Rockstar confirms GTA for PSP this Spring

yawnstretch · 10-01-2005 3:40pm #1

With GTA on the PSP and the fact that the PSP will be released in Europe around the same time as the DS things just got interesting.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/Jan/1106352.htm

Next question: how much will the PSP be?

tman · 10-01-2005 3:43pm

i bet its a port of the gba version with slightly jazzed up graphics

monument · 10-01-2005 4:00pm

Here's the start of that press release as linked to above... (well actual it's a different version of the same press release...)

Rockstar Games Announces PSPTM Handheld Entertainment System Lineup

A new Grand Theft Auto title and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition available this spring

New York, NY - January 10, 2005 - Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition and a brand new iteration of Grand Theft Auto for the highly anticipated PSPTM handheld system. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition and the new Grand Theft Auto title, which will be set in Liberty City, are being developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with Rockstar San Diego and Rockstar North, respectively. Both titles are expected to be available near the launch of the PSP handheld system in North America and Europe.

tman · 10-01-2005 4:01pm

i thought you of all people would be able to cut through marketing blurb

koneko · 10-01-2005 4:13pm

/me awaits first screenshots

The console is well capable of an excellent-looking game. Hope they don't botch this up and make it a standard GBA-type-version

monument · 10-01-2005 4:15pm

tman wrote:

i thought you of all people would be able to cut through marketing blurb

How about this...?

Rockstar will be releasing PlayStation Portable (PSP) editions of Grand Theft Auto, and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition this spring, “near the launch” of Sony’s new portable console.

The GTA game will be set around Liberty City. Both games are in development at the mobile developer Rockstar Leeds with the help of Rockstar’s San Diego and Scottish studios.

tman · 10-01-2005 4:27pm

1. spring? is that enough time to craft a grand theft auto title of the caliber we've come to expect from the non handheld releases?
2. why reuse liberty city?
3. its being developed primarily by rockstar leeds... not rockstar north.
4. what the **** do rockstar san diego know about making good games?

i reckon it'll be a more or less straight port of either gta advance or gta III

yawnstretch · 10-01-2005 4:27pm

tman wrote:

i bet its a port of the gba version with slightly jazzed up graphics

Are you being funny? A port of the gba version?

monument · 10-01-2005 4:32pm

1. spring? is that enough time to craft a grand theft auto title of the caliber we've come to expect from the non handheld releases?

They may have just announced it now, doesnt mean they're just starting now!

2. why reuse liberty city?

Because it's a port? Because there's money to be milked?

3. its being developed primarily by rockstar leeds... not rockstar north.
4. what the **** do rockstar san diego know about making good games?

*with the help of*...

"We are working very closely with Rockstar North and Rockstar San Diego to ensure that both Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition remain faithful to the initial vision of these respective franchises," - Gordon Hall, the President of Rockstar Leeds.

Franchises, blah, blah, blah, now who's remembering a EA press event.

RobertFoster · 10-01-2005 5:27pm

ooo....this could swing it...maybe...

Peteee · 10-01-2005 5:33pm

mmmm I think the fact that this is being developed for the psp only (and not the DS) means they could be going with a GTA3-esque type games.

If its jsut a GTA1/GTA2 type game then...... meh

Retr0gamer · 10-01-2005 8:46pm

I doubt it will be as impressive as the PS2 titles and definitely won't be as big unless Rockstar are idiots. With on 32mb of ram the constant streaming will suck the lifeforce out of the PSP battery. It will be interesting to see if they can surprise me or go the GTA1/2 route.

Peteee · 10-01-2005 9:16pm

the PS2 'only' has 32mb of RAM too!

Although your point stands, it would murder the battery with the constant streaming

Smellyirishman · 10-01-2005 9:25pm

If they do a GTAIII type game, then the battery will die a horrible death, already on the PS2 the cd is being read from 99% of the time, and causing the pop up and all that jazz that nobody likes.

This on a PSP = something I would not like to see

Although, if they could pull it off, it would be super cool

Matt Simis · 11-01-2005 12:24am

Smellyirishman wrote:

If they do a GTAIII type game, then the battery will die a horrible death, already on the PS2 the cd is being read from 99% of the time, and causing the pop up and all that jazz that nobody likes.

This on a PSP = something I would not like to see

Although, if they could pull it off, it would be super cool

The pop up is caused by the game engines limitations coupled with the PS2's limited Hardware. The PSP version can use lower screen resolution, lower res/compressed textures, better compressed sounds as well as a smaller gameworld, all leading to a smaller game executable that could survive inside 32MB ram, without streaming. Sony no doubt have a very competent SDK for the PSP designed to get the maximum out of the unit. This is now 2005, there are many other technological advances that can be used on this new hardware and software port, advances that served no purpose on the archaic PS2 platform.

"Sony's extremely impressive technology has allowed Rockstar Leeds to do more on a handheld machine than we could have ever imagined. "

Yeah, that sounds like a GBA port alright. :rolleyes:

Heres betting it looks like a slightly dummed down version of GTA3, something Im all on for.

Matt

Zhane · 11-01-2005 2:41am

This might give the PSP a good fighting chance against the DS. I think Sony is trying to appeal to an older fanbase that what the DS is aiming for(and succeeding at its target market)

ViperVenoM · 11-01-2005 10:09pm

well i for one cant wait for it..if they can make a straight port of GT4 with all the fancy graphics and vast amounts of cars/races im sure they can come up with something pretty swanky

just hope they would hurry up..got my PSP coming on friday

...but i think im gonna get bored of ridge racer after a few weeks :rolleyes:

Matt Simis · 11-01-2005 10:48pm

Zhane wrote:

This might give the PSP a good fighting chance against the DS. I think Sony is trying to appeal to an older fanbase that what the DS is aiming for(and succeeding at its target market)

You talk like the PSP is in danger of not succeeding.. The one thing Sony do exceptionally well is the Playstation brand. I really dont like the "big" Playstations at all and they still managed to convince me to import two PSPs!

Id never consider a GBA (my GF had one and I played it quite a bit, but really wouldnt buy one), dont think of all the Nintendo fans with GBs.. think of everyone without one..

Matt

Mimikyu · 12-01-2005 12:11am

This post has been deleted.

ViperVenoM · 12-01-2005 12:31am

they are trying to avoid ports..its not going to be a port!

the only true port it seems is GT4..but thats because i think it was to show off what the little guy can do..AND ..if they spent all the time on GT4 mobile as they did on GT4...the psp would be crap before it came out

RE*AC*TOR · 12-01-2005 1:07am

The PSP has all the tools to beat the DS bar one,... battery life. I can see a revised model or battery pack coming out within a year, because no matter how good the games are, its no good if the battery only lasts 3 hours.

Meanwhile the DS's biggest problem is keeping up with the PSP's graphics, and making the stylus/thumbstick more than just a gimmick.

ViperVenoM · 12-01-2005 1:10am

well i was talking to someone who got it..and he said he got about 6hrs out of a full charge on Ridge Racer..im never gonna be out enough to play for 6hrs without being home again when i can charge it!

GT4 and later ones will prob push it more but even at 4hrs..it really doesnt bother me tbh

like others have said "id rather play 3-4hrs of GT4 then 10hrs..of some crappy..paper mario or other old looking rubbish imo"

RE*AC*TOR · 12-01-2005 1:13am

ViperVenoM wrote:

well i was talking to someone who got it..and he said he got about 6hrs out of a full charge on Ridge Racer..im never gonna be out enough to play for 6hrs without being home again when i can charge it!

GT4 and later ones will prob push it more but even at 4hrs..it really doesnt bother me tbh

like others have said "id rather play 3-4hrs of GT4 then 10hrs..of some crappy..paper mario or other old looking rubbish imo"

Yes well that's where nintendo have to make sure there's innovation, not just n64 ports and the like.

tuxy · 12-01-2005 1:22am

Peteee wrote:

the PS2 'only' has 32mb of RAM too!

isnt this the same amount of ram as a playstation 2
or am i mistaken?

ViperVenoM · 12-01-2005 2:05am

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

Yes well that's where nintendo have to make sure there's innovation, not just n64 ports and the like.

true now im not a fanboy either way..i have a PS2..i have an XBOX but i prefer my pc...

im not a fan of the likes of metroid prime...zelda mario..my mate has/had all the nintendos ive just never really liked them

i havent seen any DS games to catch my eye tbh...the idea of the 2 screens is quite good though...whatever they do...dont know i just know out the the 2 i picked the best for me

ambro25 · 12-01-2005 9:32am

GTA on PSP - my two cents (and I have a DS, and I am looking to buy a PSP when "speculation" reduces somewhat/the official EU one is launched, whichever comes first - just so you can picture me in the grand scheme of things, i.e. no fanboy, just 20+ years of gaming under my still-slim belt).

I belive it'll be a 3D version, not a top-down GTA1/2 -type affair. Reasons?

1) PSP is more-or-less the same as a PS2, internally, so it's fair to presume code can be ported relatively quickly and easily, save for optimising it to reduce memory/disc accesses

2) It's based in Liberty City: they've had the art, the 3D models, the code, the music/sounds etc. since GTAIII and are -by now- extremely competent, coding-wise with those.

3) Sony needs as many killer-apps as they can, as soon as possible, to bolster the PSP launch. Name a bigger crowd-puller than the GTA series for Sony? I'd say Rockstar were actually the first studio, outside of Sony' own, to get a devkit, ages ago - such that they've been able to "port GTAIII" (of sorts) in the intervening time.

And it's not so much a question of milking a franchise, as a question of making a killer-app/must-have title very soon after the PSP launch. You can bet there'll be a PSP-tuned (or -dedicated) GTA later on, within a year or two of this first one.

And insofar as PSP vs DS is concerned - please let's not have the fanboys' thing all over again. They're very different machines aimed at very different markets. I know it's been said in such terms for a while now, so much so it's becoming a cliché already, but the DS is far more of a pick-up & play thing, with titles to suit this function (e.g. arcadey), whereas I see the PSP being more of a long-term-gameplay proposition (roaming/sandbox titles, e.g. GTA / GT4 with car collecting etc.).

The touch thing is beautiful and works wonders for SM64 DS, btw - nothing gimmicky about that, just something different, is all.

[nicK] · 12-01-2005 10:00am

just found this.. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002S9JAM/hertsiinassociwi/026-8627889-2572455

a few websites have the uk release down as march 18th although sony still havn't officially announced it
but look at the price there, 179GBP! .. that's over 250euros! although the price isn't confirmed that's ridiculous, if it remains. the u.s will probably be looking at a sub $200 price..

Matt Simis · 12-01-2005 12:16pm

[nicK] wrote:

just found this.. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002S9JAM/hertsiinassociwi/026-8627889-2572455

a few websites have the uk release down as march 18th although sony still havn't officially announced it
but look at the price there, 179GBP! .. that's over 250euros! although the price isn't confirmed that's ridiculous, if it remains. the u.s will probably be looking at a sub $200 price..

I dont think €250 inc VAT is a bad price at launch at all. The US might scrape the $199 price point, but $229+ is more likely, both without Taxes.

Bear in mind the PSP plays Video, Music and Games and has a large LCD. €250 for an all in one solution really sounds quite reasonable.

Matt

Peteee · 12-01-2005 4:26pm

I'd be willing to pay €250 for it, but if the U.S. gets it for 199 dollaridoos then surely we should get it at around €200 aswell ($200 == €150) even if it does include tax.

Since there has been no price point from Sony yet (AFAIK) then i think Amazon are taking a stab at it.

Jammer · 12-01-2005 4:36pm

People pay 329 for a 20GB ipod, which just does music. This does everything. I'd pick one up at €250 on launch !

ambro25 · 12-01-2005 4:39pm

Peteee wrote:

I'd be willing to pay €250 for it, but if the U.S. gets it for 199 dollaridoos then surely we should get it at around €200 aswell ($200 == €150) even if it does include tax.

Don't forget to factor in the huge slap SONY'll be taking on revenue with the weak US dollar (all the more so given the importance of the market/number of units) - I were them, I'd sell it for as much as the market will take it in Europe to sponge those unexpected US losses.

Rockstar confirms GTA for PSP this Spring

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