20 replies to this topic

[Happy_Dude]

I know this has been discused elsewhere (but I cant find that thread)
Anyway lik-sang has some pictures of the PSP's disks (*snicker*)
http://www.lik-sang....s.php?artc=2937
You just know kids will mess these things up.

And why would a "Handheld" need 1.8GB of storage

[PuddWakkr]

Happy_Dude said:

 

And why would a "Handheld" need 1.8GB of storage  

Why not? I'd be happy to have more than enough space for games. What worries me more than space is how much these little discs would cost. I didn't get into the Mini Disc trend (and by the looks of my local Best Buy not many others did either) so I don't know what they cost. Are they comparable to CD's and DVD's?

[Bratwurst]

Happy_Dude said:

You just know kids will mess these things up.

I dunno, I think it's a smart move on Sony's part to have them encased in a plastic cartridge. That means durability, and it can't contribute that much to the overall cost compared to a full-blown cartridge with circuitry and chips inside.

Happy_Dude said:

And why would a "Handheld" need 1.8GB of storage  

If the games don't use all of the space available, big deal. The important thing is that Sony could potentially market movies.

[Agent X]

I agree. The UMD discs are encased in plastic caddies, which will offer protection for the disc while it's being transported. You could toss a bunch of discs in a travel bag, or even put them in your pocket, without having to worry about them being scratched up.

I also read recently (on another message board) that encased discs are stabilized better in the drive compared to bare discs; stability is important in mobile electronics.

[Intrepid]

Happy_Dude said:

I know this has been discused elsewhere (but I cant find that thread)

Exactly. Where did that thread go?

[CPUWIZ]

Intrepid said:

Exactly. Where did that thread go?

http://www.atariage....pic.php?t=26450

[Intrepid]

Thanks.

But my original problem still wasn't solved. I distinctly remember seeing a picture (artist rendering) of what it would look like and I still can't find it. It seems to have fallen off the web altogeather.

[CPUWIZ]

[Intrepid]

Not quite. Oh well.

Thanks anyway. Maybe I halucenated it or something.

[CPUWIZ]

I think this is the closest thing you're thinking off.

WARNING: It's big !

http://www.sony.co.j...kuta_j_0528.pdf

[Ze_ro]

So, aside from the plastic caddie, is this really any different at all from a Gamecube disc??? If not, then I really don't understand why this is getting so much attention... You'd think it was the second coming of Bushnell or something.

--Zero

[chrisbid]

its sony... go figure...

being in a plastic case does not make the media that much more durable, i only see the casing protecting the disks from scratching.

in the end it will be about the games, games that require hours of plot lines and FMVs are annoying enough in the console arena, in a handheld world, they will be plain obnoxious.

[shep]

Happy_Dude said:

And why would a "Handheld" need 1.8GB of storage  

Sont doesnt plan on using the PSP for gaming purposes only...

[Happy_Dude]

Sony's disk is 60mm, Gamecube is 80mm.

chrisbid said:

its sony... go figure...

being in a plastic case does not make the media that much more durable, i only see the casing protecting the disks from scratching.  

in the end it will be about the games, games that require hours of plot lines and FMVs are annoying enough in the console arena, in a handheld world, they will be plain obnoxious.

This was the point I thought was blatantly obvious. 1.8 gigs of game = A lot
of gameplay. I don't want to be looking for a "save point" when the train I'm
on pulls up to the station.

And As for the "Protective" plastic case, Some of you haven't seen what kids
can do to Gameboy carts (let alone C.D's 'eek')

[jjessop]

I guess I have to spell it out:

MPEG-4 + 1.8 gig = 4 hour movie (approx)

Jerry

[Agent X]

Ze_ro said:

So, aside from the plastic caddie, is this really any different at all from a Gamecube disc??? If not, then I really don't understand why this is getting so much attention... You'd think it was the second coming of Bushnell or something.

There are several reasons why it's getting so much attention:

1. The UMD disc is physically smaller than a GameCube disc, yet it holds more data than a GameCube disc.

3. The plastic caddy offers additional protection from dirt and scratching. That's very important when you're talking about portable electronics. Some people have predicted that GameCube discs could be used on a future Nintendo portable--could you imagine the typical child tossing a few loose discs into a travel bag along with the system? What would happen if a disc or two was misplaced in the back of the car with the candy bars and soda, getting stepped on, brushed across the carpet, and such? Bye-bye game. The GameCube discs are a nice for a home console, but the UMD is a much more elegant design for portability.

3. Sony has already said that UMD discs would have other applications besides PSP video games. They are talking about using it as a format for music and video. I don't know if the music industry is ready to support yet another format at this time, but I can see this being useful for movies. Portable DVD players are great, but they're a bit expensive right now, and the discs don't lend themselves to travel for many of the same reasons that I mentioned above for GameCube discs. UMD discs were built with portability in mind--they're more compact than DVD discs, and better protected because of the caddy.

UMD might be one of the best things to happen to portable video games since they went to color (with the Lynx back in 1989 ). It combines most of the best features of Game Boy ROM cartridges and CD/DVD media, with almost none of their drawbacks. You get a high capacity disc format that's cheap to manufacture, with the "goes-anywhere" ruggedness and small size of a cartridge. Who wouldn't be excited about that?

[chrisbid]

its just BS sony hype,while the PS2 is the number 1 video game console, but it is nowhere near the entertainment hub of every house in the world that it was hyped to be before its release

[Starscream]

Ya know, I am not into Sony products at all and I have never really considered anything by them as high quality, but I will say that they do manage to squeek out some killer things every once in a while. The UMD is a kick ass idea. So is the PSP. I have no interest in hand held gaming at all besides my Turbo Express but I would be first in line for the PSP. The capacity of the discs and the the advancements the PSP will have over the GBA is worth getting one. The GBA is ok but I for one would be very happy to see another player in the HH market and I would like to see some real advancement in that market as well. Carts are too limited as is the GBA. This would be a welcome advancement to me

[Agent X]

jjessop said:

I guess I have to spell it out:

MPEG-4 + 1.8 gig = 4 hour movie (approx)

That's some sweet stuff! I was guesstimating a 2 hour movie should fit handily onto the disc, but I hadn't actually "done the math" myself.

The PSP has a 480x272 screen resolution, which is somewhat lower resolution than a widescreen NTSC DVD, but should still be sharp enough to be enjoyable on the go. I've already seen 320x240 video played on PDA devices, and even that looks good as long as the frame rate is decent.

I'm also thinking that some real fun could be had with a Memory Stick. I haven't priced Memory Stick media lately, but CompactFlash and SD card prices have dropped like a rock. I've seen 256 MB cards for as low as $60. By the time the PSP comes out, you should be able to get 512 GB or even 1 GB cards for under $50. Those should be good enough for recording an hour or two of television (transferred over from a PC or a PSX). You could probably fit even more, since many TV shows aren't done in widescreen. I could miss WWE Monday Night Raw, but that'd be OK, since I could watch it Tuesday on the bus, or in the park, or in any room of my apartment.

I wonder if Sony has any plans to offer Bluetooth or 802.11b (perhaps as an optional add-on) in the PSP, as well as their other home consoles (PS2/PSX/PS3)? If so, then this could also be used as a portable screen in any room of my apartment. A PC or PS2/PSX/PS3 could act as a server (think jukebox), and I could kick back on my bed and listen to some tunes or catch a movie. That would be slick.

[Scooterb23]

I better stock up on my mini-disc blanks now...I can see they will be obsolete the day this thing hits the streets...

One cool thing about these discs...if they are built anything like mini-discs, they will be able to take a LOT of abuse...I'm very interested to see how it will work out.

[liveinabin]

Starscream said:

Ya know, I am not into Sony products at all and I have never really considered anything by them as high quality

Well, they do make some pretty decent TV's..
Other than that, though, i totally agree with you - as a new handheld, this has a lot going for it. I want one and I can't stand the PS2 - this just seems a much better idea than that did.

Another good thing about these discs is that, as it's been said, Sony aren't just going to use them for games storage, meaning they're going to make them available for music/ video use - meaning they're ultimately going to have recordable PSP media! I don't need to tell you how cool that's going to be from an emulation point of view! Not a hell of a lot of ROMS that you couldn't fit on one of those 1.8Gb discs.