Square-Enix: More Interested In PSP2 "Hardware Specifics"

Sony... ALWAYS the ones with the industrys worst kept secrets...
:D
can't wait til kevin butler announces this one ;)

and as for PSP2, im interested in hardware too. wanna know the specs, wanna see if its gonna take on the other winners in the handheld market (ipod,ds,galaxy tab,android stuff etc) coz i want my moneys worth. but yes i am really considering a psp :)

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I think Sony is a company not well known for keeping any secret long enough
PS3 slim? pictures were all over the web weeks ahead of its release
PS phone?same thing

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Kevin Butler? Or Marcus? KB ftw!

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yaknow i think they leak this stuff themselves on purpose, its brilliant for hype and publicity.

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guess S-E is preparing launch titles(just guessing). how about a version of KH3D and FFVII remake+before crisis remake?

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BY all leaked pictures and news I can say Sony will be interested in 2 portable gaming devices ,the PlayStation phone and PSP2 , and we can understand what the PlayStation phone capable of doing and achieving for us as this device is some how a little bit advanced than the Xperia X10 , but no one is sure what are the specifications for the PSP2 we know PlayStation phone ,

From leaked videos the PlayStation phone's game library is already huge and vast being full with all successful games of the psx that will get easily accepted by all video game lovers

we know some vague information about PSP2's capabilities and how powerful will it be but still no one is sure how good its games will be or at least the amount of support that this PSP2 will get by all developers as I think it will be a major role in its success

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I don't think that the PSP2 will be based on the same chipset as the so called PlayStation Phone. They are different divisions. Although there is clearly some overlap, the PSP2 needs to be more powerful than any phone.

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"...so the software needs to be pushing the hardware as well."

Truth. I bought a PSP in 2005 for Wipeout Pure and Pulse. Chains of Olympus, Peace Walker, and Ghost of Sparta were bonuses. Regarding PSP2, or even the PS3, were it not for Sony exclusives, I would've just opted for a high-end gaming laptop/rig if I was just looking the best of technology.

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Yay. More endless corridors and endless repetitive battles from SuareEnix. In 2016....

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I understand what you mean, but they really don't do that with their handhelds with the exception of the very optional battles in Crisis Core.

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I am extremely curious of what SE may cook up. Their current track record is in decline. They want more power for what exactly? To prove that they can make epic games? I know they can but the real question is will they? They have all the power they needed in the PS3 but they have not given us the unforgettable experience that they used to be known for. When and how did they lose their way?

The PSP2 can and should be as powerful as possible. It has to compete with the 3DS and its 3D functionality/gimmick. Sony needs to convince the average joe that this is the machine to have for your portable high end gaming needs. Among other things.

The PSPhone is a different beast altogether. On one hand they must create an attractive package for gamers and phone users alike but with limitations on hardware due to the form factor and pricing. On the other.... Sony should not release a half ass product. Phone users are becoming more tech savvy by the second and would not commit to a phone that will become obsolete in a year or two. It must exceed iphone levels in order to compete. To excel.. It must provide an experience that cannot be found anywhere else. Good Luck Sony!

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Last edited by FatherSun on 1/11/2011 4:13:35 PM

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They're interested in the PSP2 and Agito isn't even out yet...Platform change anyone?

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Sony better reveal the PSP2 soon. At this point, everybody and their mother knows it exists. It better make an appearance at GDC

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Well, if Sony puts a Tegra3 into the PSP2 (quad core Arm with a Geforce series 9 mobile GPU) that would give it enough piower to run something approximating early PS3 games. if you think about it, many PS3 multi-platform titles made next to no use of the SPUs, instead running nearly everything on the single PPU code and the GPU. If the PSP2 comes with a quad core CPU running at 1GHz or more, it could actually manage about that kind of performance. The GPUs in most of the high powered mobile chipsets are capable of pushing 1080p in playback, and powerful enough to handle 720p graphics in a game. So, it's really not beyond the real of possibility. That said, if a current generation PS3 game like Uncharted 2 is running the SPUs ragged then it's maxing out the PPC core at 3.2GHz and 6 SPUs at 3.2 GHz. That's a lot more processor cycles than any mobile processor can manage, so no matter what mobile chipset goes into the PSP2, it won't be the equal of a PS3, although it should be capable of some very worthy titles.

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i can agree to the fact that we can probably see early PS3 like games on the PSP2 with the Tegra3. but not on launch titles. im sure it'll take some time for developers to be able produce those kind of games on the PSP2. and not only that but if i remember correctly, when the original PSP was released, Sony had the PSP CPU locked at about 266 Mhz (excuse me if im wrong im just using memory recall) of it's capable 333 Mhz to improve battery life, then about 1-2 years later unlocked the CPU clock rate so developers had more to "play" with.

So while it may be possible. the chances of seeing those kind of games early in the PSP2's life aren't really so high. though i can agree a couple years into the PSP2's life if it uses the Tegra3 we could be seeing near early PS3 like games.

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Last edited by Shadow_Ninja on 1/11/2011 5:02:17 PM

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Highlander... no doubt UC3 is pushing the SPU's to the ragged edge... the reason being... simply, is two fold... to actually enhance UC3 image quality and do some clever visual trickery, such as using a decent AA implementation to up the overall picture quality, produce better lighting effects and calculate finer shadow casting, (rather using bog standard multiplat form blocky shadow mapping we see in many shooters), Naughty Dog has had no choice but too...

The SPU's seem to be everything for the PS3. It is widely noted in the industry that the RSX is the weakest link in the PS3 architecture and frankly has been a "let down" of sorts. SCE developers are fortunate to know how to use the Cell's SPU's intimately in order to give Playstation exclusive titles a picture quality and graphical superiority that even mid tier PC's struggle with, let along the poor xBots... GoWIII is a good example of that...

If it wasn't for the SPU's, a Cell at 3.2GHz and RSX combination alone, would not render the higher fidelity visuals and post pro effects we are seeing in todays PS exclusive titles... there would definitely be a difference, as every major SCE developer admits it...

Regarding PSP2 hardware... firstly I think after this latest security breach of the PS3, Sony will be looking hard at the PSP2 to fix their security protocols this time around. I am sure they will not make the same mistake again if they are planning a security system similar to the one currently used in the PS3. If they hadn't made the initial cryptological mistakes in the PS3 it probably would not have been so badly hacked... it may have been hacked to some degree, but not as badly as it is now, with all the keys made public.

Secondly, the CPU and GPU would have to be pretty power efficient to run games of the same quality of Uncharted 3 for hours on end. Technology has advanced and maybe Sony has had some development breakthroughs regarding chip design, if their chipset is custom designed and built that is... if it is off the shelf we will have to see what combination of CPU and GPU are used to make it an exceptional piece of hardware.

Not mention the new iterations of iPad and iPhone coming out... PSP2 would have to include a chip set that can survive a good few years from day of sale... so it would need to be powerful and have some sort of hardware longevity. Reason why I say this is that in the past Sony had a dominant position, they called the shots... Not anymore, now they are actually under threat (to some degree) and trying to keep as much of their market share as possible... that also holds true to hardware.

Hardware developments are moving so quickly... and accelerating even more now as users become more demanding, that Sony has to have hardware that can actually "grow" and become "more powerful" over time... expansive enough so developers keep on unlocking new possibilities as time goes on... otherwise we will have a PSP3 in a matter of 2 years...

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

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Last edited by Qubex on 1/11/2011 8:35:44 PM

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@Shadow_ninja,

Indeed, I wasn't saying we could expect those games at launch, merely that the theoretical capabilities of a quad core Tegra3 based device could manage that kind of game.

@Quebex,

The cracking of the PS3 has probably added 6 months to the PSP2's launch date, and in fact, if nVidia stick to their schedule of releasing a new Tegra platform each year, Tegra 4 could replace Tegra 3 and we could see an additional year before launch.

Regarding the PS3, the CellBE and the SPUs. Don't forget that the RSX was added late in the design work on the PS3, originally the CellBE was intended to be the sole processing device. The SPUs are the heart and sould of what makes the CellBE the CellBE. Without the SPUs (aka SPEs), it is just an in-order dual issue, single core PPC with a decent cache.

I'm not sure what triggered the inclusion of the RSX, I think it may have been a decision forced because of the low yields of the CellBE. Remember they actually use the CellBEs that came off the line with one of the SPEs non-functional due to a flaw in manufacture. So the RSX may have been added to beef up the platform, where originally a much more vanilla GPU was planned.

That Tegra3 isn't even out yet of course, so if nVidia can't get it baked properly for 6-9 months yet, there may be time for Sony to use it. If they follow the same course as they did with the original PSP, they'll put a physically bigger battery in the first revision and cap the clock about 25%-33% below the theoretical maximum for the platform. Then a year or two later when they are able to lower the power consumption and feature size on production chips, they'll unlock the additional clock cycles.

I think we can all be quite assured though that the PSP2 will definitely see additional development time to allow the security to be thoroughly double checked. The lesson Sony should learn from all of the PS3 stuff is three fold. 1) don't have a physical device that can leak to the outside world that is able to push the device into service mode. 2) make doubly sure that the code involved in the security chain of trust is working properly. 3) Have the most secure layer at the heart of the system do more active checking to ensure that run-time software modifications are detected and stopped in their tracks by halting the system.

Although I don't think Sony will rush a PS4 to the market, I do think that we are more likely than ever to see a PS4 emerge in 2013. If they were doing that and I had to bet, I'd guess that Sony might go for a more up to date nVidia GPU and twin PowerXcell8i chips.

You can bet that there will be new keys and new processes, and an extremely thorough examination of the security code by Sony and a trusted third party such as IBM.

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Why don't you finish up some games for the PS3 first, SE.

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When you can't develop for consoles, go portable!

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Is there a PSP2 version of uncharted 3 that we don't no about?

I mean, what games will there be when Sony releases it?
Imagine Gran Turismo, LBP and uncharted on the portable playstation and then you will be able to connect it with your PS3 copy's and be able to play some if your PS3 games on it on the go.
There has to be some really awesome games or people wont buy it.

Off Subject
When was Driver: San Fransisco delayed? Yesterday it was 2/22 at Gamestop and today it says 4/30.

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I just hope what ever they come out with is good. Because for every console they come out with 2 or 3 years later they come out with another version which is better in some way. I just hop this device can be a little bit smaller than the psp since that thing is pretty big and hard to hide. Something like psp go would be very much appriciated. And the biggest thing of all is the price. No more than $250, that is reasonable for a launch price considering is they were to ever go more people might as well get a ps3!!!!! So if sony prices this one more than their main man the ps3, they dug thier own grave!!!!

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Well, I'm pretty sure everyone is interested in the hardware specifics of the PSP2, so that we can get a handle of exactly what it might be capable of. I think Sony has something very special up their sleeves for this device. It needs to be the most powerful portable device on the market, so that they can keep it alive for as long as they have managed to keep the PSP alive. Of course, this is going to be made all the more difficult with Apple in the market as well.

S-E just needs to get Agito and Duodecim out the door, as well as The 3rd Birthday localised, then stop announcing PSP games so they can get cranking on PSP2 games. Another FFPortable game, perhaps a Front Mission, meybe even a Deus Ex, or Hitman. Sony needs supporters on this, and S-E, EA, Sega and R* are the strongest contenders, IMO.
Peace.

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what is $Es obsession with the PSP!?
come on guys, enough of these KH PSP imitations and give us KH 3 god dam it!

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The biggest thing I took from this article is that SE got their arses snubbed on getting a PSP2 kit.

It makes you wonder why, doesn't it????

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