As any long-time reader of this blog will know, the Bitfood team has been big fans of the GoPSPGo concept that Sony launched in Europe and Asia (but, to our disgust, not in the USA) in 2008.  About 12 months ago we tried to find out what the state of play was on the long delayed introduction of PSPGo!Explore. We called the US and the UK offices. and eventually were sort-of told that it was never gonna happen!

The GoPSPGo site they set up was a real sweet one  - and there was a tailor-made version for a whole stack of countries. The flash production was the kind of quality you would expect from a top game platform.  But if you go to the UK url today - its just a redirect to the PSP section of the Playstation home site in the UK.

Seems like that whole product was a fizz-er and its just all quietly disappeared into the night?

Not so - there is a trail of wreckage - and a funny? post script.

Mop it up as they might, Sony can’t entirely expunge the past. First up, the wayback machine lets us see some of what used to be…at least for the gopspgo dot com version. There you can at least see the bones of the site that used to be. Click on any of the countries listed to see what used to be on offer. Go! Messenger, for example, used to offer:

With Go!Messenger you can use your PSP to keep in touch with friends for free wherever you have access to a Wireless connection

Lets take a closer look at Go!Messenger. This was provided in conjunction with BT . And even a year after they shut it down, there is a site still up saying:

…..we have had to do this…

And its a year later!

Does anyone else see this as really weird?

Well, weirder still is the postscript. When one of the Bitfood team started researching for this post they entered in pspgo.co.uk (understandable, right?)

And you would not believe what they found!!

The joke is on Sony because THIS is what is there….

That’s right - PSP Go-es Nintendo!!
What a trick Nintendo?? has pulled off?

Now to the UK reader this is probably not news (given the PSPGo). But for us across the pond, all we can say is  hahahaha!! And frankly, we were surprised that Nintendo got away with it.

Well, they haven’t - as the site is not owned by Nintendo! It was cunningly registered in China in 2009 by a Pan Zuo. And he has simply top-framed the whole Nintendo site into his site??

Not sure what happens if you login on this site?

Not sure why Sony haven’t taken this guy down? Or Nintendo for that matter?

The whole thing is weird - or hillarously funny. What do you think?

PS I we had to guess, our bet would be that the guy is trying to get a big payout from Sony for the site and in the meantime is giving Sony the finger!

Share

What with the massive drop-off in the sale of PSP game hardware still continuing, and the massive pressure being put on the traditional mobile game platforms by the explosion of free and cheap games on the iPhone, its great to see that Sony is not giving up without a fight!

And in one exciting new direction they are clearly thinking outside the box…er PSP - literally!! Its early days yet, but the release last year of Invizimals and the release last week of Second Sight, signal perhaps, that Sony is prepared to take the PSP into the 21st century - and to a place that iPhones cannot go?

Both Invizimals and Second Sight make use of the PSP Cam to add an extra dimension to the game or learning experience. The camera is used to input extra information to the PSP which then is used to either add extra characters to the game or generate extra video or 3D experiences for students.

Now whilst neither the game nor the edu-tool are particularly exciting for most PSP gamers (and in fact are not even available for PSP gamers in the USA) they may signal new directions for PSP games.

Adding credibility to this observation is the patent filed by Sony where the PSP is used to operate a remote car using a camera on the car - which, like the above two “games” then inputs that info to the PSP. In the patent, apparently, it actually describes the purpose as:

a user may control the car… so as to spy on their friends… then upload the stored video images to a website.”

The point is that Sony is clearly experimenting with ways to take our gaming experiences interactive with the real world. And once they take this step - the opportunities for developing dramatic new game experiences are endless.

In other words we think (hope?) that these recent moves from Sony signal that completely new game experiences are about to be developed.

Share

Digital access codes for more than 200 Play Station Network games and game-related content for PSP (and PS3) entertainment systems, have now been made available from Amazon.

According to Paul Ryder, vice president of consumer electronics for Amazon:

PlayStation Network games are an important addition and we plan to continue making it easier for customers to instantly enjoy new content as well as their favorite games from the comfort of their living rooms.

The new deal between PlayStation and Amazon means that we can purchase digital access codes for download via the Amazon Video Game Store as well as the PlayStationNetwork.

Is that a benefit to us? Well, if Amazon gives us better prices, or special deals, maybe! Plus it is handy that all the addons are in one place and easy to find.

Some of the games already on offer include - Flower(TM), PAIN, PixelJunk(TM) Eden, Wipeout Pure and classics like Twisted Metal®:Head-On.

Share

NIS America has announced (8 hours ago!) that it is re-releasing some of their PSP titles in conjunction with the launch of the PSPgo! And the PSP titles they are re-releasing will be 50% off for the whole of the next week!

The discount will only be for one week starting tomorrow (October 1st).  Price will range from$4.99 to $9.99 - so its a great deal. The PSP games on offer are:

• Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light
• Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
• Dragoneer’s Aria
• Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This?
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
• Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?

You can get them at the PlayStation Store tomorrow!

Share

Now that’s what we’re talkin about! Majesco Entertainment has partnered with Zumba Fitness to develop a dance/fitness video game!. Here is the news as posted on Majesco’s site:

This one-of-a-kind exercise program pairs Latin rhythms with red-hot international dance steps so you can have a blast as you party your way into shape. The first Zumba^® game will release holiday 2010. 

Zumba dance/fitness is hot, hot hot. Just check it out:

Now, the real question is - will Majesco develop the game for PSP?

Just looking at the past history of games they have developed, the chances are not good.  Their last PSP game was Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship and that was 18 months ago. All up they have only ever developed four PSP games. On the other hand they have developed 25 Wii games and dozens of DS games.

And the Wii platform is obviously compatible with a game so suited to interactive play.

But, but, but….

Firstly, Sony is obviously trying to bring girls on board as PSP fans. Their efforts so far have been pretty weak, so the Majesco/Zumba deal could be a marriage made in heaven for the PSP. What’s more, they  can offer cross-over play options with the PS3 to really maximize the interactive possibilities of such a game! They have done this with other games, and a dance game would be a great opportunity to do that again. (Against that, Majesco have not so far developed a game for the PS3).

The first game will not be released for another 12 months. We say, let Majesco know you want the game on PSP!!

Share

Another great game for PSP has been released - Star Oceans: Second Evolution - and the trailer is below.

But we have to ask - will the recession kill game developers? We know that Sony - like so many big companies - is cutting, cutting, cutting!

But for those of us who own a PSP we are more concerned with how the game developers and produces will fare in these tough times. Square Enix - who just released Star Oceans: Second Evolution (trailer below) have this to say:

In the increasingly consolidated video game industry, Square Enix has been implementing strategic initiatives to expand its product lineup and strengthen its presence as a global game publisher. ….

The global video game market is expected to maintain sustainable growth thanks to geographical expansion and diversification of customer base,” said Yoichi Wada, president and representative director of Square Enix.

So, if you are a fan of the Square Enix PSP games (Final Fantasy series, Kingdom Hearts, Valkyrie Profile and, of course, the Star Oceans series, etc) you will be pleased - as it looks like Square Enix is set to survive the recession! But we doubt that all game developers are going to make it through - especially some of the smaller developers! ]

In 2008, for example, some 66 separate companies developed games that were published for PSP. Thats a lot of companies competing for our game bucks! Time will tell whether some of these get acquired by the bigger developers - or just disappear as the recession progresses!

In the meantime, 90 games are supposed to be released in 2009 (IGN)! But only 20 are scheduled for release before the end of May and the rest do not have definite dates with 60% in the TBA category. Don’t be surprised if there are more than the usual “delays” in the release times for these games.

Anyhoo…you can check out Square Enix’s latest game released for PSP: StarOcean Second Evolution in our trailer:

Share

Watch this space to find out!

Share

If you live in Europe, or Japan, there can be little doubt that the PSP is hot property. To quote one PSP’er we came across in a PSP forum:

I Use my PSP as a Camera, MP3player, Portable game player. WIFI browser,,,Movie and Music Vid Player..(sony really needs to market the PSP alot better)..I also own my own Construction Company and The PSP has come into use plenty of times..

But, if you live in the US, then some of this is just not available.

There have been rumors all through 2008 that Sony was about to release the PSP camera and the PSP GPS system. After all: the PSP Camera was released in Japan and Singapore (the Chotto Shot ) in 2006, and in PAL territories (Europe -where it is named the Go!Cam), it was released in May, 2007. (Read more about GoPSPGo)

At CES in early 2008, Sony America stated that the PSP Camera and PSP GPS will be released in North America sometime 2008. So far this has not happened, and, despite some extensive internet research, no-one in our team could track down any inkling of this happening before the end of 2008! Plenty of rumors, but no hard facts.

In a fit of frustration, Bitfood called Sony Computer Entertainment America, today, to try and nail down when (or if!) either the camera or GPS (”go!explore” style system) were going to be present options for North Americans for Christmas 2008.

Sadly, the answer was a decisive “no”! Not happening - no plans in the foreseeable future.

Which is a pity, because the whole setup looks awesome.

Share

There has been quite a bit of media commentary about the “design flaw” in the latest PSP 3000 - which has resulted in lines appearing across the screen.

Initially, Sony Tokyo officials dismissed criticism/complaints, explaining that it was not a flaw but a ‘design feature’ that had resulted from Sony’s attempt to resolve design flaws in earlier models (ghosting). But the result has been, apparently, that some games and videos are popping up interlaced, where the image breaks into line segments. The following images show this quite well: (The more technical minded can get more details in the info section of this YouTube video):

PSP 3000 interlacing problem

PSP 2000 Ghosting problem

But their blaze attitude has not been well received and criticism has intensifed rather than died down, and it now looks like the PSP 3000 may even be recalled. According to Rewired, Sony:

appears to have removed all references to the PSP-3000 from their European online store …….There are rumours of retailers being asked to return unsold units, but no formal announcement has been made by any of Sony’s global hubs.

The point is - it may be smart to hold off on any upgrades till the situation becomes clearer. With Christmas just around the corner you can bet that Sony is going to sort this out ASAP.

Share

For those who prefer RPGs in their PSP Games, we give you this trailer for the soon to be released and highly anticipated game Star Ocean: First Departure.

As you can see in the delightful display from the Square Enix site - the game developers - the game is due for release next week!

TRAILER FOR STAR OCEAN: FIRST DEPARTURE

The graphics look great and all reports make it seem highly likely that this will prove to be a great favorite with PSP game players that enjoy the role play genre.

Share