Microsoft to knock-out PSP?

[wraggster]

Source PSPFanboy

Everytime you turn around it seems that some new device is claiming the portable throne and declaring itself a PSP killer.

Apparently, Microsoft's recently unveiled Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer is the next in a long list of contenders. An article over at Ultranauts.com makes the bold (but entirely unoriginal) claim that the UMPC will be the latest device to put a nail in Sony's old PSP.

I don't think the fanboy's will agree, but some interesting comparisons are made between the two devices in terms of media, internet and gaming capabilities:

"As an all-in-one, the PSP really does do a fine job. But, as is the whole point of this article, the PSP will get trumped by the UMPC, a vastly superior all-in-one “lifestlye” device. Now, if Sony had chosen to focus on games in the same way Nintendo has with its new portables, there would be no contest: the PSP would be a superior gaming machine."

Ouch. That sorta feels like all of the schoolyard bullies are ganging up on you at once. Frankly, we're not too scared. Bring it on.

[Payk]

Watch this link
Ok sony has a big problem, i agree. But the problem is not microsoft only...
This UMPC device will be produced by "many" producer. So its not a microsoft device... Its an allrounder and not a handheld. So PSP will lose that costumers who wants an allrounder. But it wont lose that costumers who wants a PS-Protable... And i think allmost 80% of pspowners have a PS too. So sony will lose much costumers but the fans will stay i think...

[PSP Halo2]

i wanna see UMPC's N64 SNES emulator. Oh wheres that? huh? You dont have 1? EXACTLY!

[Jay_PSP]

i wanna see UMPC's N64 SNES emulator. Oh wheres that? huh? You dont have 1? EXACTLY!

It runs XP you will have better emus than exist on the PSP from day 1?

And a decent sized screen easy full web access, etc. Only thing lacking is the decent gaming controls like on the PSP, but Im sure that will come.

Nothing wrong with having both, PSP's pocket size is its advantage at times.

[Boopop]

As Jay_PSP said, this UMPC would easily trounce the psp at emulation. Anyway, knowing microsoft, this thing would be upwards of £300, and is not as portable as a PSP. I take my PSP with me practically everywhere in my pocket. I couldn't with this. Granted this is a pretty cool gadget MS have got, but it can't contend with the PSP in some aspects, for example under 18s. If i had to buy a 10 year old a PSP or one of these UMPC's it'd deffo be the PSP. A PC is a lot easier to mess up.

[vettacossx]

if Sony had chosen to focus on games in the same way Nintendo has with its new portables, there would be no contest: the PSP would be a superior gaming machine."

I LOVE IT WRAGGSTER YOU,VE HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!
first of all sony has made there media mistake and learned from it i hope!!
and with the drop of umd movies its only natural that sony trys to make up for sales by doing none other than JUST THAT MAKING MORE GAMES and what better insentive than a idle threat for x-box who wont realease x-box hand held for 5 years hello people want halo now dumbass not 8 years later!!! i like the psp best for handheld consoles but nintendo has there "$#@! TOGETHER SO TO SPEAK" whereas sony and microsoft are so busy worrying about one another that they are hard too even approximate the direction they will head ...but as for umd mvies..we know this has went down the toobs $$ wise ...i hope that MICROSOFT WILL KEEP IN MIND with the sony psp we dont have to PAY to have movies of any kind any size!! so if your thing is media and your a greedy basterd like microsoft who charges every and any service u can and makes a more security safe system not only will FREE movies be out of the question but....the real issue is will it have a secure firmware more so than even sony trueley un-crackabl if its another peice of gr8 hardware limited only by its creator ...then ive had enough of that $#@! with sony to be honest...i should be able too launch anything the "HARDWARE I PAYED FOR, CAN!!"

[felonyr301]

if this has a decent specs and it runs xp then emulation might be better than psp starting on day 1 but if its crap or it comes with a specialized version of vista then forget it will be worst than psp running firmware 2.6 in emulation because everything is being copy protected like crazy man..

[Joe88]

specs to run XP> 300mhz , 64MB RAM , 800MB HD space.
its bearly nothing.
All it is , is a oversized PDA.

[MaxSMoke]

Sony can continue to make PSP's, Microsoft can do the Portable X-Box all they want, but in the meantime, Nintendo is still going to be cleaning up with their underpowered but far less expensive (not to mention much smaller) Gameboy.

I love my PSP, but then again I've loved alot of competitors to the Gameboy, and all of them bit the dust. Hopefully the PSP will fair better, but it does suffer from the same problems of all of the other competing handhelds:

#1. Not pocket Size, Too BIG!
#2. Limited Battery Life
#3. Well over the $100 casual gamer's handheld spending limit

These are the 3 factors in common with every other handheld that's been made since 1988 to compete against the Gameboy. These all lead to the most painful problem:

#4. Limited Game Library

None of those cutting edge handhelds ever developed a good game library, mostly because they were never around long enough to get a chance to. People don't like to make games for handhelds unless they have a large user base and the handheld is expected to be around for years to come. Developers know the Gameboy franchise is going to be around for years to come, not so much though with the PSP or even the DS.

So, my point is, well Microsoft can make the BIGGEST, BADDEST, MOST WICKED Handheld that ever was created on the face of God's Green Earth.... but if that handheld is Heavy, Expensive, and has terrible battery life... It's probably doomed to failure.

What's painful to see is that the PSP has this great Homebrew community that could be the key turning point to help the PSP succeed, where systems like the Atari Lynx and GameGear have failed. But Sony *HATES* Homebrew! And they've been trying to stomp it out at every turn! Without something dramatic and different to help save the PSP, it too will eventually suffer the same fate as every other Heavy, Big, Battery-Killing Handheld of the past.

I suppose, at the very least, if Sony dumps the PSP, at least then we'll finally have it all to ourselves. Much like the Dreamcast, the PSP will always have a home with Homebrew.

[Emeriastone]

if UMPC supports homebrew, it will knock out psp, but then again, it's microsoft... they hate piracy and that's a risk they won't take...