Loose Threads: What do we want from the PSP Store?

Despite being something of a gaming Swiss army knife, Sony's PSP has to be the most moaned about console in existence. So what's the problem? Well, why use a Swiss army knife to open a bottle, screw a screw or cut something out when you have a perfectly good bottle opener, screw driver and pair of scissors already?

"Ah, but we'll make the Swiss army screw driver longer and easier to use, the bottle opener will get a new handle, and we'll ensure the scissors are as sharp as dragons' teeth," says Sony. Or something.

Where are we going with this analogy? Well, nowhere fast. Okay, the point is that people complain the PSP can do lots of things, just none of them well enough to justify using it over a dedicated device that caters for just one of those functions. We'd immediately and strongly argue against this when it comes to the specific area of gaming, but outside of that would have to concede that it's the actual multimedia aspirations of the device that have probably tainted the PSP's general perception.

And if Sony wants to change this perception, then it needs to tie all of the handheld's bells and whistles together with a comprehensive suite of content that maximises their potential. Enter the new Sony PSP Store, your hub for all things PSP and the long-overdue solution to the PSP's enduring identity crisis.

Or is it?

Unfortunately for the time being, it seems that the answer is 'no'. Nevertheless, our lovely forum members had plenty to say on the topic.

The Burning Issue...What do want from the PSP store?

Mainstay Mandark commented:

"I'll settle for a decent web browser that will use a memory card for virtual RAM. Fed up of out of memory errors after a five-page surf! Video on-demand services are a must, especially as every major broadcaster in the country has created or is involved in setting up some type of VoD service. The PSP Store should be one of many platform portals to allow people to access this stuff. You could have a link to the Sony Connect music store as well."

SetsFireToPoshHammer took time off from attending to his bouffant to pipe up with another angle:

"I want loads more PSone games and a good deal more demos, I know they are like chalk and cheese but in comparison to Xbox Live the content available on the PSP Store is paltry to say the least."

The explosive pork snack, Dynamite Ham, seemed to agree games are the key addition:

"I didn't realise till fairly recently that Giants: Citizen Kabuto had been ported to the PS2. I want that, and generally some games from the hazy period between contemporary and retro, such as Sacrifice, Hidden and Dangerous, Populous: the Beginning, Grim Fandango, and a whole load of games that Windows will end up not supporting but are too great to disappear entirely. I was thinking about this the other day, in connection with Thief, I think. Video games are one of the only media where mainstream products can drop off the face of the earth in a matter of a few years, or more likely survive in the ungoverned basement of emulation and Warez. Basically, then, I want the PSP store to be a refuge for retired classics."

Like Xbox Live Arcade, you mean? Understandably, OutRun certainly believed so:

"Regular content in an approach similar to what Microsoft does on Xbox Live would be ideal."

The easy-to-open-in-the-dark NeonTetra seemed to be thinking in that direction too, but bigger:

"It'd be great to see small developers using it as an avenue to distribute their titles. Not sure how easy it would be for these to be cross compatible with PS3 network games… I'd like to be able to play games like Everyday Shooter and Flow on my PSP â€" it'd be even better if I didn't have to re-buy them again in the PSP Store."

We agree with you wholeheartedly on that front, NeonTetra While it's great the PSP owners can now access content that was previously only available via the PlayStation 3, it seems expanding that body of content to other titles that would fit with the PSP would be the next logical step. To be fair, it's something Sony itself has previously hinted at. But there's no reason why LittleBigPlanet has to be such a texture fest; why isn't it being designed as a cross-platform PS3/PSP download title?

After waiting at the sidelines for a time, BigBear pounced ferociously into the fold, snatching the discussion by the scruff of the neck as though it was a migrating salmon.

"I'd really like to see two things on the download system: 1) An Xbox live style service featuring more casual games
2) Some support for homebrew community as was tried with the Yaroze stuff on PSone, with a digital audience able to test wares for free/buy at low cost and VERY CLEAR disclaimers, we're surely onto a winner?"

It's no surprise most PSP users would like the PSP Store to be more like Microsoft's Xbox Live service but it's BigBear's second point that really has us interested. It makes sense that seeing as the PSone had a minimal homebrew community, the Yaroze system failed to make an impact.

The PSP, on the other hand, has a huge homebrew community, packed to bursting with capable, talented individuals. Some sort of user SDK (software development kit) and a specific channel to publish the content through (via the PSP Online Store, naturally) could be a real breakthrough for the system. We have to say, however, we aren't going to hold our breath for that one.

So there you have it, the PSP Store is not what we want it to be yet. The potential is certainly there but it's up to Sony to give the service a comprehensive kick up the behind in order to get it to make the necessary difference.

Elsewhere on the forum...

Elsewhere on the forum we have some happy news concerning the troubled Duane who you might remember was having a hard time finding the Spider-Man PSP bundle. [Spoiler alert] Like Harry Osborne at the end of the third Spider-Man film [spoiler alert ends], Karbono came to the rescue late in the day, letting us all know that the bundle is available in Portugal, which resulted in us discovering that the deal is available in the rest of Europe but not the UK.

Similarly, FaithOmitted had his query put to rest about the mystery handheld console that he once owned as a youngster, this time by sexybeast12308. As it turns out, the console is called the R-Zone and is made by Tiger Electronics.

Thanks very much indeed to both Karbono and sexybeast12308 for the sterling sleuthing work. Remember, if any of you have any questions about handheld gaming that have been keeping you up at night, just post something about it in the forum and all of us at Pocket Gamer, along with our lovely forum community will do our best to help out.

This week, though, it's icarus_kid that is in need of help:

"I'm planning on getting a new PSP Slim & Lite, but is the D-pad any better for fighting games? I found the old one to be pretty horrible but I've heard the new one is better.Does anyone here have any experience of using it with things like Tekken or Street Fighter Alpha 3? If so, how much of an improvement is it?"

Well, we know from experience that the responsiveness of the Slim & Lite D-pad is vastly improved but can't admit to having spent as much time with beat-'em-ups as some of our readers. So if anyone has an answer, you know what to do.

So... can PSP square up to DS in 2008?

All that's left to do then is to lay down the gauntlet for next week's topic and trust us this is the biggie. Can the PSP fight back against the DS next year? The forum, as ever, awaits your views. Get posting!

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