Sony: PSP Brite's scanlines caused by hardware, no plans to fix [update]

by Ross Miller { Oct 21st 2008 at 11:00AM }

Though SCEA is still "looking into the problem," Sony's Japanese headquarters (SCEI) has released a statement describing the PSP-3000 (a.k.a. PSP Brite) scanline issues as being part and parcel of the new hardware. "PSP-3000 has a new LCD device with vastly improved picture quality, achieving a more natural and vivid picture than older models," said the statement (via Engadget Japan). "By improving LCD response time to reduce ghosting, the horizontal-line phenomenon becomes more visible."

Turns out, phenomenon means "no fix in sight." According to Sony, "Since this phenomenon is caused by hardware characteristics, there is no plan to fix it with system software update." We'll be interested to see if Sony of America (SCEA) has anything different to say.

Update: SCEA has finally received the corporate memo, feeding us the same official statement from SCEI. (Posted in full after the break.)

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Sony says:

"On some occasions, scan lines may appear on scenes where brightness changes drastically, due to the hardware features of the new LCD device on PSP-3000. Installed with this new LCD device, PSP-3000 offers more natural and vibrant colors on its screen, but the scan lines have come out to be more visible as a result of improving response time to alleviate the afterimages on PSP-3000. Since this is due to hardware specification, there are no plans for a system software update concerning this issue."

Tags: breakingnews, interlacing, psp-3000, psp-brite, scanlines, scea, scei

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Cellien @ Oct 21st 2008 11:05AM

Well that sucks. :(

DigDug @ Oct 21st 2008 1:12PM

What sucks, is the number of cretins here that think a still image can portray what a fast moving image looks like.

Are all Americans this stupid?

Ridgecity @ Oct 21st 2008 1:42PM

As Steve Jobs would say it: Boom!

Cellien @ Oct 21st 2008 1:45PM

If stupid you mean able to realize the drawbacks of slow refresh rates in gaming and question why Sony would try and pass it off as a "better" screen... Then yes, I guess we are stupid. Or wait, no we aren't. You are for being a fanboy.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 21st 2008 11:14AM

There are displays that exhibit this. They do have better characteristics of some sorts (like reduced power usage), but there's just no way to get over the scissor effects during fast movement.

Honestly, Sony should have thought twice before releasing a new model with this problem. This could make the PSP-3000 less desirable than the PSP-2000 and thus crimp sales of the platform through the entire Xmas season.

SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Oct 21st 2008 2:13PM

even though i know this is Sony we are talking about, i still find it absolutely dumbfounding that they wouldn't test for this kind of stuff. i mean i haven't tried one myself, but from what i've read, it seems you can duplicate the problem by simply loading a game or playing a video. not catching this in the prototype phase is completely unacceptable. i could see if it was something like "Game A will freeze on the new console if you give Bob 6 apples instead of 7 in obscure side quest 49." but this is just amazing to me the lack of care you have to display to miss something this huge.

im thinking they noticed it and hoped the general public would be too stupid to notice it as well.

jitty @ Oct 21st 2008 7:15PM

I completely agree ^^^^ Maybe it's just an isolated problem like the dead pixels thing or the UMD popping out thing. And that response sony gave is just some short notice BS until they really find out how this is happening.

Jakka @ Oct 21st 2008 11:15AM

Stage 1: Denial

mapi @ Oct 21st 2008 11:24AM

Stage 2: Describing it as a "feature"

Fox318 @ Oct 21st 2008 11:26AM

Step 3: ??????

Kendall B @ Oct 21st 2008 11:27AM

Step 4: Profit

ZaxCG2 @ Oct 21st 2008 12:09PM

Good work gentlemen.

Marty @ Oct 21st 2008 12:10PM

Step 5: Recall

Zertoss @ Oct 21st 2008 12:27PM

On no you di'int!

Noshino @ Oct 21st 2008 12:38PM

It seems that Marty didn't read the article...

Chin-Poh @ Oct 21st 2008 11:16AM

Good thing I'd held off on a PSP-3000 purchase. : /

Fernando Rocker @ Oct 21st 2008 11:17AM

I was about to buy a PSP-3000 next month... I want to play the Mega Man Powered Up and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X games.

I guess I will have to wait.

John @ Oct 21st 2008 11:22AM

sure you were fernando, sure you were...

Fernando Rocker @ Oct 21st 2008 11:27AM

Well... it was a hard decision =p

But the PSP is just for the two Mega Man games and for homebrew. There are no other game on the PSP that looks interesting in my opinion.

I hope that by the time the PSP-3000 screens are fixed, a hacked firmware is available.

Zertoss @ Oct 21st 2008 11:31AM

I have a feeling you would like Patapon, Fernando. Crisis Core and God of War are also excellent games.

Also, I'm glad I got the 2000. Scanlines bug the hell out of me.

John @ Oct 21st 2008 11:38AM

Oh yeah, Patapon is hella fun. Also they have those old capcom collection games. I haven't played the other ones he mentions tho.

Fernando Rocker @ Oct 21st 2008 11:40AM

I like to play a lot of RPG's on handhelds. That's the primary use of my DS and GBA.

I know the PSP has some good RPG's, but I'm worried about the loading times. I was Ys the other day in my cousin's PSP, and the loading times are very long.

Well, the game is bad, but still. I'm also interested in Tales of the World... how are the loading times in that game?

Chin-Poh @ Oct 21st 2008 11:42AM

Some games on the PSP are pretty bad at loading times, I actually noticed that Ys was one of them. Though if you hack the PSP and have it on the memory stick, the loading times should be improved considerably and no noise from the UMD drive.

Tales of the World I only played a bit but enjoyed and loads up fairly quickly.

John Z @ Oct 21st 2008 11:53AM

Don't forget Brave Story! Great game, especially if you like PS1-era RPGs (and this isn't a bad thing); I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Also, the PSP has a pretty good set of retro collections; Parodius Portable, Gradius Collection, and Sega Genesis Collection are three standouts.

Heck, it even gets the good remakes (Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean, Parappa the Rapper, Gitaroo Man).

I sound like a fanboy now so I'll shut up, but I just wanted to toss out a few of the titles I think you'd like, F.

GenBanks @ Oct 21st 2008 12:00PM

Same here, I was thinking of finally getting a PSP thanks to the new screen... I've been wanting to play Patapon since I first heard about it :p
Guess I might hold off after all...
This can't be good for Sony!

WRE @ Oct 21st 2008 12:03PM

That's funny, because I also bought my PSP for those two Mega Man games. It's been a great purchase so far, I'm just glad that I got the 2000...

Zertoss @ Oct 21st 2008 12:12PM

Don't forget that as of the 2000, the load times have been improved. All the games I mentioned have decent load times. I haven't played anything yet that has caused me to complain about them.

Oh, and I also bought the PSP for both of the Megaman games.

&rew @ Oct 21st 2008 12:25PM

Tales of the World's load times are fine. But it is the same missions over and over.

KiraXD @ Oct 21st 2008 1:37PM

dont forget all the PS1 ISO's you can load up on a mem stick... all those AMAZING PS1 rpgs just waiting to be played on the go...

DangerMouse @ Oct 21st 2008 11:19AM

"achieving a more natural and vivid picture"

1980's TV simulation?

tmacairjordan87 @ Oct 21st 2008 11:20AM

I'm glad I told my dad to avoid the 3000 for christmas and just get me the 2000. Thanks for continually fucking up the 3000 to make me feel better about the descision sony!

John @ Oct 21st 2008 11:21AM

So in typical sony fashion, we will not be correcting the deficiencies in our hardware, fanboys, commence ranting how this is an innovative feature.

-sony PR dept.

Ayrkain @ Oct 21st 2008 12:26PM

Sorry but real Sony fanboys bitch Sony out when there is a problem. PS3's with PS2 BC looked worse than the PS2 at launch. We made a thread about it and turned it basically into a sticky by constantly bumping it until they couldn't ignore us anymore. Within a few months of launch it was resolved. This will not go away either.

KarlW @ Oct 21st 2008 12:55PM

This is a pretty stupid announcement by Sony. Just because it's a hardware issue, doesn't mean it can't be helped by proper software.

My laptop was badly designed and starting overheating (to the point where the paint on one of the shell buttons came off). I used a software tool to underclock the processor. No reason a filter can't be applied to the image before it gets to the screen to ease the problem.

How did this slip through QA? Did nobody try and play a game on it?

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 21st 2008 1:30PM

It's not as bad as it appears in that picture. And it's not a "fault", it was a known design choice, so QA has nothing to do with it.

It is truly a feature. It's a choice Sony made to get certain other display characteristics.

If you ask me, it was a poor choice. But don't go blaming poor QA for it.

McWeen @ Oct 21st 2008 11:26AM

I still have the original version of the system. They would need some serious upgrades to make me consider buying the same system again...more than a brighter screen.

Megadanxzero @ Oct 21st 2008 11:26AM

So better hardware makes it look worse?

Oh Sony, you do know how to entertain us...

SunKing @ Oct 21st 2008 11:27AM

So, what exactly is the point of upgrading to the 3000 now? The microphone? It's amazing how many times Sony can shoot themselves in the foot. It just baffles me how a company can be just so consistantly stupid :(

Obie @ Oct 21st 2008 11:28AM

I lost my PSP at the airport last week, whomever finds it enjoy your crappy scanlines ya bastard!

Trippy Haps @ Oct 21st 2008 11:33AM

I won't...

-Sigh-

GenBanks @ Oct 21st 2008 12:02PM

You should say which airport and terminal... you never know, maybe the person who finds it reads joystiq =)

ZaxCG2 @ Oct 21st 2008 1:42PM

We have your PSP. If you want to see it again, transfer the money by Friday. You have been warned.

Madeira @ Oct 21st 2008 11:29AM

That's what I get for trading in my perfectly good PSP-2000 for credit towards the 3000. Look at that fuckin interlacing... good grief. How in the world did they think that would be ok.

Kizzle @ Oct 21st 2008 11:34AM

They should rename this one the PSP-Shit.

This reminds me of when the PSP originally came out and people discovered the square face button wasn't always registering due to a design flaw. Whoever was in charge at Sony at the time basically said to the press the equivalent of "our product is awesome, complainers eat shit."

John @ Oct 21st 2008 11:44AM

Don't forget the dead pixels it had too. I was feeling a little pissy about the announcement of the 3000 right after I bought a 2000 for me and one for my wife, but now I'm convinced it is the best version out there.

LaughingTarget @ Oct 21st 2008 11:51AM

Sometimes I wonder if Sony can stand having a positive image on any of their products. Maybe the next PS3 revision will give people herpies, can't have consumers think it's a solid product for too long.

Chin-Poh @ Oct 21st 2008 12:07PM

I agree, I've been quite upset with Sony lately. First with my PS3's Blu-Ray drive failing, my Vaio TZ notebook being under a recall and several people's having theirs fried, mine looks to be a ticking time-bomb. Your new PS3s are gimped compared to the old models, where the old models are more failure prone. And now with this PSP-3000 screen issue, when its improved screen was the selling point of it over the 2000 model?

BPMOmega [gamertag] @ Oct 21st 2008 3:08PM

Not trying to hate or anything, but the Sony brand name hasn't meant "quality" in a long time. People just assume it does, so they figure they can get away with charging more for an inferior product.

The PS3 was probably the first top-quality product they've made in a while. The number of PS3s to have flaws is VERY low.
... 'Course they have to go and mess up it's quality by removing PS2 playback...