http://psp.ign.com/articles/771/771743p1.html

Saves me $200 then, because I still refuse to buy one.

I can't see why this would be a surprise to anyone. The arrogance with which Sony ignores problems is well known. So many people were talking of a redesign and it was nothing but wishful thinking. I found it strange how some people took it as a given.

I'm sure eventually they will redesign it but not until enough time has passed so that they don't look like they're just fixing things that shouldn't have been broken in the first place (probably when they announce a PSP2). And even then, do Sony have a good enough grasp of gamer's priorities to design a massively improved model?

I don't know, I get nervous anytime Sony messes with anything... the redesign of the PS2 didn't fix anything outside the space/looks issue and from my personal experience it caused more problems than it solved. Of course, this is my fault for breaking my rule of not buying the first manufacturing runs of anything until the bugs are worked out. I'd take a newer old-model PS2 over a older new-model PS2 any day. God of War, WA:ACF and Xenosaga refuse to play in my PS2 at this point even if they are new copies.

But yeah, refusing to redesign the PSP is simply foolish... Sony should really take this opportunity to make it more appealing like Nintendo has done with it handhelds over the years - because, let's face it, even though the PSP has/is getting some good titles it still needs every advantage it can get. But then considering that "cocky" attitude the company flaunted prior to the PS3's launch, I can't say I'm surprised. A lot of good such an attitude is doing now...

Things like downloading movies, UMD movies has has never appealed to me. Of course, when I buy a game or a movie having an actual hard copy is A MUST... this isn't possible with DLs, so you won't catch me DLing anything to play from any systems online store. UMD movies have been one great joke from the get-go... even with the portability factor I can't imagine taking a UMD version of anything over the DVD eqivalent. There is no future for the UMD format outside it use for the PSP or future handhelds

seriously doubt it

I guess the only thing I'm waiting for now is another price drop... it doesn't seem like that much more than DS at first thought, but that's before factoring in the memory purchase. Even if I didn't have to do that, it's hard to justify purchasing since I know I'll spend much less time with considerably fewer games on a PSP compared to my DS.

In that sense, actually, it feels like a role reversal. I remember using the same rationale (minus redesign factor) when I decided to get a Playstation over a Nintendo 64, and later PS2 over Gamecube.

(Don't worry Nintendo fans, I picked up an N64 and GC later down the road. Although now they're essentially "Mischief Makers Player" and "Game Boy Player" thanks to the Wii. )

I still think the best thing Sony could do with the PSP is make it compatible with a normal television (similar to the Gameboy Player). Of course, I don't think Sony has any such intention, but if they did, that would certainly give me impetus to purchase one.

cheers,

-avatar!

^ Agreed, avatar.

Okay, Wii it is, then the new 22" computer screen I had my eye on...PSP can wait even more indefinitely.

Thank you Sony! You make my decisions so much easier.

On a sidenote though, I am glad to see the price of PSP memory drop dramatically over the past two years. That was always a major sticking point to me, when they wanted close to $100 for a 1GB stick. Now I see 2GB sticks for about half that regularly.

As may of you might expect, I'm none too pleased about this, though I don't necessarily believe Sony, either.  If they're not going to redesign it this year, they should at least drop the price.  ::Sigh::

Looks like I could be eating my words - http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/rumor-no-d … 242845.php

I'll believe it when I see it but I guess it could be seen as encouraging.

My "redesigned" thinner PS2 model died on me 2 months into it, and this was two years ago when I decided to buy this new model.

Now, my original PS2, which I bought way back in 2001, is still alive and kicking with no problems at all.

What all this means, is, nothing, really.

I'll buy a PSP when Dracula X Chronicles comes out......

The article mentions at least two features that I think are completely ridiculous---a built-in camera and touch-screen.  Why can't Sony think of good reasons to cut cost (instead of corners) by NOT adding superfluous nonsense?  Even though I've been waiting for a redesign, I'm still going to say no to a PSP if it is too expensive.  I can't see myself ever justifying buying a handheld that's more than $150.  In fact, for a Sony handheld, I can't see myself paying more than a $100 for one.

I'm curious if Sony is ever going to just do something right, for once.  I don't understand their business motive and ethics at all.

The touchscreen part seems to be the most suspicious piece of the rumor to me, but the rest of it is entirely believable.  Part of the reason I haven't lost hope in the whole PSP redesign thing is a tiny little article I read in the the middle of the Wall Street Journal many months ago that mentioned Sony having contracted a couple flash memory manufacturers to cost effectively make large amounts of internal flash memory for a future version of the PSP.

http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23465

There's confirmation, albeit very vague confirmation.

At the very least, if a redesigned PSP comes out, I can buy the older model for cheaper. That is, if the games that come out between now and then give me reason to do so.

I was at Best Buy, letting myself be tempted by what I can find (I was in the mood to buy something); I looked through the PSP games and saw only two I want:  Powerstone Collection and Capcom Puzzle World.  Suffice it to say, my interest in the redesign plummeted.

Yeah, honestly except for the DS all recent systems are coming up short. Wii, PS3, and PSP all seem to be missing (with a few exceptions) good games (of course you have to give them time, although the PSP has been out for some time now). That being said, there are a few (not many) good PSP games... Mega Man powered up, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Gradius Collection, and of course the upcoming Castlevania Rondo of Blood

cheers,

-avatar!

Seriously. One of my favorite things to do is plunder the used PS2 section of EB/GS. As much as I dislike the PS3, there's no denying that the PS2 has a great catalog of games. Hopefully within the next year or so, the other systems will "catch up" and fill the shelves with some more solid titles.

I can't even name anything on PS3 I want to play...Present or future (I CAN name big franchises that will be on PS3 though, if that counts for anything).

PSP's getting there...I can probably pick it up now and be happy with it, but I'm dead certain Sony's going to do something (price drop or remodel), so I might as well hold off a bit more. I have my DS and a full backlog of games so I'm in no hurry for a new portable and more games I'll probably never finish. I do want to play some Gurumin/LoH though (damn Falcom...PORT THE DAMN GAMES TO THE DS!), plus those Megaman/GnG remakes...and freaking Princess Crown.

Wii's fine as is...Super Paper Mario is right around the corner, plus the novelty of the controller is still fairly new, so games like Elebits, Super Swing Golf, Sonic (bad music, but the game actually looks good) and maybe Excitetruck would be worth looking at. And that's on top of Zelda. If Nintendo can pull off Mario Galaxy, Prime 3 AND Smash Brothers Brawl (with online play this time!) this year, they're really going to be a major force in a hurry.

Hmm... I agree with this only because of my present situation in which I have nearly no time to play any of my games (stupid job search).  Honestly, I haven't played any of the single player in Super Monkey Ball and I don't even know if my Trauma Center disc works.  In the past three months I've gotten through about half of Baten Kaitos II.

HOWEVER, I can totally understand why people are complaining about a drought on the Wii, since it was explicitly stated that there wouldn't be.  Why did Mario Party get delayed, and where the heck is Metroid Prime 3?  And why does every company think that summer is a bad time to release games?  Seriously... for nerdy kids like I was who don't go out and play sports much, summer is when there is tons of time for actually buying and playing new games!  I'm going to be so annoyed when there's a glut of Wii content late this year after nearly nothing before September...

^  Because they hope you spend money on games you missed earlier?

^ I would think that it would be better for them to be selling the games when they come out at full price than consumers waiting until later and buying them at either reduced price new or used!

^ Which would make sense that they not clump all their releases into a few months out of the year so as not to be overwhelmed with competition.  I'm not saying they are wise in how they do things; you'd think they'd have realized a drought means they aren't competing on the new release shelf.

Reduced price or not, I'm certain they still like having the un-used sales or they'd not participate in the Greatest Hits/Player's Choice/Platinum Hits lines.

http://www.the-magicbox.com/

Hmm, $30...Not as much as I hoped. Sony, can you guys go a LITTLE bit lower?

Nah...Now I know as soon as I get one, they'll announce the redesign.

Bought a PSP 3 weeks ago... for $200 of course. Sony screwed me over again? Nope - talking to a random guy today about game-related stuff, I told him when I bought my PSP and by a stroke of luck he said he works at an EB. He told me to bring in my system, say it was defective, and he would exhange it for a new one at the lower price. Worked like a charm! Definitely try it if you bought a PSP within the last 30 days for the old price.

Sony claims the price drop is to make the system more appealing to 13-17 year-olds who are apparently the new audience for the system (Sony originally targeted the system to 18-34 year-olds).  I doubt the $30 difference is really going to make a huge difference after some initial spike.  This is probably just an effort to start clearing inventory of the original model so there won't be so many of them hanging around by the time the new model is released.

For them to clear out current stock they'd either plan on releasing the 'new' model soon this year or they have a LOT of them laying around.  When will they release the 'new' model, or at least by your best guess?

Yup, exactly what I figured.

I would say announcement happens sometime in May and the release occurring before the end of the holidays (earlier in Japan, of course).

I would expect that they probably do have a lot laying around considering that Sony had to reduce estimates of PSP sales not that long ago.  That's not to say they've stopped making the current model (I sincerely doubt that), but they probably have stock built up they need to reduce and then slowly reduce output on the old model as manufacturing of the new model gears up. 

At any rate, I would expect the remodel to be out in the U.S. sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.  The announcement is rumored to be coming this summer and other rumors suggest that publishers are eager to position new PSP titles as "launch" titles for the new model.  Again, all rumors, but there's just too much chatter for nothing to be going on.