psp

Same game costs more on PSP Go than on iPhone... why?

Wow, as if we needed more incentive to not invest in the PSP Go, a new trend has arisen during the first day of Mini availability. The same games cost more on the PSP/PSP Go than they do on the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Examples:

Unfortunately, the system is set up to charge the consumer at maximum from the get-go. Games from the App Store start at free. PSP Minis--a new series of bite-size games--start at $5.

The fact of the matter is the iPhone gaming experience isn't all that great. Full-fledged PSP titles should cost more than tiny downloadable apps any day. But there's no good reason for gamers to pay a premium on PSP titles that are available for less on other platforms, just because they generally pay more for games.

There are multiple fingers to be pointed here. Sony, for not allowing free games, which would inspire some price competition. Sony again, for skimming who knows how much off the top of the price point. (In comparison, it's known that Apple takes 30 percent off of the iPhone App Store sales.) And the publishers, who decide to set their games at prices up to two or three times the cost of the iPhone version.

But the worst part? Not only is the content of overlapping titles generally no better than the iPhone; sometimes it's worse. … Read more

Sony updates PSP Go firmware, games list

One of our biggest complaints about the PSP Go seems to be partially addressed today as the portable console officially goes on sale. Sony has updated the Go's firmware to 6.10, which introduces a new PlayStation Store interface and access to a much larger portion of original PSP games.

While the selection of games is still nowhere near complete, some notable titles added today are God of War: Chains of Olympus, Madden NFL 10, Gran Turismo, and MotorStorm: Arctic Edge. Also hitting the store today are PSP Minis, smaller, less-expensive download-only games that range in price from $5 … Read more

BOL 1075: One laptop per felon

Or perhaps we should call it OLPC. One laptop per criminal. The idea of letting prisoners use computers is good, but fraught with peril. Also, we start a new PSA campaign where Billy learns that e-mail can be dangerous. And that's one to grow on.

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PSP Go arrives, Sony launches 100 games http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=105D7C9D-1A64-67EA-E402F9BD3FAEBCDC

Google Wave First Look http://lifehacker.com/5370738/google-wave-first-look

Google Wave invites for sale on eBay http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/10/01/google-wave-invites-for-sale-on-ebay/… Read more

The 404 436: Where we're different by choice

We're very proud and excited to welcome Beck's Beer back as our official show sponsor for the month of October, as you can see by the advertisement over yonder. You know what that means, right? All month long we'll be bringing back the Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Pick, sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.fm. That's a lot to say, so if you can think of a better title for the segment (maybe even a funny acronym involving beer), shoot us a line at the404(at)cnet[dot]com. Just like in July, we'll be introducing you to some of our favorite musicians and playing their music on the show every Tuesday and Friday for the next month, so be excited, and if you have any suggestions, well, tweet us.

OMGWTFBBQ! The Robsham Theater Arts Center from Boston College is putting on a musical comedy inspired by songs by our buddy Jonathan Coulton! If you didn't hear his live performance the last time he was on The 404, go check it out and get ready for some musical theater. Luke Jorgenson, the associate theater professor at BC, was "taken by Coulton's satire of office life and technology," which inspired him to produce the script. We're very psyched for Jonathan. Congrats, buddy!

Next up in the news, we've got a few iffy Sony PS3 ads to show you guys. The first one is a picture of a stereotypical gamer giving a blood transfusion to someone that looks a lot like Erwin Rommel, aka "The Desert Fox" and a German General in World War II. The other one features the same gamer, but this time he's giving his heart to Joan of Arc. Like, literally giving his heart in a celebratory transplant. Yikes, Sony--what message are you guys trying to convey here?

Next, we play a brief PSA video to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a subject that is very dear to our hearts. The video is played in jest, and of course we have to make a few jokes about the steamy subject matter, but Breast Cancer itself is very real, so all month we'll be supporting the cause.

Have an awesome Thursday, everyone!

EPISODE 436 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 435: Where we use our NPR voices

If you're thinking about buying a portable gaming system this holiday season, you should definitely listen to this show before making a decision. After a few weeks of teasing you guys about the new PSP Go, we've got all the details from the man who wrote the CNET review himself and now must defend himself from Sony snipers perched across the office. That's right, Jeff Bakalar breaks down all the reasons why the PSP 3000 is still the best Sony portable gaming device. The Go, on the other hand, didn't fare so well in Jeff's eyes. It costs more than the 3000, has a smaller screen, and an awkwardly placed analog stick, and worst of all: you can't play UMD games or use old PSP accessories! On top of all of that, the games take so long to download that you can probably watch a full length movie while you wait. Save your money and buy the best mobile video game console on the market today...the Apple iPhone.

Speaking of products that sound good on paper but don't actually work in real life, a guy in New York discovered something particularly disturbing about his iPhone: the average iPhone drops 30 percent of all calls. After taking his iPhone into an Apple Genius Bar for multiple dropped calls, the Genius informed him that it was indeed dropping 22 percent of outbound calls, which is actually excellent compared with the 30 percent average in New York. Listen in to hear us groan and moan about AT&T service and why Sprint or Verizon might be in my immediate future.

Finally, we want to give a huge thank you to Debbie from Toronto for sending us the image you see at the top of this blog entry. Deb, a long time listener and special guest of The 404 made a custom hockey jersey and goalie mask for her husband to wear during his Sunday game! Now, Wilson and I are the first to admit our zero interest in hockey, but even we can appreciate the time and effort that must have gone into the cutting and application of the logo onto the uniform. Debbie, you rock, and if there's anything we can do (short of flying up to Canada to thank you personally) to repay your kindness, please don't hesitate to let us know. Everyone else should be carefully taking notes from Deb and sprinting to the nearest phone to leave us a voice-mail. You know the number right? 1-866-404-CNET: GET ON IT!

EPISODE 435 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Digital City Podcast 51: Deconstructing the PSP Go, new MacBook rumors, and Palm Pre price cuts

Episode 51 of the Digital City, where we deconstruct the PSP Go, discuss some new MacBook rumors, and wonder why the Palm Pre has already gotten so many price cuts.

It's also the second week of our new live Monday afternoon timeslot, so remember to adjust your schedules accordingly.

>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live! >>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes &… Read more

PSP Go: The CNET review

On the surface, Sony's PSP Go doesn't really look like anything radically new for the PSP franchise. Yes, it's more compact than the three earlier generations of the portable gaming and multimedia handheld device. And yes, it features such additions as 16GB of internal storage, Bluetooth, slide-out controls, and a smaller, more pocketable overall design. But the real change here is the fact that the Go is the first dedicated handheld gaming system to go completely digital and move away from cartridges or optical discs.

So, now that the PSP Go is finally here, what's the … Read more

It's 'PSP No' for converting old UMD discs

With a sleek new form factor and internal memory instead of an optical UMD drive, Sony's new PSP Go handheld gaming console is a very different animal than the original PlayStation Portable. Naturally, dedicated mobile gamers have been asking what, if anything, could they do with their collections of UMD game and movie discs if they upgrade to the PSP Go.

After initially hinting that current UMD games could be either converted for use on the SSD/Memory Stick-only PSP Go, or physically traded in for a digital download version of the same game, Sony now says that's not in the cards. … Read more

Converter cable makes PSP Go fat again

We're just about ready to post our PSP Go review but we couldn't wait to share this accessory with you. This absolutely ridiculous-looking contraption is the Sony PSP Go Converter Cable Adapter, a device you'll need to buy for your PSP Go if you don't want all those PSP 1000 - 3000 accessories to become useless. That's right, almost all of the original PSP accessories will not work with the Go.

Judging by the photo, we're not sure why this gadget needs to be mounted on the top and bottom of the PSP Go, … Read more

BOL 1066: Tinfoil phones

We finally get to the bottom of why Apple rejected the Google Voice app, how not to get caught for being a thief over Facebook, and we have plenty of sympathy for Palm. Also, Rafe hates libraries and culture.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1066

Google Voice rejection came from the top at Apple http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/fcc-releases-confidential-details-of-google-voice-app-rejection.ars http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10356432-265.html

Facebook break leads to burglary suspect http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10356117-71.html

Swedish group calls gaming addiction a ‘pandemic’ … Read more