Playstation "Playman" Handheld Rumors

[Bill Loguidice]

That reminds me of their failed PSP Go because without a disc drive people would probably have to buy their games again.

 

I don't consider that much of an issue on PS4 and Xbox One. I imagine most people have existing large digital collections. I know I do.

[Flojomojo]

People saying Move is a flop are ignoring that they are back on the market as the preferred controller for PSVR.

Which is just the latest flop

[Tanooki]

Is it now? I've got zero interest in faux real world VR garbage as it seems like the ultimate gimmick to cover up not actually doing anything new with a game, a game genre, or how to control it. Just seems like a really spendy technophile/technoweenie nerd out device like all those people who went nuts over oculous rift.

[BillLoguidice]

PSVR is actually pretty brilliant if you get to try it for yourself. It's definitely an early days implementation, but it's hard to argue with the incredible immersion. It's actually selling quite well considering the clumsy setup. I can just imagine what this tech will be like in another 10 years, especially when merged with AR and more haptic feedback.

[Tanooki]

That's my only beef other than cost, but I could sell stuff I have or buy to sell to get into it to cover that. I'm not down with the clunkiness of it. Yes you get that screen with double vision of sorts in the eyes right there to create that 3D realism depth to fool yourself into the arena there, but, with being on a regular controller or worse a pair of Sony waggle sticks to do the stuff with odd motions I'm just not sold on it.

 

Now if there was a helmet that immersed oneself, was able to see how your hands/arms move, then interpret that to some actual controls you can palm (like the 2015/16 Star Wars Arcade Pod thing) so you really feel like you're piloting an X-Wing in the Battle of Endor or in a TIE destroying rebel ships and defending the first Death Star over Yavin to a victory -- sign me up, but as you said, not there yet, maybe 10 years. Nintendo has that haptic (HD) rumble thing down fairly nicely with what Switch is capable of, but it doesn't do the rest.

[SignGuy81]

I like to play my games on a TV. I don't get the whole handheld thing. The only time I really used handhelds was when I was a kid in school on long field trips I'd play the Gameboy. But other than that I don't see the point. Plus I'm grown and it just doesn't appeal to me. At no point in my life today do I feel like taking a game system out of my pocket to play, and no time to do so anyway. I eat during my lunchbreak at work, and can't play a game while at work, definitely can't play while driving to and from work. And when I'm home I might as well sit on my couch and play games on my 55" TV.

 

So my point is that handhelds are good for mostly kids(or maybe some adults who are away from home and have time to play) who have plenty of time to play while their on a bus or something or a long trip riding with parents. Nintendo makes systems and games for kids. This is in my opinion why Nintendo does so much better at handhelds.

Edited May 21, 2017 by SignGuy81

[Mord]

IMO, Nintendo does so much better with handhelds because of pokemon. That's about the start and stop of it right there.

[Tanooki]

I don't think you're giving them enough credit. NO doubt Pokemon is an instant given being a 1M+ seller, per main line 'colored/named' release. But that's kind of ignoring all their other IPs that'll rack up 500k to a few million units moved (Mario and his karting party games, Smash, Zelda stuff, etc.) It it fair to say Gameboy was rightly screwed back in the back half of the mid 90s. Had not Nintendo/Gamefreak tossed Pocket Monsters out there when they did and shortly after Pokemon to the rest of the world that little handheld would have been likely toast. It alone got more games made on a formerly borderline walking dead zombie system until the GBC game along and punched a bit more life into the 8bit wonder until GBA arrived in 01.

 

 

Signguy kind of narrow minded there on how a handheld is useful. There's a lot of situations beyond just traveling away or public transportation rides. Anyone who has limited time due to life, due to kid(s), and more can easily find reasons for the general usefulness of portability. Kid wants to watch some Disney Jr, fire up the Switch and undock it or grab a Gameboy, DS, Sony something and go to town. Same thing if you're a passenger in a car with the wife driving and you're bored, pocket a small portable like a GB micro because phone gaming sucks. Just think bigger, there's plenty of reasons, even something as dumb as stretching out on a couch and relaxing just having something near your face.

[Mord]

I don't think you're giving them enough credit. NO doubt Pokemon is an instant given being a 1M+ seller, per main line 'colored/named' release. But that's kind of ignoring all their other IPs that'll rack up 500k to a few million units moved (Mario and his karting party games, Smash, Zelda stuff, etc.) It it fair to say Gameboy was rightly screwed back in the back half of the mid 90s. Had not Nintendo/Gamefreak tossed Pocket Monsters out there when they did and shortly after Pokemon to the rest of the world that little handheld would have been likely toast. It alone got more games made on a formerly borderline walking dead zombie system until the GBC game along and punched a bit more life into the 8bit wonder until GBA arrived in 01.

 

 

Signguy kind of narrow minded there on how a handheld is useful. There's a lot of situations beyond just traveling away or public transportation rides. Anyone who has limited time due to life, due to kid(s), and more can easily find reasons for the general usefulness of portability. Kid wants to watch some Disney Jr, fire up the Switch and undock it or grab a Gameboy, DS, Sony something and go to town. Same thing if you're a passenger in a car with the wife driving and you're bored, pocket a small portable like a GB micro because phone gaming sucks. Just think bigger, there's plenty of reasons, even something as dumb as stretching out on a couch and relaxing just having something near your face.

 

Yes, but all those others are typically also on their console offerings. Pokemon is about the only one that isn't. I was over-simplifying however.

 

And you're right, there's a lot of reasons an adult would want to use a handheld at times over sitting at the TV. For some people the reasons can be more complicated - Say you want to game a bit but the family are watching a movie on it already. (This assumes you're not the one in the family that gets to say who can do what with the TV at any time! )

 

Personally I've been getting a lot of gametime in lately after work as I wait for the ride home.

[TDIRunner]

 

Good Point. People always talk about what a dismal failure the Wii U was....but look at Vita lifetime sales. That thing was an even bigger disaster for Sony..

 

Just because the Vita was a failure doesn't mean Sony can't replace it with something successful. If Nintendo can replace the failure of the Wii U with the success of the Switch, why couldn't Sony do the same with a Vita replacement?

 

That being said, I still don't see this happening in any fashion.

[Bill Loguidice]

 

Just because the Vita was a failure doesn't mean Sony can't replace it with something successful. If Nintendo can replace the failure of the Wii U with the success of the Switch, why couldn't Sony do the same with a Vita replacement?

 

That being said, I still don't see this happening in any fashion.

 

Because there's an ever diminishing market for dedicated gaming handhelds. The Switch is a unique case because it acts like a console in portable form. That's why I think the only way Sony (or Microsoft) will ever release another handheld is if it can play their console games and can be docked. With that, you suddenly have a value proposition versus a typical smartphone (and to a lesser degree, a tablet).

[zzip]

Which is just the latest flop

Remains to be seen. Many people are convinced that fully immersive videogames are the future.. and well to get there.. well you have to start somewhere! Videogames started with Pong and other primitive games. But it took a few killer games like Space Invaders, Pacman, Super Mario Brothers before they became a mainstay. VR will have to have such growing pains too.

 

You can't expect huge sales right out of the gate. The 2600 sold kind of so-so for a few years until Space Invaders came out and made them sell like hot cakes. VR will also need a few years to find its audience.

Edited May 25, 2017 by zzip

[Video]

Vr (well actually stereoscopic vision, which is all it really is at the moment) was set to come out in the early 90's. Heck it was available in the 80,s (vectrex and master system both had devices) but it was always gimmicky due to lack of system power. Its also expensive is usually cited as a reason for lack of availability. Yes I too would like the full body setup that tracks your movements and let's your physical movements dictate what happens in the game. But, you have to start somewhere. Video games started very minimally just a dot you could control on screen, it didn't start with what we have now, but there are many people alive now who have little to no experience with games that aren't immersive polygonal 3d games. Vr will get there but it will take time, and the more people avoid it like the plague the longer it will take. Personally I'd like good vr to come out before I'm to old to enjoy it.

 

As for a new PS portable, I'd like that. I stuck with PSP because I like real controls with handheld games. I also got it late in its life (due to excessive cost when it came out, remember when it came out GBA was still around and $50) and I get real handhelds because touch screen DOES NOT WORK for the vast majority of games (and for gods sake read AND comprehend that before chiming in with a smart ass comment) then vita comes out and damn not only touch screen but one on the back too? WTF is that? Add to that vita was Sony's first touch screen handheld and after going through Nintendo's first touch screen I'd learned my lesson. People will buy it, just make it good and not overly gimmicky.

[Flojomojo]

I'd expect a lot of sales at launch (which PSVR got, supposedly more than Sony expected), but a drop off unless there's a price drop or killer app.

 

Same with PSVita, which came out strong (but weaker than expected) but it went on to sell very modestly compared to PSP (let alone Nintendo's handhelds) before being quietly dropped.

 

They stuck with Vita for a while, but the signs of it getting dropped were pretty clear -- fewer and fewer big budget releases, major third parties dropping out. Also kinda like Kinect, I would think.

 

Can we assume the PSVR cycle will be similar, an arc-shaped bubble and a crash? Or maybe just a slow burning niche like Vita, with loyal fans but not a mass market?

 

I confess it's hard for me to see it clearly because it's simply not for me.

[Punisher5.0]

I just got into VR this week. On Monday my friend let me try out his Gear VR and I was absolutely blown away. I didn't think VR would work for me since I'm heavily right eye dominant but it worked fantastic. It was like the next level of gaming and I didn't want to stop. The next day I ordered a S8 and a headset. I needed a new phone anyways and was eying the S8 beforehand. I hope VR is here to stay.

[SignGuy81]

I've been thinking about getting into VR as well. I seen this on ebay

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-Virtual-Boy-VB-Console-Bundle-Controller-Untested-AS-IS-Virtualboy-/112419689429?hash=item1a2cbc53d5:g:wfIAAOSw3gJZJ3BK

 

It is made by Nintendo so I look forward to playing the latest Zelda game on it when it is released in VR.

 

This is going to blow all the competition away. Glad Nintendo is finally getting into VR.

 

 

 

yes I was joking

[zzip]

Video games started very minimally just a dot you could control on screen, it didn't start with what we have now, but there are many people alive now who have little to no experience with games that aren't immersive polygonal 3d games. Vr will get there but it will take time, and the more people avoid it like the plague the longer it will take.

VR won't be a success on the backs of those people. Early videogames had such skeptics too, like my father. "How can you play those 'games'? They don't look like anything! (referring to the primitive graphics)". For the record, my father now plays mobile type games, which makes me laugh given how against them he used to be.

 

VR needs people like us 80s kids. Adopt it in spite of others complaints. A similar thing happened with Minecraft, kids love it, many adults don't 'get' it.

 

Can we assume the PSVR cycle will be similar, an arc-shaped bubble and a crash? Or maybe just a slow burning niche like Vita, with loyal fans but not a mass market?

 

I confess it's hard for me to see it clearly because it's simply not for me.

It depends on how the VR market shapes up. If VR takes off, PSVR will do well, it has the best price/performance story right now

Edited May 26, 2017 by zzip

[zzip]

I just got into VR this week. On Monday my friend let me try out his Gear VR and I was absolutely blown away. I didn't think VR would work for me since I'm heavily right eye dominant but it worked fantastic. It was like the next level of gaming and I didn't want to stop. The next day I ordered a S8 and a headset. I needed a new phone anyways and was eying the S8 beforehand. I hope VR is here to stay.

What have you played on it? I've had one for a few weeks, and so far I have Minecraft and Land's End, but am looking for other cool things to try.

[Punisher5.0]

What have you played on it? I've had one for a few weeks, and so far I have Minecraft and Land's End, but am looking for other cool things to try.

Drop dead and Ocean Rift are what I played. Drop dead sealed the deal for me. I wasn't expecting phone vr to work that well. Thats the first game im going to get. Ocean Rift was fun for what it was. I liked testing out the limits of the unit with that one.

 

Do you have the new contoller too?

[zzip]

Drop dead and Ocean Rift are what I played. Drop dead sealed the deal for me. I wasn't expecting phone vr to work that well. Thats the first game im going to get. Ocean Rift was fun for what it was. I liked testing out the limits of the unit with that one.

 

Do you have the new contoller too?

I have not tried those yet.

 

I don't have the new controller, but I do have a controller. Minecraft needs one.

[Punisher5.0]

I have not tried those yet.

 

I don't have the new controller, but I do have a controller. Minecraft needs one.

You would want one for Drop Dead because the contoller acts like your gun in the game. It really adds to the experience.

 

I still need to get a regular controller. I was thinking about getting a G4S it looks like a really solid contoller.

[DJ Clae]

 

I REALLY don't think we have to worry about a PS5 or Xbox One Two for a very long time. Considering Xbox One Scorpio is going to play at least some games in full 4K (something not many PCs can even do for a variety of reasons), it seems like these architectures have a lot of life/years ahead with the planned incremental upgrades every few years.

I really hope they don't use the "Xbox One" name for this system. Not only is it one of their least popular system names, but I'm fully behind their incremental rather than generational approach to consoles. They can just release a new Xbox every 3-4 years that is fully backward compatible going forward.

 

Announcing PS5 would be a power move from Sony to try and stop MS in its tracks, but they probably can't without damaging PS4, and that thing is a cash cow. Probably next year, but you never know.

Edited June 1, 2017 by DJ Clae

[godslabrat]

I really hope they don't use the "Xbox One" name for this system. Not only is it one of their least popular system names, but I'm fully behind their incremental rather than generational approach to consoles. They can just release a new Xbox every 3-4 years that is fully backward compatible going forward.

Announcing PS5 would be a power move from Sony to try and stop MS in its tracks, but they probably can't without damaging PS4, and that thing is a cash cow. Probably next year, but you never know.

I have very serious doubts that iterative console releases will lead to software being "fully backward compatible". I have reasonable doubts that it would result in even partial backwards compatibility over the long haul. I'm pretty sure it will mean, by Iteration #3, people stuck on Iteration #1 get shafted.

[Bill Loguidice]

You have to look at releasing a new system as demanding a purpose and serving a need. For the foreseeable future, thanks to the architectures chosen, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo can continue with the iterative system updates of the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, rather than establishing a whole new system.

 

Again, there's nothing unusual or extraordinary about this idea, it's just that consoles are finally following the precedent already set - successfully I might add - by PC and mobile. It's the modern way of doing things, and, frankly, until there's a reason to be concerned about it (like hitting up against a technological limitation of some type), something to get behind. It's kind of silly to have to start over from scratch if you don't have to.

[Tanooki]

I don't know why there's a doubt that iterative upgrades of hardware would ditch support of games. The first jump we're experiencing on the PS4 and One updated systems that handle 4K/VR junk their own technical standards regulations from both companies state that games on those must also work on the traditional hardware. The idea was as Bill pointed out, successful for a very long time on PC and console caught up. Unless they finally in another decade decide the hardware just can't cut it with beefier parts and keep the games working well enough on the stock original they won't drop it. It's far easier to keep shoveling out games that'll downgrade their visuals, as long as the core mechanics aren't sacrificed, to old hardware to make more cash than keep eating it every 5 years on new machines most never will pop for anyway until a serious price cut is laid down, which they knowingly for years sell at a loss. They're trying to avoid loss leading sales to make it up on software finally.

 

Nintendo being unique won't sell at a loss, yet the Switch tear down shows the entire darn thing is a snap of Lego like ingenuity in there. The graphics/cpu(tegra chip), the bluetooth/wifi controller, the system ram, and other components are snap into place devices. They're getting into it from the ground up on that device instead of just intending BC with a system like Gameboy and DS did over the years still running the old stuff as long as possible. Do not be surprised in 3-5 years a pro Switch using that intentionally delayed Tegra v2 chip their shield devices are planned to use in the future -- 100% backwards compatible, smaller dye, faster, more cache/ram within, more 3D capabilities, yet also runs cooler and at a lower power sipping level as well.