Rumor: PSP to Get 50 GB Hard Drive?
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Feb 25th 2005 at 7:41AM }
One speaker (Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan
Securities) at the "Positioning for Profitability in the Video Game Economy" conference we attended yesterday let
on that he had heard that Sony is working on a flavor of the PSP that includes an internal, 50-gigabyte hard
drive. A prototype of the new portable might be out by year-end, but mass production of the new device probably would
not happen until next year, he said. Could this mobile multimedia device viably challenge the iPod?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ben Z. @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Absolutely, if they can get the UI as simple as the iPod's. That's no small challenge, but the design of the device (and its multiple functions) could pick a few potential iPod users from the tree. Kind of makes me mad that I have an initial adopter's blood flowing through me, though...
Tim? @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Yeh..It sounds promising, and would definitely destroy the iPod, but it's going to piss off early adopters. Plus, there's going to be a lot more people picking up a PSP early since we've all been teased by photos from Japan for years.
Vladimir Cole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Which is why they keep news of future product upgrades under wraps for as long as possible. No company wants to deter early adopters from buying their product by taunting them with promises of future upgrades if they can hold out for a little longer.
Chris Norman @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
How heavy is the PSP already? A 50-gig internal HD would make the device quite heavy, and it is already larger than an iPod. Not to mention how spinning up a disk like that would heat up the device and chew through the battery life.
It's doable, but likely the wrong choice for the PSP. Portables work on the Razorblade model (particularly the PSP), as do most consoles - sell the system at a loss, and make up profit in the sale of carts. Unless Sony is seriously making a move toward electronic distribution of games for download from a PC (which would open them up to pirate hell), this hardly seems smart.
Not to mention the oft-mentioned dilution of the market - by not strongly defining what they want the console to be (a la Game Boy - a game playing device) - there will always be a better MP3 player/portable movie player/game console competing against it.
hitoro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
In fact the device is so big that you can even fit in a small toaster. That will be useful but the battery will be depleted in no time.
Ben Z. @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Sony PSP weighs around 260g from what I can find online. I'd imagine they'd find ways to cut it down a little in a new rev of the hardware, to make it equal or less than that. The real test will be in making it easy to use. Not something Sony is known for. Unless they can peel some Apple designers away...
Edgar @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
While a 50 gig drive would be geek-neat it brings up a whole host of issues. Lets recap:
Battery Life
Spinning hard drive + Big, bright screen
Size, Weight
This is already much bigger than the ipod. Not pocketable.
Interface
Ipod you can use one-handed while in your pocket without looking. PSP is very much a 2-handed affair.
Piracy
If a Hard Drive shows up, someone will figure out how to play cracked games off of the haard Drive.
Sales
Who will buy a PSP, already riddled with problems, when they know a better one is right around the corner? Wait, and you'll get a better machine and have a larger library of cheaper games to select.
Cost
The PSP is already being sold at a colossal loss with the hope consumers buy games to offset the loss. Why introduce a more expensive model that encourages less game buying?
After looking at this, any rational business would say, "no". This is Sony. Smoke & mirrors people.
Henry @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
damn, am i the only one who thinks of how frickin' sweet it would be for end user first, and how questionable a move it would be for the company second? a fifty gig harddrive in the psp? thats like a wet dream to me, as one of the biggest problems i see for the sony device is the use of expensive memory stick duo. ipod comparisons dont completely work here either, ipods dont have huge ass color screens, or play videos, or games.
Vladimir Cole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Edgar: nice summary of the challenges behind adding anything to the device. I agree with you on all of 'em.
However, just to explore this topic in more detail, shouldn't we also consider the following:
(1) Component advances: a year from now each of the components that currently make up the PSP will be cheaper and likely replaceable by a smaller, lighter, more battery-friendly version. Thus, if nothing else changed, we could see a smaller, lighter, more battery-friendly PSP (just like we now see a slim-case PS2).
(2) Storage technology is advancing rapidly as well. Multi-Gigabyte flash technology is now available commecially... and micro-drives on the horizon are only going to get bigger, with some of them up to 10GB now (see http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000347026121/).
(3) We don't know yet what sort of plans Sony might have for digital music subscription services, but imagine the following hardware-service bundles that such a device might be sold with:
- PSP with free trial 2-month napster subscription (wow!)
- PSP with embedded Sony digital music service software
- PSP with wifi and subscription to VOD service
Sounds fun, right?
Is this device conceivable? I think yes. Is it commercially viable? Yes again (given current demand for the non-HD version). Is it likely? Who knows. This is just a rumor, still.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Maybe it will take off like the HDD did for the PS2! WOOOSH!
"It's like a rocket ship ride with a galactic wizard!" -- the president
Dante @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
No, won't work as an iPod competitor. End of the year, my god, who imagines what will have happened until then? The iPod Revision from Thursday was no real revision, we'll see what happens to the iPod in 4 or 5 months when the real 5g iPod arrives (can't wait until I get that one ;-) ) You can get everything on the PSP smaller, but not the display, also the buttons will have to keep their positions, so the only thing that could happen: PSP gets thinner, and so it is still to big for a pocket. And I just don't know where to put a hard drive.
Additionally: Sony will never work together with Napster, never ;-) Much more convincing rumours concern the iTunes Video Store, and since there are a lot of rumours since the last Mac World, where Sony Boss Ando appeared to present a High Definition Camcorder (and was thrown of the stage by His Steveness before Ando said to much he was'nt expected to..), concerning a cooperation of Sony and Apple... Well, let's see.
But a PSP with Hard Drive wont't work.
ketch @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
if this is true it's great, but a definite kick in the early adopters testicles and it makes me put my preorder on hold and just wait out until years end and see.
Darren @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Kool!... But would that that meen that if u got a psp on the UK launch date it wont have 50gb but in 2006 it will?
Thats stupid! coz that means ill need to wait to 2006!
Pedro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
As much as I'd like to see a 50 gig HD in a PSP, I'm sorry to say that I would be in the boat with all the other pissed off early adopters. And while Sony might not care about us, I personally would remember how things went down with Sony and wouldn't forget about it. Of course, I wouldn't mind if Sony could work something out so that existing PSP owners could either upgrade their system or trade-in.
Kon Kutaroogi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Not gonna happen!
Uncle Ken said in October last year.
"we can use flash. In that case, we won't need to include a hard disk" later going on to say...
"Of course, if a one inch hard disk becomes twenty dollars and the amount of space increases dramatically...?"
So tell me, seeing as $ony are already making a loss on each PSP (X-box style) and seeing as they took so long to see the simple benefit of supporting MP3 AND seeing as they already have a battery drain in the form of the moving parts found in the UMD drive, do you REALLY think they will include a hard drive any time soon?
And was I the only one who had a problem with the link to the full article here, my link took me to the Joystiq Shtick on "Money and Games"?
DirtHerder @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
All I really want is a second analog "stick" on the right side.
Bob @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Edgar - "Riddled with problems"??
Let's just let the PSP live in the NA marketplace for a few months before we come to any conclusions about it being "riddled with problems".
And I for one would buy the PSP today w/o hard drive, because I'd prefer to listen to music on my Shuffle (choice A) or off of the Memory Stick (choice B) which won't draw down the battery.
Kamalot @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Everyone here is making good points.
Vladimir: I doubt a single year will yield a substantial reduction in cost enough to warrant another PSP revision.
It took 4 years to get the PS2 tdown to the slim version. That's not going to happen with the PSP in a single year.
Sony would be segmenting the market. Remember the Clie PDAs? They started off really strong but there ended up being so many revisions of them with conflicting specs and features it was really confiusing for any consumer. They also ended up being downright HUGE. If Sony makes the same mistake with the PSP, revision after revision, they will fracture their own market share.
ill trooper @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Sony has been trying to make iPod killers for nearly 2 years now, and almost every time I read about them, the reviewer seems to forget that the iPod itself is only part of the equation: iTunes is a very good, very usable program for managing audio. So although Sony tries, all music players they put up against the iPod in the last year have had very lukewarm response: all reviews talk about how terrible the user interface is and how poorly they manage music transfers.
So I think Sony needs to take a long look at users and how they interact with their iPods if they want a device to truly compete - the iPod works for a very broad populace because it is a good size, and all it does is play music and manage it well. A huge segment of normal, daily, living people do not need a big, black rectangle that plays games and movies but won't fit in their pocket. This is more like a 'laptop/portable DVD player' killer.
I can't see this upgrade being impossible, but battery life, Sony formats and the past forays into the market... it just does not excite me. I am more excited about the games on the PSP. Of course, if it works, I am certainly not against it. But be ready to drop a lot of money! I bet that thing will be expensive.
Vladimir Cole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
That link is pointing to our post on the conference wherein this information was obtained.
Note that the analyst who told us (the conference attendees) of the rumor is a frequent speaker at various industry events. Google him for more info.
Nas @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
If you want that without the high-tech playstation games, check out Archos PMA430. Though the psp 2nd gen will be two years late...
Falsoman @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I think this is not probable, 50GB is a lot in cost, weight and battery. I think is more likely (if happens) a 5-8GB microdrive like the IPod Mini (talking that the next year an 8GB 1-incth drive could be a standard), and i would say that is even more probable not as a built in, but an add-on kinda drive. Other than that is a good to dream about it.
fryhole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I don't beleive that a 50GB drive is a very likely move for sony to take. Why would sony, who is trying to promote the UMD format as a universal medium (hence the name) undercut its usefullness by supplying an internal hardrive. Who would buy UMD movies now, when it is a simple matter to play your own, streaming off the hardrive? On a side note, where would this drive come from, I personally do not know alot about hardrives in general, but is this assuming that a single-platter 50GB drive will be availible by 2006? Or would sony try to cram a cheaper dual-platter (or whatever you call it) 50GB drive, which would take up much more space.
Personally I think that sony would open up the UMD format before they would offer an internal hardrive in the psp. Sony could sell a personal UMD burner, and blank UMD's. Sony could charge a premium price for the burner and the disks. Although i think this is also a very unlikely scenario.
fryhole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I don't beleive that a 50GB drive is a very likely move for sony to take. Why would sony, who is trying to promote the UMD format as a universal medium (hence the name) undercut its usefullness by supplying an internal hardrive. Who would buy UMD movies now, when it is a simple matter to play your own, streaming off the hardrive? On a side note, where would this drive come from, I personally do not know alot about hardrives in general, but is this assuming that a single-platter 50GB drive will be availible by 2006? Or would sony try to cram a cheaper dual-platter (or whatever you call it) 50GB drive, which would take up much more space.
Personally I think that sony would open up the UMD format before they would offer an internal hardrive in the psp. Sony could sell a personal UMD burner, and blank UMD's. Sony could charge a premium price for the burner and the disks. Although i think this is also a very unlikely scenario.
Ernie Longmire @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Sony would have no serious problem cramming 50GB into their next-generation portable -- the PSP is big enough that they could use a 2.5" drive instead of the 1.8" ones used in the iPod so they might not even need to bump the price too much. But it still wouldn't take much business away from Apple. The PSP is tiny for a console-quality gaming system but it's way, way too clunky to be competitive as an MP3 player. (And that's in *today's* market; god knows what they'll have to compete against a year from now.)
john @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Uh that is bunch of bull crap uh 1g memory stick cost $120+. So then sony will make the psp with and 50g internal hard drive for how much??? It will cost about $600+price of psp. Many people are saying if the cost is about $450 they will buy it. Yeah right the company which makes UMD movies more expensive than the DVD movies??? Keep on dreaming guys.
norman @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I've been on gamespot, on their rumour page they have listed this 50gig HD PSP and have classed this rupmour to be bogus.
Vladimir Cole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I just saw the Gamespot refutation this morning. That's interesting. I didn't hear an "if" (or I wouldn't have mentioned it in the first place), and the analyst's comments on timing don't jive with an "if" ... but, he's certainly allowed to clarify and that he's done.
Only time will tell.
Nick @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!!! http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/02/25/news_6119243.html
Tyme @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I dont think buying one now would be an early adopter. Ipods are released every year. SO, that would be like "Why buy the new ipod, there will be a better one in a year". Of course things get better. Thats the beatuy of technology.
Hollywood @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
If it is true, then sony must be really retarded. Meaning, you're making consumers like me and others wait till the better PSP come out in the later year and you won't have alot of your product sell when it comes out in late March. Plus, you're going to increase the price from $250 to somewhere above $400 and plus this could drain out the battery power. Sony,I feel what you're doing, but please do a better job if you want to beat you're competitor(nintendo DS).
HOLLA AT YA LATER
Lucifer @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
i dont think psp should be compared to ipod. ipods another thing.. it doesnt play games.. doesnt need 3d graphics.. nor a huge display.. and it dont need 2 processors..
so with all these things in, psp is ofcouse heavier.. and it seems the best in its class.. and id like the 50gb even if it makes it more heavier.. :/
Jkenney @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Why not add a touch screen?
Ds is still better, but not as good as the Xbox Portable.
DD @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I think this is possible without increasing its size or the weight by a lot.
1.There would be NO need of those HUGE memory sticks if the HD comes into play. The memory Reader takes a decent amount of space in the Handheld...removing the Memory Stick will save a huge amount of space.
**"But we need Memory Sticks to transfer saved game data to my friends PSP or w/e bla bla bla..."
-No. U dont need the Memory Stick. Now that the HD is in play u can save ur games on the HD and if u need to transfer to another PSP or ur PC...wtf do u think the wi-fi is for? Transfer saved files at ur will.
2.About the weight...50GB does seem heavy. 4-5GB HD's like the ones mentioned above seems more realistic. I know I would be happy with 4 gigs, since I'm more of a gamer than a music person.
But Sony has promised us Huge Data on discs like Blu-Ray(200GB). Who knows if Sony will acutally pull off a small lightweight but Huge data HD. I know I trust them.
But the one thing for sure is, ITS NOT COMING ATLEAST A YEAR BEFORE. So go buy this Handheld and start playing...as someone mentioned b4 me....its just how technology behaves(cmon u acutally arent goin to buy the new one right when it comes out r u? i always wait for the price to go down....just like i will fo rthe HD version) But fo rnow I'm definetely buying this one w/o waiting for Price Drops.
dr. kronic @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
The only reason im not going out and buying a psp right now is the chance that sony might come out w/ an updated model w/ a hdd. If psp had a 20-50 gb hdd i wouldn't hesitate a second to go out and buy one. And for everyone saying that a mini hdd in the psp would jack the price up on the psp to around 350-400 dollars are retarded, b/c everyone who already has one bought a $100 memory stick anyways. If sony made the psp with a hard drive it would completely demolish all other competition from ipod and other portable media centers.
Juggler @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Something that I haven't heard mentioned would be what if the current capacity UMD is just the beginning? What if they can actually get 2GB or 4GB on that little platter, and the PSP can read it? What if the current PSP can WRITE to UMD media. I think that would be a huge coup if they've done it, and not publicised it yet.
dsgd @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
a 5 gig harddrive would be alright, not 50.
Ben @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Sony's aim for this device is to create a portable gamming machine. BUT it make me wonder why they have things such as mp3s, movies, and photos on it. It obviously behaves like a universal media station, but with the gamming included. If sony comes with this "50 gig HD" it would blow nintendo, apple and any other universal media device out of the market. Regardless if its possible (physical dimentions and such)they can and will find a way if the current version of the PSP is deemed worthy enough for just gamming competition.
Why memory sticks? so they can make sales for those who are wanting more than 32 mb.. anyone who listens to MP3s will buy the sticks.. Same goes for the movies.
The UMD or whatever it is, is a joke. No one else will be able to produce them because sony designed them. You better believe they will open that media up so you can buy blanks, and you can buy the new upgraded PSP WITH the writers. Heres the catch... Will sony make more money on blank UMDs than the memory sticks? Probably not, but after they see a decrease in stick sales, they will probably have the PSP revision ready for release so they can then start revinue on UMD and other related devices. (or this "50 gig" HD rumor)
Having any kind of HD (4 gig or better) would be a terror in the market, and it would be a BIG jump on the current market. If they did release it today with the HD, there will be something better someday. Sony doesn't want to "release the hoards" just yet. They want to make money off the NON-HD now and wait then make money on a HD like version later. Its all part of marketing planning.
The matter is WHEN they make a revision, not if. I bet you they will figure a way to get a simple digital camera on those things as well.
Still skeptical? look at all the revisions of things they have made in the past.
Im gonna wait a while before I get my own PSP.
Bucco @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
What everyone is really asking for is a PSP with music. Either make memory stick cheaper or allow people to convert music into UMD's. But hold on, its a portable entertainment system my bet is that its all in the pipeline. Crawl before you run.
RedRum @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
i dont personally think that sony will. It will considerably increase the weight of the system and it is already heave enough
Jko @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
A 50 gig HD in the psp? First of all you can only miniaturize hardware so far. Even if you shrunk every component that could undergo size reduction there is no way you could fit even a microdrive into the unit. To even begin to fit a 50 gig drive they would have to redesign the entire unit. There literally is no space inside the PSP as is. Most size changes in hardware revisions have little to do with increases on a technical level. Stated simply, a first generation ps2 was quicker and easier to roll out then the newer slimline designs. Redesigning an existing PCB costs money and time. In the end the consumer doesn't care so why bother? Redesigns come out to make people re buy a product, not because of any real advance. The actual hardware in the PSP is extremely compact and little will change in the next year to make it smaller. Unlike most consoles there isn't a much if any wasted space. The amount of stacking done with the PCB's is a sign that it was a stretch to fit what they did in the unit. The size would have to increase for a few reasons.
1.To house the drive itself the unit would have to be enlarged. Even with the internal circuitry gone the drive cage alone would prevent a drive from being put in and adding in the screen would further make it difficult to fit anything in.
2.Even with steady increases in battery power they would need to use a larger battery to make it useful. The power needs of a HDD are higher than an optical drive plane and simple. You have to make some room for that battery.
Then there is also the fact that it is more or less suicide to put out massively revised hardware in a market. It has always been and always will be the case. As is addons pretty much always fail. The only reason revisions even work is because of their spacing and cost. They always come well after the initial release, the never add on anything that modifies the use of the device and they always coincide with an overall price drop.
Unless they can fit a HDD device and a larger battery into a redesign that is nearly the same size as the PSP while having it cost around 150 dollars it flat out wont be done. You will be more likely to see a drop in MS duo-pro prices or some sort of PSP related discount scheme for MS duo-pros well before you ever see this bullshit rumor happen.
As far as UMD writers being built in:
The technology used to burn media is insanely expensive. Consumer priced media burners take years, were talking 4-5 at least, to even start being viable. This also requires development of those devices. One of the pros for Sony of using the MS storage is that it uses magic gate and if needed they can do DRM with them. That is along with the money benefits for them. There is absolutely zero chance they will invest the money and time needed to create a UMD home burner built into a PSP. There are so many things wrong with the line of thought that lead to this it boggles the mind. The only way we will ever even see a UMD drive adopted is if Sony begins to roll it out with their home DRV units.
As for the reason it supports movies and images and mp3's etc. The answer is simple, it cost them practically nothing to develop the software portion of it. MP4 playback, JPG support and MP3 support are all things native to the API they already had, and are adopted from their other devices. If you were a company that could literally spend a day of additional programming on something that would help boost sales to media hungry consumer market wouldn't you take that day. Given the API, the already required front end source and a day just about any schmuck programmer could have cobbled in their video and audio playback features.
Bender @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Is it me or does the PSP have a usb port on the top with two screw holes next to it? How about USB based modules for cool upgrades? Flash HDD..... TV out..... TV Tuner.... I'm sure they will find a way. But with no vialble competition, there will be no need for Sony to give us what we want. Around where I live almost everyone seems to be trading in their Nintendo DS for store credit to get a PSP. Whenever you go into gamestop, they seem to be trying to push a used DS on the shoppers. Lets hope Nintendo gets serious about portable gaming again.
Hazard @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
The PSP has the games and display. The Ipod has the memory. Why not combine them? With a good through-put system like fire wire, the Ipod could act as the memory or be removed and used as a mp3 in-the-pocket-player.
Or maybe the boys just won't want to play together.
PSP dude @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
ROFL not pocketable ill tell you that this thing is the most pocketable it can get i saw my friends and gasped at the lightweight and compactedness of this thing it fit right into my dickies pockets and im sure it could fit into anyones pocket
marty @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
what if the next gen version of PSP were to have a mobile verion of Cell,that would be cool.
Ezekiel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
@Hazard (and everyone else really), I agree, I don't think what you suggest is entirely correct though. What Sony would do instead of coming out with a new system (with a HD built in) and angering all of the buyers right away (although it could be done, just look at the Creative Zen Micro its hella smaller than the Ipod mini, but holds the same, and it weighs less too.) I think that sony will some out with an "attachable" HD, kinda like the extra battery. and it oud hook into the USB port, and considering that it is USB 2.0, you can get considerable thruput, (about 40kb/s more than firewire) and all that would be needed is a firmware update. People might complain about the extra size and weight, but you might not have to have the PSP attached to transfer files to the HD kind of like those external HDs that are on the market now a days.
Viet @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
....in the FUTURE, the should make a super device.. that's really small.. that's your cell phone, mp3 player, digital camera, gaming system, car key holder, and wallet.. with a really big hard drive. all in one.
that would be cool
Tony @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Hey I actually think the 50GB thing is a great idea. For one thing it needs a lot more memory if it wants to compete with a 40GB ipod and another thing I can't store shit on that thing, only 7 songs and barley any videos, if the psp doesn't have memory then it seems pretty much useless for me. Yeah I can play games and watch umd's but they have a plastic casing which means I have to buy movies for the psp, so you see where I'm getting, if the psp can't have lots of memory then it should just not have memory at all. I want to be able to just dab 2000 songs on there and a shit load of music videos and movies and a whole bunch of games and then the psp will be the shit! I don't want to spend 200 bucks on a memory stick each time I run out (I might as well get an ipod) So all I have to say is I see nothing wrong with adding 50 gigs to the psp, IT'S WORTH IT!
reddy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I would definitely by this and I would pay up to 400 bucks for it... It would kick the IPods ass, ESPECIALLY if sony allows you to store movies, tv shows, and mp3s on that space and play formats such as avi, mpg, wmv, asf... that would be what i've been looking for
Everfalling @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
betterylife and weight might not be a problem in the future. Technology is already advancing to allow hard drives almost hte size of a quarter holding up to 5 gigs of storage space. i think the real problem will be cost. the smaller you get, the more expensive it'll be. adding a hard drive, as awsome as it would be, would shoot the price of this handheld a good deal.