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PSP Expands Ad-Hoc Online Play

Sony is expanding the Ad Hoc functionality of the PSP handheld with Ad Hoc Party, a free service that connects your PSP with your PS3 in order to broaden the reach of your PSP's Ad Hoc range. Ad Hoc Party is already out in Japan, and although Sony has just announced the service here in America, no actual launch date is set.

Normal Ad Hoc play for the PSP enables you to play with another PSP player only in your immediate vicinity. Ad Hoc Party hooks your PSP and PS3 together and lets you play over the Internet – including voice chat if you have a bluetooth headset – with the PS3 acting as a server putting you in touch with players all over the globe. The feature, of course, requires that your PS3 is hooked up online and your PSP is in wi-fi connection distance to your PS3.

The PSP Go might have sold like a used sandwich, but it's good to see Sony not abandon the PSP brand in general, and it continues to roll out new features for the handheld. What do you think of Ad Hoc play? Would you use it? Also, what do you think of the interplay between the PSP and PS3?

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Comments
  • Yeah I would use it if there were good multi-player games for the PSP.

  • I use this feature from the Japanese Market at least once a week to play Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite with friend across the country. I'm happy to see it come to the American Market and it's good to know that I'll finally be able to see what I'm doing.

    -Korey Eiche

  • Wow. That's actually pretty cool. PSP also has some pretty sweet games.

    ..........and yet, I still don't want one. I must be weird.

  • sweet that makes me reconsider abandoning the system myself

  • Hahah, Shalafein, my thoughts exactly.

  • I wonder how long the PSP will go till it just dies.  I mean, it has no chance against the DS in the handheld market.  I wonder if this will help it.

  • seems to be a nice game

  • @ brian, what looks like a nice game? Note this isn't a game, it's a function for your PSP to work with your PS3. Most users that I see on the Japanese AdHoc Party, are using it to play Monster Hunter Games.

    -Korey Eiche

  • Not sure where you are coming from steel. The PSP is not that far back in terms of installed base. There are plenty of people who own the system.

  • I like the interaction between systems, but how about they spend a little more time making games that would make the PSP worth buying

  • Wow, this is actually pretty cool.  Who knows maybe I'll actually be able to find people playing some of the games I own now.

  • I'm very excited. I use the psp/ps3 integration a lot for tv shows and psone classics. This just steps it up another notch allowing me to play with my friends online. Love that sony continues to make their online gaming free too.

  • Why do all these things drop over seas first before coming here?If anything it should have dropped here first

  • Mod

    So to play multiplayer games with people around the world, I have to use a wi-fi connection from my PSP to my PS3, which sends a signal to someone else's PS3, which then sends a wi-fi signal to their PSP...

    Um yeah... that sounds like that would lag like crazy considering that you experience some lag just when you ad-hoc remote play your PS3 on the PSP even with 100% signal strength.

    I'm also still waiting for reverse remote play, where you remote play PSP games on the PS3.

  • I think of the interplay of the psp and ps3 is a little too late. I certainly welcome it but man! I've been waiting for interplay with the psp and a console since the ps2 and psp. I feel the interplay that immediately took place with the psp and ps3 was a lame lame lame thought out idea. It was a half eaten cupcake

  • @dbull60: There is only lag if your internet connection sucks, otherwise this is great! I use this everyday to play with my friends across town. Glad to see this is finally coming over to America.

  • I mean, i guess it sounds like a good idea, but the negative of it would mean that developers would become lazy and just not implement an infrastructure mode on games (not like many do anyway), and it would require you to not only have a psp platform, but the ps3 as well.  So, for my portable device to play online, I'll need a stand alone home console...if I'm going to be that close to my ps3, why play a portable experience when other games like Call of Duty and Uncharted are sitting right there?

  • It's a very neat feature but why can't we just be able to have friends list and do voice chat,ad hoc connection,send messages, ect like the PS3 instead of this "adhoc party" because now people need a PS3.

    Nice idea and I own a PS3, but why not just be able to have a friend list with tons of features like the ps3 friend list features. Why? Why?!?!?

  • lol a used sandwich. im hungry now.

  • And if you don't have a PS3? What use is that?

    If only you could use a PC or something to do this Ad Hoc stuff.

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