The Sony booth on GDC's expo floor was, by far, the most impressive of the bunch. The company's presence was everywhere at the show. But the venue for their PSP was some good, old fashioned overkill. The huge Playstation sign loomed over the attendees. The thing was so imposing that it almost felt like a threat. Next to the Sony booth was a much smaller, and much more humble Nintendo space. I'll get into their presence later, but I can tell you the difference was striking. Was the understated Nintendo booth a comment on the opulence of Sony. It actually did feel that way, yes.
Entering the Sony booth, you had the PSPs on the left and the PS2 titles on the right. Surprisingly, I saw equal numbers of attendees on both sides everytime I went in. The PS2 lineup included GT4 and Gods of War so you can see why that might be the case.
The PSP got a thorough going-over by everyone. They had someone there just to wipe the things off as people filed
through. As I mentioned in the Untold Legends hands-on,
the device actually does clean off well and seems to stand up to an incredible amount of abuse, er, use. By far, the
most played title in the booth lineup was Wipeout Pure. If you like speed, you’ll like Wipeout. The time I got with it
reminded me a lot of Star Wars Racer, and I mean that as a compliment.
If it weren’t for those damn clamps…
Spider-Man 2 was also playable. While it’s disappointing that the game isn’t an open-ended experience, it’s still fun as hell for this SM fan. The moves are all there in spades, along with button-mashing fights and a very competent camera. All in all, there’s no question I’ll be picking this one up for launch. Spider-Man 2 game, Spider-Man 2 movie; can a Spider-Man skin be far behind?
Besides the polite but firm pushing and shoving, the booth did a good job of showing off what Sony is about to
spring on us. My impressions of the PSP were positive, overall. Simple as that. The device is a treasure of design and
execution. It’s huge, yes, but I didn’t notice (or mind) because it feels so good in my hands. The buttons are
well-placed, the screen is as huge as people say it is, the ports are also well-placed (didn’t run into the UMD missile
problem) and the thing sparkles and shines like a gem.
Now, having said all that I didn’t get to carry a PSP around for a couple of days. No battery test (the PSPs were
plugged in - surprise!), no UMD missile test, no portability test, no “play in bed” test (the most important one of
all). So, I’ll reserve judgment until I get my own next week.
Isn’t that security guy supposed to be securing? Is this a sign of mainstream appeal, or a boring job?
If Sony’s future depends on the PSP, as many “pros” are saying, then the next few months should be interesting. I
think it will prove itself to be a very solid gaming device, and having touched it, I do believe it’s on par with the
iPod as far as “sexiness” is concerned.
The energy at the Sony booth was a mix of adulation and healthy skepticism. I saw just as many people pull away from a
game with a pleased look on their faces, as I did people with shrugs and sourpusses. Developers are like that, which is
why we love them. Sony used GDC to give us a good look at what to expect. I can’t wait to hear what you guys and gals
think.
