Retailers Demand PSP Price Drop.

[Heretic Machine]

It seems that after disappointing sales, especially compared to it's competition, retailers want Sony to drop the price of the PSP to be more competitive. If not, it may find itself disappearing from store shelves. 1up.com (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3158013) has the story:

That's the message retailers have, according to our sources, sent Sony. With sales of the PSP lagging (Sony's PSP hardware shipments to retailers last Fall were down 72 percent over the year before, only a meager 10,000 units in the U.S.), word is that a few big name retailers have given Sony a mandate: drop the price or they'll drop the system from their stores. Entirely. With shelf space at a premium, the expectation is for Sony to do something substantial to keep its hardware moving -- or else.
I've already noticed that my Wal-mart isn't stocking them anymore, and is trying to hock it's display unit for $100.

[Klade]

I consider the PSP to be a failed system at this point. Even at a lower price the library simply isn't there. The thing was designed to be half a movie player and that bombed horribly as most folk predicted.

Then again if they make it pink perhaps new life would be breathed into the system. :rolleyes:

[jpublic]

Look, here's what they need to do to make the PSP work:

1) Drop the price. To the same as the DS.
2) Revamp the unit to have a FREAKING CLAMSHELL.
3) Make it smaller, with the same screen size.
4) Make the battery last 2-3x as long.

#1 is the bare minimum.

[Rangoth]

Sony needs to give up with the PSP.

Heck, competing with Nintendo in the handheld market is stupid on ANYONES part IMHO.

[Nighthold]

Look, here's what they need to do to make the PSP work:

1) Drop the price. To the same as the DS.
2) Revamp the unit to have a FREAKING CLAMSHELL.
3) Make it smaller, with the same screen size.
4) Make the battery last 2-3x as long.
5) Dual analog sticks.


Edited for truth.

[appaws]

I would buy it just for Dracula X chronicles if they just dropped it to $129.

[Siraris]

It needs a new control scheme.
A lower price.
Some really cool platform games.
Better battery life.
Built in flash memory.

[Adam Blue]

You guys might piss off 'Pump'd up' or however he spelled his name...

I asked this in anoother thread...but is there an extended battery for sale? I really hate the battery life on this thing.

[saneman]

Wouldn't hurt if they merged the PSP and the Mylo. Well I guess it would probably hurt the pocket.

[Zecon]

I wonder how long until the PS3 ends up in the same spot.....
To be fair, I did want a PSP. But the DS is just better in so many ways, I couldn't pass it up.

[Codicier]

You're all basically saying that you want the PSP to be the DS, but with the PSP's horsepower and storage capacity.

Magic 8 Ball says: "Don't count on it."

[Draft]

I really don't understand how the PSP was release without dual analog. Practically every 3D PS2 game uses it in some capacity, and what is the PSP but a portable PS2?

Anyway I hope they drop the price or create a cheaper PSP "Lite" before that Castlevania game comes out, cause I'm gonna have to buy one at that point.

[KingGorilla]

Drop the price of PSP...or get us some more Wiis and DS Nintendo. We will drop the PSP and give you the shelf space.

[gojira]

Too late. I already bought a DS Lite, and I'm very happy with my purchase.

As seldom as I play games anyway, I don't expect to exhaust it's library. So I'm spoken for, for the current generation. Maybe Sony will have a shot at my pocket next handheld gen...

[jacob.armitage]

i'm sure it will end up being too little too late.

[Camel]

I used to think the PSP was a colossal waste of money, but recently some games have came out (along with games that came out a while ago) that got me interested.

If it were cheaper I'd probably pick one up!

[Deadend]

Sony seemed to have forgotten why the PS1 did well in the first place. Because Nintendo was too busy burning bridges and making bad decisions, so Sony was able to get the PS1 out there. But the GBA was doing extremely well, Sony just went up against Nintendo in their strongest area, and proceeded to get stomped on.

They still have yet to have a compelling reason for the PSP, as it can do games close to what a PS2 can, but disc streaming is much more limited as are controls. So any game the PSP can do, the PS2 can do it better. The DS does not suffer from that problem.

[Evil Avnovice]

Just one of many problems that plagues the PSP.

Surprising that this pops up right behind the redesign.

[TheFlyingOrc]

I've already noticed that my Wal-mart isn't stocking them anymore, and is trying to hock it's display unit for $100.
I was thinking "hey, I want one for $100!" Then I remembered what happens to WalMart Display Units *shudders*

[TheHulk]

I think they'd have to drop the software prices as well to for this to really sell any units.

[Skyelan]

I really think that the PSP DOES have the games now for it to be a reasonable purchase at a slightly dropped price.

But can someone else fill me in on this: Has any other system ever had retailers DEMAND the creators lower the price or gtfo? That just seems a bit stunning to me, no matter how the PSP is doing.

[Heretic Machine]

I was thinking "hey, I want one for $100!" Then I remembered what happens to WalMart Display Units *shudders*

Ya, that is what stopped me from picking it up :p Not to mention that it wasn't in a box or anything. It was literally just the PSP, sitting on the bottom shelf beside a stack of PS2 boxes (positioned where the new PSPs used to be kept), with a big sticker on the front, "CLEARANCE DISPLAY UNIT: $100." I haven't seen a PSP in a box there in quite a while. I mean, they don't even really have a spot for them anymore.

Also, someone mentioned Sony forgetting what made the PS1 so popular. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The Playstation brand was built on $20 greatest hits titles, and affordable hardware. I mean, even heavily impoverished families could afford one and pick up a game now and then. I knew virtually no male in middle school, and up into the first couple years of High School who didn't own a PS1, and a considerable library of games. It was especially compelling because at the time three year old N64 games were still going for $50, while brand new PS1 games averaged $40, and fell to $20 within four-to-six months.

This new fetish for expensive hardware and games is in direct contention with their largest customer base. They really need to wake up and smell the coffee, and soon.

[Johan]

The PSP is a powerful, sexy beast. It tries to do too much, and as a result, it's too expensive and doesn't satisfy.

I'd be there if the following happened (mentioned earlier):

1. Drop in price to DS-like levels.
2. Dual analog nubs.
3. Fewer ports; more original material.

[Vore]

Walmart is one of the only retailers that can generally dictate prices of items. Have worked at one for over 3yrs are PSP display has been messed up since december nothing is on the screen besides a blue screen. Its taking up a good amount of area. So i'm thinking this is all true and that Sony won't do a dam thing bout it. When they first annouced it play all your ps 1 / ps 2 games portable or atleast ported versions of said games. Then of course how are u supposed too control most 3d games without 2 analog sticks (and personally i hate the hockey puck one that it does have)

[DoubleUranium]

I actually think the PSP is a perfect example of Sony's content divisions screwing the electronics division. Since Sony is a huge player in the RIAA/MPAA, and those two organizations were instrumental in making it illegal to rip DVDs via the DMCA. With the DMCA in place, the average consumer can't rip their existing DVD collection or record from their DVR or cable box. That sweet PSP screen is useless for watching movies or tv unless you're willing pay for the same content you already bought on DVD in the new UMD format.

Imagine Sony Electronics free of their content division. Your PSP would wirelessly download TV shows from your Sony Tivo and rip your DVDs from your Sony DVD player. Sony Electronics used to be the number one consumer electronics company and now they're being eclipsed by Samsung/etc.

[Rafer]

Funny, from the NPDs being released I thought the PSP hardware sales weren't doing that badly in the U.S. (vgcharts.org (http://www.vgcharts.org/aconscomps.php?name1=PSP&name2=DS&type=0&align=0) ), I thought the problem was abysmal software sales and the lack of strong first party titles.

[Gil]

I have an extremely hard time believing this story.

[Skyelan]

I have an extremely hard time believing this story.

Understandable, I mean, 1up just goes around making fake news or reporting unsourced rumors they heard from some email somewhere to stir up crap, right? ;)

[Hemalin]

Understandable, I mean, 1up just goes around making fake news or reporting unsourced rumors they heard from some email somewhere to stir up crap, right? ;)
Well, they're certainly not above making misleading headlines. (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3158027)

[resikel]

PSP + 1GB to 2GB memory at $150 = me buying.

[trip1eX]

I'm not sure there's much Sony can do. They made some mistakes up front that I don't think they can get away from.

They should made it an IPod of games. But it's not even an Ipod of movies or music.

You might as well just get a DS Lite and an Ipod for $380. A PSP and a couple of 4 gig memory sticks will set you back about as much.

I think Sony made a gorgeous looking machine, but underneath that it's almost all not good.

I guess though if they wanted to try and salvage it I would do a few things.

First, I would give it a clamshell design. The PSP is too nice to take with you. I can't imagine anyone handing to a friend on a sidewalk without worrying about it getting dropped.

Second, improve the analog nub.

Third, improve the refresh rate of the screen and adding brightness never hurts.

Fourth, make it smaller and improve battery life through more efficient circuitry and better batteries.

Fifth, lower prices of hardware and software.

[sticky]

Posted this before in another thread but this thread is similar so here it goes:

Step 1 Drop the UMD drive and give it an 80 gig hd or more like an ipod, load times, defects, noise, battery life, should all improve.

Step 2 Add second analog nub.

Step 3 Make all past UMD games and movies and future games and movies downloadable in something similar to the itunes online store.

Step 4 ?

Step 5 Profit


Maybe I am the only person on the planet that likes the PSP game library. I have 12 games with at least 10 more that I really, realy want. The DS has some interesting stuff but the PSP library has more titles that interest me especially the quality of sports games, FPS, and fighting games.

[Gpig]

I have a ton of psp games, but I don't play them nearly as much as my DS or especially GBA games. The GBA micro is just absurdly portable and the DS lite is also pretty portable with some amazing games. The psp just isn't very portable and the screen is pretty dark. I play it on flights and a few other occasions, but it really needs a brighter screen or definitely some sort of screen protection (clam shell). The psp is fucking huge in my pocket and with the soft case you actually notice that it's in your pocket when moving. That's too big. It has games I like, and portable Burnout is probably the greatest thing ever, but fix the portable problem at least!

[theguido]

Eh, it's not doing as well as the DS, but it is doing decently well at my store. We sell a decent number of games.

Maybe it's different at other retailers, but I can't imagine our corp being too upset at how it's doing.

However, we'd love to get some more DS's and Wii's whenever Nintendo can send them along :)

[Sandman]

If the general public knew how easy it was to put your "own" PS1 games on a PSP it would be selling like hotcakes...but then Sony would go and kill their own sells by upping the firmware with some PSP title that people might actually want to play.

[Disgustipated]

I'll buy one when they drop in price, as it's an awesome system for homebrew, emulation, and it has an awesome game called Metal Gear Portable Ops... which I'm surprised hasn't gotten more praise.

[Rirath]

Simple fact: My PSP sees much more use than my DS.
It's incredible as a portable anime player... and it has some games too!

[T-Rex Commando]

I was thinking "hey, I want one for $100!" Then I remembered what happens to WalMart Display Units *shudders*
Just ignore the now-impossible to remove stickiness from the 1.3 billion children who have fondled it before you and it'll be ok.

[hund_]

the whole problem with the hand helds is they need the simplest of cell phones[no bells and whistles] that way i can take it to work ;)

[blackzc]

I really think that the PSP DOES have the games now for it to be a reasonable purchase at a slightly dropped price.

But can someone else fill me in on this: Has any other system ever had retailers DEMAND the creators lower the price or gtfo? That just seems a bit stunning to me, no matter how the PSP is doing.


If you ran a retail chain and video games were just one small part of the whole store, would you want shit sitting on your shelf that didnt sell or would you lose it and put somthing else there did sell, the DS area at wal mart is to small, it will prolly get bigger if they do this.

[JimmyDanger]

But can someone else fill me in on this: Has any other system ever had retailers DEMAND the creators lower the price or gtfo?

That's pretty much what happened with the GC with most of the major chain stores over here. Ditto the GB Micro - But I don't think Nintendo bother making those anymore anyway, so that was just to clear the stocks.

For me, as someone who spends not much time at all travelling - a handheld has to offer me something different - a quick game I can easily get into and get some quick results from, games I can pick up in ad breaks, and short spells - not cut down versions of games I could play on the TV 5 metres away from me. The first time I saw a PSP, the bloke had Darkstalkers - and I thougt "great - give us a go" - 4 minutes later from boot to actual ""Fight!" was painful as hell, particular as I was standing around. Slow loading optical media in a handheld has to be the most ass stupid gaming decision ever - unless you're trying to sell an optical based media standard - and even then - pretty fucking shortsighted in a portable gaming device.

Things like Brain Training, Advance Wars DS, Warioware and FFAT (GBA) give me things I can quickly get into and out of, with some small sense of accomplishment from each one, and due to the very nature of holding a system in your hands and not having to stare at endless loading screens.

Not really a DS lover (it does seem fewer and farther between that I pick it up these days), not really a PSP hater (sure, I'd love those Capcom/Taito & EA classics UMD's) - but I can see why either would be a good fit for some people. I think it's just that the PSP never really decided it wanted to be a portable gaming device as much as it wanted to be a portable UMD player - from it's conception. I don't know what the fuck Nintendo were thinking when they made a touch screen, but it certainly enhances one of the most basic almost unavoidable features of almost every single game ever made...navigating menus.

[IrishWhiskey]

The first time I saw a PSP, the bloke had Darkstalkers - and I thougt "great - give us a go" - 4 minutes later from boot to actual ""Fight!" was painful as hell, particular as I was standing around. Slow loading optical media in a handheld has to be the most ass stupid gaming decision ever - unless you're trying to sell an optical based media standard - and even then - pretty fucking shortsighted in a portable gaming device.

Things like Brain Training, Advance Wars DS, Warioware and FFAT (GBA) give me things I can quickly get into and out of, with some small sense of accomplishment from each one, and due to the very nature of holding a system in your hands and not having to stare at endless loading screens.
Yup, and this really is the single greatest reason I have for not getting a PSP. The games are now finally decent, the graphics are great, and most controls are finding ways to compensate for lack of dual sticks.

The main problem is that its a portable gaming device in the same way a portable DVD player is for video on the go. Sure, you can take it with you, but you can't exactly whip it out on the train or waiting at the deli. Its too slow and gives you a nicer screen, but you have to change disks and worry more about battery life. Its to unwieldy for stop and go situations, which is 90% of when I use a portable gaming system. With the DS, I can play all my games in short bursts, and simply close the clamshell whenever I need to pause (which is very often). If the PSP is a portable DVD player, then the DS is like a Zune or iPod video. Something you can use wherever and whenever, and just slip back into your pocket with minimal fuss.

[Wolvie]

Retailers? GAMERS are demanding a price drop! C'mon Sony, quit being so damn greedy, drop the price already.

[pacman]

I've been thinking on the PSP for a while, but just can't justify the purchase for a number of reasons. However, a price drop may just push me over the edge and give me the incentive to finally buy one.

[Gorvi]

Yup, and this really is the single greatest reason I have for not getting a PSP. The games are now finally decent, the graphics are great, and most controls are finding ways to compensate for lack of dual sticks.

The main problem is that its a portable gaming device in the same way a portable DVD player is for video on the go. Sure, you can take it with you, but you can't exactly whip it out on the train or waiting at the deli. Its too slow and gives you a nicer screen, but you have to change disks and worry more about battery life. Its to unwieldy for stop and go situations, which is 90% of when I use a portable gaming system. With the DS, I can play all my games in short bursts, and simply close the clamshell whenever I need to pause (which is very often). If the PSP is a portable DVD player, then the DS is like a Zune or iPod video. Something you can use wherever and whenever, and just slip back into your pocket with minimal fuss.
So, did you just get your first portable with your DS, or do you remember every other portable ever? As someone who played a ton of GB and GBA games throughout the years, and now a lot of PSP and DS (there's just something I find appealing sitting in a comfy chair with a portable), I can tell you, the focus of a lot of games for those systems was not always short bursts of play. In fact, a lot of them were just the opposite. And do you know what? They were still great.

The fact of the matter is that both the PSP and DS have a sleep mode, meaning that whether you can find a save or not is almost inconsequential, you can stop your progress and pick it up later (and yes, this works equally on both systems). And honestly, the PSP is no more unweildy than the DS, where you have to try to manipulate a stylus in a portable setting.

There are 2 main reasons the DS outsells the PSP, and it's by design and very obvious if you look : price and demographic. The PSP is obviously more expensive, it's a more complex piece of tech, therefor making it unattractive for parents to give to small children (nothing wrong with that). There are also no games out there (save for maybe 2-3) that are marketed at a younger crowd, taking away another reason for the PSP to be the portable for the under 12 crowd (once again, nothing wrong with that). The quality of games was lagging behind the DS for a little while(they both had pretty slow first years), but that gulf has closed rapidly over the past year, going away completely for a lot of people.

The article in question fails to mention that the PSP sold, what, nearly 1 million units in December in North America alone, with no discounting? How about the fact that, in Japan, the PSP outsells pretty much everything but the DS (although the Wii has pushed the PSP into 3rd recently)? That, while lagging behind the DS in terms of sales (in Japan by a large margin, but not by much in other territories), the PSP is doing better than any other portable that has come along to challenge Nintendo? Was the XBOX a total failure because it could only manage 21% of the sales of the PS2? No? So why is the PSP a total failure when it has managed to sell 70% of what the DS has (all according to VGCharts (http://www.vgcharts.com/page2.html)) while being nearly twice the price and appealing to a more limited demographic?

[Lutheran]

Good post Gorvi , still the perception is out there that the PSP is a disaster. Like someone said above if everyone knew what the custom firmware does the PSP would sell a lot more units. Hell one of the last few update even added another level of brightness. Being able to rip your own PS1 games and upload them to your PSP makes the PSP a kickass system.

[Gorvi]

Good post Gorvi , still the perception is out there that the PSP is a disaster. Like someone said above if everyone knew what the custom firmware does the PSP would sell a lot more units. Hell one of the last few update even added another level of brightness. Being able to rip your own PS1 games and upload them to your PSP makes the PSP a kickass system.
Thanks. :)

Yeah, I know that seems to be the perception, and I think that has a lot to do with the combination of things that, from a PR standpoint on both accounts, Sony (as a company) has done wrong over the past few years and what Nintendo has done right.

A lot of people want to see a redesign with major changes like a second analog nub, no more UMD, etc.., but changes like that would alienate the owners of the 25 million systems they've already shipped. Sony needs to support the PSP for the next couple of years, then release a new portabe (PSP2) that addresses the concerns people had with the original. Doing anything else would be stupid at this point.

[bapenguin]

I bought a PSP at launch. Well actually I traded in a ton of stuff and got a PSP for $100 at launch. But I've gotten my money's worth. I played the hell out of Hotshot's Golf and Lumines.

There's been a few gems here and there as well that I've liked. The screen is still the sexiest best looking screen on the market, even after Nintendo released the DS Lite.

The problem with the PSP is a lot of the games still aren't portable games.

[Gorvi]

The problem with the PSP is a lot of the games still aren't portable games.
I don't think that's it so much anymore. I look at the DS and PSP games sitting on my shelf, and while they're all clearly different, not many of them really scream 'portable'. The main thing that hampers the PSP games from being portable is a problem with the system itself : load times. Portable gaming and load times just don't go together well. If you removed those, I think PSP games would lose that stigma of not being portable games.

[Yeti2005]

I used to hate my PSP until someone on this board tipped me off about the Dark Alex firmware. There's not a lot of PSP games out there that I like but at least now I can use emulators and such for old NES, SNES, Genesis, and PS1 games. I also own Lumines (amazing), LocoRoco (short but fun), and Rachet and Clank (ok).

[51|RandoM]

The retailers are right.

The price disparity between the DS and the PSP makes the PSP an expensive component, while the DS remains a purchasing whim? I think that expresses it.

Nintendo is the master of the pricepoint. They make solid hardware, solid hardware that is profitable. Hardware that is priced for the masses.

Sony is still "boutiquing(sp?)" their product. There is a market for the better(read: more expensive) tech, but it isn't big enough to drive million unit software sales.

[Lord Dongkey]

Let me just say:

Vagrant Story on the PSP sold me on it.

Oh, and then there's FFTactics, FFVII, VIII, IX (I say VIII in theory since I haven't played it yet. Ever. Damned EMO scarred kid with gun-blade).

Vandal Hearts 1 and 2.

Mega Man PS1 games.

All the SNES games and NES games on the face of this planet earth.

Anime dropped to my memory stick.

PSP went from totally useless to one of the sexiest god-damned things on the face of this planet earth with handheld PSX games.

[agentgray]

So, did you just get your first portable with your DS, or do you remember every other portable ever? As someone who played a ton of GB and GBA games throughout the years, and now a lot of PSP and DS (there's just something I find appealing sitting in a comfy chair with a portable), I can tell you, the focus of a lot of games for those systems was not always short bursts of play. In fact, a lot of them were just the opposite. And do you know what? They were still great.

The fact of the matter is that both the PSP and DS have a sleep mode, meaning that whether you can find a save or not is almost inconsequential, you can stop your progress and pick it up later (and yes, this works equally on both systems). And honestly, the PSP is no more unweildy than the DS, where you have to try to manipulate a stylus in a portable setting.

There are 2 main reasons the DS outsells the PSP, and it's by design and very obvious if you look : price and demographic. The PSP is obviously more expensive, it's a more complex piece of tech, therefor making it unattractive for parents to give to small children (nothing wrong with that). There are also no games out there (save for maybe 2-3) that are marketed at a younger crowd, taking away another reason for the PSP to be the portable for the under 12 crowd (once again, nothing wrong with that). The quality of games was lagging behind the DS for a little while(they both had pretty slow first years), but that gulf has closed rapidly over the past year, going away completely for a lot of people.

The article in question fails to mention that the PSP sold, what, nearly 1 million units in December in North America alone, with no discounting? How about the fact that, in Japan, the PSP outsells pretty much everything but the DS (although the Wii has pushed the PSP into 3rd recently)? That, while lagging behind the DS in terms of sales (in Japan by a large margin, but not by much in other territories), the PSP is doing better than any other portable that has come along to challenge Nintendo? Was the XBOX a total failure because it could only manage 21% of the sales of the PS2? No? So why is the PSP a total failure when it has managed to sell 70% of what the DS has (all according to VGCharts (http://www.vgcharts.com/page2.html)) while being nearly twice the price and appealing to a more limited demographic?
"One two, princes, here before you, so go ahead now..."

Nah, good post. :D However, I've really tried to make it work. Like bap, I traded a BUNCH of stuff in at launch and got one, Lumines, and wipeout. I was in love...with Lumines. I then got rid of it for a DS and forget love, my soul merged with that system.

One day, I get a call from Visa. I have a Sony card with about $400 worth of points on it. I think, hey, Lumines. I go back out, pick up the PSP, Lumines, Valkyrie Profile, Gradius Collection, and Loco Roco. I then proceed to play Lumines and LocoRoco. Then I come across the homebrew thread here...Man, I love my Final Fantasy Tactics.

The irony is now that I bought the hardware and some software but I'm doing nothing with it that Sony wants me to.

...and like bap, I think it failed in one aspect that it needs more portable games, but not just portable, but casual.

[Roc Ingersol]

PSP was a promising system, hampered by a lame proprietary optical media that it didn't need.

It's Sony's new theme.

[Headcase]

Sony needs to give up with the PSP.

Heck, competing with Nintendo in the handheld market is stupid on ANYONES part IMHO.

Competing with Nintendo in the handheld market with an inferiorly designed and planned console is stupid on anyone's part, IMHO.

Sony had all the tools to compete very well against the DS, failed miserably in using them, and the thing still sold decently.

[Gorvi]

...and like bap, I think it failed in one aspect that it needs more portable games, but not just portable, but casual.
Yeah, other than Sudoku and a poker game or two, you're absolutely right. Of course, this site here (http://www.psponme.com/list_psp.asp) helps fill that gap quite a bit, and you don't even need homebrew to run any of the games, they're all flash. :)

[jpublic]

Guys, as cool as the custom PSP firmware is, I submit that a vast minority of PSP owners are actually using it, or even know about it.

If Sony added that functionality into the official firmware, it would go a *long* way to improving the system's attractiveness.

[Headcase]

Yeah, other than Sudoku and a poker game or two, you're absolutely right. Of course, this site here (http://www.psponme.com/list_psp.asp) helps fill that gap quite a bit, and you don't even need homebrew to run any of the games, they're all flash. :)

This reminds me of one of Sony's "miserable failures" with the PSP. There's so much potential for homebrew, which really helps bridge the gap in software libraries between the DS and PSP. People are adding functionality to the PSP for essentially no money.

So what does Sony do? Put as much effort as possible into preventing homebrew from working. Sure, they want to protect their console from pirating, but this no-homebrew policy is just destructive. Sony (and Nintendo for that matter) should be providing tools for homebrew development (think XNA), not work to stop it.

And though I've never heard any evidence of it, I can guess that people are pirating games just so their firmware doesn't get "upgraded" by legitimate ones, the same irony as when I had to pirate games I actually wanted to buy for the PS1, because legit games wouldn't run if a mod-chip was detected. Smart thinking.

[roboninja]

You're all basically saying that you want the PSP to be the DS, but with the PSP's horsepower and storage capacity.

Magic 8 Ball says: "Don't count on it."
Well, if they truly want to beat Nintendo, that is what it will take. You rarely win with inferior product, especially when you are the upstart and the competitor is entrenched..

[RUSKULL]

Think i-phone that plays PSP games, and make it $150. of course that would never happen...at least not in this decade.

[HardScores]

Well, time to trade mine in before the value plummets

[IRONGUSTAV]

so we can say hurray for the dead of the psp and celebrate the monopoly of nintendo in the portable area?

and to think some ppl see this as good news...jesus

[Dag-Sabot]

Psp...what? I haven't been able to put down my N-gage, PSP's brother from another mother.

[GabeCube]

Funny, from the NPDs being released I thought the PSP hardware sales weren't doing that badly in the U.S. (vgcharts.org (http://www.vgcharts.org/aconscomps.php?name1=PSP&name2=DS&type=0&align=0) ), I thought the problem was abysmal software sales and the lack of strong first party titles.


I think the chart below makes it much clearer:

http://www.vgcharts.org/aconscomps.php?name1=PSP&name2=DS&type=0&align=1

Also remember: that is US only. Add Japan to the mix and the difference should become even clearer.

[KSmitty]

Let me just say:

Vagrant Story on the PSP sold me on it.

Oh, and then there's FFTactics, FFVII, VIII, IX (I say VIII in theory since I haven't played it yet. Ever. Damned EMO scarred kid with gun-blade).

Vandal Hearts 1 and 2.

Mega Man PS1 games.

All the SNES games and NES games on the face of this planet earth.

Anime dropped to my memory stick.

PSP went from totally useless to one of the sexiest god-damned things on the face of this planet earth with handheld PSX games.
Hey if you took away the Nintendo Roms, Sony COULD HAVE allowed PSP owners to do all of those things. Instead they went out of their way to make the system as inaccesible as possible. I loved the idea of being able to port my PS1 library to my PSP using the PS3, that is one of the reasons that I really wanted the PS3. But I do not want to have to jump through twenty hoops to get this type of functionality out of the system. Make it standard make it easily accesible. Want to put video on your PSP? Well first encode it in an obscure format then put it on your memory stick, oh wait that doesn't work put on your memory stick in a specifically named folder...oh wait that doesn't work either, put the obscure format on your memory stick in a specifically named folder in a specifically named file type. WTH?

Honestly I would even settle for $10 greatest hit style PS1 games for the PSP that could be downloaded to your PC from the Sony store (ie Apple/iPod). Sony made a good system that does alot of cool things, it was simply limited by optical media, Sony's own contradictory media practices and poor battery life (due to media).

[KingGorilla]

Does the PSP still retail for like 250 dollars? I can play Zelda for that money.

[NightRain]

I have had a PSP since launch and I think it was a worth while purchase. I actually play it more than my DS Lite. I own 34 PSP games and consider them all worth while purchases for the most part. There are still other games that are lower on my want list that I haven't picked up and played yet.

I own about 12 games for my DS and while I do enjoy it I like my PSP better. I do think the biggest problem is battery life, not dual analog sticks. I have the 2200 mAh battery and get about 4-4.5 hours of gameplay so I have to carry my original battery most places but the original 1800 mAh only last about 2.5-3 hours. they need a larger capacity battery, today's technology in batteries would make it possible to have at least 3600 mAh in the same size battery, that would give about 6.5 hours of gameplay, which isn't bad. 2.5 is ridiculus.

My other complaint is with game developers in general not making portable games save anywhere, I recently started playing Valkyrie Profile and it is stupid to have no save anywhere feature. This isn't just for PSP games though, GBA and DS games often do that too.

[HumpYourWay]

I consider the PSP to be a failed system at this point.


LOL what a looser - the big Klade has spoken or what?!?! :rolleyes:

Failed systems? Hmmm. Nokia NGage, Dreamcast. Sure! Maybe even the Cube.
But PSP... I wouldnt call that a failed system.
But if a nerd like Klade says it, it must be fucking true, I guess. ;)

[31 Flavas]

so we can say hurray for the dead of the psp and celebrate the monopoly of nintendo in the portable area?

and to think some ppl see this as good news...jesusHonestly now, was the past monopoly Nintendo had, that bad? $99 handheld hardware with $20-$35 games. No load times and 10+ hour battery life. Oh the humanity! Oh the injustice!

[IRONGUSTAV]

Honestly now, was the past monopoly Nintendo had, that bad? $99 handheld hardware with $20-$35 games. No load times and 10+ hour battery life. Oh the humanity! Oh the injustice!

this must be a joke XD

[Headcase]

Honestly now, was the past monopoly Nintendo had, that bad?

They were really slow with the whole back-lighting thing.

[31 Flavas]

this must be a joke XD
---
They were really slow with the whole back-lighting thing.
Nintendo was not without competition.

If consumers were disinterested in Nintendo's slow graphics updates or lack of built in lighting. They could have just chosen from any of the superior competing products. Just as consumers can do today with PSP, but are not. Just as they were not back then.

And just so we don't get to derailed... Besides if the PSP fails, something will just replace it. Whether it's from Sony or Samsug or maybe even Microsoft...

Bottom line, you will have non-Nintendo choice. It just undoubtedly won't be too popular because of the value Nintendo's handheld provides.

[IrishWhiskey]

So, did you just get your first portable with your DS, or do you remember every other portable ever? As someone who played a ton of GB and GBA games throughout the years, and now a lot of PSP and DS (there's just something I find appealing sitting in a comfy chair with a portable), I can tell you, the focus of a lot of games for those systems was not always short bursts of play. In fact, a lot of them were just the opposite. And do you know what? They were still great. I do remember every other portable ever. And most every game I can think of was able to be played in quick bursts. The ones I'm playing for the GBA now are Advance Wars, Wario Ware, FFVI, and Super Mario World. Every single one of those can be played in bursts. More importantly, every one takes about 10 seconds to get from turn on to playing, as opposed to every single PSP games I've played. And having the game not be conductive to stop and go gaming doesn't makes it less great. It does make it less useful in a portable situation for me though. Battery life would be another key part of this.

[Sensei-X]

Funny thing is that all of this talk about the custom firmware doesn't do a thing to help Sony. It kills their UMD Video sales and destroys their game sales because the firmware that allows emulators to load also opened the door to bootlegging PSP retail games. Sure you could argue that you already own the originals and can do as you please (and I would say you are right) but that doesn't help Sony when retailers see shelves of unsold software. Would I use custom firmware? Hell yeah, but then again I don't really care if the PSP goes belly up.

[Banacek]

Seeing that I just bought one, I can guarantee that the price is going to drop soon...

[Gorvi]

I do remember every other portable ever. And most every game I can think of was able to be played in quick bursts. The ones I'm playing for the GBA now are Advance Wars, Wario Ware, FFVI, and Super Mario World. Every single one of those can be played in bursts. More importantly, every one takes about 10 seconds to get from turn on to playing, as opposed to every single PSP games I've played. And having the game not be conductive to stop and go gaming doesn't makes it less great. It does make it less useful in a portable situation for me though. Battery life would be another key part of this.
Wait, are you trying to call Final Fantasy VI and Advance Wars games that are meant to be played in short bursts? Are you kidding? The only way this works is because they have the option to save anywhere. While this is very much needed in GBA games, it's really not necassary in any PSP or DS game by virtue of the system's built in sleep mode. Hell, New Super Mario Bros. even uses the sleep mode in the manual as an excuse for not being able to save after every level (nothing really wrong with that).

I do agree, though, that the battery life issues the PSP has are a problem, although not as bad as some say, you unfortunately just have to keep an eye on it and keep it charged more than you do with the DS. I also agree that load times are an issue, but again, only in some games. Either way though, those are both things that Sony needs to address in their next handheld.

[ElectricMonk]

All they really need to do to save the psp is to get some good games.