MMO on the Sony PSP a pipe dream?
Two days ago we wrote a story in regards to a rumor surrounding a new PSP-esque DS, which was said to launch near the end of the year. However, as it turns out the DS may not be the only handheld system to go through a mid-life crisis this late in the game. The head of Sony Online Entertainment recently stated in an interview that he envisions the PSP as a portable hub for Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games.
In an interview with MTV, John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), revealed that the company is considering developing massively multiplayer online (MMO) games for the PSP. SOE is a world wide leader in the MMO space, known for titles such as: Everquest, Untold Legends and Star War Galaxies.
SOE is currently developing three new MMO IPs for the PS3 (The Agency, DC Universe and Free Realms), which are all slated to hit the market in 2009. According to Smedley, in the future the PSP could have the potential to handle full-fledged MMOs.
He said:
“We started to get very interested in [the PSP] when we switched over from Sony Pictures to Sony Computer Entertainment back in April,” he explained. “And as we’ve kind of got our heads up looking around the world within Sony Computer Entertainment, we’re really starting to see a big push for PSP. We think it’s a world-class device… In the future, we see full MMOs that are designed for the PSP.”
He believes that the PSP will make a good platform to provide an on the go MMO experience. Smedley says SOE will most likely test the waters by creating a PSP game that will supplement an upcoming PS3 MMO title.
He said:
“Maybe one way to do it: In ‘Free Realms,’ you could have a pet-training system that literally connects to our online gaming where you can mess around with your pet,”
“Another way to do it might be to give them mini-games that they can do [on the PSP] when sitting at a bus stop, … You’re sitting there leveling up your character, you log in at home when you’re on wi-fi, and all of sudden your character has leveled up. We think those kinds of experiences are very possible.”
These initial ideas are intriguing, but I have some doubts about utilizing the PSP for playing full-fledged MMO games. For starters, I couldn’t imagine grinding (leveling) for hours on the PSP with some friends in order to defeat a boss with around 10,000,000 HP. However, if the whole MMO dynamics as it currently exists on the PC were changed in order to accommodate for on the go play, then there might be hope for this idea.
Hardcore PSP fans will be quick to point out Monster Hunter Portable G2 (MHPG2) and Phantasy Star Portable, as examples of MMORPG-esque PSP games that have been very successful. Granted games like MHPG2 have sold over 2 million units in Japan alone, but these games are still far from being true MMO games. Only time will tell whether this idea will work out on the PSP or if this is just a pipe dream.
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4 Responses to “MMO on the Sony PSP a pipe dream?”
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October 1st, 2008
good but i wonder if the psp could support a MMO because the psp have a good online but its not that great and it mainly work where there is wi fi i know i got a good connection since i suffer barely any lag on my psp but wat about the areas with no or little connection how will they experience this MMO
October 1st, 2008
I hope they make it i will gladly pay to play.
October 2nd, 2008
Ivan is gay for pay.
October 2nd, 2008
It’s a good idea, but I’m not sure MMO and portable platforms really go together. I guess we’ll have to wait and see… it might actually be a really good idea if its pulled off right.
I was already pretty impressed with Portable Ops Plus.