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E3 - PSP Loss-Making, Odama Pinballed, Humans All Destroyed

Posted by simoniker on from the finally-over dept.

Thanks to Forbes/Reuters for its article mentioning Sony expects to lose money on its PlayStation Portable hardware, with Sony's Kaz Hirai saying: "So if you're saying 'Day one, are you going to be profitable on the hardware?' then probably not... Hopefully, this will have a 10-year lifecycle, at which point I'll look back and say 'Yes, definitely profitable'." Elsewhere, on the final day of the E3 show, 1UP has a preview of Nintendo's unique-looking Odama, described as "the fast action of pinball mixed with the ancient art of Japanese warfare", GameSpot has more information on Pandemic/THQ's Destroy All Humans!, where you'll "get to probe farmers, slaughter cows, and do all the awesome little things that aliens do", and other sites go hands-on with Star Fox 2, confirm a Disgaea pseudo-sequel for PSP, give some more information on Devil May Cry 3, and show impressions of Treasure's take on the Gradius series.

20 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. 10? by acxr+is+wasted · · Score: 2

    Whoaaa, ten year lifecycle? Maybe that yearly update to the N-Gage might let it catch up.

    --
    "Come on, let's go drink till we can't feel feelings anymore."
    1. Re:10? by TomGroves · · Score: 2, Informative

      About 6 years old.
      http://www.nintendo.com/systemsclassic?type=gbc

  2. Non-mainstream games by Troed · · Score: 4, Informative

    Unity and Odama, two games I'll definitely buy. I like companies who try to do something different, instead of just rehashing what's been done hundreds of times before.

    Time to go play some PGR2 on XboxLive. God I love that game ...

    --
    it's in my head
  3. So, Sega... by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Amidst all this E3 coverage, prior to the show Sega said they had something Earth shattering to announce at E3...

    Did I miss it or something? I don't recall seeing one thing about Sega.

    1. Re:So, Sega... by incubusnb · · Score: 2, Interesting
      that woulda been the Matrix Online deal, which, as the Article pust it, was quite anticlimactic

      i for one was hoping to hear something about a new Console, i'd like to see Sega get back in the race

      --
      /. is overrun by bed-wetting elitist nerds
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    2. Re:So, Sega... by gedanken · · Score: 3, Informative

      I don't recall them saying they would announce something "earth shattering" just something no one would ever expect. They ended up announcing that they are publishing The Matrix Online, which imo is doomed to failure. Sega would have had better luck announcing another console or that they had gotten back into the handheld market.

  4. immediate profit by incubusnb · · Score: 3, Interesting
    actually, i'd be more worried if Sony claimed to expect an Immediate Profit form the PSP, no Console Profits at Launch, most Consoles take between 6-8 Months before they even make a cent(note, i said most, i know some consoles managed to start profiting within 2-3 months of launch)

    on a side note, i'm really hoping to see some quality titles that link with PS2 games, and i'm crossing my fingers on GT4 Mobile being able to transfer cars, Photos, Replays and more with the PS2 Version of GT4

    --
    /. is overrun by bed-wetting elitist nerds
    let it be known, for anything other than servers, a *nix OS sucks
    1. Re:immediate profit by Aelfy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I thought that most consoles never make a profit? That the hardware parts cost more than what the complete unit it sold for - the profit coming from the sale of games. Is this an urban legend? or by profitable do they include games, or do they mean turnover exceeds marketing spending?

    2. Re:immediate profit by incubusnb · · Score: 3, Insightful
      all of the main three consoles are making a Profit right now, the PS2 had just started churning a Profit when the X-Box and GC where released

      the thing about consoles is that the specs never change, but the price of the materials go down so eventually your only paying a percentage of your original manufacturing costs, add in several other key elements and making a profit becomes quite easy after a while

      what does a 333MHZ chip go for nowadays anyway? probably less than the price of a new Game

      --
      /. is overrun by bed-wetting elitist nerds
      let it be known, for anything other than servers, a *nix OS sucks
    3. Re:immediate profit by Rallion · · Score: 3, Informative

      Gamecube has never sold at a loss.

      And anyway, a few weeks ago Sony said they were going to make money on console sales right from the start. The lies begin already!

    4. Re:immediate profit by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Informative

      Errr, doesn't the GC sell at a "neglectible" loss since the last price cut?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  5. sorry, i have to do this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    1: create gaming handheld 2: announce you don't expect to make a Profit 3: ?? 4: Profit

  6. Wow, Treasure does Gradius by Psykechan · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Considering that Treasure is made up of ex-Konami employees responsible for Castlevania and Contra it wouldn't surprise me that they'd feel right at home making a Gradius game. It wouldn't surprise me if some of them helped create the Gradius franchise.

  7. MS Playing Catchup by superultra · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Slightly OT, but I wonder if Microsoft is making the same mistake in portables that they made in console: entering the game late. I think they're watching to see how the PSP does, but it seems that if it does well they'll be playing catchup all over again in 3-4 years as they are trying to do with the Xbox. Would it have been wiser to pull out an Xbox-Teeny (ha) at the same time as the PSP?

    1. Re:MS Playing Catchup by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 2, Informative

      Umm SEGA and Nintendo were neck and neck at the end of the 16-bit generation. 30-45 million units apiece if I remember right.

      A better example would be Nintendo saying "Our customers are happy with our 8-bit system" a year(IIRC) before the Genesis hit the streets.

      18%? It's higher than that. Try 1/3rd, mostly kids too.

      Here's the worldwide breakdown as of January of this year:
      PlayStation 2 - 70 million
      Xbox - 13.7 million
      GameCube - 13.94 million
      Game Boy Advance - 49.42 million

      Hmm, I thought the GBA had sold more than that, guess I was wrong. Anyway, here are the percentages(Handheld + Console counted as one market):
      Sony - 47%
      Microsoft - 9%
      Nintendo - 43%

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
  8. Third time isn't the charm... by MMaestro · · Score: 2, Insightful
    when the first two times were flukes. We all know from history that Nintendo screwed up with the N64 by going their old fashioned, outdated way with the old carts. Between the Playstation's huge memory capacity (FFVII on 3 650 MBs discs?) and the use of FMVs (again thanks to the memory capacity), Playstation was the only LOGICAL choice anyway you looked at it. Yeah, there was the Saturn but that was too late, too little.

    The second time Sony shoulda gotten their asses handed to them, spanked, and then left outside in the cold nude. The PS2 was/is inferior hardware wise, came out a year after the Dreamcast, had AWFUL games for over 6 months (not counting PS1 games), had problems of systems breaking down, and who can forget the 'shortage' problem at launch day. The DVD sized discs were nice but most games barely use half of it, DVD playback was big but didn't make it a 'buy off eBay for $1000' item, and the design was slick but you didn't buy a video game system to look at it. Thanks to Sony's marketing, Sega was run out of the hardware industry and the PS2 is now an aging piece of equipment horribly outdated and unpowered yet still considered to the 'best.'

    This time Sony's going for their third time with the PSP. Connectivity? I heard the same thing from Nintendo, yet all I hear is bitching from gamers about having to buy multiple systems to play a game. Ten year life-cycle? Last time I checked the SNES, NES, and Genesis aren't being supported any more despite being considered to be the best systems ever made. Watch movies on a handheld? Guess what, there have been portable DVD players on the market for nearly 5 years now yet theres little demand for them.

    Sony may have the console market by its balls right now but this is Nintendo's turf, Nokia is preparing a second attack with their remade N-Gage, and Sony is trying to play a Microsoft-like card by going all out tech in this game. Nothing short of pulling a Microsoft and throwing money into a hole where you can't see the bottom, Sony can't win this.

    1. Re:Third time isn't the charm... by X_Caffeine · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I'm hardly convinced of the PSP's likelihood of succeeding in the marketplace (looks too expensive, and optical drives in a handheld? meh), but your argument is full of holes, yo.

      You haven't explained how the PS1 was a fluke. When other manufacturers were releasing overpriced systems that were slow and too difficult to program for, Sony released a system with a swift 3D processor that was easy to write games for. Plus, Sony offered more reasonable license fees than their competitors. It's not luck that made the PS1 the most successful 32bit console, it was savviness.

      The PS2 isn't an underpowered dog because Sony was stupid; they made the calculated decision to be first-to-market, and whether you like it or not, that decision payed off. Again, no fluke.

      Ten year life-cycle? Last time I checked the SNES, NES, and Genesis aren't being supported any more despite being considered to be the best systems ever made.

      The Gameboy was released in 1989, and remained essentially unchanged until 1997. Even then, it was the same system, just bumped with a larger palette -- a sort of Gameboy v1.5. The true successor, the Gameboy Advance, came out in 2001 -- twelve years after the Gameboy.

      You could argue that the dominance of the Gameboy was due to one simple factor: every competitor screwed up by making systems that were over twice as large as the GB. That's the best predictor of the PSP's possible failure, IMHO. But I hope it succeeds, the PSP is cute!
      --
      // I will show you fear in a handful of jellybeans.
  9. My thoughts on Odama (I was at E3) by LordZardoz · · Score: 2, Informative

    Odama looked like a great deal of fun. I did not get around to actually playing it (I did not want to wait quite that lng for it). But I passed through Nintendo's floor venue several times, and that machine was busy every time I walked by it.

    Basically, your slamming a huge pinball into the soldiers of an opposing army, and you have your own soldiers in on the field moving towards an opponent. You need to keep the enemy soldiers from killing you, and you need to somehow kill the opposing general.

    It looked like a great deal of fun, and is on my 'buy' list when it comes out.

    END COMMUNICATION

  10. Losses on the PSP (or is it GameGear2?) by Neuticle · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The way things are looking, they very well might subsidize the price to make expensive hardware more palatable to consumers (especially in light of the cheap and fun offering from Nintendo), then sell the handheld on awesome graphics, a few killer games, and video capability.

    Problem is, the way the specs read, this thing is still going to be expensive, 100s of dollars expensive, and it's going to suck juice like an electronic hooker. 2-10 hours, WTF? 10h on "standby" or "idle" mode maybe, but they wouldn't have included 2h unless it's easy to drain it that fast, be it video or games.

    <Flashback to the early 90s>
    Sega GameGear is RADICAL! The graphics are way better than Nintendo's 'Lameboy'. Plus it plays TV!! I don't care that it eats batteries like popcorn.
    </Flashback>

    We all remember what happend before right? I fully expect the PSP to be a tech wet-dream, but with (I'm guessing) average play time close to 3-4h, a huge price tag, and gimicky "movie" features, I can't see the PSP gaining more than a devoted nich market, like the GG did. Granted, it will have considerably more resources behind it, but it really doesn't seem poised to become a market-saturating force like the GBA

    --
    "Cheeze it!" - Bender
  11. Comparisons to Walkman by CosmicDreams · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I have read from press statements that Sony intends the new PSP to be the "Walkman" for a new generation. Yet, from its specs it only stats to be able to play Sony atrac format. IMO not a good market strategy. The Walkman was succesful due to its ease of use and portability. Not being able to play music because of some obsure data incompatability will be hurtful for the PSP's music capabilities.

    If Sony does not achieve its design goals for long battery life, music, movies, and lastly (and in their minds maybe least) game functionality. They might be able to tweak the components over time to extend the life of the system. The key will be whether it will be as easy to use and portable as the classic Walkman.

    Based on the current specs (ie. no MP3), I don't see that happening.

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