Skype skipping original PSP due to memory limitations

38 Comments by Ludwig Kietzmann Jan 7th 2008 8:00PM
Filed under: Sony PSP, Online

Following the news of impending Skype support on Slim PSPs, some were left wondering why the plumper PlayStation Portable failed to answer the voice over IP call. Speaking to SCEE's director of corporate communications Nick Sharples, Pocket Gamer has ascertained the simple answer. It has nothing to do with looks, and everything to do with the older PSP's waning memory and inability to remember long strings of numbers (just like grandpa).

"We had studied the possibility of supporting Skype with PSP-1000 but had to give it up because of the smaller size of main memory on PSP-1000 series," said Sharples. If you recall, the PSP-2000 benefits from 64MB of internal memory (as opposed to 32MB in the older model) which is used for UMD caching and the reduction of game loading times. The same enhancement also enables Skype to run and thus excludes the original PSP from online chatting. We certainly hope early adopters don't get too hung up on the disappointment [Goodbye! - Ed].

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Tags: Phone, PSP-2000, PSP-Slim, PSPSlim, Skype, Voip

Source

(Page 1) Reader Comments

Fernando Rocker: Jan 7th 2008; 8:09PM

Good way to sell more PSP's

hvnlysoldr: Jan 8th 2008; 2:19AM

PSP Slims
Fix'd

jamma: Jan 8th 2008; 4:00AM

You've said some stupid stuff recently, but THAT tops it all

bm: Jan 8th 2008; 10:50AM

Fernando gets blasted, but Sizer down there gets full hearts for essentially the same comment (albeit somewhat more subtle)?

Sigh.

bm: Jan 8th 2008; 10:52AM

Shit, I meant Xizer. I don't usually type what I pronounce, honest.

[.sm0ke.]: Jan 7th 2008; 8:09PM

http://www.noobz.eu/joomla/news/make-phone-calls-with-your-psp.html

Thread over.

Xizer: Jan 7th 2008; 8:21PM

So a system powerful enough to run games with PS2 quality graphics isn't powerful enough to run Skype?

Sorry, my bullshit detector is going off on this one.

Norm: Jan 7th 2008; 8:25PM

I think its what they call "planned obsolescence" or something like that.

Mike: Jan 7th 2008; 8:34PM

I second that Xizer! Ahmen!!!

Akamaru: Jan 8th 2008; 9:18AM

Hey, if you wanna spring for the upgrade, you get Skype. If not you can still play GAMES. The PSP is a GAMES machine isn't it?

Now if you told only the slim could run GoW:CoO, then we would have a problem.

Moofree: Jan 7th 2008; 8:27PM

"Memory" limitations indeed.
I think they've forgotten their early adopters.

McWeen: Jan 7th 2008; 9:05PM

Hey its Klaymen from the Neverhood. Nice!

bigsofty: Jan 7th 2008; 8:56PM

BS, there is space for millions of lines of game code, but some crappy simple VOIP wont fit... I small the usual Sony BS here...

Hashbrown_Hunter: Jan 7th 2008; 9:31PM

The game streams off the UMD so the PSP doesn't have to do much to keep up with it.

Terrence Newton: Jan 7th 2008; 8:59PM

i think that's a loose use of the term 'early adopters' there..

Darayz: Jan 7th 2008; 9:19PM

I hope this doesn't start a trend where future psp apps are only available for PSP slims. Thanks for ignoring your early-adopters Sony. Thanks.

COV3RT SN1P3R: Jan 7th 2008; 9:24PM

Well then explain how there is voice chat in multiplayer games. There the PSP is processing the game sending the games information over the internet, as well as sending the voice of the players to each other. Sony is trying to tell me that it can't to one of those things by itself. This is just another way to make people buy the new slim. BTW I don't think people who bought the PSP phat within it's first two years should be considered early adopters but rather just adopters.

...Jan...: Jan 7th 2008; 9:48PM

- I was wondering that too. It wouldn't be any different than sending the data to different servers.
- You know, if the DS lite had upped its memory and had exclusive features then...actually, I think they would've been able to get away with it. I'm sure the lite to phat ratio tips over to lite. However, I think that ratio doesn't apply to the PSP just yet.

[.sm0ke.]: Jan 7th 2008; 9:28PM

I'd bet that custom firmware will enable Skype on the fat model.

rv: Jan 9th 2008; 2:08PM

Hope so. Psp was my first sony product. Extremely disappointed. I bought a new mem card on black friday, but I can't even find my psp, lol. I barely used it.

Hashbrown_Hunter: Jan 7th 2008; 9:33PM

Well now I'm VERY happy I picked up a Slim. But I definitely understand how pissed off you guys must be at Sony.

Maybe if they released a 'Lite' version of Skype it would work for the PSP-1000.

Poisoned Al: Jan 7th 2008; 9:39PM

First of all, does anyone here know the ins and outs of VOIP. You all sound like you do. I mean I studied networking in collage, and I don't know that much about it. If you're just some whining dick weed who thinks TCP is something you put on a grazed knee, then you really need a great big mug of STFU!

Saying that, it does sound a little odd that they need that much of a buffer.

upz: Jan 7th 2008; 11:36PM

Looks like you didn't learn much in "collage."

Poisoned Al: Jan 8th 2008; 6:38AM

Oh sure, you know EVERYTHING you need to know about the network protocol stack, and not just another wanker knocking Sony becuase it's fashionable. I read somewhere that the fat PSP has more problems then just the lower memory. According to a few sources on the internet (so it MUST be true) the WiFi put a lot of stress on the CPU, which is a lot faster on the slim without a dodgey firmware kludge. I can believe that becuase 802.11b, while not lightning fast, still sounds a challenge for such a pint-sized processor that's already doing a lot of crap. Of course the answer to low processing power has always been "add more memory" so it fits. This is all conjecture, but please treat it as I'm trying to preach gospel truth like anyone who disagrees with retarded fanboyisum.

(BTW I'm a Wii60 owning PC gamer with a DS, so fuck you!)

Poisoned Al: Jan 8th 2008; 6:52AM

Just one last thing, please remember that the PSP was never meant to be a phone. Even tho Skype can run on a mobile phone, it was built to be able to do that. The PSP has to turn it's hardware from pixel pushing to streaming voice from a network adapter made to handle game data (which isn't that much). It's not the power, it's how it's used.

upz: Jan 8th 2008; 10:38AM

Check my profile, bud - I'm one of the biggest Sony supporters on here. I just find it funny that no one in collEge ever corrected your second grade spelling skills.

Poisoned Al: Jan 8th 2008; 10:43AM

That's good old, fashioned dyslexia. I can read but I can't spell for shit. If the word is the right shape and the spell checker lets to go, I'll never spot a typo.

upz: Jan 8th 2008; 11:14AM

My bad broski. I owe you a Heineken.

Mr Snuffle: Jan 7th 2008; 10:02PM

I call bullshit on this one - my mobile phone can run Skype.

James: Jan 7th 2008; 10:18PM

I don't care or anything since my friends and I have Slim PSPs. But they're great machines and if you have a fat model then just sell it and get a slim one. Better dpad, better wireless reception, faster load times.

I'm cold like that.

colin: Jan 7th 2008; 10:40PM

my washing machine runs skype too! this is bullshit!

Carlos: Jan 7th 2008; 11:23PM

I have my $20, 2 yr warranty on my psp phat from Best Buy, they said if a new model came out I can go to the store and exchange it; I never had any intentions to do so, until now! Best Buy here I come!

ThornedVenom: Jan 8th 2008; 2:56AM

I SAW THE FUTURE.

I SHAT BRIX.

Burnt Meatloaf: Jan 8th 2008; 5:36AM

Did everyone forget how to code within the last 10 years, or do game developers just suck at writing, you know, REAL code for things other than just graphics?

I wonder what the QNX or Wind River guys would say about something like this.

serioustommy: Jan 8th 2008; 7:31AM

Have you checked Skype on Windows? One of the biggest resource hog ever. It uses 50mb plus when minimised to system tray, and have random 5% CPU spikes for no apparent reasons, and this is on a Intel quad core CPU.

hoop: Jan 8th 2008; 9:43AM

What's with the "Goodbye"? You're not going anywhere are you, Ludwig? Say it ain't so!

TheWarden: Jan 8th 2008; 1:21PM

FOUL!

some dude.: Jan 12th 2008; 1:28PM

hahaha, "memory limitations"? i'm sure quite a lot of people who own the original PSPs have bought another memory stick with higher memory capacities. this is probably just Sony trying to get people to buy their new Slim. Shame. Shame. ah hell, Shame.

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