Faulty PSP buttons found in Japan

PSP News | Square buttons that stick?

Recently in Tokyo, an estimated 5000 PSPs have been sent back to Sony, due to a faulty square button that apparently sticks and causes gameplay problems. This is due to the fact that the square button is close to the PSP's screen, and that the sensory trigger is placed slightly to the right, which occasionally causes it to stick. Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi, denies this is a mistake on Sony's part.

“This is the design that we came up with. There may be people that complain about its usability, but that's something, which users and game software developers will have to adapt to. The button's location is [architectured] on purpose," Kutaragi added. "It's according to specifications. This is something that we've created, and this is our specification. There was a clear purpose to it, and it wasn't a mistake."

"I believe we made the most beautiful thing in the world. Nobody would criticize a renowned architect's blueprint that the position of a gate is wrong. It's the same as that."

Kutaragi does however agree that the button is less responsive than the others, because it's so close to the PSP's 480x272 screen.

PALGN will be sure to put the PSP through its paces when it hits PAL shores.

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19 Comments

Hyperworm

7 years ago

His attitude sucks ass!

Quote

There may be people that complain about its usability, but that's something, which users and game software developers will have to adapt to. There was a clear purpose to it, and it wasn't a mistake.

Quote

I believe we made the most beautiful thing in the world.

So its appearance is more important than how it plays and its usability? My god.

Quote

Nobody would criticize a renowned architect's blueprint that the position of a gate is wrong. It's the same as that.

What if the gate got stuck and didn't function properly due to its placement? I think they would criticize him. Or are you saying you are the "renowned" Sony, and noone should complain about your products?

What a jerk. Sounds to me like they don't give a crap about the people who buy their stuff

Between Ken Kutaragi and Satoru Iwata, I know who I like best.

Quin

7 years ago

Go Sony

Cerebral

7 years ago

It shouldn't be too much of a problem. I find the GCN 'eject' button tends to get stuck once in a while. While it usually can be snapped back, my mates GCN is stuck in the open position. We play games by weighing the lid with a shoe.

onggie

7 years ago

CerebralAssassin wrote

AHAHAHAHAHA

that made mw laugh hard! Becuase thats something I would do!

Quin

7 years ago

Meh, I play my Dreamcast with the top plastic cover removed, and hold down the catch that tells the machine the cover is closed with a keyring.

Of course, I touched a CD while it was spinning and broke it permanently

Cerebral

7 years ago

Ever thought of using a cover, Quin?

Hyperworm

7 years ago

CerebralAssassin wrote

XD
The laugh smilie isn't powerful enough for this one XD

Quin

7 years ago

CerebralAssassin wrote

Ever thought of using a cover, Quin?

Well, at first, it would contantly reset itself when I turned the console on, so I got a screwdriver and removed the cover, and it worked fine. Then when that caused problems, I took the entire console apart, removed all the screws from the interior, and put it back together and let gravity hold it there. It works fine though, but my Power Stone 2 disk was damaged beyond repair when I touched it while it was spinning.
If I flipped the console up now, the whole thing would fall out

(Not to mention I electrocuted myself on the power switch a couple of times too XD)

David

7 years ago

How old is your GC? Nintendo have a full basically unlimited 1 year warranty on Gamecubes, and will fix it including delivery for free
(Unless you clearly broke it yourself, of course, like spilled beer in it or something). Even if it's older they'll basically only charge you the postage to get it fixed - they fixed my NES when it was 11 years old for free!!

Back to the point, that sony guy is such a wanker if he really did say/write that. What a crappy product. I can't wait until someone else who knows how to make quality products is dominant in the gaming industry (unless it's microsoft.....Ha ha...yeah right!!!) I've been through 2 PS1s my PS2 chuggs and the R1 button broke on it after 1 week (sony wouldn't replace it, luckily David Jones did!), yet apart from the 11 year NES thing (and my gamegear's sound), every Nintendo and Sega I've ever had (and I have all of them) works perfectly to this day, including controllers. I do look after them well, but why do the buttons on my game and watches last 23 years so far, yet my PS2 controller (and it seems the PSP) breaks in a week?

Gtpod

7 years ago

Typical Sony. You can scan my entire house, and won't find one single Sony product of mine. And you never will.

ObsoletE

7 years ago

D.Lo wrote

you've had some serious bad luck there then... not just with the quality but the aftermarket care... my control pads are fine, the only time i've broken one was when it was stepped on in a dash to answer the phone... and even then, the buttons worked, it was just snapped and the analog nub thingy broke off... i've never needed to use the aftermarket care, but a mate did, and it took longer than it probably should have, about a month and a half, but they didn't charge him after because of it... i do know some of their consumer electrics warranty guys suck though, same mate took a faulty hifi system subwoofer in to be repaired/replaced, and it took nearly 6 months of saying it's done, him saying no it's not, listen to it... until he eventually got sick of it and fixed it himself with a couple of nails...

but i used to always break the shoulder buttons of my SNES game-pads... i think i went through at least 5 of them... they replaced the first 2 for free, but after that they didn't want to know... even though technically, they should have been under a new warranty each time i replaced them... it was only ever the shoulder buttons too... they'd either lock on for good, or just stop working...

i'm not surprised the Sega controllers lasted though, bricks that they are

it is a stupid thing to say though... i wonder if it's a translation error, or if he used a Japanese saying or if he's just purely and simply a dickhead?

either way, i hope they modify or fix it...

David

7 years ago

The problem with the PS2 controller breaking was that it was the one that came with the PS2, and sony wanted me to send them my whole brand new system I just bought and it would take 3 months to get it back. It may be the game (I only had Tony Hawk 3, I bught the PS2 at that game's release) but the shoulder buttons can't handle the constant pushing.

I've never had any SNES controller problems, and my Super Famicom controllers are now 12 years old.

But despite Sony also charging far more for a (shoddily made low spec analogue sticks) standard controller, it's the systems themselves that are the real problem. And PS1 and PS2 are famous for breaking. the first 3 years of PS1 models basically do not work today, and had to be turned upside down to use back then. Maybe that's why backward compatibility was such a selling feature?
And a PS2 older then 1 year has slower load times - check gamespot.com's review of san andreas, they advise you play the game on a 'fresh' PS2!!!

I am utterly convinced that a large percentage of both PS1 and PS2's sales (10%?) were re-sales to those who's systems broke down. And there's nothing you can do but buy another, since you have a game library for that machine.

David

7 years ago

Oh yeah, I just read part of this on another forum, and added some myself:

Since the PSP is a (literally) lame design, they'll have to release a re-design. (ala Master system 2, PC engine shuttle, small NES, GB pocket, GBASp)

But will they go with Nintendo's re-design naming structure (like the GBASP) making it the PSPSP.....

Or Sony's re-design naming structure (like the PSOne and PSTwo) Makin it the PSPee!!

Or they could go with my original name for the (bit too long overly powerfull terrible battery life bad system design) machine.....

The Sony Lynx!!!!

ObsoletE

7 years ago

i dunno, i got a PS2 very early into it's release... Just after the first christmas they were available... it's an Aussie Gen 1 PS2 (international Gen 2) from the serial number and it's working fine... i do remember that some batches of this model had issues with the laser hitting discs, but thankfully mine never had that problem...

it was used as my families DVD player for the first 2 years we owned it before we finally got a stand alone DVD player... and until about a year ago, i would play games at least 10 hours a week i'd say... so it wasn't underused IMO (but then maybe it was)... as for type of game, most of my initial PS2 games were/are FPS games, which use the shoulders for shooting, crouching and jumping (unless it's dumb... *looks at WH40K: Firewarrior*) which also excessively use to analog sticks...

the load times haven't been excessively annoying, maybe thats because just before i got GTA:SA, i was playing Half-Life 2... but GTA:SA is definately the longest loading game i own...

i don't know what you mean by turning them upside down to use either... never heard of that...

armageddon12

7 years ago

My PS2 stopped reading discs every time, sometimes i would have to repeatedly boot up to get a disc to load. It then stopped reading blue PS2 discs (its main problem) entirely and occasionally reading silver PS2 discs. So I decided to get a new laser (some digging on the internet made it sound like the cause of the problem), which I'm currently installing.

David

7 years ago

Oh yeah, also my PS2 crashes after the intro movie of some games (Tony hawk 3 and 4, Devil May Cry, Maximo), and has from the beginning. I Just have to reset and try again 1/3 of the time.

Cerebral

7 years ago

GTPod wrote

Typical Sony. You can scan my entire house, and won't find one single Sony product of mine. And you never will.

That's a little over the top, isn't it?

I have a Sony DVDRW, that works perfectly fine. Should I don protective goggles and a flu mask and carefully remove it with rubber gloves? Or am I going to need an old priest and an young priest?

Hyperworm

7 years ago

*Sony Vaio crashes as he types a reply*

Nah, this has been pretty good... well, except for the fact that this is the second Vaio I've had, I exchanged it for the first one when the first one's screen totally lost the ability to illuminate itself

Hmmmm...

Gtpod

7 years ago

CerebralAssassin wrote

GTPod wrote

Typical Sony. You can scan my entire house, and won't find one single Sony product of mine. And you never will.

That's a little over the top, isn't it?

I don't think so, there are companies I trust, and companies I don't.. And Sony is one I don't trust.

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