Dave Perry: PSP Lite a 'head in the sand' move for Sony

by Ross Miller { Sep 17th 2007 at 3:15PM }

Shiny founder Dave Perry has been very vocal about consoles as of late. After estimating Wii's death clock, the Earthworm Jim designer has set his sights on Sony's PSP.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Perry refers to redesign as a "head in the sand" move while saying that Sony should "restart the PSP program" and specifically calls for the removal of UMD in favor of digital download.

Perry also suggests that the transition to an UMD-less PSP would be relatively painless, asserting that it would be easy to create software to authenticate and re-download for free titles you already own.

While we agree that digital distribution is on the rise, we're not sure if there's financial benefit for the consumer. A 1.0 GB memory stick can cost over $30, and then you still have the buy the titles (which may not drop in price should they go download). If you want to carry more than a few games around, you're going to need multiple memory sticks. If Sony does heed Perry's advice (and we see no evidence as to why they would), maybe they could replace the UMD slot with a decent hard drive, instead.

Tags: daveperry, psp-2000, psp2000, psplite, pspslim, shiny, sony, speculation

Related From Joystiq

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

NaeemTHM @ Sep 17th 2007 3:21PM

When the hell has Dave Perry mattered? The last great game he made was Earthworm Jim 2.

You're a joke...it's not the systems that suck, it's you. Stop developing shitty games and maybe you'll matter.

Neebs @ Sep 17th 2007 3:23PM

Agreed. He is pretty much Midway Games as a person. What have you done lately, n00b?

Jerk Face @ Sep 17th 2007 3:44PM

... Midway games as a person... Ha ha ha!

Shagittarius @ Sep 17th 2007 3:54PM

Those who can...do.

Those who can't...blog.

T3H WICKERMAN @ Sep 17th 2007 4:52PM

Nice head shot suxxorz, auditioning for a role on Days of Our Lives? n00b.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Sep 18th 2007 1:57AM

I tried my hand at blogging once.

I couldn't do it. I gots ta give the props for people who have the patience to do it.

generic @ Sep 20th 2007 7:29AM

And Earthworm Jim was basically stolen. I thought we were finally rid of this guy when Messiah and Wild9 flopped.

Geez, all the Jon Romeros of the world are coming out of the woodwork, naysaying. The North American games industry purged itself of rockstar-ego game developers for a reason.

Forsakyn @ Sep 17th 2007 3:21PM

We'll definitely be seeing downloadable titles for the PSP next year. I can't see purely downloadable titles replacing UMD games entirely as storage is definitely an issue for the PSP, but it makes total sense for the PSP to have more download-only titles.

Mr Khan @ Sep 17th 2007 3:46PM

Seriously, while pure Digital download is feasible in Japan and Europe, abandoning physical media would be the PSP's death sentence in America, where Broadband penetration is staggeringly low in comparison, and where so many homes lack WiFi Access

Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Sep 17th 2007 4:50PM

If you would cut all the cinematics crap from games - which isn't for portable system anyway - you would see game sizes going down.

Some simple cheap DS games weight about 16-32MBs. "Expensive" titles with movies etc - immediately jump to 128MB. Absolute sizes are not right for PSP - but proportions are OK: 3/4 of game disk content is taken by stuff which is pretty much useless on portable console like movies and additional soundtracks.

Even 100-200-300MB downloadable PSP games would pretty fine with actual trends of flash memory prices.

P.S. Thought crossed my mind: Nintendo can actually do the same with DS a-la M3/R4, with games stored on plugged microSD/HC card. DS has WiFi too. Instead of game, the card would allow to connect to Nintendo's DSWare/whatever and buy/download/run games.

cduran01 @ Sep 17th 2007 3:23PM

A hard drive would be nice, but Im afraid it would hit battery life more than a UMD does now.

Poisoned Al @ Sep 17th 2007 5:39PM

Actually no, magnetic drives suck a lot less juice then optical ones. Still way more then flash drives tho.

Fernando Rocker (NDF - Water Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 3:22PM

A friend of mine bough the PSP Slim... its feel a little better than the original but looks a lot cheaper, the plastic looks cheaper and the UMD tray also looks cheaper. The new external materials arent as good as the original PSP,

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Sep 17th 2007 3:23PM

Maybe that's why he canceled Earthworm Jim Remake on the PSP?

sheppy2.0 @ Sep 17th 2007 6:17PM

Perry never touched that project. Before it was annouunced, he finally gave up on trying to back a third and went off to resurrect Acclaim.

NATO_Duke @ Sep 17th 2007 3:26PM

I predict that Sony, along with most of us on Earth, will continue to not care what the hell Perry thinks.

Fernando Rocker (NDF - Water Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 3:29PM

Yeah... fuck Perry. Period.

Noshino @ Sep 17th 2007 3:45PM

Fernando, you are second on that list....

Fernando Rocker (NDF - Water Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 3:47PM

Trev @ Sep 17th 2007 3:55PM

Well, its the End Times. You can tell because Fernando and I agree on something. I know, I'm scared too.

Seriously though. Some downloads are fine, but as a primary means? No. I don't want to wait for my games to download and I don't want some flaky DRM shit in them. I can walk into a Gamestop and, in about 60 seconds, have the game I just paid for and it will play on any PSP after the couple leisurely seconds it takes to put the disc in.

FrankTheCrank @ Sep 17th 2007 3:30PM

I wish some of you guys would actually read the article...

He's right and so is Joystiq.

Sony messed up with the latest redesign...they should have foregone with UMD's and gone flash or hard drive based. And they should have used the iTunes model for games, movies and music.

I have ZERO interest in the PSP. I had one and dumped it.

Throw in a touch screen, with the same LCD, GPS and a hard drive...I'm there.

matthewmrussell @ Sep 17th 2007 3:33PM

You mean a Gizmondo?

FrankTheCrank @ Sep 17th 2007 3:33PM

No, I mean PSP2

NaeemTHM @ Sep 17th 2007 3:38PM

.....yea but still:

Fuck David Perry. He ruined the Matrix game franchisee. I mean wasn't it enough that the sequels were subpar? Did he have to diarrhea all over Path of Neo too?

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 17th 2007 3:45PM

I believe the PSP is great but for re-design first add the second analog stick, second if you can change the Umd for a flash drive a la NDSL and offer the same experience or better Do it.

Now touch screen, GPS and the other stuff are just gimmicks. IMO they should drop the web browsing stuff and stick to a xbox live type of service .A Simple interface, really I rather have a xlive type of service in the PSP than web browsing. It would be nice to have both, I mean you can also check game faqs while playing, simply awesome.

Duscrom @ Sep 17th 2007 4:34PM

Why do people keep saying that sony should add a Second analogue stick for a re-design? That's not a redesign.. that's a new console.. because if dev's use that second stick, it breaks the game for everyone with the origonal model. Hell, even the extra RAM is pushing it. Same thing with making the whole thing Flash based.

Remember the PSP came out 2-3 years ago... At that time, I paid almost $80 for a 512 MB memory stick... and again. if they did it to a re-design... it'd break the system cause then you can't play any UMD based games.

rainking187 @ Sep 17th 2007 4:56PM

"Sony messed up with the latest redesign...they should have foregone with UMD's and gone flash or hard drive based. And they should have used the iTunes model for games, movies and music."

You know how great the iTunes model is, like how you can turn around and sell your purchased albums if you get tired of them. Oh wait...you CAN'T do that. My mistake. Yeah, I want to pay $40 for games where I have very limited control over what I do with them. And if my PSP is lost instead of just losing the system, I've also lost my entire PSP library. Good idea there.

c.Lake @ Sep 19th 2007 4:55AM

@rainking187

You don't have control over your games, you only have "illusion" of control. If all PSP games come on UMD disk. The day Sony stop making a "PSP" or "PS3 UMD attachment" -- everybody is screwed.

Having an "iTunes Like model" for game is a good idea, and no different than the LOCKED down version we're dealing with now. Sony was diffenetily short-sighted on this one -- but it's to late now. What's done is done. We're all stuck with the consequences and so is Sony.

And yes, they should have put a second analog stick on it. Duh. How can you play ten dozen ported PS2 gamed without the second part of the controller. That's just stupid. We have to remind SONY of that fact?

Bdub? @ Sep 17th 2007 3:31PM

That would be system suicide because everyone doesn't have access to high speed internet

matthewmrussell @ Sep 17th 2007 3:33PM

This guy is a fuck-tard.

mikecs83 @ Sep 22nd 2007 11:04PM

Or why doesn't the PSP 2 use flash media. Downloads are good for some stuff, but not for more demanding, several gigabyte games. Use some tweaked SD card with 2-4 gigs. They take up less space than a UMD and use very little battery power. It was a mistake for Sony to try anything different. Hopefully next time around they'll learn from their mistakes.

*****
Michael C. Sherrin
http://www.prodigeek.com/

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 17th 2007 3:38PM

Like the DS?,Now that would be awesome.

ExMcloud @ Sep 17th 2007 3:43PM

Wow the DS does do that? lol.....Damn?

3cubed minus 3squared plus1 @ Sep 17th 2007 3:34PM

He's just mad because the PSP Lite had his girl's 'head in the sand' while doing her up the butt last night.

OnimushaSoki @ Sep 17th 2007 3:35PM

Remember ClayFighter?

That was neat-o torpedo, wasn't it? :)

Sean @ Sep 17th 2007 3:51PM

That game was silly. Taffy ftw.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Sep 17th 2007 4:13PM

That game was great. Not as great as Rise of the Robots, though. RotR was so awful it ruled. I like how the life bars said NRG.

And, of course, Primal Rage. But Primal Rage legitimately kicked ass.

Sean @ Sep 17th 2007 4:22PM

I am singlehandedly pushing for a RotR XBLA release or something similar.

WiNG @ Sep 17th 2007 3:36PM

Although this should be an option, forcing users into a "download only" service is retarded.

Nothing could be better for a portable system than it requiring you to DL its stuff from the internet.

/sarcasm

Prof_Chaos @ Sep 17th 2007 3:36PM

Thankfully Perry is not likely to find himself in a position where his opinion does matter. Online distribution is the future for movies, games, music and much else as well. However, no one but early adopters is likely to be willing to forgo the traditional way of buying games for online distribution unless you give them the choice and an incentive. Tell people that they can buy the game on UMD or they can buy it and download it straight to the system for $10-$15 less. Then you market and advertise the option. Then, in 2-5 years enough of your consumers are aware of and comfortable with the idea that you can implement it with a well-designed storage option.

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 17th 2007 3:36PM

As a PSP owner I must say unless there is a way to connect the PSP to a DLS cable, NO dude just NO.

I would like a Xlive type of service for the PSP but I don't want to have to buy a bigger Memory stick or a Wifi router, seriously Sony should release something like the Nintendo Wi-fi usb.

Well that would be in the case of small games like the ones you see on the VC,Xlive,Pstore but now Bigger games, is he out of his effing mind?, First the PSP battery can’t hold enough so you need to be connected to a power source, second I doubt the PSP can download a full game and be used for gaming at the same time, Third Sony would probably make the service need a PS3 for some unknown stuff.

Basically is just a bad idea but well this from the guy that said the wii wouldn’t last.

BTW wasn’t Earthworm Jim for the PSP canned?.

sheppy2.0 @ Sep 17th 2007 6:26PM

Dude, I already told you, PSP can detect that dongle for the NDS. Friend of mine uses that. Sony putting out their own USB dongle seems a bit excessive considering you can buy any USB dongle that transmits a WiFi homebase and it works.

Zach Pomerantz @ Sep 17th 2007 3:38PM

Why can't the games just be on some form of SD card and you would just save to your game, or there could be a small internal memory to keep the game file info?

ahatter @ Sep 17th 2007 3:39PM

"While we agree that digital distribution is on the rise, we're not sure if there's financial benefit for the consumer. A 1.0 GB memory stick can cost over $30, and then you still have the buy the titles (which may not drop in price should they go download)."

I am sure if they actually did this they would do away with the memory sticks and add a hard drive or some kind of internal memory built in