UX 50... the New PSP?

[kevinW]

Hi All,

Been away from the forum for a while and noticed a big move on PDA issues.

What I want to throw open (and I apologies if this has already been covered), is do you agree that the UX50 seems to be Sony positioning itself for the new game Playstation Portable (PSP) system proposed at E3.

I understand that Sony have a clear brief for the Clie to be more of a multimedia assistant rather than pure data assistance, but the UX50 strikes me clearly as a machine used for a wider non nerd PDA audience, and that its design sits comparably well to the Nintendo GameBoy Advance alternative.

I just worry that the current NX line could end up as a dead-end brand in a matter of months!

[cbulock]

I think it's possible that the PSP will have a similar design to the UX50, but I'm not sure if the devices really have anything to do with one another.

[Shogmaster]

I personally believe that PSP will see a variation of the Handheld Engine as the CPU. UX50's HE is ARM based, and the PSP's HE will be MIPS based.

[ballistic]

IMHO the UX-50 is the polar opposite of the PSP in terms of form factor. Why would Sony make any Clie usable as a gaming platform when the PSP is in the works? I don't think the design of the UX-50 lends itself very well to playing games.

I think the UX-50 is geared more towards productivity (ie laptop replacement/alternative) and less towards entertainment.

[jaimejr66]

I completely disagree with you on this. Other than maybe being a ClamShell design with a Color screen. The PSP might even use a similar CPU as a basis, but I don't think the PSP will be similar to the UX at all. For one thing, the PSP, as a gaming device will need a large, robust Joystick controls. That would completely take away room for the Keyboard.

Anyway, that is one mans opinion.

[n2ifp]

It's nothing more than a table top organizer

[ballistic]

AFA the PSP goes here's my predictions vs the UX-50;

Larger screen, but landscape orientation.

Buttons on top of each side for thumbs, trigger buttons on bottom of each side. D pad in middle. Think Rio Riot Jukebox form factor and shape, not clamshell like UX-50 and GBA.

Fastest CPU to date (400Mhz +)with integrated DSP for video & audio. Quite possibly a 'Handheld Engine' architecture that can throttle up or down.

Built-in BT for wireless gaming.

[PEG-SJ30]

Sony is such a huge company, that what one hand does, the other doesn't know. I don't think there's any connection between the Clie and PSX divisions. Maybe just the HHEngine coming from the Nagasaki plant that makes the PS3 Cell chip.

[JackAxe]

I think the PSP will ship with a lower rez LCD screen ( 320x240 ) and be made out of plastic. It's supposed to be inexpensive compared to a Clie'. I also don't think they'll put a super fast CPU in it, only because the current Playstation doesn't have one. It only has a "32-bit RISC (R3000A), running at 33MHz." Like other game machines the PSP will probably rely heavily on a GPU.

<]=)

[Unregistered]

Also, you must keep in mind that the PlayStation consoles (with the exception of the upcoming "PS-X" PS2/DVD/Tivo Hybrid component) are designed, supported, and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), which is an altogether different animal from Sony proper which designs, supports, and markets the Clie and its other product families. Therefore, just as the design of the PS2 is quite different in design from nearly all other Sony products, the PSP will have a distinct look from Sony's other consumer electronic products.

[s_n_m]

Originally posted by jaimejr66
For one thing, the PSP, as a gaming device will need a large, robust Joystick controls. That would completely take away room for the Keyboard.


And I suppose the GBASP has large robust joysticks?

This PSP isn't a portable PS1, it is a totally new system. It most likely (because it is portable) will not have joysticks. It will probably not even be analog buttoned, just regular like the GBASP.

Pop a sled onto the UX50 to accept PSP games and there ya go! Control the games using the keyboard.

BTW-The PSP has a 480x220 screen if I remember correctly.

[JackAxe]

Wide screen is sweet for a video game machine. My hopes are up for this PSP now. :)

Here's the (vague) specs straight from SONY:

Graphics:
3D Polygon
3D curved surface ( NURBS )
MPEG4 and latest codings
wide screen TFT LCD
480-pixel by 272-pixel (16:9)
~4.5 inch, backlighted
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20030514/psp06.jpg

Sound:
3D sound
PCM
ATRAC, ACC...
re-configurable DSP
stereo speakers
stereo headphone output
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20030514/psp07.jpg

CPU:
MIPS 32bit core
main memory: embeded DRAM
90nm semiconductor technology
cock speed: T.B.D.
super one-chip solution with graphics, sound, etc.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20030514/psp08.jpg

<]=)

[archangel]

Rumors are the PSP will have some kind of analog control like the PSX.

Not really sure how that will work, but I think they want it as different from the GBA SP as possible.

[TedTschopp]

My thought has always been that sony will start to merge the PSP and Clie lines a bit. Perhaps the PSP will be a Clie focused on entertainment. I can see the PSP being a OS6+ computer at the core. If not the first time out, but give it a couple years or so, and I can definitly see these two lines merging.

Think of the advantage this would have over the Game Boy.

Ted