PSP Dramas: Accessing the Playstation Store Overseas, Buying from Hong Kong, the Morals of Hacking and the Problems with Usability
October 18th, 2009
With the PSPgo almost killing off its potential prospects for a purchase from the get-go*, I’ve finally decided to consider purchasing a PSP of my own, rather than cribbing my brother’s console. Sure enough, I could probably keep pinching his and would likely never need my own, but it’s only fair that I own one myself considering my regular defence of the console.
Besides the reasoning stirred up by the PSPgo, I also think that right now would be the time to invest since before I know it I’ll be living in Shanghai again and in need of something to play. I’ve been up in arms though, unsure whether to buy an older model and hack it so that I can run backups of my UMD games or to buy a regular model and rely on the Playstation Store. Trouble is, will I be able to access the Playstation Store in China?
I forwarded my question to Sony Australia who responded as follows:
Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your recent email.
This can be quite difficult to determine as different countries utilise different Internet providers and setups.
In saying this, you may or may not be able to access the store, depending on what China restricts regarding IP address access.
If China doesn’t restrict access, then you should be able to use and access the Australian PlayStation Network Store.
Hopefully they above helps.
Regards,
So technically yes, but, of course, it depends on China’s IP filter. Hmmm…considering that this site has just recently been blocked from the mainland (happy 60th by the way), it’s difficult to be certain. Still, if you need it (I found Google and foruming to be of little help on this matter) then there is your answer.
As for my decision? I’ve imported a new PSP 2000 from Hong Kong which arrived, as of editing, yesterday. Kinda ironic, huh? Pretty risky too, right? Well let me explain a little.
Importing from Hong Kong
Firstly, as by my research, all PSPs, bar those of Japanese origin, are manufactured in China so hardware-wise an Australian PSP is effectively the same as a Hong Kong PSP. Secondly, PSP games and media (bar UMD movies) are region free with the one concession being that firmware updates and add-on content are region based. This presents a paradox. If I’m looking to hack the console then this wouldn’t matter anyways since additional content must be downloaded from the Playstation Store and access to the Playstation Store requires a firmware update which in turn patches the system and won’t allow hacking. Considering the little amount of add-on content for PSP games, it’s hardly a problem. Plus, I always have my brother’s console. Thirdly, Cantonese language isn’t an issue; don’t forget English is also an official language of Hong Kong, they were originally an English colony. Fourthly, the power supply as by pictures appears to use the 2-prong Chinese plugs. If I’ll be living in China this is fine, but anyways, with the deal I nabbed my PSP comes with a separate USB cable which also doubles as a charger. And finally, common sense. Yes, we westerners like to assume that everything Asian is shady, fake, brain-washed, of poor quality…bah! I say. Whether or not this is true is of no importance though—the truth is if you buy smart then you’ll buy well.
I bought my PSP from eBay from a professional seller which openly sold consoles and games from the region. Their page provided sufficient photos of the box, but most importantly of all they had 15,000+ sales to their name with an almost 100% positive reputation. On checking the feedback page many of these buyers had bough consoles too and were perfectly content. Did I mention that I also got it $AUD90 cheaper than the overpriced Australian RRP (including shipping)?
The Ethics of Hacking
This is simple enough. I have two intentions for hacking my PSP. The first is so I don’t have to carry a stack of UMDs with me to China. This saves me the inconvenience, danger (theft) and possibly cost (travel insurance) of taking my UMDs over. The second is to emulate a handful of NES games which no longer work (or work long enough to play) in their cartridge form. I’m also considering using the device to emulate games which are outside of general purchase. That is, they never were released over here, cost too much or no longer work.
Piracy is against my moral code, I simply wish to access the content I have already purchased which, as we know, Sony can’t offer a decent solution for. Sony have completely cocked up with the usability of this device and to a lesser extent the PS3. They haven’t set up the infrastructure for owners of physical copies to have a digital equivalent of their content (even if they have to pay a concession for it).
They’ve made transferring media a lesson in failed proprietary software. Installing Mediago (their PSP media management software) on my computer required Quicktime and various additional components. Overall it took an hour to install everything! Even once I had the software installed it still couldn’t connect to the Playstation Store through the PC.
User accounts are the same, I recently bought Rock Band Unplugged and downloaded it to my brother’s PSP. My brother then went to download Still Alive, the free track from Portal, and was locked out of the game as the PSN accounts didn’t match. Umm…thanks for that.
Then there’s the fact that the PSP RSS feeder doesn’t update, the browser is slow and loads broken pages, the system tells you to update your firmware but doesn’t provide a prompt and lastly, the system allows you to download firmware and then once it’s downloaded alerts you that you don’t have the space to install it, so you must clear space and download again!!
As far as I see it, I’m simply taking matters into my own hands. I’ll let you know how my experience fairs in a future post.
*That was no a subliminal marketing ploy.
PSP Moving from Strength to Strength
December 28th, 2007
A few months back Itagaki-san (Techmo) shared his opinions as to why he believes the PSP has not been as successful as it probably should’ve been. Basically he said that Sony should have tried to attract GameBoy Advance owners from switching over to the DS.
I think that he proves a good point. The GBA was well known for its more ‘hardcore’ gamer games like Fire Emblem, Metroid, Advance Wars, Final Fantasy and Castlevania. This falls right in line with the PSP which is suited towards the gamers that like these games. The PSP’s software line up reflects this.
Unfortunately Sony dropped the ball and for no apparent reason slowed all advertising of the device in almost every region worldwide. And with this slump in marketing (as well as the mass market DS games that started trickling out) Sony allowed the PSP to be trampled on by the DS.
Despite this in the past year Sony has put its ‘clever pants’ back on and has made a few wise choices regarding the PSP. These choices teamed with some great software is helping the PSP start fresh and finally live up to its potential. So I want to reflect over the wise moves that Sony has made this year to help put the PSP back where it belongs.
PSP Slim/Price
Although they didn’t cut the almost useless multimedia features and opt for a more cheaper console. Sony did slim down the PSP not only in size but also I price. Currently the PSP is sitting comfortably between the $AUD250-$300 price range which is a very attractive price point when you consider that its only $50 more than a Nintendo DS.
But what I think makes the PSP even more attractive to any hardcore player is the price of the games. Great games like Ridge Racer 2, Lumines, WipeOut, Syphon Filter, Tekken are all down at the cheap $20-30 price range. It certainly makes DS games look like a rip off. I mean what would you rather LocoRoco, Tekken and Syphon Filter or Elite Beat Agents?
Sony have bought in a similar pricing model to hat it has with the PSP. Once a game doesn’t need to be full price, it isn’t. You can see this with PSP games across the board. There is a good balance between the $20-$70 where you hardly ever need to pay $70 for a game unless you are buying it within the first month of release.
When you compare this to Nintendo’s dated pricing model then the PSP is more so at an advantage. Its rare to see anything beyond Petz Vetz and Brain training below the $35 price point. Yet if you compare the software out right the PSP’s games cost more money to make and take advantage of greater technology. Basically you are getting technically better software for a cheaper price.
Strong Software Line up
When people talk about buying a PSP they say that they don’t want to because it has a laughably weak software line up. This might have been true a few years ago but its certainly not true anymore. If you compare the software line up of games for the hardcore player of the PSP to the DS then the PSP comes out as a clear winner. In the past half a year Elite Beat Agents and Zelda: PH have been the only major software titles for this audience. Yet there has been a plethora of great games for the PSP, all released in the past few months:
PSP
- Disgea Hour of Darkness
- Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
- Castlevania Dracula X Cronicles
- Wipeout Pure
- Syphon Filter Dark Mirror
- Silent Hill Origins
- Rachet and Clank
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
And down the track theres God of War, FF: Crisis Core, Gran Turismo, FF:Dissidia, Star Ocean and more.
These games scream appeal to the GBA crowd or the hardcore gamer. I don’t know how any self respecting player can go pass Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions and Castlevania Dracula X Cronicles.
PSone Classics
Not only is there that strong line up of UMD games you can now download old PSone classics onto your PSP. Now admittedly the line up isn’t that strong yet but there are still a number of great titles that are worth snatching up. You can download them directly from your PC as well.
Conclusion
Its pretty obvious that I am hyped up about the PSP but I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for a good reason. The console is moving from strength to strength and still somehow is overlooked. I just can’t understand how people can be overlooking such a good deal.
The 12 Best “Non Gamer” Games for the PSP
August 28th, 2007
At the moment the most popular trend in the Video Game Industry has to be non gamer games. These titles have won the hearts of non gamers and continue to sell through the roof. Numerous game developers have taken notice and created new studios that deal for this new market.
Which leads us to the PSP. Sony have finally decided to focus some of their attention on this market for the PSP. And so to they should with the phenominal success of Buzz!, Eye Toy and Singstar on the PS2. Sony’s new Go! range is targetted towards this market. It isn’t the only time that Sony have tried this trick, do you remember this guy?
I thought that I’d take the time out to talk about some already released titles which Sony could cleverly use to market towards this crowd. Nintendo uses this technique to push 12 month old titles into the Weekly Top 10 Sales Charts(ie. Animal Crossing) and it clearly works. So Sony should do the same but with these titles:
Lumines was the first true killer PSP app and remains one of the system’s best games to date. This puzzle game works similar to Tetris but with decked out music. Groups of different coloured blocks fall from the top of the screen, you need to match the colours of the individual blocks in order to clear the blocks and keep the game alive. There is a horizontal line that moves across the screen, when this line hits the paired blocks then it clears them from the screen, giving you some more breathing space.
Like all good puzzle games it’s straight forward but challenging. What did set Lumines apart from other puzzle games is that video clips and music play in the background while you’re trying to match the boxes. I say did because this trend caught on pretty quickly with other puzzle games. Hurrah for techno music fans or people that take too many drugs.
EEE was developed by the makers of Lumines, so you know a what to expect; synthesized music with trippy visuals. This game is somewhat like a kamikaze version of space invaders; that is you drive your ship into oncoming enemies to rack up large combos. It’s great because of its unconvential approach which changes the original SI game so dramatically.
Gunpey is named after Gunpei Yokoi, the legendary creator of the Gameboy and also the Wonderswam. The latter console which this game debuted on. The concept of this game is simple, so simple that my feeble mind cannot think of a better way to describe it, so on with the external quote:
Gunpey’s premise is simple: Lines pointing in various directions pop onto the gameplay grid from the bottom, and you must connect them from left to right. Once you’ve linked one side to the other, the chain is locked, and you have a few seconds to add more lines before it is removed. You use the D pad to move a two-block cursor onto the lines and a face button to move the line from one block to the other. If a line is in the top row when the next row is due to appear at the bottom, the game is over. It sounds easy, but the underlying complexity soon becomes apparent.
Hope that makes things clearer for you.
Crush is a relatively new game for the PSP but is one of it’s most recent successes. Crush plays out like your standard 3D platformer. Your character Danny needs to collect his lost marbles in order to open the exit door and move to the next stage. Pretty simple right? Wrong! Press the left shoulder button and you can flatten the environment, putting the game into a 2D perspective. Danny can then use this to see other platforms that he hadn’t seen before and hence progress to the next level. Nice. This game actually has a neat storyline as well as the clever gameplay.
This game is a 3D platform-esque puzzler which calculates brain statistics from how well you achieve each level of the game. To progress in the game you need to navigate your silhouette(yes, silhouette) thru a 3D environment and use him to get past obstacles in the course. The game starts off with rather simplistic “crate” puzzles and then gets progressively harder with various distractions along the way. The games levels are designed to test the thought process and hence you are graded on not only how quickly you finish but also how accurately you complete each puzzle. These variables are then used to calculate your IQ.
LocoRoco is a genius game that actually puts the PSP’s layout to good use in a clever way. You use the left and right shoulder buttons to rotate the environment which in turn roll your little blobs around. You have to maneouver them thru the maze like levels filled with vibrant colour and simplisic digital art. You also have the ability to jump and split your blob up into tiny blobs to squeeze thru tight gaps. This title like Lumines is an exciting new franchise that was birthed on the PSP that is now branching out all over the place. There is a title coming out for the Playstation Network that is 90% complete.
If you are familiar with the Katamari series then you probably know what to expect out of this title. That is a portable rendition of the famous rolly polly game. For those out of the loop in the Katamari games your goal is to roll a little ball around a densly populated environment to create a massive snowball consisting of whatever you can find. Me and My Katamari makes a pretty solid transition to the PSP and if you are restricted to just a PSP, then its definetly worth a suss.
Mercury Meltdown is the sequel of the rushed PSP launch game; Mercury. Thankfully this time around Ignition(developer) has had the time to expand this concept and this game shows this quite well The basis of this game is to move your blob of mercury through the stage in order to reach an exit point. You can change the state of the mercury heating, cooling or solidifying it. This alters how the merucry is affected in the environment. These forms allow you to tackle the various obstacles in the stages.
Think of Traxxpad as a music making application for the PSP so kinda like Audacity. As simple as that sounds the game proves to be anthing but with it’s strong wealth of mixing options. Despite a simplistic nonchanging interface Traxxpad is a great application for newbies who want to make music without too much computer complexity. This game is a perfect of what Sony want out of the PSP, more uses.
Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel is an interactive graphical novel based on the original Metal Gear Solid game. The artwork is all done by Melbourne artist Ashley Wood. Of course this game would be particularly bland if it was just a portable book. Thankfully this mission is livened up by sound effect and image transitions. Although it doesn’t sound too exciting, it brings this manga to life. The gorgeous art and brilliant story in this game make it hard not to recomend to anyone whom enjoyed games like Another Code or Hotel Dusk. Even if you can’t stand games like this the story of the Shadow Moses incident is so damn genius you won’t be able to refuse.
NB(Ignore if you don’t like boring rants): I’ve found that the subtle transitions in this game work very effectively as it removes a process that our brain normally does in these situation. When I read manga I link the images in transition, I picture the handdrawn animation in the minds eye. These subtle additions alleviate this, most interesting.
It’s Lemmings for the PSP, like most of the other iterations there’s not a lot that’s new beyond a slight graphical make over. But then again why ruin something that worked pretty well in the first place? The aim of the game is to move your Lemmings from one side of a level to the exit point by using various tools which can manipulate the environment. If you’ve never played a Lemmings game before then this is a quality iteration and worth a look.
Go! Sudoku is probably what you would expect out of a Sudoku game. It saves on the pen and paper instead using the PSP’s buttons, there is a great database of puzzles as well as additional content that can be downloaded thru the PSP browser. The game takes advantage of some of the features of the PSP like the aforementioned downloadable content, wireless multiplayer, demo sending and highscore comparison.
If you deperately need a digital Sudoku fix then Go! Sudoku is your best bet on the PSP.
GameSpot Review
Conclusion
I frustrates me to say it but I highly doubt that Sony will actually go out of their way to push these older titles onto a new market. Instead it seems likely that they will attempt to sell the idea of a slimmer PSP and some new useful peripherals like the camera, GPS and TV.
What do you think that they’ll do? Are there any games that I have missed? Drop me a comment and let me know.
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