Slashdot Mirror
Sony Cautious in PSP Production
GamesIndustry.biz has the story that Sony is limiting production of their new handheld. From the article: "Comments attributed to SCE spokesperson Kenichi Fukunaga in an Agence France-Presse article stated bluntly that manufacturing resources are being directed to the PlayStation 2 - a new slimline version of which was introduced earlier this month - rather than the PSP." Personally, I think this has just as much to do with a desire to create demand as it does with making sure they're not left with a dud on their hands. If you're going to release a handheld, release a handheld.
I know Sony are the masters of generating publicity, but this could easily backfire. A handheld is not the same as a home console, in the sense that few people sit at home playing on their Game Boys (although no doubt plenty of us Slashdotters do). A key part of the way handhelds get sold is seeing someone else playing with one in public: on a train, etc. High public visibility is important.
Seeing other adults playing with a Game Boy helped make it acceptable for adults to buy them, hence their vast popularity. Sony might be making life harder for themselves here.
apterous.org
According to Amazon.co.uk, Play.com and every other UK retailer I've heard from, the UK's supply of new-size PS2s has sold out, and they weren't expecting volume quantities until January when I looked last week.
So a LOT of kids are getting XBoxes under the Christmas tree if Sony don't get a move on. The PSP is still in 'trendy hype-machine' mode, and not at mass-profit levels yet - those sales can wait more than PS2s can.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
The PSP is still in 'trendy hype-machine' mode, and not at mass-profit levels yet - those sales can wait more than PS2s can.
Then they need to get on the ball here -- Nintendo won't be so easy to beat this time. Many people have been taken by surprise by the extraordinary preorders for the DS, even Nintendo loyalist sites, who you'd suppose would be all rah-rah over anything the big 'N' does but have been in Charlie Brown mode for a while now, were caught off-guard.
If Sony's trying to limit supply to drive demand then they're going to have problems in the portable space this time, as the DS is also over-ordered, but after a rational level of supply. It's too early to judge yet of course, but I consider this troubling news for Sony.