Do you use homebrew? If so, do you feel like a rebel? Does it impress your friends? Or do you do it just to see if you can "get away with it"? These are questions Sony recently posed in a survey it sent to various PSP owners. It asks in a very straightforward manner why people hack their PSP systems.
Earlier, we reported some distressing figures on the state of PSP piracy, and we're hoping that Sony attempts to correct the problem in some way. We're assuming the results of this survey will influence some key decisions in the future regarding system security.
Would you be interested in downloading unlimited content from the PLAYSTATION Store? Well, that's an option that's being suggested in a survey available at PlayStation Asia's website. A monthly subscription would give users unlimited downloads from the Store. Granted, American users haven't been introduced to much, but many Asian gamers are familiar with the Store's incredible breadth of PS1 classics. If reasonably priced, an unlimited subscription plan might be a pretty sweet deal. Would you want Sony to consider offering such a feature?
Posted Jun 11th 2007 6:30PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
PlayStation Underground members recently received a survey, grilling them on potential PSP-PS3 connectivity features. While surveys aren't necessarily indicators of services to be offered, they do show what the company is experimenting with. Some potential ideas thrown around in the survey include:
Use the device to complete side missions for console games (unlockables, etc.).
Transfer media (music/pictures/video) wirelessly from the console to the device (broadcast television, new levels for games).
Use the device WHILE PLAYING the console game as an additional weapon/utility to help the gameplay (2nd player option, radar for incoming enemies, etc.).
Record console gameplay video for ...
We're most excited by the last option. Unfortunately, it appears to be cut off. Regardless, it's clear from this latest survey that Sony is serious about pursuing PSP-PS3 connectivity.
Posted Dec 21st 2006 2:00PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Not even a Sony fanboy can avoid admitting that the Nintendo DS is selling at a much brisker pace than the PSP. Regardless of our second place position, I still find it interesting to see what Japan thinks of our favorite handheld machine. "What Japan Thinks" has a report from over 7000 Japanese individuals on their gaming habits. Here are some of the highlights:
Only 10.7% of people surveyed have a PSP, compared to Nintendo DS's 32.3%.
14.7% of PSP owners use it every day. (Do you?)
Although both the PSP and DS are portable, the number one place the system is played is at home: 94.2%. Personally, the subway is where I get most of my PSP playing done.
Brain training games are easily the most popular kinds of handheld games, coming in at 54.6%
A shocking number of people have not used any of PSP's non-gaming features: 43.1%
25.2% of surveyed individuals want a PSP in the future, versus the DS's 59.4%.
Only 20.3% of people want a PS3. Only 15% want a Wii. (But 17% want both.)
Make with these numbers what you will. While it may be easy to say that "PSP is t3h d00m3d!!1" I think that a 25% desirability rate is still very high. It's certainly higher than the number of people that wanted Gamecubes or Xboxes, both of which have lived fairly great console lives. Can Sony increase the PSP's desirability by focusing solely on games? Are you like the Japanese: do you not find value in PSP's non-gaming functionality? [Via Japundit]
Well, would you? Sony recently sent a survey to select members of its GAP community polling them on various features for the PSP. This is unsurprising: they've done this quite a number of times before. However, this is the first time the language has suggested a redesigned PSP: would you buy another PSP, just like the hordes of DS owners that threw out their Phats in exchange for the lovelier Lite? Personally, I think the PSP's design is good just the way it is, and being an owner of a 4GB Memory Stick makes me not care too much about a hard drive. However, video out is very important to me. Why? Well, then I can finally give you guys some direct-feed PSP footage. What about you, ye faithful PSP fanboy?
[Update 1: Our readers have voted! A whopping majority of you, 62%, would purchase a redesigned PSP. As long as it doesn't render the current PSP useless, I think it's clear that a PSP "Lite" would go over very well with the masses.]
Posted Nov 15th 2006 4:00PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
Sony has been sending out some really interesting surveys lately. First, they asked which features could be removed from the PSP (hopefully, users said none). Now, they're asking users if they're interested in mobile television for the PSP. They give users two options: streaming using LocationFree player, or by subscribing to a mobile TV service for $10 a month. Personally, the latter seems much more enticing.
Considering how Japan has an official PSP media download service called PTV, it makes sense for Sony to expand that to other markets as well. What do you think: should Sony offer portable TV for you? And would you subscribe at that price?
Sony recently sent out a survey to Ratchet & Clank beta testers, and after a series of expected questions about the game, it moved on to more... interesting matters. One question asked users which feature they find to be of least value in the system, and can be eliminated. What?! There's absolutely no reason to get rid of any of PSP's features, even if they're sparingly used. I know I use every single feature listed in their survey, but the one I could probably live without would be the ability to view photos (but how will I add wallpapers to my system?).
Why would Sony ask such a terrifying question? Are future firmware upgrades taking up too much space? Maybe the functionality of the system has expanded beyond what the firmware internal memory is capable of holding. Let's hope not, because I want my PSP to do everything it possibly can.
Monster Hunter Freedom is based on the PlayStation 2 game, Monster Hunter. The two share a great deal of similarities, like fantasy environments and dungeon hacking. But the PSP version of this Capcom adventure game is missing one key feature of the PlayStation 2 version: online play. Capcom has a survey available on their site, and it asks players the incredibly obvious: "What are your feelings regarding the inclusion or exclusion of true online multiplayer support for the next Monster Hunter Freedom?"
Hmm... do I want Infrastructure in my games? Hmm... I wonder... What says you?
Posted Oct 20th 2006 2:00AM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
We reported a few weeks ago that Sony was going to change and revamp their marketing efforts. Well, it looks like the transformation is slowly happening. Gamer Advisory Panel members were sent a survey to vote for new endings to PSP ads. In Japan, all PSP ads end with a very Engrish-sounding "PlayStation Portable" quip by some Japanese females. It looks like this quirky auditory form of brand identification is being considered for the US (I personally voted for this one). The other two choices featured more generic, less memorable techno voices (one felt very similar to this fan-created ad).
Voting is already closed, and Sony should be tabulating the entries as you read this. Hopefully, we'll see new (and better) ads soon.
Posted Jul 23rd 2006 10:31AM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
The research people of Penn, Shoen, and Berlan Association Inc. are notorious for slipping future releases of games. In fact, they revealed the Xbox 360 version of Half-Life 2 a full three days before Valve admitted to working on it. Considering how Half-Life 2 is branching out to other platforms, is PSP next? Well, according to an IGN post by Nirvanakicks [Insider membership required], a new survey from Penn, Shoen, and Berlan Association Inc. seems to suggest "yes". While I'm skeptical, it would be an amazing addition to the PSP library, even without fancy HDR lighting.
Not even a Sony fanboy can avoid admitting that the Nintendo DS is selling at a much brisker pace than the PSP. Regardless of our second place position, I still find it interesting to see what Japan thinks of our favorite handheld machine. "What Japan Thinks" has a report from over 7000 Japanese individuals on their gaming habits. Here are some of the highlights:
