Sony PSX is a disappointment

X4

Gaming device not all it could be




Electronics giant Sony has dropped several features from its upcoming PSX, a product the company describes as one of its most important this year, because it has not been able to complete development in time for the year-end sales period.
The PSX is Sony's first attempt at tying the world of consumer electronics and games together and combines a hard disk drive video recorder, DVD recorder, music player, photoviewer and PlayStation2 games console in a single box.

A prototype of the product was displayed at the Ceatec 2003 electronics show in Tokyo in October this year and Sony revealed the PSX specifications for the first time at the show after announcing general plans for the product in the first half of this year.

Last week it said it will launch the product in Japan on 13 December and again published specifications, although there are several major differences between those disclosed in October and those announced last week.

Gone from the latest specifications is the ability to play back DVD+RW discs, read CD-R data discs (although audio CDs recorded on CD-R discs are supported), display TIF and GIF format images, display movies taken with Sony's Cybershot digital still cameras and play MP3 files.

Copying video files from the PSX's hard disk drive to DVD discs has also been slowed down, from 24- to 12-speed, and it cannot connect to the PlayStation BB online gaming service.

"We have changed the specification," said Taro Takamine, a spokesman for Sony in Tokyo. The features are gone for two reasons, he said; the first is to make the device easier to use.

Takamine cited the example of browsing digital images and said that entry-level users, at which the device is aimed, will find it easier if they don't have to make a selection between Jpeg, TIF and GIF formats.

The second reason is that development of some functions missed deadline and had to be left out.

"Also we are not able to complete testing of some formats before the holiday shopping season," he said. "Our priority is to launch before the year end."

When launched next week, the PSX will support DVD-R/RW writable media, DVD-Video, Audio CD and all PlayStation discs, as well as be able to display Jpeg-format images and read Atrac3 encoded music, which is a format developed by Sony and used in its MiniDisc players and some other digital audio products.

Töpher

So, essentially, they cut out many features in order to try and make some cash before X-mas?

The inability to play games online thru it is a major fúck up IMO.

Boo.

tman

how much are these "babies" retailing at?

chances are you could build yourself a shuttle with a dvd +/- rw drive and a tv tuner card for half the price of this piece of crap...

po0k

This was reported on The Reg a day or 3 ago.

notice how it still has bloody ATRAC support....faegs.

CyberGhost

psx is more an entertainment system that can play games too than a "console"

it has the same guts as ps2

and it costs around 960$

i don't know who would buy this thing?

but the good news is ps3 is coming in 2007

Ronaldo7

2007 is ages away! Its already feeling old...

This is old news. This was on megagames.com ages ago telling about this.

sceptre

Originally posted by CyberGhost
but the good news is ps3 is coming in 2007

2007? I was thinking even late 2005 would be a bit slack.

tman

there's no way the playstation brand could survive if they kept launching the ps3 until 2007. the ps2 is outdated now, imagine it in 3 years and a bit...

a ps3 concept pic

CyberGhost

maybe xbox will catch up with sony and release x-box 3 by 2007

i heard they are already working on xbox 2 with ibm

isn't ps3 going to be powered with the "cell"? must be pretty awesome if it takes them so much time to manufacture it

i have seen that pic, they say it's the closest thing to the real thing, some leaked concept or something, imho looks ugly! i still like "square" cases more, where the hell should i put that "disk"?