Gaming Press Distribution System
The only thing we have to spear is spear itself.
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 21, 2011 – ATLUS today announced that it has acquired North American publishing rights for Gungnir, a new tactical RPG from the makers of the acclaimed Riviera, Yggdra Union, and Knights in the Nightmare, releasing on June 12, 2012 exclusively for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. Details after the break. Updated with screens and trailer.
I’ve long thought about the necessity of PS Vita. Its raison d’etre if you’d like. I did so because, in my opinion, it does not bring anything revolutionary to the table, from a hardware point of view. The 3DS has a 3D screen and you don’t need any glasses to experience the 3D effect. The iPhone (first generation) brought us the beauty and simplicity of the touchscreen, which along with the mouse and the click wheel was a revolutionary and disruptive user interface.
PS Vita brings us 2 analog sticks, a capacitive touchscreen on the front of the handheld and a rear touchpad. While touchscreens and touchpads are the norm today, depending on the hardware, two analog sticks is something definitely weird for a newcomer. For those of you who have owned a PSP before, it could very well be the most requested feature on a handheld. The main reason is that having two analog sticks allows you proper control over camera and character movement in the same time, imitating the control you get when using a real controller. This way, it’s possible to play all the modern games, either PS2 ports or PS3 spin-offs. Some say PS Vita is a bit late to the table and considering the competition they could be right. Others are saying the market for dedicated gaming handhelds is dying. This is why I wanted to see if I can forecast the PS Vita demand (and of course its initial sales).
As we are getting closer and closer to the release date of God of War: Ghost of Sparta for PSP, Ready at Dawn has released a new trailer for the game showing amazing gameplay footage and a short glimpse at Deimos, Kratos’ brother which will be present in the game. There is a surprise for those who buy the game for PSP and also have God of War 3 which consists of a Deimos skin for the PS3 game. You can see the image with the skin at the side and the new trailer below:
SEGA released the first batch of screens from Valkyria Chronicles 3, a game scheduled for late January 2011, exclusively for the PSP.
The new Valkyria focuses on Gallia’s Squad 422, aka “The Nameless”. The “BLiTZ” system has been popular through the franchise for its innovative battle system, with its fusion of strategy and action, so it’s back in a more advanced form. We now have an even more realistic war experience, with the incredible battles against gigantic enemy weapons and events occurring real-time in the middle of battles. Each character will also have special skills, and the new system will allow you an even greater variety of strategies.
The new story takes place in the fictional Europe in 1935, the same as the very first game of the franchise. The background is the same, but this time the story unfolds from a different stand point. At times, you will fight together with the “Squad 7” members, or see the cadets of the Royal Lanseal Academy in their younger days. If you are a Valkyria fan, you won’t be able to take your eyes off the story full of such attractive characters.
The latest issue of Famitsu has just confirmed that Valkyria Chronicles 3, the latest sequel in the critically acclaimed tactical role-playing franchise, will be released on the PSP, though it was rumored to be a PS3 game. Shinji Motoyama, the producer behind the first two games, has been confirmed to come back and work on this third part of the series. The game will have a new cast of characters and an original story, which will take place during the time of the first game.
More details will be made public at TGS.
Below are the scans from Famitsu:
UPDATE:
We have all found out via Engadget that Sony-Ericsson may be planning (and developing) an Android-powered PSPgo-like smartphone. It seems it’s a landscape slider with all the PSPgo buttons in place, except the D-pad which has been replaced with a long touchpad. It should be powered by Android 3.0 coupled with a 1GHz [wikipop]Snapdragon CPU[/wikipop] and its graphics should be powerful enough to play PSX/PSP games. Engadget estimates that its release should be somewhat around the corner, with October 2010 as a possibility.
OK, nice rumor. We all know many people have been asking for a PlayStation phone and this may be it. Let’s say for the sake of our small analysis that this rumor is actually TRUE. What does it mean? Where does it lead to? Why has Sony concealed this device up until now?
First and foremost, let’s consider what Sony currently has in production. On one hand we have the PSP-3000 which can play both UMD and digital titles, while on the other hand we have the PSPgo which targets the digital distribution fans. We don’t have an update on their sales for August, but in March 2010 Sony had already sold 17 mil. units in North America and 60 mil. worldwide. On the other hand, back in March this year the company declared that the UMD format is still “alive and well” and that they had no plans to ditch it.
Sony has also stated they have a dual strategy concerning their handheld line, which makes sense as they cannot ditch UMD (and retailers) over night. Retail is still going strong, many people still buy these games so it’s not a very healthy business decision to give up this channel just yet. On the other hand, Sony has a pretty powerful digital distribution channel, the PSN.
So, from my point of view, the best business decision IN CASE the upcoming rumored smartphone exists, is to DISCONTINUE THE PSP. First of all, I asked myself why Sony-Ericsson would make such a great deal about it and keep it a secret. Imagine they would have announced it back at E3 this year. That’s June. How many PSPs do you think Sony would have sold between June and October? Closed to none? Keeping it a secret and announcing it at TGS for example (in September), could be enough for a late October, mid-November launch. On the other hand, pushing two PSP offerings in the same time with such a smartphone, can hurt sales (of the smartphone, of course).
So, having prepared you in the paragraphs above, I can safely say that Sony will discontinue at least one of its PSP models this autumn IF the smartphone rumor is TRUE. My guess, as well as everybody’s, would be the PSPgo but, there are other scenarios, like killing the PSP and PSPgo for good. Eventually, the PSP will stop selling like any other console out there approaching the end of its life cycle. It’s not a matter of IF, but a matter of WHEN. Starting with a smartphone that can play PSX/PSP games also means this is the first device (the flagship) of a range, so cheaper/limited versions will eventually see the light of the day, effectively killing the PSP alltogether, as the price goes down.
Will it happen in October? I don’t know. I just took a rumor and ran with it in my mind. Is this what I believe will actually happen. Well, I think Sony-Ericsson is late to the table and they know it. If they intend to develop an instant hit then yes, the Android-powered PSPgo-like smartphone could be the right solution. Android is on the rise, PSN is doing very well (much like the PS3 sales) so adding a new device to the mix will fill a gap while starting a new era of mobile gaming devices. Let’s just wait and see if they are smart enough to do it. What do you think?
Sports Interactive and SEGA Europe today announced that Football Manager 2011 for PC and Mac, and Football Manager Handheld 2011 for PSP will be released before Christmas 2010. FM2011 will feature real-time contract negotiation, a revamped training system and a number of match engine improvements. Check the screens in our gallery and the press release if you need more details.
Blogul oficial PlayStation ne dezvaluie faptul ca jocul de PSP realizat de Ready at Dawn, in colaborare cu Santa Monica Studio, ce ne prezinta originile lui Kratos, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, va fi lansat pe data de 2 noiembrie. Cei care fac pre-order la joc vor beneficia de urmatoarele bonusuri downloadabile: soundtrackul original al jocului, tema pentru PSP, tema dinamica pentru PS3, avatar exclusiv pentru PSN, Legionnaire skin si un documentar exclusiv in care vor vorbi directorii tuturor jocurilor cu titlul God of War: David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, Stig Asmussen, Ru Weerasuiya si Dana Jan.
De asemenea, a fost anuntat si un bundle pentru acest joc ce va cuprinde un PSP model 3000 in doua culori (rosu si negru), UMD-ul cu Ghost of Sparta, voucher pentru a downloada de pe PSN Store Chains of Olympus, filmul Kick-Ass pe UMD si un stick de memorie Pro Duo de 2GB. Pretul acestui bundle va fi de $199.99.