I would like to see more strategy games for portable systems because they really keep me occupied when I am bored. In the future I will be traveling a lot and I want a system I can use to play my favorite strategy titles.

-- Justin

RPGs and strategy games are good ways to blow hours with a handheld (provided the save system is good -- nothing worse than losing a save.) They're on their way -- no Japanese RPG made the launch sadly, but it's the biggest genre in Japan and there are a lot of RPGs and strategy games coming. Makai Wars would have been your game, but unfortunately, it isn't coming along. Maybe somebody will pick up Generation of Chaos. If not, something will be along as a backlog of titles build up for import publishers to choose from.

--Nix

What do you think the chances are of there being a ps2 version of wipeout pure?

-- Scott

I'd say not much. It's made for PSP, and it's where all the heat is. If they just make PS2 versions of PSP games, how's that help? However, I would say that Pure put WipEout back on the map, and we could see a stronger push for more of the series on PS2, PSP, maybe PS3 even. The series is gonzo again.

--Nix

At least in Japan the DS seems to be the clear winner. An 800,000-unit difference between the two hardly compensates for the 10-day advantage the DS had when it was released, but you also stated that the PSP was still hard to find in Japan (well, the simple package anyways) so do you think that if Sony pushed out more PSP's it could take the lead or is stock not the real issue? Do you see a comeback coming for the PSP (especially considering the comparitively-dismall list of games coming for the DS) or is the PSP doomed to be the second-place console, though only second by a little bit?

-- Smyth

One wins this, one wins that ... it's not that big a deal for the most part so long as everybody does well. In Japan, PSP is pushing to catch up with DS soon -- both systems are steadily moving, and PSP has beaten DS regularly on week-to-week charts. But it hasn't exactly been a landslide on either side -- DS had strong launch numbers, then PSP had a good launch with some awkwardness on hardware allocation side to make up for (which it is doing.) We don't have a case here where either one has run away with the spoon. And neither one is running at full steam on the software side -- PSP got a bump from the recent US slate making it to Japan (Wipeout Pure is apparently impossible to find over there, though who knows how many copies they ran of that western-made game), but the biggies are still deep in production for both systems.

This Christmas will be the big breaker period -- DS has the lead now (a big lead if you factor in also that DS also has a head start in America, plus the PSP isn't even out in Europe), but it all evens out with what comes out during that period, and no matter who wins or loses that battle, each one has its own fight to win. Think of it less as a fight where two men enter, one man leaves -- think more as a race series, where there's a clear winner for the final cup, but both are going for their own best times, good standings in each race, and a slew of new fans and more dedicated followers watching them run.

--Nix

i was wondering if later on down the road, is sony going to improve on surtain details of the PSP, such as better graphics and different features, if so did the first 1 million buyers waste there money?, should we have just waited

-- Diaz

The whole yammer about Sony improving the PSP has been woefully overblown. Sony, for instance, said that it would like to see PSP last an international flight at some point -- suddenly, sources are stating that Sony has a new PSP in the works to kill this one. And on, and on. Basically, every system is destined to be replaced, but the goal is for the hardware to be sustained for as long as possible by the software. If they keep tossing new hardware out there, it screws up the cycle, and it becomes too difficult economically for publishers to arrange support.

Here's what I do see: a bigger PSP battery sometime down the line (maybe using technology that can't be implemented in current systems, although I'd doubt it), a run of system with better scratch guard coatings, a different package from the PSP Value Pack, maybe a new model of PSP with a clamshell casing instead of the open design. What I don't see is a PSP2, which can play older stuff but also has its own stuff only playable on it, anytime before the next 3-5 years are up. Nintendo will have a new Game Boy that may compete on PSP's visual bar, but I don't think they'll wildly overshoot it. Cellphones will catch up during that time, but the way things are going in the cellphone market with such a mess of titles and so little control or handling, that won't matter. And there's not enough call from the kids for a system miles better than what we have here. If you bought a PSP, you've already got in your hands a good, long while of Sony's handheld future.

--Nix

I have a glut of regular Memory Sticks because of my Sony Digital Camera. The sole reason I am not buying a PSP is because it won't take the regular stick. I know it would poke out the side and leave the flap loose, but the software mod would be extremely inexpensive and would make the unit a lot more attractive to people like myself who resent having paid Sony Premiums on the little things only to find no new hardware will take them.

Regards,

-- Ben Turner

Fair enough. Memory Sticks would have added too much bulk to the system at full size, but I'm not a fan of the Duo format in general (actually, the whole flash memory market ticks me off -- 88 formats for 44 applications.) It's expensive at the moment, and it's not as regular as some of the other types. Luckily, PSP is the killer app for the format, so we'll be seeing capacity and price coming clearer as the system takes hold. As for regular sticks, it's largely the casing that defines the Duo -- I've seen a pin converter that lets you plug in via a cabled dongle a regular sized Memory Stick or Memory Stick PRO.

--Nix

#1.Are any major site's hiring game critcques/demo players? #2.Would bill gates be dumb enough to make an Xbox portable now that the PSP is out? #3.How many games for PS2 will be changed over to PSP format and how long will the proccess take(year wise)

-- Chris

#1. Hiring demo players? @2. Bill Gates would be smart to make a Microsoft portable now, before PSP and DS or the next GBA make it harder for them (the ideal way would be if the rumored xPod HDD were also a game player), and it would be nice on devs and maybe even PSP since 'Xboy' would likely play similar-quality software, thus driving the market and encouraging bigger budgets since there are two target systems. 3�. Um, it all depends on the game -- they're not going to bring every single danged thing ever made to PSP (and SCEA wouldn't let companies do that even if they tried), but there will be some classics made portable over time.

--Nix

I was interested to read through the list of games set to make an appearance at E3, however something doesn't sit right with me.

I can't believe Sony's arrogance. I mean... the PSP is their first handheld system, right? And yet they simply ASSUME that all their games are going to sell like hot cakes.

Case in point: Untitled Handheld Game #2? Come on!! Untitled Handheld Game #1 hasn't even been released yet, and they're already planning a sequel??

I mean sure, all of the previews and screenshots seem to suggest that Untitled Handheld Game #1 is going to be good, but still... Wait til the figures are out before you go jumping the gun, Sony.

P.S. In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic!

P.P.S. Can't wait for your video review of UHG#1. Should be sweeeeeet.

-- Nev

Ah yes, one of the highly-anticipated games of The Big E3 List ... it's such a great title, I'd like to see it stick for the final.

--Nix

Wheres the MMORPGs?

Ok, the PSPs out and everyone getting used to the fact that the PSP is going to be some serious competition for nintendo. Hotspots that people haven't even known existed are being used for the first time. I was walking down the street and saw a kid and his friend walking around the block looking for a hotspot to play twisted metal online. Anyway, my point is. Now that the PSP is out, it would be really smart for Sony to show what the system can do with an MMORPG. I looked at the E3 list and it looks like SCEA is working on two unnamed titles for the PSP, could that be the Everquest Portable I've been wishing for?

-- Roy Shantzis

Coming, Roy. Keep your hat on, they're happening. SCEJ has at least one in the works. And now that PSP is launching in Korea, that nation will go online-manic. But by the by, those two untitled titles you're mentioning (assuming they're those -- there are a ton more untitled games still awaiting titles) are SOE, not SCEA. Two different Sonys.

--Nix

I just can't find a codec to convert mpeg files to mp4. All of the ones that i have downloaded doesn't seem to work properly. Can you tell me a web page to find a codec to convert movie files?

-- Xavier

Most video converters out there are working off the same ffMPEG protocol, and all of them have seemed to require a more recent update of Quicktime than most people have. You may be in that same place, and may need an update.

--Nix

Whither Vulcanus?

Vulcanus Online was among the first games known to be in development for the PSP. The game seems very promising, and I've been looking forward to it for almost a year. But I've heard nothing at all about it since your article in early November. Is there any new information?

Thanks,

-- Brian

It's a Korean game, so they're developing it for the Korean market. That's a different timeframe than the rest of us are on. But Vulcanus was shown at an event in Korea not too long ago in a concept demo, and it's still in the works. I believe that a number of smaller devs have had difficulties getting things done on time due to technical difficulties, and SCE's tech staff had to prioritize the Japanese and US launches ahead of in-development titles.

--Nix

Several forums have people complaining of "Dead Pixels" when they are not actually dead. I have noticed in Untold Legends, when there is a graphical effect, such as when casting a spell, there will be some white or off colored pixels. This is not a "Dead Pixel" it is a refresh issue. The second you move the character on the screen, it refreshes, and the pixel then fills normally. I have an Ipaq with a dead pixel, and it is always RED, not matter what, even if I refresh the screen. The bashers are using these white dots as evidence of dead pixels to bring down the greatest handheld ever made. Thanks, John.

-- John O.

Your Ipaq has a stuck pixel, actually. Dead pixels are dead, stuck pixels are stuck. Dead pixels are when one or more of the transistors fails to fire on an LCD, and it actually sounds like you do have a dead pixel or two -- one of the color beams is dead, so you're getting the wrong color in certain dots (or else, you're seeing just some dithering in the effects and mistaking that for problems.)

But you're right that people aren't really understanding the situation -- there's a certain organic nature to LCDs that can work itself out with use, which is why Sony says wait a week or so before taking action on a return. If you've got dead pixels, it can be really ugly, or it can be a little nothing. We have one system in the office with some stuck pixels (we get a white starfield every time it fades to black), and they're hard to even notice on ours. We've also seen LCDs for various systems, however, that are clearly not worth wanting.

--Nix

Will psp and ps2 sequel to final fantasy VII be the same or are they going to be 2 completely different games?

Please answer. Thanks.

-- Andrew

Two games.
PSP - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
PS2 - Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

--Nix

you would think that with all the cell-phones out there that have cameras built in..the psp would have had one...esp being made by sony.

give us a tiny 2+ megapixel camera that plugs into the usb port and allows us to use the screen as the viewfinder!!

-- adam

If you knew the innards of the PSP, you'd see that there isn't a whole lot of room left for frills. (Plus, why give away what you can sell?) Sony will be making a camera attachment for PSP, one that would presumably take still photos like our crappy cellphones as well as feature some conceptual EyeToy-style gameplay.

--Nix

what do you think the psp killer app will be? I like a lot of the psp games that are out now but im waiting for an incredibly fun game...sortof like halo was for xbox and GTA was for PS2

-- jon

Erm, dunno. PlayStation hasn't always run on one big game -- there's always variety and ensuing futures. GTA was the one that changed the rules, of course, but there's still never been a period where the PlayStation gamers get tunnel vision. PSP may not have that luxury. Killer apps, not much has been announced, but I'd say the GTA sequel is obviously mondo, GT4 Mobile is a big entry, and once more online games get going, we should see that making a bigger impression -- if a game is great in multiplayer and can do that online, you might not be able to live without it. And there's all kinds of cool stuff still to be announced -- a few games in known franchises, a few exclusives you already know the names of but don't know how cool they will be, and more than a few unknowns that deserve attention. Ask us that same question after E3...

--Nix