New Sony Games Console
29 May 2003, 04:29 PM
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Read all about it:
http://special.reserve.co.uk/news/st...46&af=ur290503
Sony shock world with PSX
Web posted on 28/5/03 It's the second earth-shattering announcement from Sony this month - check out the new PSX console, it's neither PS2 nor PS3! Gasp!
Usually in the games industry, it's fairly easy to gauge when big companies are getting ready to make big announcements - staff stay mysteriously silent when asked the simplest things, rumours start to fly with gay abandon and shifty-sounding press conferences are hastily arranged. But this latest announcement from Sony has hit us square in the knackers - we simply had no idea. Earlier this month, Sony dropped the bomb about the PSP - the portable PlayStation currently in development. Last night at a Tokyo conference, Sony caught us unawares again with the announcement of a brand new home entertainment unit, and it's not even PS3. No my friends, this... is the PSX.
PSX? What? Who? Why? When? So many questions, so much to find out! First of all, the easy stuff - PSX is not PlayStation 3. According to Sony, the PlayStation 3 is still on course for a 2005 launch, questions on which we'll get to later. So what's so good about the PSX? Well, first the disappointing part - PSX uses the PlayStation 2's current chipset, which means although it'll play your PS2 (and PSone) games, we won't be seeing any huge leaps in graphics or anything like that. Put simply, it's the PS2 with ***** on. But what *****! When Sony said they wanted to create the perfect home entertainment unit, they meant it - the PSX is the first step towards complete and total household entertainment dominance.
It looks gorgeous, and when we say gorgeous, we actually mean drop-dead stunningly beautiful. If sex was a console, it'd be the PSX. Coming on like a cross between a PS2 and an iMac, the PSX is resplendent in white with its chrome-style bits and bobs, and it boasts a slot-loading DVD drive, meaning and end to the clattery disc tray you're used to. Suction is the way to go. The PSX also appears to be square, or at least more equally proportioned than the PS2 was. That blue light also remains. Unfortunately the pictures we have at the moment don't really show off the PSX in all its heavenly glory, but we'll endeavour to get some better ones ASAP. Sony boss Ken Kutaragi claimed the PSX "will mark the beginning of a new series of products that will unite the most advanced electronics devices with the leading-edge semiconductor technology associated with the game sector," although we haven't a clue what he means. Compatibility with the upcoming PSP handheld must also be a shoe-in.
Now the technical stuff. Although the PSX will use the existing PS2 chipset, it will offer some awesome new features too. Firstly, the PSX will contain a 120 GB hard drive - compare this to the 8 GB drive of the Xbox, and you can see that Sony mean business. Combine the massive hard disk with the PSX's ethernet connection and we can see mucho downloading going on, whether it be games, movies, music, software... take your pick. 120 GB is a lot of space for a home console... sorry, entertainment unit. Must get used to that. It's no surprise that Sony are marketing the PSX as a high-end electronics product rather than a games console. In fact, the PSX will not be handled by SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment), but will fall under the control of Sony's Home Electronics Division.
The PSX will also house a TV tuner, meaning you can theoretically watch and record TV on your PSX. Cool, but there's more to come. The PSX will also come complete with a full-on DVD recorder, meaning you will be able to write to DVD, although what can be mastered has not yet been made clear. The machine will also be compatible with all DVD formats, meaning to all intents and purposes, the PSX is a bona fide DVD wonderbox. Considering your average DVD Writer for PC will cost around £200, this looks to be a bargain, although it does raise questions on the price, more of which later.
Your standard PlayStation controllers now plug in the back of the console, purely an aesthetic move, but we love it anyway. Sony Memory Stick compatibility is definite, although they aren't giving much away - a quick glance around all sides of the box shows there's no space for memory cards anywhere, so perhaps a full-on switch to Memory Sticks will be on the cards. Fantastically, it's also broadband-ready and will go online straight out of the box. Composite video and S-Video in and out ports adorn the rear of the console. Chances are, if you've got a wire, you'll probably be able to slam it in the back of the PSX.
So where does this leave the PlayStation 3? Should we be worried? After all, isn't this just a 'filler' machine, a stop-gap until the next console arrives? Cynics could point to the ill-fated Sega 32X, a bizarre mushroom-shaped filler between the MegaDrive and the Saturn which by all accounts, was a humungous flop. We think Sony have got it spot on when they say they're marketing it as an electronics product rather than a games console - after all, for those looking for games and games only, it offers nothing that the PS2 doesn't already. Critics have already started to suggest that the emergence of the PSX will mean a delay for the PS3. According to reports, Sony are struggling to ready the core microprocessor (codenamed: Cell) for production and they already have Microsoft and Nintendo breathing down their necks with follow-up consoles. The PSX would seem to suggest a lengthy gap is due before we see PS3 hit our shelves.
Another major query that is raised is the issue of price - with all the PSX has to offer, will Sony expect punters to fork out hundreds more for what basically amounts to a glorified PS2? With the TV tuner, hard drive and DVD writer all on board, the price is likely to be much higher than the current price point of the PS2, at £169.99. We wouldn't go so far as to guess at the price, but we reckon a figure between three to four hundred pounds wouldn't be out of the question. Production of the PS2 will continue, so it's not like Sony will be forcing new buyers to pay over the odds for a simple gaming machine - this is purely for the hardcore.
Interesting? Hell yes? Exciting? No doubt. Confusing? Definitely. Not only the most amazing news we've heard so far this year, but also the most baffling - we're awaiting proper confirmation from Sony on many of the points we've touched upon in this feature, but many things still remain unclear. Who is the PSX marketed at? How much? When can we have it? According to Reuters, the PSX will hit Japan before the end of the year, with an early 2004 date mooted for the rest of us, but we wanna hear it from Sony. We'll bring you more news on the PSX as it breaks, and try to grab some better pics when we can.
Simon.
http://special.reserve.co.uk/news/st...46&af=ur290503
Sony shock world with PSX
Web posted on 28/5/03 It's the second earth-shattering announcement from Sony this month - check out the new PSX console, it's neither PS2 nor PS3! Gasp!
Usually in the games industry, it's fairly easy to gauge when big companies are getting ready to make big announcements - staff stay mysteriously silent when asked the simplest things, rumours start to fly with gay abandon and shifty-sounding press conferences are hastily arranged. But this latest announcement from Sony has hit us square in the knackers - we simply had no idea. Earlier this month, Sony dropped the bomb about the PSP - the portable PlayStation currently in development. Last night at a Tokyo conference, Sony caught us unawares again with the announcement of a brand new home entertainment unit, and it's not even PS3. No my friends, this... is the PSX.
PSX? What? Who? Why? When? So many questions, so much to find out! First of all, the easy stuff - PSX is not PlayStation 3. According to Sony, the PlayStation 3 is still on course for a 2005 launch, questions on which we'll get to later. So what's so good about the PSX? Well, first the disappointing part - PSX uses the PlayStation 2's current chipset, which means although it'll play your PS2 (and PSone) games, we won't be seeing any huge leaps in graphics or anything like that. Put simply, it's the PS2 with ***** on. But what *****! When Sony said they wanted to create the perfect home entertainment unit, they meant it - the PSX is the first step towards complete and total household entertainment dominance.
It looks gorgeous, and when we say gorgeous, we actually mean drop-dead stunningly beautiful. If sex was a console, it'd be the PSX. Coming on like a cross between a PS2 and an iMac, the PSX is resplendent in white with its chrome-style bits and bobs, and it boasts a slot-loading DVD drive, meaning and end to the clattery disc tray you're used to. Suction is the way to go. The PSX also appears to be square, or at least more equally proportioned than the PS2 was. That blue light also remains. Unfortunately the pictures we have at the moment don't really show off the PSX in all its heavenly glory, but we'll endeavour to get some better ones ASAP. Sony boss Ken Kutaragi claimed the PSX "will mark the beginning of a new series of products that will unite the most advanced electronics devices with the leading-edge semiconductor technology associated with the game sector," although we haven't a clue what he means. Compatibility with the upcoming PSP handheld must also be a shoe-in.
Now the technical stuff. Although the PSX will use the existing PS2 chipset, it will offer some awesome new features too. Firstly, the PSX will contain a 120 GB hard drive - compare this to the 8 GB drive of the Xbox, and you can see that Sony mean business. Combine the massive hard disk with the PSX's ethernet connection and we can see mucho downloading going on, whether it be games, movies, music, software... take your pick. 120 GB is a lot of space for a home console... sorry, entertainment unit. Must get used to that. It's no surprise that Sony are marketing the PSX as a high-end electronics product rather than a games console. In fact, the PSX will not be handled by SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment), but will fall under the control of Sony's Home Electronics Division.
The PSX will also house a TV tuner, meaning you can theoretically watch and record TV on your PSX. Cool, but there's more to come. The PSX will also come complete with a full-on DVD recorder, meaning you will be able to write to DVD, although what can be mastered has not yet been made clear. The machine will also be compatible with all DVD formats, meaning to all intents and purposes, the PSX is a bona fide DVD wonderbox. Considering your average DVD Writer for PC will cost around £200, this looks to be a bargain, although it does raise questions on the price, more of which later.
Your standard PlayStation controllers now plug in the back of the console, purely an aesthetic move, but we love it anyway. Sony Memory Stick compatibility is definite, although they aren't giving much away - a quick glance around all sides of the box shows there's no space for memory cards anywhere, so perhaps a full-on switch to Memory Sticks will be on the cards. Fantastically, it's also broadband-ready and will go online straight out of the box. Composite video and S-Video in and out ports adorn the rear of the console. Chances are, if you've got a wire, you'll probably be able to slam it in the back of the PSX.
So where does this leave the PlayStation 3? Should we be worried? After all, isn't this just a 'filler' machine, a stop-gap until the next console arrives? Cynics could point to the ill-fated Sega 32X, a bizarre mushroom-shaped filler between the MegaDrive and the Saturn which by all accounts, was a humungous flop. We think Sony have got it spot on when they say they're marketing it as an electronics product rather than a games console - after all, for those looking for games and games only, it offers nothing that the PS2 doesn't already. Critics have already started to suggest that the emergence of the PSX will mean a delay for the PS3. According to reports, Sony are struggling to ready the core microprocessor (codenamed: Cell) for production and they already have Microsoft and Nintendo breathing down their necks with follow-up consoles. The PSX would seem to suggest a lengthy gap is due before we see PS3 hit our shelves.
Another major query that is raised is the issue of price - with all the PSX has to offer, will Sony expect punters to fork out hundreds more for what basically amounts to a glorified PS2? With the TV tuner, hard drive and DVD writer all on board, the price is likely to be much higher than the current price point of the PS2, at £169.99. We wouldn't go so far as to guess at the price, but we reckon a figure between three to four hundred pounds wouldn't be out of the question. Production of the PS2 will continue, so it's not like Sony will be forcing new buyers to pay over the odds for a simple gaming machine - this is purely for the hardcore.
Interesting? Hell yes? Exciting? No doubt. Confusing? Definitely. Not only the most amazing news we've heard so far this year, but also the most baffling - we're awaiting proper confirmation from Sony on many of the points we've touched upon in this feature, but many things still remain unclear. Who is the PSX marketed at? How much? When can we have it? According to Reuters, the PSX will hit Japan before the end of the year, with an early 2004 date mooted for the rest of us, but we wanna hear it from Sony. We'll bring you more news on the PSX as it breaks, and try to grab some better pics when we can.
Simon.
29 May 2003, 04:37 PM
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Yeah, read rumours about this a few days back, DVD-R, USB2.0 etc.
Sounds good, can't believe with all that they are doing to it they are leaving the graphics chip 'as-is' - muppets.
Having said that it could be good, look forward to seeing the finished article.
Sounds good, can't believe with all that they are doing to it they are leaving the graphics chip 'as-is' - muppets.
Having said that it could be good, look forward to seeing the finished article.
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30 May 2003, 11:33 AM
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I dunno, it seems sony are trying to get heavly into the multimedia market, but at what cost? I'd hate to see the launch price of the PSX, considering the PS2 was £300.
We're probabyl talking £500 at least, so it's aimed at the serious home entertainment user rather than the 'casual' gamer.
I dunno, it seems sony are trying to get heavly into the multimedia market, but at what cost? I'd hate to see the launch price of the PSX, considering the PS2 was £300.
We're probabyl talking £500 at least, so it's aimed at the serious home entertainment user rather than the 'casual' gamer.
30 May 2003, 11:53 AM
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I'm more than happy with my Xbox plugged into my widescreen telly and Dolby digtal decoder, and my Gamecube with portably battery pack and tft screen (for holiday gaming 
).
I hope sony don't then start phasing the PS2 out as they'll lose their core gamer market (14-21yr olds) due to the price.
That and they've gone back to the 'silver schme'
Why is it when the PS1 was out it was silver/gray and all the sony tv's/videos were black, now the ps2 is black and all the sony tv's/videos/dvd's are silver ???
).I hope sony don't then start phasing the PS2 out as they'll lose their core gamer market (14-21yr olds) due to the price.
That and they've gone back to the 'silver schme'
Why is it when the PS1 was out it was silver/gray and all the sony tv's/videos were black, now the ps2 is black and all the sony tv's/videos/dvd's are silver ???
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