What we want from the next PSP update

I'd like one minor thing added to the text input screen: how about being able to use the shoulder buttons as Left/Right cursor controls? That alone would save a lot of time.

No, it's not an earth-shattering change, but by the same token, it seems like it'd be really easy to add. Either that, or give us a darn keyboard peripheral!

I just want to be able to listen to music when I am on the Web and the online be faster.
Seeing as I am in Gap I will post this page over there may be then Sony will see some of these things.

I'm thinking:

- more visualizations for music
- ability to multitask while music is playing (not just look at other menu options, actually USE THEM)
- ability to use saved music as in-game music (a la GTA)
- make the IR port useful in some way
- in depth messaging system (not just friend messages, I want Sony to let me know when there's a new update available, when there's a new game demo available... I'm not one for RSS feeds)
- straight to Memory Stick game demo downloads
- free games like Pac-Man and Pong and Tetris with above
- going "Home" to XMB means that your game is saved from that point as long as you don't remove the UMD
- more volume (+3, +4?) on music, video
- customizable XMB interface
- straight to Memory Stick trailer downloads
- 99 cent (or free) music video downloads
- kinetic wallpapers (new ones, not just the month themes)
- AN ALARM CLOCK
- a PSP email service where one can send emails from an @psp.sony.com address with a tag with your real email address, so that this PSP email could be send-only (could double as the message service, but it would need an inbox as well)
- acceptance and embracement of shareware community, allow users to upload games to a PSP website, or create a feature like the PlayStation Store with just free game downloads (no emulators though, kinda against copyrights)
- make game download and video saves EASIER TO DO
- 5-minute demos of EVERY GAME RELEASED (something like that, with like a limit of 3 times you can play the demo, so you won't just rely on them)
- not just music, but game demos should be able to be transferred from one PSP to the other, assuming the firmware is compatible
- Java support
- fix the not enough memory issue

I think that's about it... Those came to mind anyway...

So, Yoon, how do you like dem apples?

What I'd like is something like iTunes, a Playstation Store software and content manager to get some PS1 games and demos and all.
That'd be nifty.
And being able to share Music (just like the way one can share photos) would be an amazing add too.
The Friends thingy sounds cool too.
Oh, and being able to play flash videos would be cool too.

I would like the videos to play one after the other (continuously/back to back). It is so annoying to watch music videos and to have to stop and choose the next video when I just want to see all of them at once. I know that I could just merge them all into one big video file, but that would take time to do and to then copy to the PSP. Also, doing that would mean that I will never be able to see the videos in a random order, which should be the other feature if back to back play is ever enabled for the videos.

I think it would be good if they replaced that dumb keyboard on the internet with one that is easier to use.

how does he have the probability factor? unless there is some inside information, you cant say very high probability for anything. but...

we want PSStore!

What I'd like to see in 3.xx firmware upgrade...

A right analog stick for those good ol' Socom matches on the PS2. And possibly some L2/R2 action going on, maybe just little buttons on the back.

Probability: Never

Sigh...back into the drawer PSP, sorry old pal. I know I know, March 2004 was a month to remember. I remember launch day being stuck in school, talking about you nonstop. Then...as soon as I got out I went and picked you up and snuggled the whole night.

But it seems...at long last we weren't meant to be. But...no, it's not you...it's--it's not me either. See it's someone else...they just won't put out a revised version of you to fix your flaws.

How about the ability to listen to music while browsing the web?

I often use the portable version of Google reader to browse 70 some subscriptions would be nice to listen to music while I'm doing this.

-What about flv files support? That way we can watch videos from youtube, dailymotion, etc.

-Ability to access files on your psp from the psp itself(folders, subfolders) and ability to transfer them from folder to folder(copy/paste)

-Ability to change text on the PSP menu.

Probability: Extremely High(with 1.5's PSP's and Dark AleX's Custom's Firmware that is)

Probability: Very Low(Using Sony's Firmware Updates)

-PDA Functions:
-Better onscreen Keyboard, better yet an EXTERNAL Keyboard.
-Screensaver
-not software but an a dual shock controller this more than anything would help, no matter what FPS game comes out they struggle to make it work with the controls on the PSP

Everything that Andrew and Zenegade said, plus uber multitasking! (Playing music while viewing photos and internet)

But the things that stand out the most: (URGENT FFS)

- Fix memory issue in internet
- More demos
- PS1 games straight from PC/PSP
- USE THE F**KING INFA RED PORT!! WHY HAVE IT IF THERE IS NO USE???
- Emailing
- Little games like on cellphones (pacman, tetris, snake etc) but jazz them up a bit
- MORE VISUALISATIONS!

1) Support for loading locally stored files into the browser. This would allow for things like saving a walkthrough on your Memory Stick or e-books from the Baen Free Library www.baen.com/library.

2) Support for installing UMD games to Memory Stick. Now that we have 4GB sticks for well under $100, it's time to exploit that space to decrease load times and extend battery life. The UMD could still be required to be in the drive for proof of ownership. Also, for some stuff like FMV it makes more sense to still have it on the UMD rather than eating up the Memory Stick for potentially hundreds of megabytes of data that is only seen once in the game.

3) USB keyboard support. This would greatly increase the value of the browser.

4) Support for a USB attachment that adds a second analog input and a second set of shoulder buttons. The hardware would take some work to get right but this go a very long ways towards selling those PS1 games to PSP owners.

In addition to what's mentioned in the post and above comments, I'd like to mention a couple more (although some are already mentioned in previous comments). Don't mind if I take the same structure as in the post?:

USERS

-Bring this over from the PS3, especially if the PlayStation Network stuff is gonna be implemented. Multiple users, settings, names, etc. that can be utilized across both systems would be great.

PHOTO

-More slideshow types would be nice?

MUSIC

-More visualizations would be awesome.
-Allow music to be played from the XMB while browsing the web or viewing photos.
-An alarm clock feature would be nice. The "clock" part of it is already sort of built-in with RSS feeds in firmware 3.0 ("Set Timer"); now it just needs to be expanded to other functions of the PSP.
-Star-based ratings for stuff would be cool, too. Sit it above the white rectangular filetype icons (i.e. MP3, AAC) in the listings in a small font size so it's non-intrusive, and possibly import existing ratings from iTunes, Real, etc. through a temporary preferences file sitting in the MUSIC folder.
-When in a given folder, organize albums by track number through their metadata rather than by filename. It's an annoyance to drag-and-drop an album to my PSP's Memory Stick, only to have it organized in the XMB by alphabetical order instead of track number.
-Allow to show full album artwork, similar to an iPod (takes up the height of the screen) when you click the center button to cycle through the Now Playing, Rating, etc. This could be done through pressing Triangle and hitting the "i" icon in succession to bring up the various displays.
-Utilize the lyrics tag in the MP3s, AACs, etc. and have it available on the PSP. Again, it could be done through the same "i" icon displays, or it can tossed in optionally when bringing in the "Information" pane from the contextual menu.

VIDEO

-Please, fix the dreaded MP_ROOT system for playing MPEG-4 videos. The VIDEO folder in the root directory is a start, but it doesn't take MAQ#####-formatted PSP files and there's no thumbnail functionality. The one-level-deep folder system is a good touch, though, but really -- just let me throw any format video into one folder and have it work.
-Full-resolution video, as well as automatic downscaling for higher-res content. Some newer iPod video-compatible content won't work on the PSP (640x480, for example) without a conversion. This really disrupts some podcast subscriptions for me, personally.

GAME

-Organize the Memory Stick content a little better; separate all those LocoRoco demos from the downloaded PSone titles, etc. into a folder structure that can easily be navigated on the PSP.

NETWORK

-Let's see the PlayStation Store with direct-to-PSP downloadable content via Wi-Fi. Use the same wallet system and PlayStation Network information. No PS3 required.
-Upgrade the internet browser to support Java and a higher Flash version.
-Allow the Memory Stick to be used as additional temporary cache for internet browsing.
-Streaming RSS video doesn't seem like it's a reality yet; I hope it's possible.

FRIENDS

-Bring this XMB category from the PS3 and bring the integrated chat interface; heck, include remote video chat using the USB camera.
-Tie all these online aspects to the PlayStation Network, including username. Unite the PS3 and PSP's XMB in this way and the interoperability offline and online will undoubtedly be amazing.

4) A portrait mode in the web browser. This would be especially useful for reading lengthy amounts of text.

Oh and for christs sake:

When plugged into mains power supply, the PSP SHOULD RUN AT 333MHZ.

Great list. You nailed everyone of my wants except video chat. I want EyetoyPSP and EyetoyHD to work together across network for video chat. Imagine sitting down at your college hot spot between classes to video chat with friends who are at home on their PS3s.

Why would you ever want to support WMV? It's a crappy proprietary media format in a world of more open alternatives. People slam Sony for their proprietary technologies, but not MS? Anyway, enough of that rant.

* Support for AVI - If I already have a compatible video in an AVI container, let me use it. It's not that hard.
* Homebrew Support - Let it run in a sandbox where access to the UMD drive is prohibited. Sorry, but until the Sony Reader or the iRex iLiad drop in price, I like Bookr
* VRAM for the Web Browser. The multi-tab interface is worthless because the PSP has too little RAM. Swap in and out of Memory Stick or something.
* Text RSS Support. We have Video, Audio, and Photo. Why not Text/web page?
* Dual Stick Peripheral - Why emulate the second stick and L2/R2? Just make a peripheral that connects to the USB port that gives us additional buttons. We had to buy extra hardware when the Dual Shock came out, this isn't too different
* Full Res Videos - It's been said to death, but we all want it
* Organization - Let us organize photos, music, and videos into folders and sub-folders. Not that hard.
* Text Reader - The GP2X has this, why not the PSP? The web browser sucks for this, and graphical prints are horrible. Bookr is an example of the right way to do it.
* File Organizer - The Web Browser lets us download all sorts of files, and some of us use the Memory Stick as a general purpose flash drive. Like IRShell, let us manipulate our files.

To the people asking for infrared support - what use would you like? You're demanding that Sony make use of the port, when really it has no use.

PSP is just a handheld gaming device, not a laptop.

Sometimes I'm wondering if people are asking too much and trying too hard to make it a Swiss Army knife.

Andrew is totally right. Although I highly doubt the downloading full PSP games thing, because Sony is scared that somebody will hack it, and I think that sone of th e reasons you need a PS3 to download PSX games...

-more codecs support
-ability to use as a remote control for tv
-ability to send patch via gameshare
-sony hub support
-faster load using memory stick (like teken)

Note : i think the reason the psp remote lock out is due the conflicts that might happen while doing so

DivX support at last (best way to promote these huge memory stick). And as UMD is dead, remove the zone protection for the movies at least !

One thing that i think would be really good for it is some kind of customizable menu. you know. just to be able to change the stuff about a wee bit. would do some good.

Support for a proper bluetooth peripheral which could allow A2DP wireless stereo, multiplayer over cellphone connections, bluetooth GPS devices and cameras to be used AND best of all, support for bluetooth keyboards! I can dream...

I totally secon the interaction with the playstaion store and I'm still waiting for the promised email feature - wasn't that advertised for 2.5 or something? I *do* use my PSP to check my email if I don't want to power up my pc for that - but skipping through gmx/hotmail or a similiar service takes almost as much time as a full windows login wait - ridiculous.

one more level for all folder would be quite nice also. Adding a few shortcuts to the text entry wouldn't be bad either.

one thing i would like, the ability to turn off the screen but yet still use the L+R buttons and adjust the volume. I often listen to music in bed and its a right pain that the screen comes back on every time i skip a track or increase the volume. It works with the remote, but thats a hassle to have hooked up. course, to get the screen back you would need a key sequence like L+R+X or something :)

oh and ogg support would be nice and being able to upload files via wifi and not usb would be very handy, dont know how easy that would be to do though.

is it just me or does locoroco (christmas demo) require update to 3.0.2?

PHOTO: How about a random/shuffle feature for the slide show.

How about ability to customize themes, fonts, icons?

Second on the organization, particularly for MP3s. That means more than one level of folder nesting, playlist support, and browsing by ID3 tags. And howzabout some EQ settings?

And Lulu, it's Sony what made the PSP a jack of all multimedia and master of none. We just have certain expectations on what a multimedia gadget should provide us.

And come to think of it, there's nothing stopping Sony from reimplementing the PSP media manager as a playstationstore.com service ala itunes.

I'd also like to see a wifi networking powertool, that would let me survey wifi service in the area, but that would definitely have to come from the homebrewers.

Likewise, I'd like to see a general purpose deck of cards, with, say, a few hundred games and variants that would let me play wirelessly with other PSP owners. No fancy graphics, just a deck of cards, and the ability to play wifi with others. But again, that would likely have to come from homebrewers.

I dont use it all that much, but every time I use the web browser I get a "Memory Full" message.
I think I am at 3.01, but the web browser is pretty much useless for me.
I have a 1 Gb card sitting in there... use that darn thing for memory.

"A right analog stick for those good ol' Socom matches on the PS2. And possibly some L2/R2 action going on, maybe just little buttons on the back."

Uh, that isn't a 'firmware' upgrade, it's a hardware upgrade.

"I know I know, March 2004 was a month to remember. I remember launch day being stuck in school"

You mean March 2005. The PSP was released in Japan in late 2004 and March 2005 in the US.

"See it's someone else...they just won't put out a revised version of you to fix your flaws."

The initial OPM news about an upcoming revision cited a March 2007 release for a revised PSP. You can't possibly expect Sony to tip their hat to that (or a price drop) during the holiday buying season right now, can you? Why is it people think it was great that Nintendo quietly developed and suddenly released the Lite so soon after the first edition of the DS, but they expect Sony to broadcast impending revisions and discounts half a year in advance?

I do want text RSS support. I forgot about that. I also want PSP to have the ability to make folders and to be able to rename them. We should also have the ability to move files to different folders, etc. That way you can organize your files without needing a computer. It would also be cool if XMB could access the music files off of UMD games. In the music menu it could show a folder for all the game music on the UMD you have in the drive.

I'm sat here reading away wondering just how many of you are running the latest version... There are shortcuts in the text entry. [] is delete start is enter O is something else. However, why there isn't a full qwerty layout abffles me. the whole right side is taken up by something that would be better across the top anyway. Better still as may of you have said WE WANT AN EXTERNAL KEYBOARD!!!

You can have sub folders in PHOTO and MUSIC (i have), but not the VIDEO folder.

Anyway you have all got great suggestions except for one....
Five minute demo's

...
Dont time them out. Make them single level sure, only play X times is also much better than timed out. (sony store knows if you've downloaded them)

for LuLu...
For V3.6 i want a knife; spoon; scissors & bottle opener.
(With auto dulling of sharp surfaces if parental lock is on :o)

just want to have the ability to play all my video clips at once continuously. It is so hard to fix it.

just want to have the ability to play all my video
clips at once
continuously. It is so hard to fix it.

Yeah you should be able to listen to music while going on the internet or looking at photos.

Well people allready posted all the things that I would want ... but maybe a RE game would be nice , just like a cherry on the cake :P

Actually all suggestions are kinda good except for the hardware ones: "omg let me take outta my pocket a tiny 2005 best multimedia and gaming gadget and my almost half-o-meter usb keyboard" it could be a nice support but think about this: why browse in your psp if you´re using your hp 3.2 ghz 512mb ram pc usb keyboard. and please AN ALL MUSIC FOLDERS SHUFFLE OPTION UNDER "MUSIC", "SUBFOLDER SUPPORT UNDER VIDEO" & "MUSIC PLAYBACK UNDER "PHOTO"(im not asking to the little ram capabilities to play music while browsing but while watching photos?? my 8 year old450mhz with 32 ram can do it) Happy Holidays.

To everyone wanting email support: I can only recommend getting a gmail account for that and use the http://m.gmail.com (mobile version) from the PSP web browser. Works like a charm!!!

how about a higher capacity battery with a built in bluetooth reciever. i've no idea whether or not this is possible, but i don't see why not.

@ pixelator 33

As much as I respect your comments, I have to say you're being an ass. I was kidding about firmware update being an analog...god damn...


And jesus christ...I hit a wrong key and accidentally pressed 4 instead of 5, call the police.

a day to day planner or organizer, along with an alarm clock, would be great!

Here's an idea: How about actually cleaning up some of the features that are already there?

Notice how files have DIFFERENT rules for each section. MUSIC files are ordered by filename or ID3 tag.

PHOTO files are ordered by date modified(?!) This should be EASY to change to ordered by filename (alpha-numeric)

VIDEO files are ordered by filename (or number, really)... if they are named MNV*****.MP4 and MAQ*****.MP4. if the files are in the VIDEO folder then they automatically go to the bottom of the list.

Why can't all files have the SAME rules for displaying in order, and why can't they have the same rules for playing? MUSIC files play one after the other, it just keeps going until you stop it, unless you select group mode. VIDEOS and PHOTOS should have the same option.


New features are great, but there's still some cleanup to do with the ones that are already here.

Hmm.. no one is backing up my suggestion of allowing the PSP to run at 333mhz while charging? This would greatly improve performance in games, performance in general, and add to the benefit of having the brightness on +4.
Of course, someone is bound to say something along the lines of "why make people plug it in to charge and then punish them for using it as a portable device by lowering performance?" - Good arguement, and that is probably why we'll never see THIS happen, but what we WILL see is the PSP unlocked to 333mhz ALL THE TIME, when a better battery becomes available.

The PSP DOES need more features, because, at the moment my (and most other) cellphones can do more than the PSP.. wtf. (in terms of multimedia).
My Sony Ericsson K750 has alarm clocks/mp3 player/2MP camera/Flash/bluetooth/homebrew app support/over 100 simple games/ built in emailing/equalizer/continuous video playback/loop/file manager/installer programs/multitasking/task manager/Internet/the lot. And the K790/W810 (next gen of the K and W series) can do even MORE.

If sony want to push the PSP as a multimedia system just as much as a gaming one, they aren't doing to well losing out to their own cellphones.
Heck, the PSP has wayy more power than a cellphone, so why is it that I can listen to music on my phone while viewing large resolution pictures, but I can't on the PSP?

Oh and btw, I sent the link of this article to SONY, doubt they'll take any notice, or if it will do any good. Hopefully they will.
All I said was:

This may be of interest:

(Link)

QUOTE: Email reply from SCEA.

"Hi Benjamin,

Thank you for writing us.

We appreciate your enthusiasm and continued support for our PlayStation(R) family line of products.
As you may have guessed, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) receives great suggestions from
our consumers, as well as from our own employees, and employees of our affiliates, on a daily basis.



SCEA is continuously engaged in extensive research and development in many areas, including without
limitation, consumer toys and games, computer and video entertainment products, and other products
for consumer marketplace. SCEA may have developed, or may in the future develop, materials similar
or identical to those presented to SCEA by you. Due to the overwhelming submission of ideas,
concepts, and designs for products and our continual research and development, SCEA is unable to
accept ideas and inventions, which have not been requested by SCEA. In addition, we are sorry to
tell you that you will not be compensated if a product that is similar or identical to your
suggestion is produced. We hope you understand our position on this matter and we apologize for the
inconvenience.

If you have further questions regarding this message, please refer to your email case
number:3943271.

Jan
Multimedia Representative
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Consumer Services Department"

Sorry for triple (eeek!) post, but I just sent this to SONY. I don't see the need in informing a large company how to do simple tasks, but it's worth a shot.
I'll keep you posted as to the reply.

EMAIL CASE NUMBER: 3943271

Congratulations on taking the time to respond to my email, this certainly does show good customer service. It is always nice when big companies take notice of the consumer, and use the feedback to their advantage. So, I hope that someone/a team from SONY are reading the comments section of that article I sent you.
As for the second half of your response, I do not wish to receive any commission or payment for ideas I may have contributed, and that is not what I set out to do my emailing you the link.
The only rewards I wish to get are good future PSP support. I hope you have the wisdom to read the positive feedback about the PSP, the critiscms and the negatives. Take into account the various suggestions that can be found riddled across the internet.
If you want a fine example of customer support and a company taking in what the consumer wants, then visit the Relic News forums.
Here you will see relic staff actively posting and reading on the boards.
It would be nice for SONY to openly welcome suggestions, as the ultimate benefit is for you as a company.
I don't have to list what benefits you get from letting other people do the thinking and research, as I'm sure you know what I'm on about, being a multi-national corporation.

The PSP is an incredible feat of technology in the portable market. It only needs consistent, whole-bodied support from SONY, and a decent marketing campaign to boost those sale numbers.
The PSP has yet to be pushed to it's technical limit (processor speed), and when it does the platform will become ever more versatile.

Good luck with the future ventures for SONY and the Playstation Portable, as you will need it.

Sincerely,
Benjamin Humphrey
Christchurch, New Zealand

It would be very nice, if they could put :

a -CALCULATOR!!
- TIME FUNCTION LIKE CHRONOMETER, ALARM CLOCK
and having more than one clock (New-york time, tokyo time, Montreal time)

and finally having the possibilities of changing the black background for other colours when you put a photo on background.