Friday, September 24, 2004

Sony at TGS
Today's press conference reveals 46 new titles, but not the launch date or price.
TOKYO--In a press conference today, Sony Computer Entertainment revealed some new details on the PlayStation Portable, which is slated for release this winter. SCE revealed 46 new titles that are currently in development for the PSP, which brings the total number of games in development to 105. There are 60 companies currently developing games, while 100 have signed on as third-party publishers and are currently planning titles.

Some notable new games that were announced today come from major third-party publishers: Atlus is developing a Persona RPG, SNK is developing a 3D fighting game based on the King of Fighters series, Namco is making a Taiko no Tatsujin drum/music game, and From Software is making a Tenchu title.

Rez and Space Channel 5 creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi's new game, developed by his new independent studio Q Entertainment, was also shown. Called Lumines, the title is described as a "sound and light action puzzle game," and it will be published by Bandai. Visitors to the Tokyo Game Show will get the first chance to check out Lumines and 21 other titles that will be playable at SCE's booth.

No mention of specific movie titles were announced for release on the PSP's proprietary UMD media, although SCE president Ken Kutaragi said that plans to do so are in the final stages. When asked if the PSP will be able to record data on the UMD, Kutaragi confirmed that Sony doesn't have any plans to allow users to do so, at least in the early years after the machine's release.

"We're seeing the UMD as a medium for software distribution, so it should be good enough to just release it [without recording capabilities]," Kutaragi said to the press assembled at the conference. "But if the market starts to get stabilized and things are going well, there might be [game] companies that want to take advantage of UMD recording capabilities in their games. If that happens, we'll have to discuss with the companies about what kind of recording format to use, whether to add on stronger copy protection, or to even to make it into an international standard."

A new feature announced for the PSP during the conference is that the handheld will adopt the Cross Media Bar (XMB) interface for its system menu. The XMB originated in Sony's PSX hardware, and is now making its way to the company's other home electronic products.

Surprisingly, SCE did not use the conference to announce the price of the hardware. Sony won't be announcing it at the Tokyo Game Show, either--the official rationale is that the company will be using the reactions of the visitors to its PSP booth as one of the yardsticks by which it will determine the handheld's price. The handheld's release date hasn't been fixed, either, although it's slated for release sometime this winter. "We won't announce the price of the PSP today," Kutaragi said. "We hope to announce the price and release date of the PSP after we hear the voices of our users, distributors, and developers at the Tokyo Game Show."

When asked whether the PSP will be priced higher than the Nintendo DS--which Nintendo today announced would sell for 15,000 yen ($149)--Kutaragi declined to comment, but stressed that SCE's handheld will still sell well if it's more expensive than the DS, since the systems are positioned differently and won't be competing directly in price. Kutaragi said that he sees the DS as a new GBA model, while on the other hand he sees the PSP as a totally new handheld with next-generation specs. "When the [original] PlayStation came out, it cost 39,800 yen," he said. "At that time, Nintendo's [Super Famicom] was around 12,000 yen, but they both sold pretty well." Kutaragi also noted that the PlayStation's launch price of 39,800 yen was in no way indicative of the PSP's price.

Kutaragi revealed that the PSP hardware is already finished and ready to launch, and that software availability is the main factor that will determine the release date. "It wouldn't be good if there were a stack of games released at [the PSP's] launch, and then a long period afterward without game releases," Kutaragi said. "So we need to look ahead. We want to make sure that we have a steady release [schedule] before announcing the launch date." When asked if the PSP will be released within the year, Kutaragi said boldly, "I want to get it out. We're preparing for it." For more updates, be sure to check My coverage of Tokyo Game Show 2004(coming soon).

The lists of PSP games that will be shown at the Tokyo Game Show and of today's newly announced titles are below.

Games to be on exhibit at the Tokyo Game Show:

Electronic Arts
Need for Speed Underground Rivals [working title] (Racing)

Capcom
Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (Fighting)

Genki
Tokyo Freeway Battle (Racing)

Koei
Shin Sangoku Muso [working title] (Action)

Konami
Ys: Ark of Napishtim [working title] (Action RPG)
Mahjong Fight Club (Table)
Meikyu Tansaku Gata Monster Shooting [working title] (FPS)
Metal Gear Acid [working title] (TBA)

Sony Computer Entertainment
Tenchi no Mon (Sword Action RPG)
Dokodemo Issho (Chatting Game)
Minna no Golf Portable [Hot Shots Golf in the US] (Golf)

Sega
Puyo Puyo Fever (Action Puzzle)

Taito
Puzzle Bobble Pocket (Puzzle)

Namco
Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Daijiten (Puzzle)
New Ridge Racer [working title] (Racing)
T.O.E. [working title] (RPG)

Hudson
Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory [working title] (Action RPG)

Bandai
Eiyuu Densetsu Gagarve Trilogy: Shiroki Majo (RPG)
Soukyuu no Fafner [working title] (Action)
Lumines (Sound and Light Action Puzzle)

From Software
AC Formula Front (Mech Simulation)

Marvelous Interactive
A.I Series Shougi [working title] (Table)

Newly announced PSP titles:

Aqua Plus
Visual Novel Series (Adventure)

Atari Japan
TBA (Action Adventure)
TBA (Driving Action)
TBA (Racing)

Atlus
EX Jinsei Game (Table)
Touge MAX (Racing)
Princess Crown (Action RPG)
Persona (Action RPG)

Imagineer
Educational Game (Educational)

SNK Playmore
KOF [working title] (3D Fighting)

MTO
Angel Collection (Dressing)
Puzzle

Ongakukan
Mobile Train Simulator + Densha de GO! Tokyo Kyuukou Hen [working title] (Simulation)

Global A. Entertainment
Mushi (Simulation)

Xnauts
Sengoku Cannon [working title] (Action)

Konami
TBA (Simulation RPG)

Success
TBA (Table)

Sammy
Jissen Pachislot Hisshouhou! Series [working title] (Pachinko Simulation]

Sony Computer Entertainment
RPG [working title] (RPG)
MMORPG [working title] (MMORPG)
Karaoke [working title] (Karaoke)
GAMES [working title] (Online Game)
NOVEL [working title] (Novel)
Red Line [working title] (Communication)


Taito
Space Invader Pocket [working title] (Shooting)

Takuyo Kogyo
Plus Plum 2 Again [working title] (Puzzle)
Hoshigari Empusa (Academic Love Simulation)

D3 Publisher
Puzzle [working title] (Puzzle)

Tecmo
Karakuri (Action)
Tecmo My Generation (Variety)
Dokodemo Kaishou! Pachislot Sengen (Pachinko Simulation)

Tomy
Action Game (Action)

Dorasu
Dorasu Slot2: Shuyaku wa Zenigata (Pachinko Simulation)

Namco
Taiko no Tatsujin [working title] (Music)
Namco Museum [working title] (Variety)

Bandai
Soukyuu no Fafner [working title] (Action)
Dragon Ball Z [working title] (TBA)
Naruto [working title] (TBA)
Patlabor [working title] (Mini Patrol)
Lumines (Sound and Light Action Puzzle)
One Piece [working title] (TBA)

From Software
Kings Field (3D Real-Time RPG)
New Adventure Game (Adventure)
Tenchu (Action)

Mainichi Communications
Toudai Shougi Portable (Table)

Yamasa Entertainment
Yamasa Digi Portable (Pachinko Variety)

Previously announced PSP titles with name changes:

Electronic Arts
Need for Speed Underground Rivals [working title] (Racing)

Capcom
Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (Fighting)

Sony Computer Entertainment
Saru Gecchu P! (Monkey Grabbing Action)
Derby Time (Horse Racing Entertainment)
Tenchi no Mon (Sword Action RPG)
Popozaru Academia: Dossari! Sarugee Daizenshuu (Monkey Game Collection)

Taito
Puzzle Bobble Pocket (Puzzle)

Dorasu
Dorasu Slot: Super Hanahana 30 (Pachinko Simulation)

Now Production
Higanjima [working title] (Horror Adventure)

Namco
Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Daijiten (Puzzle)

Bandai
Eiyuu Densetsu Gagarve Trilogy: Shiroki Majo (RPG)



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