I Would Buy A PSP AND A PS3 For This
Posted by Kwip on November 30th, 2007 2 Comments 
Let me just get this out of the way: I was never a PS1 fanboi, and I’m certainly not a PSP fanboi. When it comes to handheld units, I still rock a Gameboy SP. I love the DS Lite, but I don’t even have one of my own – I’ve stolen Kwipette’s on repeated occassions so I could finish the excellent Puzzle Quest and now as I struggle to complete Phantom Hourglass (what the hell am I supposed to be doing with this wood heart?).
If anything, I’m pretty devoted to our (her) DS. I think it’s an excellent platform, it’s got a number of really enjoyable titles, and I’m particularly impressed with the battery life. Yeah, go ahead and put it on your Christmas shopping list, if you haven’t already…
But recently a friend asked me if I would ever buy a PSP. When I said no, he asked what it would take for me to be interested in the PSP. It seems our discussion was brought on by the news that sales of the PSP in Japan are exceptionally strong and might actually catch the DS.
Thus comes this brief essay.
I think one of the most impressive things the PSP has going for it (besides the interfacing with the PS3, which is genius) is the GPS add-on.
GPS, as we all know, can give the system real-world locale information, which is fine for things like maps and some games that already utilize the GPS features. But what really intrigues me about this (and what I hope to hear about) is the ARG potential with this plug-in.
Never mind third-party game developers; what they need to do is open up a development kit that allows typical joe to take advantage of the PSP’s hardware. I know JohnnyArkham (on our forums) would go particlarly ballistic if he could manage a game with players all over the country (or world) investigating various locations in the real world. In our turf alone there’s plenty of spots that would superbly lend themselves to a creepy HP Lovecraft setting. Even White Wolf could come up with a number of games and applications for their various settings that would single-handedly launch an entire new gaming surge.
Imagine a simple concept with something like a mob boss sitting at a PS3 while his crew of 6 “specialists” are out trying to take over a neighborhood. Maybe they have to “tag” specific locations to take control of them, or assemble more members of their team in one location to wrest control from another gang. Or, since this is the PSP we’re talking about, have geo-centric locations that activate mini-games on the PSP the player has to complete to succesfully complete a mission.
Now take a Shadowrun game in that setting. A team goes to a Wi-Fi enabled location in the real world that represents a MegaCorp in the ARG world: the mage on the team has a mini-game to neutralize the magic guardians of the target. The razors on the team have a mini-game to take out the gaurds. The hacker on the team has their own mini-game to take out the cyber security and downloads the target file. The team pulls out under fire, and the rigger has to play their mini-game to make their escape. Let’s go even crazier: while the shadowrunners are busy doing this, the corporation that is their target – a PS3 and PSP owner – gets an alert from their PS3 sent to their PSP that their company is under attack. Using their PSP to interface with the PS3, they take active control of their company’s security to try and stop the shadowrunners. And – because they have the resources from being a “company” – they can immediately go online and try and hire another team (or contact the team they keep on retainer) to try and catch the shadowrunners. Even if that team gets away with the target data – now the corporation can send a hit team after them.
The mind boggles at the possibilities. Keep in mind that the above scenario is not that complicated. From a coding aspect, it’s a pretty basic game(s) application and wouldn’t even require a great deal of network resources. And that’s just one setting – imagine running a kingdom, an EVE-online fleet, or some Nicholas Cage-wannabe-treasure hunters utilizing the PS3 and PSPs as a monster gaming network.
Never mind this concept of Home on the PS3. I don’t want HOME, I want what’s out there – and what COULD be out there, if they get some vision on their development team.
(I’d like to point out that I could be hired for a very reasonable rate…)
December 1st, 2007 at 6:54 pm
off topic but thought you guys might find this article interesting.. or not.
sorry. no girls, cups or porn involved.
http://newteevee.com/2007/11/29/podfight-which-comic-book-cast-is-best/
December 1st, 2007 at 9:22 pm
*reads and rereads, slack-jawed and awestruck*
Holy. Fuck.