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Possible new PlayStation Portal model pays homage to the Vita's OLED

While much of the focus on PlayStation's next steps is the PS6 and PS6 Portable , the two-year old PlayStation Portal could be getting a revamp according to those pesky internet rumours.  Update : Hints at pricing are around £/$250-299 for the new model, but everything remains deeply in rumours territory. Presumably the goal is to hit the 10% (currently 7%-ish) adoption rate among PS5 owners, something that would make it a bone fide hit gadget.   There's a PlayStation State of Play coming up on 12th February that might act as an announcement point. Certainly, PlayStation needs to make Portal more a core member of the PS5 family, rather than a distant cousin that most of its appearances suggest.  As the improvement in connectivity and streaming tech, proven by many gamers enjoying their PS5 or PlayStation Plus streamed content from around the world, an updated Portal Pro could be on the cards.  Possibly featuring a 120Hz display and an OLED screen in honour of ...

The Future of PSP/PSP Phone/PSP2 Game Pricing

Having watched the PSN store closely for most of its existence, it is clear there is a new trend emerging that will be important for the PSP2 and PSP Phone, as and when they become established.

It isn't rocket science, but the roughly observed trend is:

Launch at full price (£32.99 is common)
Reduce price a month later (£22.99)
Call a sale a further month later (£13-15.99)
Release as "Value" some six-ten months on (£7.99)

So, the hard core fans rush out on day one and pick it up. Cost concious buyers are sucked in the next two months at the right bite point and, finally, everyone else gets tempted in due course.

Two things will be interesting to watch. Pro developers like EA/Ubisoft are manipulating prices on the iTunes store to get more prominence for their games. Near a big selling season, prices tumble. With the PSP2 and PSP Phone stores being all-digital, will they play the same tactic considering the more traditional gamer that the consoles are aimed at.

Secondly, with typical iPhone game prices for more 'hardcore' games being around the £6 or £7mark - how will the publishers justify charging £20+ for a PSP Phone equivalent? It'll be fun to watch the justifications start, especially with deeper iPad/Android 3.0 tablet games that run around £10-11. Ultimately, new game prices have to come down, even if they are made up for by charging for add-on content.

Finally, I wonder with this always-on connectivity that we're seeing. Will more games be released as free trials with unlocks to get people playing first and then paying up as we see on lots of Xbox 360 titles?

Currently playing on my Vita/PS3/PS4/PS5


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