Sony PSP - Pricing Hints Emerge?

Thanks to MCV for their interview with Sony Europe boss Chris Deering, in which it's mentioned again that Sony's PSP handheld "will be launched across the world in the final quarter of 2004." But Deering also talks price, suggesting that the PSP would launch at "closer to 200UKP [369USD] than 300UKP [554USD]" in England. Meanwhile, a Gamesindustry.biz article takes note of "information from Japanese retail sources earlier this week, who told us that a price point around 50,000 Yen [448USD], was being bandied about in Tokyo." Recent exchange-rate changes complicate U.S. launch pricing estimates, though - the PSP will likely launch at less than those raw dollar conversion rates Stateside, but is not intended to be a hardware loss-leader for Sony, with Deering suggesting: "The feeling is that this product should generate profit on hardware alone. We want to make it affordable for publishers to produce a wide range of entertainment and so [Sony-payable] royalties [on software produced for the PSP] will be lower down in the mix this time round."

Comments

Re:damn

[BigKato]

Why is this modded as troll?

I thought it was funny, jerk.

Re:Way too much money

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

Who wants to pay $200+ for a portable console? Hard to say but that's because I don't employ a worldwide marketing division who are paid to survey consumers and find out exactly where certain price points are. Call me crazy but I think I trust Sony's ability to define a market for a portable better than some guy on Slashdot.

Furthermore, when the iPod was announced, did you make a similar prediction? I mean, who wants to pay $400+ for a portable music player when you can get a discman for less than $100? Sure, the $400+ model has more features but who wants to pay that much?

Yeah, I think you're wrong and it's not "just plain too expensive."

Re:Way too much money

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

Oh my fucking god!!! You predicted that the N-Gage wasn't going to sell well! You're a genius!! JESUS CHRIST! If you say that the PSP is going to be a flaming pile of shit, you must be right! And long before the system has barely left the 'sketch a design' phase, you already know the battery life! You are truly all-knowing.

note sarcasm.

Re:Way too much money

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

That wasn't a personal attack pal. I was attacking the idea that since you were able to predict that the N-Gage was a failure, you must have much more knowledge and ability in predicting video game hardware sales than anyone else. The fact is everyone knew the N-Gage was going to be a failure except Nokia.

And feel free not to respond to me, although I wonder what exactly you mean by "people like you." Who am I? What do you know of me? Answer: very little. So I don't understand how you can already classify me in an entire group BUT it's no skin off my back, son.