Japan gets "champagne gold" PSP, U.S. gets jealous

by Kyle Orland { Jan 10th 2007 at 12:45PM }

Just when we thought they couldn't top pink, Sony Japan announced today that a "champagne gold" PSP will be available in the country on Feb. 22 for ¥20,790 (about $175). The system will also be sold in a limited edition (22,222 unit) bundle with Monster Hunter: 2nd Edition for ¥27,300 (about $230).

A hilarious Google translation of the announcement highlights how the system "has the noble shining" and lets users "adjusting to your own baggage and fashion... in accessory feeling." It also stresses that this new PSP color will be "promoting the further enlargement [of the PSP] platform powerfully in the future in the Japanese country." So take from that what you will.

[Via IGN, thanks Febry]

Tags: accesory, color, cool, fashion, gold, japan, PSP, shiny

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Milquetoast @ Jan 10th 2007 12:51PM

Not too jealous. That looks kind of cheap and gaudy. White = cooler. Black also = cooler.

Abe @ Jan 10th 2007 12:54PM

Show of Hands!

Who's jealous?

...Anyone?

yep, that's what I thought

Agent MOO @ Jan 10th 2007 12:55PM

It looks like a toyota camry

GuitarBurst05 @ Jan 10th 2007 1:01PM

We're not really that jealous. if we actually cared about the PSP, it may be a different story.

Aeris130 @ Jan 10th 2007 1:07PM

Looks classy, but I'm still waiting for the price to drop below $100, so I can buy one and play snes roms on it.

diskoboy @ Jan 10th 2007 1:15PM

Sorry - not jealous.

David004 @ Jan 10th 2007 1:17PM

Yeah no one is jelous because it looks like a badly made special edition Zelda PSP. Further more no one wants a PSP except to play old Nintendo games on.

Dr. No @ Jan 10th 2007 1:18PM

You know what would make us jealous? If it had any games.

Earl @ Jan 10th 2007 1:22PM

I am sure the Japanese are too busy playing the DS to notice this even came out...

James @ Jan 10th 2007 1:22PM

US gets iPhone.

Japan 1, US 10000000000

kodec @ Jan 10th 2007 1:26PM

It's a living metaphor for the golden shower Sony has been giving consumers since the PSP's inception.

Revolution @ Jan 10th 2007 1:27PM

When is Sony going to learn that you can't polish a turd?

Josh @ Jan 10th 2007 1:28PM

Gold-colored electronics never look good.

HourGlassEyes @ Jan 10th 2007 1:28PM

Now Sony is ripping off South Park... =p

Bashc Lives: Ondore Lies! @ Jan 10th 2007 1:29PM

WTF?

Jealous? are you one of those people obsessed with japanese things? no matter how ugly it is?

Only ones would be jealous of that gaudy POS are people from Jersey and maybe Long Island.

Keysersoze @ Jan 10th 2007 1:29PM

Ummm, I'm jealous, and what? I would love that color or any other color coming to the US of A.

sweethavok @ Jan 10th 2007 1:30PM

I'll buy that...............for a dollar!

Durg @ Jan 10th 2007 1:35PM

I wonder if all the PSP engineers just sit around all day crying.

Seriously.

elvisizer @ Jan 10th 2007 1:37PM

My GOD, that's ugly!!!!

Etheo @ Jan 10th 2007 1:38PM

Sorry, it looks shitty ugly. The white one on the other hand...

dvnt @ Jan 10th 2007 1:39PM

It is the fabled Golden PSP that will control Heaven's army against the forces of Hell!

Psaakyrn @ Jan 10th 2007 1:43PM

to #1 Milquetoast

The problem with white and black is that they also look generic. Then again, anything that reaches a certain market penetration would look generic..

benjamin @ Jan 10th 2007 1:47PM

My mom calls this color "baby poop gold."

She should know what baby poop looks like, being my mom and all.

CLShortFuse @ Jan 10th 2007 1:58PM

The only thing we're jealous of is the fact Japan gets PSP for $175

Febry @ Jan 10th 2007 2:06PM

Awsome got my name on a Joystiq article. Sexual.

Sergo @ Jan 10th 2007 2:06PM

I dont know what you guys are talking about, this PSP looks hella sweet. Be prepared to see these bad boys in Rap videos along with the bling and 20 inch rims...

rom @ Jan 10th 2007 2:12PM

I actually think a white PSP would have been better. I don't care much for the gold color. Makes it look kinda cheap(even though it's gold). Black is still the way to go.

glitched @ Jan 10th 2007 2:14PM

meh... its ok.

wonder what it would look like if the face bottons matched the color of the silver ring on the back...

Kspraydad @ Jan 10th 2007 2:18PM

I'd hit it.

Camrys rock by the way...

christopheredward @ Jan 10th 2007 2:26PM

Sony needs to really update the internals of the PSP... get rid of the UMD, put in a hard drive, Bluetooth, and some open-source goodness and that thing would sell like hotcakes. A gold PSP ain't going to move it any faster off the shelves.

funkonaut @ Jan 10th 2007 2:31PM

The gold really brings out the similarities to the ugliness of the DSPhat.

The PSP needs a redesign in a big way.

sheppy @ Jan 10th 2007 2:44PM

A white PSP is better, and already available. Here's the total list of PSP colors available for purchase.

Black, White, Metallic Blue, Pink, Silver, Tsukimi LE, Camoflage, and now... Gold.

And by the way, people. PSP has sold nearly 5 million in Japan alone and THAT'S their worst region. Please tell me how a console with so much installed base is somehow a failure? PSP is perfectly en route to outsell the SNES and all you good old fashioned MarioHumpers claim that's the greatest system ever.

And by the way, it has games. Some pretty damn good ones, in fact. And if it wasn't for brain training and games specifically targeting non-gamers, DS would be dead in the water.

I have both (actually, I have a US black completely hacked and an import white for all the latest releases on PSP and a black DS Lite) and I love both. My libraries are equal in size between the two. Just please, for the love of god, discover what failed hardware is. Let's talk 3DO, CDi, Xavix, or even NUON for fucks sake. PSP is not dead, has a steady stream of games, has a good sized installed base, and no, it's not for SNES roms. Otherwise those idiots truly willing to research would look up a wonder console GP2X.

JodyAnthony @ Jan 10th 2007 3:07PM

sheppy:

SNES units sold worldwide: 49 million
PSP units shipped worldwide: 23 million

watch out SNES! PSP only has to sell 26 million more units, and you are dead!

McTendo @ Jan 10th 2007 3:18PM

@ sheppy

Not flaming or anything, games make gamers after all and if the psp sports some then that's fine.

Buuutt..yeah, don't think it's going to beat the SNES anytime soon. You should of went with GameGear since they are both portables and all.

matt @ Jan 10th 2007 3:40PM

It looks better than white IMO. If I had a PSP, I'd play the hell out of it. But it's just way too much money when I already have a Gameboy DS.

Also, I think UMD movies were one of the dumbest ideas ever. But everything esle about the PSP rocks, if you can afford it.

Pikachelsea @ Jan 10th 2007 3:55PM

Not jealous at all. Overpriced crap is still overpiced crap, no matter what lame paint job it gets (lol at the Toyota Camry remark). Quite happy with my DS Lite, thanks.

"But everything esle about the PSP rocks, if you can afford it."

Except for the price, the game library, the easily scratched surface, the battery life, loading times, the fact that Sony forces you to own a PS3 just to play any PS1 games on it... but yeah, other than that it's great.

btw, anyone want a life? Check out these old IGN quotes comparing the PSP with the DS:

"If the DS could play PS2-quality games on a plane trip, it would definitely win. But it can't."

"Two screens is nifty but I'm more excited about the possibility of listening to some tunes or watching a movie on my gaming device."

"DS will be quite cool and quite different, but Nintendo's approach just doesn't seem to have the oomph to push it gamers to it, whereas Sony is sitting at the wheel of a bulldozer."

http://psp.ign.com/articles/536/536716p7.html

I lol'd. WE DEMAND MOVIES AND MUSIC (oops, that's what your iPod is for. This just in: real gamers want games)! GRAPHIX R ALL THAT MATTERS (yeah, DS graphics suck, just look at Nintendogs... and graphics have always determined the victory in both console and handheld wars... not)! NINTENDO DOESN'T HAVE OOMPH (oops, DS Lites sell out in Japan faster than Nintendo can make them)! Hahahaha.

Pikachelsea @ Jan 10th 2007 3:56PM

That was supposed to say "anyone want a laugh". lawl

ez054098 @ Jan 10th 2007 3:59PM

Look ghetto to me. I am surprised you don't get a PSP grill included in the LE

fyreblazer @ Jan 10th 2007 4:02PM

@sheppy

Did you serious just go back 2 or 3 console gens and completely skip over every iteration of the Gameboy to compare the PSP to the SNES??? Really????

Avalanche @ Jan 10th 2007 4:09PM

why must Sony keep releasing stuff only to one country! why dont they just take a page from nintendo and make 78 colors and drop the price $5 and EVERYONE would buy it. well atleast the parents would for there children since all the kids want are colors. please sony just bring multiple colors to the states and sales will pick up, and also keep dropping the price on Mem sticks.

i say PSP+1GB Memory Stick for $150= 70Million Units Sold by the end of its lifespan

Pikachelsea @ Jan 10th 2007 4:11PM

"PSP is perfectly en route to outsell the SNES and all you good old fashioned MarioHumpers claim that's the greatest system ever."

Wow, the PSP is en route to outsell a decade old system from an era with a much smaller population of gamers in general. Nice work. Why don't you compare the PSP to its actual modern-day competition, the DS Lite? o rite, because the numbers are totally embarrassing for Sony, who everyone blindly assumed would destroy Nintendo on the strength of the PlayStation brand alone.

"And by the way, it has games. Some pretty damn good ones, in fact. And if it wasn't for brain training and games specifically targeting non-gamers, DS would be dead in the water."

It doesn't have as many critically acclaimed titles as the DS, period. And I love how you make up this hypothetical world where "the DS doesn't have games targeting non-gamers". Well guess what? It does. Live in reality plz. If the PSP was a Virtual Boy 2 it would've been dead in the water too, but it's not, so why even bring it up? I love how you're trying to invalidate Nintendo's strategy to expand the gaming population. Guess what, Sonybots? IT WORKED, and Nintendo is now making money hand over fist as the DS easily trounces everything the PSP is doing a thousand times over. Get over it.

Gozzy @ Jan 10th 2007 4:40PM

The last thing Sony released in "limited edition champagne gold" was their robot dog, AIBO, shortly before they killed the product line.

We can but hope...

Thomas Falsetta @ Jan 10th 2007 5:25PM

Pikachelsea, you are probably the greatest poster ever. You took the words right out of my mouth. And if anyone wants to see any triple A DS games just go to ign reviews and see how many 9's and 8's there are and then go see the 3 psp games that got 8's. Yeah thats why dragon quest 9 is coming on ds, and a ton of other exclusives. You psp lovers really need to stop taking it in the butt from sony, its getting ridiculous, move on, stop trying to defend it , you've got nothing but a stretched-out asshole. Stop taking abuse from sony. There are other game companies out there too, way better in fact.

Jonathan @ Jan 10th 2007 5:34PM

PSP should be redesigned in a clamshell style similar to GBA SP. At least then I might be able to carry it around in my pocket.

Zegim @ Jan 10th 2007 5:37PM

"'tis is tha bling bling I needed to go big pimpin', yo."
Seriously, this looks as bad as these barbie dolls with "bling bling" accesories.

some person @ Jan 10th 2007 5:43PM

"Japan gets 'champagne gold' PSP, U.S. gets jealous"

i'm not

Zebulunite @ Jan 10th 2007 6:04PM

christopheredward

“Sony needs to really update the internals of the PSP... get rid of the UMD, put in a hard drive, Bluetooth, and some open-source goodness and that thing would sell like hotcakes. A gold PSP ain't going to move it any faster off the shelves. “

Remove the UMD drive, and lose the ability to play all PSP games? How would that make any sense?

Pikachelsea

“Except for the price, the game library, the easily scratched surface, the battery life, loading times, the fact that Sony forces you to own a PS3 just to play any PS1 games on it... but yeah, other than that it's great.”

I agree with you on the price, but I'd argue with the rest of that. IGN has an equal number of PSP games and DS games on their editor's choice list (not counting, obviously, repeat versions of Nintendogs), and the PSP has an excellent lineup for 2007 (look here: http://www.pspfanboy.com/2006/12/26/games-to-look-forward-to-in-2007/#comments). I've used my PSP more than any other system I have (other than the PC), and mine has no noticeable scrathes, so I don't know where you got the idea that the PSP is easily scratchable. It sure gets a lot of fingerprints, but not scratches.

Poor battery life? I've used my PSP a ton, and I don't believe I've ever run out of battery life while using it, as I make sure to charge it when I'm not using it. I've played on it for several hours and still had adequate battery life to continue using it for a good deal longer. Now, I'm not saying that the DS doesn't have better battery life, but I've never found the PSP's battery life inconveniencing, for me. In any case, one of my favorite features of the PSP, its standby mode, allows me to put the device into a very low power mode while preserving where ever I was at in a game, saving me from losing progress should I be low of battery life.

Load times can be annoying, but I've never felt any of my games ruined by them, so for me at least, it's only a minor inconvenience.

I partially agree with you on the PS3 requirement, but you're overlooking the fact that Sony has said it will allow downloads on the PSP (and seeing as how the new firmware has been out only about a month, I wouldn't call them out on being liars yet), and in any case I think your not giving the system credit for being the first handheld to allow downloadable roms of games from prior consoles.

“It doesn't have as many critically acclaimed titles as the DS, period. “

Yeah, that's why IGN has an equal number of PSP games and DS games on their editor's choice list (not counting, obviously, repeat versions of Nintendogs), and the PSP has an excellent lineup for 2007 (look here: http://www.pspfanboy.com/2006/12/26/games-to-look-forward-to-in-2007/#comments).

And I'm sure that's why IGN said this in their Best of 2006 article:

“This was one hell of a year for the PSP. There were so many quality titles for the system that nearly every award was an extremely close call. Indeed, of all the PlayStation awards that we gave out this year, few were as tight as most every PSP selection. To say it was a fantastic year for the system would be a rather large understatement.

Lovers of every genre saw strong support with extremely high quality games in 2006. Action fans saw the release of titles like Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Killzone: Liberation. Fighting fans were treated to Tekken: Dark Resurrection. Racing fans were appeased with Codemasters' Race Driver 2006 and a couple really good ATV titles. And with games like LocoRoco, the PSP proved that it has enough original and unique content to stand toe-to-toe with any touchy systems out there.

If 2006 is any indication of what we'll see in 2007, then we can safely say the PSP is in full swing as a mature system.”

So I really don't see why fanboys on either end can't agree that BOTH the DS and PSP have a great game library.

“Why don't you compare the PSP to its actual modern-day competition, the DS Lite? o rite, because the numbers are totally embarrassing for Sony, who everyone blindly assumed would destroy Nintendo on the strength of the PlayStation brand alone. “

Yeah, it's really embarrassing that Sony has done far better than any other competitor to Nintendo in the handheld market, and that Sony has sold well over half the systems of a rival that has had a 15 year monopoly over the market.

Both companies have, in my opinion, done really well with their respective handhelds. Just because one does better than the other doesn't mean that the other is crap. Otherwise, the Gamecube and Xbox are, according to your standard, even more embarrassing than the PSP, as the PS2 sold two times both of them together (obviously that's not my opinion: the Gamecube made Nintendo profit, thereby making it a success, business-wise, and the Xbox, while losing money, successfully established Microsoft on the console market).

----

And while obviously sheppy was wrong on the PSP-SNES comparison, it should be noted that in two years the PSP is only a couple million off of the total sales for Xbox and Gamecube. I'd say that's pretty impressive for what revolution calls a "turd" of a system"

Zebulunite @ Jan 10th 2007 6:11PM

Thomas Falsetta

"And if anyone wants to see any triple A DS games just go to ign reviews and see how many 9's and 8's there are and then go see the 3 psp games that got 8's."

As I already said, PSP and DS have an equal number of editor's choice games.

Where the hell did get that the PSP has only 3 games that got an 8.0 at IGN!? PSP has 11 games 9.0 or above, and has 43 games 8.0 to 8.9 (54 overall 8.0 or above).

The DS and PSP both have plenty of great games. It seems pretty stupid to waste time debating that for either (and to claim that the PSP has only 3 games 8.0 or above is either pure stupidity or a deliberate, and moronic, lie).