RSSThe Sony PSP perception problem: Is it losing its luster?
By Tim Conneally | Published January 28, 2009, 3:50 PM
Sony's PSP was Time's "Gotta Have it" device for 2005, which was like being voted "Person of the Year." Now as the PSP enters its middle-age, it is the subject of less adulation, and more dismissive grumbling.
Today, GamesIndustry.biz posted an interview with Laurent Benadiba, CEO of French software developers Smack Down Productions, who says publishers are discouraged from making PlayStation Portable games, despite it being an outstanding platform.
"The other day we were with a publisher, and trying to figure out a business model for a PSP game," Benadiba said, "It was a big IP, a big license, a top five racing game, and we couldn't work out how we could break even. Because there are so few sales on the PSP in Europe now, you have to make a huge title on a small budget just to break even."
In the handheld console market, there are only two places to be: first place and last place. Despite strong sales, Sony sold fewer than half the amount of Nintendo DSs sold (3.04 million vs. 1.02 million).
The question is: Is the PSP being spread too thinly to compete against the simple, games-only DS?
In addition to its UMD-based gaming and movie functions, the PSP supports full Web browsing, MP3 player functionality, mobile app downloading, VoIP, GPS navigation (Japan), Internet Radio, RSS, LocationFree TV, video-on-Demand via Go!View (and the ability to output to TV), and PlayTV "slinging" (Europe). Still, the rumors keep circulating about even more.
A PlayStation branded "PSP Phone" from Sony Ericsson, for example, was rumored to be in the works and be available around Christmas 2009. Though the mobile phone maker never speaks on speculation, it already markets Walkman, Cybershot, and even Bravia branded phones. The rumor recently shifted toward the negative as Sony reportedly refuses to share the PlayStation brand with devices that do not perform as well as the name would imply.
Earlier this month, Sony was reportedly surveying gamer opinions on what they'd like to see in the next iteration of the PSP. Among the suggestions were XMB-based social networking functions, a keyboard, Bluetooth, a touchscreen, location awareness, and an internal hard drive.
While these possible features and all the existent ones certainly make current owners of the PSP smile, the PSP has lost much of the "must have" appeal that it had four years ago as the most powerful handheld gaming device. The funny thing about that is that's the one thing about the PSP that's never changed.
I’m kind of new to the PSP but not too Sony,
I bought the hand held device for its whole package I wanted an mp3 player with video play back, and plan on picking up the Creative Zen. While I was at Game stop pricing the PS3 I saw the PSP on the shelf and was drawn to its large screen.
I turned it on and loved the bright and vibrant color screen, and asked the clerk if it played mp3’s and if I could place my own videos on too it, he said yes and I purchased it and a few accessories and two games.
The device has great potential, but its creators (Sony) have a kind of self destructive character flaw, for some reason they don’t pay attention to the world around them to say the least.
It’s like if we were all in a desert standing next to a well and dying of thirst because we couldn’t reach the water.
Nintendo invents a cup with a long string attached and that’s great we now can reach the water.
SONY invents a high powered water hose which is better but there’s no button to turn on the pump, instead just a hand crank.
SONY has to step up and bring their “A-Game” with them. The PSP is powerful but its true potential is being wasted.
some ideas:
1. Be able to push up the screen and show a keyboard ( most kids love texting any way)
2. Hard drive like (CJWalker) posted
3. Open up an SDK and let people develop for it
4. Let people make small user based games for it ( Microsoft has XNA)
5. Built in GPS
6. Make more than one Play list for MP3’s
7. Put a High Definition Video camcorder (Think Flip video) and with wireless send right to blip.tv or YOUTUBE.
8. Put better web browsing
9. Better Volume
10. Away to link professional DSLR Cameras (Think Nikon) so photographs don’t have to buy a portable DVD player to connect to and show the pictures on a larger screen they could connect to the PSP especially if they are shooting on location.
11. Put some network Administrators diagnostic tools on it for fix computers
SONY needs to take a deep breath let it out slowly and start thinking clearly
But hey what I know it’s just my opinion.
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|The best thing Sony could do to save the PSP brand is make one that has a massive internal hard drive, and make *all* games purchasable and downloadable from the playstation store, much like Apple have done with their App Store for the iPhone.
Portable media players such as the iPod have done away with the need to carry CDs or tapes with you wherever you go. Your entire music collection is sitting in your pocket. This is increasingly true for video content as well. I think people will soon demand a similar convenience from their portable gaming devices.
Personally, I hate having to carry a bunch of UMDs in my pocket. I'd much rather have all my games stored on the internal hard drive so I can just pick one and play it whenever the mood strikes.
With the iPhone and App Store, Apple has the right idea. The PSP has better games (and better controls for playing them). If Sony went the extra mile and did away with its antiquated UMDs, the PSP would quickly regain its "must have" status.
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|LOL!
WPA2 to address PSP hacks!
Does anyone even have a clue as to what these two things have to do with one another?
Is one worried about wireless authentication with the PSP???? And since when is the issue of hacks one of another accessing your PSP and not simply of hacking the game itself with cheat codes?
Again...all we get is crap fanboy whining.
Nothing to do with platform capabilities and strategic marketing issues, how Sony could better position the product or leverage its capabilities, or of the issues facing game developers.
Nope, instead we get folks who are sitting around arguing over who looks coolest as they USE the d@mned thing - and lament, lamentably, that it does not support WPA2!
Thanks for the laughs guys!
WPA2...yeah, right! What? And no VPN support? And no SSL VPN support? LOL!
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|Thats funny because it's quite the other way around here. The PSP hasnt been used for months. We all play wifi against each other on various DS games. In fact I almsot forgot the PSP exisited until this article was written. That not even to your 6yo! Damn the kids in our street ALL have to have DS's. I know of one person who has a PSP and even he has given up on it.
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|It's not about performance, it's not about features and capabilities. Face it - it's not "cool" anymore! You gotta have the iJunk!
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|But really, PSP is at LEAST 3,000000 times better than DS. I dont know or care about "hacks", all I know is the graphcis on a PSP are simply AMAZING.
I got a PSP to play games with, NOT for mp3's, movies, etc. TO PLAY GAMES. Can you guess why I got a ps3, yup!! to PLAY GAMES. Anyone that preaches they have a psp/ps3 "only" to watch movies are only kidding themselves! ;-)
Please
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|But do graphics really mean better games? Case and point, look at the DS and the Wii vs PSP and the PS3. Which ones have the better graphics? It seems to me more people agree that the DS and Wii are better since they're both in first place in sales and they both have inferior graphics.
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|I gave up and sold my PSP. Sony sent me an email saying that WPA2 was unnecessary for the WiFi because "security is not a focus of this device". Hence the hacks that keep coming for it. A dearth of movies and games left me unexcited over it. I sold it and used the money to go out to eat somewhere. Better spent.
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|I thought the new PSP's were much harder to hack than the old ones. Why do you think Nintendo has WiFi built into the new DSi? Firmware updates & hack patches anyone?
I'm sure the PSP is pretty cool but I'd use it for watching movies on an airplane more than gaming just like I use my PS3 for BD and nothing else.
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|Doesn't the old DS's have Wifi?
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|What is fun to read are the comments, instead of addressing the strategic marketing aspects that this article actually tries to address, which remain at the level pf a bunch of pre-pubescents tossing jibes at each other over which platform is coolest.
LOL! Nice try Tim.
Unfortunately the majority of your audience is too young to appreciate the significance of the topic, which contrary to the chatter below is actually quite interesting - as a technologically superior device is lost amidst the clutter of the marketplace product mix and suffers even as inferior devices prosper.
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|Did the PSP ever have luster? It's a mediocre device, though it's better than it was.
Fun, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder but the DS is more about doing fun right than doing several things in an average way.
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|"The Sony PSP perception problem: Is it losing its luster?"
Ya think? The DS with it's smaller screen(s) and inferior graphics is way more fun and incredibly easy to get a MicroSD cart that does "homebrew" games.
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|i love my psp
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|and i'm guessing the only reason you love it is the same reason as everyone else
Easy to hack!!
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|that makes perfect sense, well if ur a sony basher.. but realisticly the PSP blowws the DS away in the "fun" department.
I thought at first, maybe because i'm not 6yo that why I dont see anything special about DS...
..but, i realized my nephew 6yo got a DS for christmas simply to have what all the other kids in his kindergarten class have. I say that because each time he comes over he runs for my PSP!! leaving his corny DS in his bag and never taking it out.
for me that is real-life proof that just like the WII the DS is all "non-hardcore gamer" hype..
in short, DS is not as fun as a PSP, not even to a 6yo
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|that too, but i would still use it frequently without the hack
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