speaking for all gamers, and many people here might disagree with me because they love the PSP exactly as is (that's why they're here isn't it, because they love the PSP). But it's apparent from sales figures that the original PSP is indeed in decline (not here, but among gamers in general). I think you'll find the ideas below are all good ideas that would prove very popular among gamers in general (not neccesarily the people on this forum though).

The PSP2 absolutely needs to trounce it's 3D competitor in every respect in terms of both gaming and functionality if it wishes to compete. As happy as I am with the PSP, it is a 6 year old device. With all the hype and momentum the 3D handheld is gaining, Sony will either have to come out with a successor to the platform in the next year or two, or bow out of the portable market completely. I think the latter isn't something that Sony wants to do. The original PSP sold 50+ million copies. It has made Sony billions of dollars. So while it wasn't anywhere near as profitable as it's competitor, it was still extremely profitable for Sony, more so than the PS3. I think it's pretty clear that a PSP2 is on the horizon.

And the reason that the original PSP was so profitable for Sony and sold over 50 million copies was in part because of the fantastic functionality it offered. If Sony can again offer a more capable more functional handheld, all while fixing the weaknesses of the original PSP (lack of dual analog, poor battery life, load times, lack of a touch screen, piracy, a poor web browsing experience), it can strike gold.

Design

Here is a mockup outlining the general design I would love to see for the PSP2.

Imagine that, but with high resolution 3D screen that doubles as a touch screen when not being used for gaming, and without the ugly oversized bezel on the bottom (where it says sony and has the PS logo)

With a slide out, the device would look awesome when it's closed and all the buttons are hidden.

Plus since it would have a touch screen and running Andriod OS (as Sony recently announced), it would be usable for everything except for the gaming functions while the device is closed. It would make for the perfect media playback device/ebook reader/smartphone/ipad tablet while the screen is closed with a nice 4.3 or 4.5 inch screen.

Dual Analog Nubs

I actually think that if the original PSP had dual analog nubs that allowed for seamless fps gameplay, better battery life (if they went with cartrages instead of umds) and nubs that were actually comfortable, it would have gone toe to toe or possibly beaten other handhelds in terms of sales. By not offering dual analog nubs, Sony crippled the original PSP. It couldn't replicate the smooth gameplay that the PS2 offered and players were stuck with very clunky controls for shooters and other action games.

A Large High Resolution 3D Screen

In my humble opinion, if someone is trying to market their handheld as a 3D multimedia device that can be used to watch 3D movies on the go, as well as play games, they are making a huge mistake by using a low resolution 3D screen, and pairing it with .3 megapixel cameras that are laughably outdated. The 3.5 screen size on a 3D handheld is also laughably small when pitted against the PSP's much nicer 4.3 inch size screen.

Yes, there is demand for a portable 3D movie player/gaming device, especially among casuals. A device that can be used to play 3D games, watch 3D movies, play music, read ebooks (in 2D of course), browse the web, take flash photographs and video, run skype over wifi/3G, run apps, use for navigation and even make phone calls would be highly sought after. It would be like the iPhone/iPad but with even more functionality (gaming the way it should be, and a 3D display). Most smartphones can do much of that, and they are selling like hotcakes. However, 3D gaming and 3D movie playback is something no smartphone can offer, and that defining feature can lure in a lot of buyers who otherwise might not be interested in the PSP2.

But if the viewing experience is low resolution and pixelated on a crappy 400 x 240 resolution screen, it won't be sought after for this purpose. This might be a bit of a stretch, but the PSP2 should ideally offer a 1200x480 resolution 4.3 inch 3D screen, even if they have to wait a little while till such a screen can be manufactured cheaply.. While gaming or watching a 3D movie, the screen could be used to render a 600x480 resolution image twice to produce a 3D effect at dvd resolution on a beautiful 4.3 inch portable screen.

Games/Movies Stored on Encrypted microSD cards rather than on UMDs

The PSP2 should have absolutely no moving/rotating disc drives like the UMD. Moving disc drives...

1.) Suck up battery life

2.) Have slow read speeds and thus cause significantly longer load times

3.) Are easier to damage, bulky and a pain to carry around and swap.

Ideally, they should go with tiny portable 2-4GB flash memory cartrages. It would simultanously increase the battery life and reduce the load times.

Encrypted SD/microSD cards seem like the best option. Several korean stores 4gb microSD cards for the equivalent of $3. Even in the US, they can be had for $7 or so if you look around. I imagine that they are cheaper to manufacture than a UMD. The actual manufacturing cost of it couldn't be more than a $1 considering how nicely it was packaged, the fact that they had to ship it over from China, and the fact that they had to pay importers, wholesalers and retailers, and still make a profit.

I guarentee that given how cheaply 2gb and 4gb sd cards can be had in retail, they'll be substantially cheaper to use than UMDs ever were.

In addition, SD cards have MUCH higher read speeds than UMDs, and use much less power. This would substantially cut back on load times while improving battery life.

This quote below is exactly how Sony should approach game cartrages. It's an exceptional idea...

---

Wakefulness wrote:

I'd like to see Sony push their own line of psp2 with two microSD readers and a encrypted microSD line of cards that they hand out to developers (as the default physical gaming media). It's tiny, will be enrcyption backed, really simple to get your hand on from a manufacturer for a regular microSD, and it will mean there is still something you can buy at the game store.

It would also be a really neat feature if you could plug in your psp2 and, if you have special software, it can read the slot dedicated to the encrypted MicroSD (with the game) and scan it and manage all that stuff (i.e. delete, sort, scan the web for newer add-ons, etc) so, theoretically, you wont need ever need to have to place new monster hunter DLC into any place other than the encrypted microSD its self (assuming that the capacity of the memory isn't already suprassed) . . .

So, say the default “encrypted” MicroSD card given out by sony to all devs/publishers is 8gb at launch. One game may be developed that only uses 4.5GB, meaning, there will be (approximitaly) 3.5Gb left. Due to this encryption in the MicroSD, this extra 3.5gb will not be able to be used for placing your mp3's or any sort of files you would normally place into a MicroSD card, instead, (if you have it) there will be special software (on the PC) that may read the encrypted slot, verify this specially encrypted card, assure what game it is reading, match the sequence of numbers that are in the PSN library DB (DataBase), and say "do you want to add/assort/delete DLC from this game?" Giving you the choice of what you want to do with DLC, if there is any in the DB url reference library. Of course, the DLC will also be able to be saved and be functional in whatever other memory you may have. And, of course, you can always download the content in the game itself, using the games DB url references.

In my specifications, I built the psp2 to have internal memory (ranging from 16-32-64gb) and a unencrypted (or plain) MicroSD slot that scans for encryption which will not play or make readable "enrypted" Micro data, and a secondary "encrypt safe" MicroSD slot which will only read encrypted data and can be used in-compliance only with special software to "add/assort/delete" downloadable content from the people who encrypted the MicroSD (by which I mean the game company). 

I think this is much more ideal than a never re-writable UMD format that is currently out. I can't imagine a company such as Capcom wanting to develop a large game for the psp2 that Capcom realizes will need DLC sometime after release and, have their consumer assume they will have the 500mb available for DLC in order to play an add-on . . .

Of course, this "encryption" will mean extra investment by Sony in the MicroSD technology like in previous memory cards (i.e. ms pro-duo); totally ditching the UMD by the time PSP2 arrives. This isn't a change that is completely out there though. Remember, Sony choose for the PS1&2 to use the best and most capable form of technology to place their games on so, they chose the CD-ROM. Now, for a portable system, they have the ability to use this technology which is the best standard for holding memory and retains a portable form factor. So, it's good thinking now and going into the future for Sony PlayStation to invest tech into the MicroSD.

---

AndriodOS

The AndriodOS is an efficent multimedia monster that basically nailed the multimedia functionality you would want in any portable device. It has a far superior web browser, video player, music player etc than anything Sony has been able to develop into their PSP. So why not take advantage of this multimedia functionality by loading the Andriod OS onto the PSP2? The PS3 offered linux but that didn't make the system easy to hack or homebrew. The PS3 still hasn't been hacked. So Sony could use the same exact method to implement Andriod on the PSP2 while keeping it damn near unhackable. The AndriodOS doesn't need access to the GPU to be able to run. It runs fine off the CPU. So Sony could use a hypervisor to prevent AndriodOS for accessing the GPU to both save battery life and also prevent homebrews and hacks.

Symmetric Design Loaded With Functionality

As explained above, the PSP2 should run the andriod OS in the background and offer a 4G antenna and 512 mb of ram, so that it would double as a cellphone and could be acquired for FREE when you sign a 2 year contract with a phone company. The device would be sold without a contract for $249 like the original PSP, the free with cellphone contract is just a way to get the device into a lot more people's hands.

The 512mb of RAM is critically important. Every single generation of consoles is bottle necked by the ram more than any other component. Game makers always find innovative ways to squeeze better performance out of the GPU, but they always run into a brick wall in terms of the number of textures and other in-game assets they can squeeze into the systems ram a few years into the generation. This happens every single generation, with every single console, without fail. Putting 512mb of RAM into the device right off the bat would do the best to minimize this bottleneck in the future. Almost every major smartphone being released these days packs in 512mb of RAM, so there is no reason Sony couldn't do likewise with the PSP2, especially if they can subsidize the prize by partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Letting people get the device for significantly cheaper by signing a cellphone contract would allow Sony to sell the PSP2 like hotcakes. Plus, like other smartphones, it should be able to offer both a front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with flash that can take 720p video, gps and basically all the other hardware features found in the iPhone 4 and other smartphones. And it should likewise provide twice the battery life of the current PSP while gaming, and comparable battery life to the HTC HD2 while using the nongaming functions. All these features could be subsidized simply by allowing the device to function as a phone for those inclined to use it as such.

The PSP2 should offer a more symmetric, more rectangular and more aesthetically pleasing design compared to the original. Symmetry is very important to good design and yet for some reason was ignored by Sony with the PS2, PS3 and PSP. There is a reason why Apple products are rectangular and symmetric almost to the point of insanity, because symmetric devices convince consumers that they are higher quality products. The PSP was very close to being symmetric, expect for the plastic loop for the wrist strap in the lower left corner. It however was too rounded. More importantly however is all the wasted real estate on front of the original PSP and PSP go. The screen should cover almost the entirity of the front of any device with a slide out design. I think a rectangular slide out design with a large rectangular screen that takes up almost the entire front of the device would be ideal. The smaller and less noticable the bezel, the better.

Keep in mind that even if it's unveiled soon, the PSP2 still likely won't be out until the end of 2011 at the very earliest. And ALL of the technology I'm proposing is already in mass production and being used in either a wide variety smartphones or other handhelds. So it's not unreasonable to expect those same components to find their way into a device that won't be out for another 18 months. By the time the PSP2's release date rolls around, higher resolution 3D screens should be even cheaper than the rumored $14 that the current 3D screen is costing the upcoming competing 3D handeld.

It was recently revealed that the feature packed iPhone 4 and Evo 4G devices both cost around $180 to manufacture, despite the fact that they're loaded with features and technology. This is now. Twelve months from now, when the PSP2 is likely to launch, similar technology will be substantially cheaper even with a 3D screen. Unlike smartphones, the money on handhelds is made selling games, not hardware. Infact, Sony, Sega and MS have a long history of releasing consoles at a substantial loss and making up for loss and turning a profit entirely through software sales. So Sony could afford to sell the PSP2 at cost ($200), offer it for free with a cellphone contract partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to get a surge of customers, and make a killing in software sales.

[Wikiality]

With all the recent rumors that Sony's gaming division is pairing the PSP with a Phone and the AndriodOS (an excellent move imho), I just wanted to pass along a few things I would love to see from the PSP2.

Yes, I know I'm not speaking for all gamers, and many people here might disagree with me because they love the PSP exactly as is (that's why they're here isn't it, because they love the PSP). But it's apparent from sales figures that the original PSP is indeed in decline (not here, but among gamers in general). I think you'll find the ideas below are all good ideas that would prove very popular among gamers in general (not neccesarily the people on this forum though).

The PSP2 absolutely needs to trounce it's 3D competitor in every respect in terms of both gaming and functionality if it wishes to compete. As happy as I am with the PSP, it is a 6 year old device. With all the hype and momentum the 3D handheld is gaining, Sony will either have to come out with a successor to the platform in the next year or two, or bow out of the portable market completely. I think the latter isn't something that Sony wants to do. The original PSP sold 50+ million copies. It has made Sony billions of dollars. So while it wasn't anywhere near as profitable as it's competitor, it was still extremely profitable for Sony, more so than the PS3. I think it's pretty clear that a PSP2 is on the horizon.

And the reason that the original PSP was so profitable for Sony and sold over 50 million copies was in part because of the fantastic functionality it offered. If Sony can again offer a more capable more functional handheld, all while fixing the weaknesses of the original PSP (lack of dual analog, poor battery life, load times, lack of a touch screen, piracy, a poor web browsing experience), it can strike gold.

Design

Here is a mockup outlining the general design I would love to see for the PSP2.

Imagine that, but with high resolution 3D screen that doubles as a touch screen when not being used for gaming, and without the ugly oversized bezel on the bottom (where it says sony and has the PS logo)

With a slide out, the device would look awesome when it's closed and all the buttons are hidden.

Plus since it would have a touch screen and running Andriod OS (as Sony recently announced), it would be usable for everything except for the gaming functions while the device is closed. It would make for the perfect media playback device/ebook reader/smartphone/ipad tablet while the screen is closed with a nice 4.3 or 4.5 inch screen.

Dual Analog Nubs

I actually think that if the original PSP had dual analog nubs that allowed for seamless fps gameplay, better battery life (if they went with cartrages instead of umds) and nubs that were actually comfortable, it would have gone toe to toe or possibly beaten other handhelds in terms of sales. By not offering dual analog nubs, Sony crippled the original PSP. It couldn't replicate the smooth gameplay that the PS2 offered and players were stuck with very clunky controls for shooters and other action games.

A Large High Resolution 3D Screen

In my humble opinion, if someone is trying to market their handheld as a 3D multimedia device that can be used to watch 3D movies on the go, as well as play games, they are making a huge mistake by using a low resolution 3D screen, and pairing it with .3 megapixel cameras that are laughably outdated. The 3.5 screen size on a 3D handheld is also laughably small when pitted against the PSP's much nicer 4.3 inch size screen.

Yes, there is demand for a portable 3D movie player/gaming device, especially among casuals. A device that can be used to play 3D games, watch 3D movies, play music, read ebooks (in 2D of course), browse the web, take flash photographs and video, run skype over wifi/3G, run apps, use for navigation and even make phone calls would be highly sought after. It would be like the iPhone/iPad but with even more functionality (gaming the way it should be, and a 3D display). Most smartphones can do much of that, and they are selling like hotcakes. However, 3D gaming and 3D movie playback is something no smartphone can offer, and that defining feature can lure in a lot of buyers who otherwise might not be interested in the PSP2.

But if the viewing experience is low resolution and pixelated on a crappy 400 x 240 resolution screen, it won't be sought after for this purpose. This might be a bit of a stretch, but the PSP2 should ideally offer a 1200x480 resolution 4.3 inch 3D screen, even if they have to wait a little while till such a screen can be manufactured cheaply.. While gaming or watching a 3D movie, the screen could be used to render a 600x480 resolution image twice to produce a 3D effect at dvd resolution on a beautiful 4.3 inch portable screen.

Games/Movies Stored on Encrypted microSD cards rather than on UMDs

The PSP2 should have absolutely no moving/rotating disc drives like the UMD. Moving disc drives...

1.) Suck up battery life

2.) Have slow read speeds and thus cause significantly longer load times

3.) Are easier to damage, bulky and a pain to carry around and swap.

Ideally, they should go with tiny portable 2-4GB flash memory cartrages. It would simultanously increase the battery life and reduce the load times.

Encrypted SD/microSD cards seem like the best option. Several korean stores 4gb microSD cards for the equivalent of $3. Even in the US, they can be had for $7 or so if you look around. I imagine that they are cheaper to manufacture than a UMD. The actual manufacturing cost of it couldn't be more than a $1 considering how nicely it was packaged, the fact that they had to ship it over from China, and the fact that they had to pay importers, wholesalers and retailers, and still make a profit.

I guarentee that given how cheaply 2gb and 4gb sd cards can be had in retail, they'll be substantially cheaper to use than UMDs ever were.

In addition, SD cards have MUCH higher read speeds than UMDs, and use much less power. This would substantially cut back on load times while improving battery life.

This quote below is exactly how Sony should approach game cartrages. It's an exceptional idea...

---

Wakefulness wrote:

I'd like to see Sony push their own line of psp2 with two microSD readers and a encrypted microSD line of cards that they hand out to developers (as the default physical gaming media). It's tiny, will be enrcyption backed, really simple to get your hand on from a manufacturer for a regular microSD, and it will mean there is still something you can buy at the game store.

It would also be a really neat feature if you could plug in your psp2 and, if you have special software, it can read the slot dedicated to the encrypted MicroSD (with the game) and scan it and manage all that stuff (i.e. delete, sort, scan the web for newer add-ons, etc) so, theoretically, you wont need ever need to have to place new monster hunter DLC into any place other than the encrypted microSD its self (assuming that the capacity of the memory isn't already suprassed) . . .

So, say the default “encrypted” MicroSD card given out by sony to all devs/publishers is 8gb at launch. One game may be developed that only uses 4.5GB, meaning, there will be (approximitaly) 3.5Gb left. Due to this encryption in the MicroSD, this extra 3.5gb will not be able to be used for placing your mp3's or any sort of files you would normally place into a MicroSD card, instead, (if you have it) there will be special software (on the PC) that may read the encrypted slot, verify this specially encrypted card, assure what game it is reading, match the sequence of numbers that are in the PSN library DB (DataBase), and say "do you want to add/assort/delete DLC from this game?" Giving you the choice of what you want to do with DLC, if there is any in the DB url reference library. Of course, the DLC will also be able to be saved and be functional in whatever other memory you may have. And, of course, you can always download the content in the game itself, using the games DB url references.

In my specifications, I built the psp2 to have internal memory (ranging from 16-32-64gb) and a unencrypted (or plain) MicroSD slot that scans for encryption which will not play or make readable "enrypted" Micro data, and a secondary "encrypt safe" MicroSD slot which will only read encrypted data and can be used in-compliance only with special software to "add/assort/delete" downloadable content from the people who encrypted the MicroSD (by which I mean the game company). 

I think this is much more ideal than a never re-writable UMD format that is currently out. I can't imagine a company such as Capcom wanting to develop a large game for the psp2 that Capcom realizes will need DLC sometime after release and, have their consumer assume they will have the 500mb available for DLC in order to play an add-on . . .

Of course, this "encryption" will mean extra investment by Sony in the MicroSD technology like in previous memory cards (i.e. ms pro-duo); totally ditching the UMD by the time PSP2 arrives. This isn't a change that is completely out there though. Remember, Sony choose for the PS1&2 to use the best and most capable form of technology to place their games on so, they chose the CD-ROM. Now, for a portable system, they have the ability to use this technology which is the best standard for holding memory and retains a portable form factor. So, it's good thinking now and going into the future for Sony PlayStation to invest tech into the MicroSD.

---

AndriodOS

The AndriodOS is an efficent multimedia monster that basically nailed the multimedia functionality you would want in any portable device. It has a far superior web browser, video player, music player etc than anything Sony has been able to develop into their PSP. So why not take advantage of this multimedia functionality by loading the Andriod OS onto the PSP2? The PS3 offered linux but that didn't make the system easy to hack or homebrew. The PS3 still hasn't been hacked. So Sony could use the same exact method to implement Andriod on the PSP2 while keeping it damn near unhackable. The AndriodOS doesn't need access to the GPU to be able to run. It runs fine off the CPU. So Sony could use a hypervisor to prevent AndriodOS for accessing the GPU to both save battery life and also prevent homebrews and hacks.

Symmetric Design Loaded With Functionality

As explained above, the PSP2 should run the andriod OS in the background and offer a 4G antenna and 512 mb of ram, so that it would double as a cellphone and could be acquired for FREE when you sign a 2 year contract with a phone company. The device would be sold without a contract for $249 like the original PSP, the free with cellphone contract is just a way to get the device into a lot more people's hands.

The 512mb of RAM is critically important. Every single generation of consoles is bottle necked by the ram more than any other component. Game makers always find innovative ways to squeeze better performance out of the GPU, but they always run into a brick wall in terms of the number of textures and other in-game assets they can squeeze into the systems ram a few years into the generation. This happens every single generation, with every single console, without fail. Putting 512mb of RAM into the device right off the bat would do the best to minimize this bottleneck in the future. Almost every major smartphone being released these days packs in 512mb of RAM, so there is no reason Sony couldn't do likewise with the PSP2, especially if they can subsidize the prize by partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Letting people get the device for significantly cheaper by signing a cellphone contract would allow Sony to sell the PSP2 like hotcakes. Plus, like other smartphones, it should be able to offer both a front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with flash that can take 720p video, gps and basically all the other hardware features found in the iPhone 4 and other smartphones. And it should likewise provide twice the battery life of the current PSP while gaming, and comparable battery life to the HTC HD2 while using the nongaming functions. All these features could be subsidized simply by allowing the device to function as a phone for those inclined to use it as such.

The PSP2 should offer a more symmetric, more rectangular and more aesthetically pleasing design compared to the original. Symmetry is very important to good design and yet for some reason was ignored by Sony with the PS2, PS3 and PSP. There is a reason why Apple products are rectangular and symmetric almost to the point of insanity, because symmetric devices convince consumers that they are higher quality products. The PSP was very close to being symmetric, expect for the plastic loop for the wrist strap in the lower left corner. It however was too rounded. More importantly however is all the wasted real estate on front of the original PSP and PSP go. The screen should cover almost the entirity of the front of any device with a slide out design. I think a rectangular slide out design with a large rectangular screen that takes up almost the entire front of the device would be ideal. The smaller and less noticable the bezel, the better.

Keep in mind that even if it's unveiled soon, the PSP2 still likely won't be out until the end of 2011 at the very earliest. And ALL of the technology I'm proposing is already in mass production and being used in either a wide variety smartphones or other handhelds. So it's not unreasonable to expect those same components to find their way into a device that won't be out for another 18 months. By the time the PSP2's release date rolls around, higher resolution 3D screens should be even cheaper than the rumored $14 that the current 3D screen is costing the upcoming competing 3D handeld.

It was recently revealed that the feature packed iPhone 4 and Evo 4G devices both cost around $180 to manufacture, despite the fact that they're loaded with features and technology. This is now. Twelve months from now, when the PSP2 is likely to launch, similar technology will be substantially cheaper even with a 3D screen. Unlike smartphones, the money on handhelds is made selling games, not hardware. Infact, Sony, Sega and MS have a long history of releasing consoles at a substantial loss and making up for loss and turning a profit entirely through software sales. So Sony could afford to sell the PSP2 at cost ($200), offer it for free with a cellphone contract partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to get a surge of customers, and make a killing in software sales.

[Wikiality]

With all the recent rumors that Sony's gaming division is pairing the PSP with a Phone and the AndriodOS (an excellent move imho), I just wanted to pass along a few things I would love to see from the PSP2.

Yes, I know I'm not speaking for all gamers, and many people here might disagree with me because they love the PSP exactly as is (that's why they're here isn't it, because they love the PSP). But it's apparent from sales figures that the original PSP is indeed in decline (not here, but among gamers in general). I think you'll find the ideas below are all good ideas that would prove very popular among gamers in general (not neccesarily the people on this forum though).

The PSP2 absolutely needs to trounce it's 3D competitor in every respect in terms of both gaming and functionality if it wishes to compete. As happy as I am with the PSP, it is a 6 year old device. With all the hype and momentum the 3D handheld is gaining, Sony will either have to come out with a successor to the platform in the next year or two, or bow out of the portable market completely. I think the latter isn't something that Sony wants to do. The original PSP sold 50+ million copies. It has made Sony billions of dollars. So while it wasn't anywhere near as profitable as it's competitor, it was still extremely profitable for Sony, more so than the PS3. I think it's pretty clear that a PSP2 is on the horizon.

And the reason that the original PSP was so profitable for Sony and sold over 50 million copies was in part because of the fantastic functionality it offered. If Sony can again offer a more capable more functional handheld, all while fixing the weaknesses of the original PSP (lack of dual analog, poor battery life, load times, lack of a touch screen, piracy, a poor web browsing experience), it can strike gold.

Design

Here is a mockup outlining the general design I would love to see for the PSP2.

Imagine that, but with high resolution 3D screen that doubles as a touch screen when not being used for gaming, and without the ugly oversized bezel on the bottom (where it says sony and has the PS logo)

With a slide out, the device would look awesome when it's closed and all the buttons are hidden.

Plus since it would have a touch screen and running Andriod OS (as Sony recently announced), it would be usable for everything except for the gaming functions while the device is closed. It would make for the perfect media playback device/ebook reader/smartphone/ipad tablet while the screen is closed with a nice 4.3 or 4.5 inch screen.

Dual Analog Nubs

I actually think that if the original PSP had dual analog nubs that allowed for seamless fps gameplay, better battery life (if they went with cartrages instead of umds) and nubs that were actually comfortable, it would have gone toe to toe or possibly beaten other handhelds in terms of sales. By not offering dual analog nubs, Sony crippled the original PSP. It couldn't replicate the smooth gameplay that the PS2 offered and players were stuck with very clunky controls for shooters and other action games.

A Large High Resolution 3D Screen

In my humble opinion, if someone is trying to market their handheld as a 3D multimedia device that can be used to watch 3D movies on the go, as well as play games, they are making a huge mistake by using a low resolution 3D screen, and pairing it with .3 megapixel cameras that are laughably outdated. The 3.5 screen size on a 3D handheld is also laughably small when pitted against the PSP's much nicer 4.3 inch size screen.

Yes, there is demand for a portable 3D movie player/gaming device, especially among casuals. A device that can be used to play 3D games, watch 3D movies, play music, read ebooks (in 2D of course), browse the web, take flash photographs and video, run skype over wifi/3G, run apps, use for navigation and even make phone calls would be highly sought after. It would be like the iPhone/iPad but with even more functionality (gaming the way it should be, and a 3D display). Most smartphones can do much of that, and they are selling like hotcakes. However, 3D gaming and 3D movie playback is something no smartphone can offer, and that defining feature can lure in a lot of buyers who otherwise might not be interested in the PSP2.

But if the viewing experience is low resolution and pixelated on a crappy 400 x 240 resolution screen, it won't be sought after for this purpose. This might be a bit of a stretch, but the PSP2 should ideally offer a 1200x480 resolution 4.3 inch 3D screen, even if they have to wait a little while till such a screen can be manufactured cheaply.. While gaming or watching a 3D movie, the screen could be used to render a 600x480 resolution image twice to produce a 3D effect at dvd resolution on a beautiful 4.3 inch portable screen.

Games/Movies Stored on Encrypted microSD cards rather than on UMDs

The PSP2 should have absolutely no moving/rotating disc drives like the UMD. Moving disc drives...

1.) Suck up battery life

2.) Have slow read speeds and thus cause significantly longer load times

3.) Are easier to damage, bulky and a pain to carry around and swap.

Ideally, they should go with tiny portable 2-4GB flash memory cartrages. It would simultanously increase the battery life and reduce the load times.

Encrypted SD/microSD cards seem like the best option. Several korean stores 4gb microSD cards for the equivalent of $3. Even in the US, they can be had for $7 or so if you look around. I imagine that they are cheaper to manufacture than a UMD. The actual manufacturing cost of it couldn't be more than a $1 considering how nicely it was packaged, the fact that they had to ship it over from China, and the fact that they had to pay importers, wholesalers and retailers, and still make a profit.

I guarentee that given how cheaply 2gb and 4gb sd cards can be had in retail, they'll be substantially cheaper to use than UMDs ever were.

In addition, SD cards have MUCH higher read speeds than UMDs, and use much less power. This would substantially cut back on load times while improving battery life.

This quote below is exactly how Sony should approach game cartrages. It's an exceptional idea...

---

Wakefulness wrote:

I'd like to see Sony push their own line of psp2 with two microSD readers and a encrypted microSD line of cards that they hand out to developers (as the default physical gaming media). It's tiny, will be enrcyption backed, really simple to get your hand on from a manufacturer for a regular microSD, and it will mean there is still something you can buy at the game store.

It would also be a really neat feature if you could plug in your psp2 and, if you have special software, it can read the slot dedicated to the encrypted MicroSD (with the game) and scan it and manage all that stuff (i.e. delete, sort, scan the web for newer add-ons, etc) so, theoretically, you wont need ever need to have to place new monster hunter DLC into any place other than the encrypted microSD its self (assuming that the capacity of the memory isn't already suprassed) . . .

So, say the default “encrypted” MicroSD card given out by sony to all devs/publishers is 8gb at launch. One game may be developed that only uses 4.5GB, meaning, there will be (approximitaly) 3.5Gb left. Due to this encryption in the MicroSD, this extra 3.5gb will not be able to be used for placing your mp3's or any sort of files you would normally place into a MicroSD card, instead, (if you have it) there will be special software (on the PC) that may read the encrypted slot, verify this specially encrypted card, assure what game it is reading, match the sequence of numbers that are in the PSN library DB (DataBase), and say "do you want to add/assort/delete DLC from this game?" Giving you the choice of what you want to do with DLC, if there is any in the DB url reference library. Of course, the DLC will also be able to be saved and be functional in whatever other memory you may have. And, of course, you can always download the content in the game itself, using the games DB url references.

In my specifications, I built the psp2 to have internal memory (ranging from 16-32-64gb) and a unencrypted (or plain) MicroSD slot that scans for encryption which will not play or make readable "enrypted" Micro data, and a secondary "encrypt safe" MicroSD slot which will only read encrypted data and can be used in-compliance only with special software to "add/assort/delete" downloadable content from the people who encrypted the MicroSD (by which I mean the game company). 

I think this is much more ideal than a never re-writable UMD format that is currently out. I can't imagine a company such as Capcom wanting to develop a large game for the psp2 that Capcom realizes will need DLC sometime after release and, have their consumer assume they will have the 500mb available for DLC in order to play an add-on . . .

Of course, this "encryption" will mean extra investment by Sony in the MicroSD technology like in previous memory cards (i.e. ms pro-duo); totally ditching the UMD by the time PSP2 arrives. This isn't a change that is completely out there though. Remember, Sony choose for the PS1&2 to use the best and most capable form of technology to place their games on so, they chose the CD-ROM. Now, for a portable system, they have the ability to use this technology which is the best standard for holding memory and retains a portable form factor. So, it's good thinking now and going into the future for Sony PlayStation to invest tech into the MicroSD.

---

AndriodOS

The AndriodOS is an efficent multimedia monster that basically nailed the multimedia functionality you would want in any portable device. It has a far superior web browser, video player, music player etc than anything Sony has been able to develop into their PSP. So why not take advantage of this multimedia functionality by loading the Andriod OS onto the PSP2? The PS3 offered linux but that didn't make the system easy to hack or homebrew. The PS3 still hasn't been hacked. So Sony could use the same exact method to implement Andriod on the PSP2 while keeping it damn near unhackable. The AndriodOS doesn't need access to the GPU to be able to run. It runs fine off the CPU. So Sony could use a hypervisor to prevent AndriodOS for accessing the GPU to both save battery life and also prevent homebrews and hacks.

Symmetric Design Loaded With Functionality

As explained above, the PSP2 should run the andriod OS in the background and offer a 4G antenna and 512 mb of ram, so that it would double as a cellphone and could be acquired for FREE when you sign a 2 year contract with a phone company. The device would be sold without a contract for $249 like the original PSP, the free with cellphone contract is just a way to get the device into a lot more people's hands.

The 512mb of RAM is critically important. Every single generation of consoles is bottle necked by the ram more than any other component. Game makers always find innovative ways to squeeze better performance out of the GPU, but they always run into a brick wall in terms of the number of textures and other in-game assets they can squeeze into the systems ram a few years into the generation. This happens every single generation, with every single console, without fail. Putting 512mb of RAM into the device right off the bat would do the best to minimize this bottleneck in the future. Almost every major smartphone being released these days packs in 512mb of RAM, so there is no reason Sony couldn't do likewise with the PSP2, especially if they can subsidize the prize by partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Letting people get the device for significantly cheaper by signing a cellphone contract would allow Sony to sell the PSP2 like hotcakes. Plus, like other smartphones, it should be able to offer both a front facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear facing camera with flash that can take 720p video, gps and basically all the other hardware features found in the iPhone 4 and other smartphones. And it should likewise provide twice the battery life of the current PSP while gaming, and comparable battery life to the HTC HD2 while using the nongaming functions. All these features could be subsidized simply by allowing the device to function as a phone for those inclined to use it as such.

The PSP2 should offer a more symmetric, more rectangular and more aesthetically pleasing design compared to the original. Symmetry is very important to good design and yet for some reason was ignored by Sony with the PS2, PS3 and PSP. There is a reason why Apple products are rectangular and symmetric almost to the point of insanity, because symmetric devices convince consumers that they are higher quality products. The PSP was very close to being symmetric, expect for the plastic loop for the wrist strap in the lower left corner. It however was too rounded. More importantly however is all the wasted real estate on front of the original PSP and PSP go. The screen should cover almost the entirity of the front of any device with a slide out design. I think a rectangular slide out design with a large rectangular screen that takes up almost the entire front of the device would be ideal. The smaller and less noticable the bezel, the better.

Keep in mind that even if it's unveiled soon, the PSP2 still likely won't be out until the end of 2011 at the very earliest. And ALL of the technology I'm proposing is already in mass production and being used in either a wide variety smartphones or other handhelds. So it's not unreasonable to expect those same components to find their way into a device that won't be out for another 18 months. By the time the PSP2's release date rolls around, higher resolution 3D screens should be even cheaper than the rumored $14 that the current 3D screen is costing the upcoming competing 3D handeld.

It was recently revealed that the feature packed iPhone 4 and Evo 4G devices both cost around $180 to manufacture, despite the fact that they're loaded with features and technology. This is now. Twelve months from now, when the PSP2 is likely to launch, similar technology will be substantially cheaper even with a 3D screen. Unlike smartphones, the money on handhelds is made selling games, not hardware. Infact, Sony, Sega and MS have a long history of releasing consoles at a substantial loss and making up for loss and turning a profit entirely through software sales. So Sony could afford to sell the PSP2 at cost ($200), offer it for free with a cellphone contract partnering with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to get a surge of customers, and make a killing in software sales.

[Wikiality]

Design

[Wikiality]

Here is a mockup outlining the general design I would love to see for the PSP2.

[Techni]

---

Wikiality wrote:

SD cards are incredibly cheap

---

No they aren't. Which is why it's not likely.

[APVangeliLHS]

It seems like too much... I mean, right there with a 3D screen it's already over my budget... ($250.)

Even the sh*tty Mimtemdo 3BS with it's 3D screen is rumored to be $250-$300. AND IT'S NOT EVEN AS GOOD AS THE CURRENT PSP!!! Add it to a PSP2 and it's too expensive. Not to mention the resolution is too big. I don't get the purpose of the 4" HD screens. It's flippin 4" big! 640x360 is a decent upgrade and can output to a television without black bars on the sides.

I don't see why people would like it on such a small screen ... It defeats the purpose.

[Hosnor]

I could have sworn I already clicked on a similar thread to this...

[Wikiality]

Yes indeed 2gb and 4gb sd cards are insanely cheap (just shop around), and I imagine they are even cheaper to mass manufacture compared to paying retail off the shelf prices.

I guarentee that encrypted SD cards would be much cheaper than UMDs ever were to mass produce.

Honsor,

That thread was many months old, all the posts were old. And it's was just being brought back from the dead, but with all the outdated posts was impossible to follow.

Back then, we didn't even know that Sony partnered with google to offer the AndriodOS in their future handhelds (an excellent move in my opinion).

I completely revised and updated all the points as well for this thread.

I think it's been more than long enough to refresh and revamp an old and grossly outdated thread filled with outdated posts.

[APVangeliLHS]

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Techni wrote:

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Wikiality wrote:

SD cards are incredibly cheap

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No they aren't. Which is why it's not likely.

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Ok then.

16GB, which is 5x bigger than any PSP game would hope to be is $35. Class 4 too, meaning it's not sh*tty slow.

8GB, quite big, is only $17. Class 4 as well, so also quite fast.

4GB, probably the MOST a PSP game would ever need (that's pushing it,) is $13, class 4, the Sony one is even $13. That's cheap.

2GB, most probably what a lot of games would use, is only around $8, even the Sony one too.

Kinda cheap CONSIDERING THIS IS CONSUMER PRICING, NOT THE PRICE IT COSTS TO ACTUALLY MAKE IT. Plus, both the manufacturer and the retailer get a cut. Sony makes memory anyway.

1GB cards aren't even widely availible. And they probably are much cheaper, and probably would be widely used with the small games. And there are some great small games, like Wipeout Pulse, which clocks in at under 200MB.

Discs may cost less but flash memory isn't that expensive at all either. Whatever Sony sells PSP2 games for (if they were flash,) they would still make a profit.

[Techni]

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APVangeliLHS wrote:

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Techni wrote:

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Wikiality wrote:

SD cards are incredibly cheap

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No they aren't. Which is why it's not likely.

---

Ok then.

16GB, which is 5x bigger than any PSP game would hope to be is $35. Class 4 too, meaning it's not sh*tty slow.

8GB, quite big, is only $17. Class 4 as well, so also quite fast.

4GB, probably the MOST a PSP game would ever need (that's pushing it,) is $13, class 4, the Sony one is even $13. That's cheap.

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50 GB blurays cost less than $2 to manufacture and are cheaper than what UMD was at launch.

Lets ignore the 2 GB cause limiting PSP2 games to PSP1 sizes = crappy games

So that 4 GB one costs 6 times as much as the worst case scenario for the cost of a 10 GB BLUMD.

You really thing devs/pubs will give that much money up?

$35? That's the ENTIRE cost of a game!

$17? That's about half! You really think pubs would be happy losing that much?

Think reasonably, that's way too expensive. Millions of dollars expensive.

[Techni]

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Wikiality wrote:

I guarentee that encrypted SD cards would be much cheaper than UMDs ever were to mass produce.

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Lol, you're joking right?

They ARE mass produced already, and cost many times more than UMD.

[p4s2p0]

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Wikiality wrote:

Yes indeed 2gb and 4gb sd cards are insanely cheap (just shop around), and I imagine they are even cheaper to mass manufacture compared to paying retail off the shelf prices.

I guarentee that encrypted SD cards would be much cheaper than UMDs ever were to mass produce.

Honsor,

That thread was many months old, all the posts were old. And it's was just being brought back from the dead, but with all the outdated posts was impossible to follow.

Back then, we didn't even know that Sony partnered with google to offer the AndriodOS in their future handhelds (an excellent move in my opinion).

I completely revised and updated all the points as well for this thread.

I think it's been more than long enough to refresh and revamp an old and grossly outdated thread filled with outdated posts.

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If they were we wouldn't have been using disc all these years (ps1,ps2,ps3,psp) Even N switched to disc in their home consoles.

[Wikiality]

Seriously, every other handheld in history used cartrages (flash memory) except for Sony.

That was what hurt the PSP. Disc based formats have slow read speeds, and use up a lot of power. Load times and poor battery life are not a good thing for a handheld to have.

You can indeed find 4gb SD cards for a few bucks. So they couldn't cost more than a dollar or two to manufacture.

And 4gb is the average size of the majority current gen console games running at HD resolutions. It is more than sufficent for handheld games at 480p resolution.