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PSP Not A Sellout Hit
MilenCent writes "We're starting to see our first mainstream media reports on the PSP's (lack of) sales performance, from the Seattle Times: "But while Sony is touting the rollout as a success -- and many retailers did sell their entire stock -- the event might not have been the complete blockbuster that was expected." In summary, the article says that more systems were sold than not, that dedicated gaming stores were more likely to sell out than department stores like Target, and that the biggest reason gamers didn't pick it up is likely its price -- which wasn't helped by some retailers' sale condition that customers also purchase games, which could raise the price to nearly $350. Will demand pick up once the unit is out there and seen by people, or will it take a price cut before the system sells satisfactorily?"
They bundles a ~$180 piece of equipment with a crappy carying case and a tiny memory stick and added $70 to the price. There's at least 30 of them in the case at the local WalMart here, but most people I know are waiting for the non "Value" Pack version to come out.
I think the PSP is very cool, but damn is it expensive! Think about it: $250 for the thing, $50 for a game. That's how much a PS2 costs! I can't see paying prices on par consoles even if it is the greatest handheld gaming platform ever.
"Physics is to math what sex is to masturbation." - Richard Feynman
I find it funny that there are complaints about supply when they sell out and worries about systems failing when they don't sell out. How does a gaming system manufacturer win?
I'll save another $50 and buy an Xbox 3 this Christmas.
$249 is a lot of money to some people.
I completely agree with this. I was surprised when i went around town doing my normal errands the day after release and saw 15 at best buy, 50 at walmart, etc etc etc. I mean, i'm in a pretty hefty geek town.
GameStop and EBGames both told me "Pre-order, or you're not getting one until the 22nd century." If that was the case, then I must still be dreaming.
Truth be told, I think the DS sold out for the reason everyone thought it would. It was different. It came froma company that traditionally gets things right the first time.
The PSP is nothing "new" and comes from a company with a bad track record of first releases. I'm pretty sure most people, myself included, said they'll wait for the bugs to get run out of the first run before investing.
A main reason why I think the PSP hasn't done as well as expected is that it's the wrong timing. Summer is _the_ season for portable game machines, because parents buy them for kids when they go on trips. At the EB where I worked, we would have to put the gameboy section at the front of the store come every May.
But the PSP doesn't really hit that crowd. The target audience, 18-40 males, doesn't have a summer off (or is driving when they do). The PSP might perform better come winter and Christmas, particularly if they drop the price $50.
I like Sony. Have for years. I even got to see and play with an import one back in November. However, I don't have the time for the PSP. Sony talks about opportunity gaming, where you play something because you have time in between things to stop and play with {X}.
But you know what? I don't have that kind of time. I can't play my PSP when I'm stuck in traffic (I tried to with my new cell phone, but that was rather risky). I can't play my PSP at work (well, I could try). I can't play my PSP playing basketball, or golf or whatever. And I suspect that other 18-39 year olds that have jobs may not either. And by putting it at a price point so high that you really have to have a lot of 'opportunity' times to play. Unless they market this to kids, but somehow those commercials don't look kiddy to me.
I do have time when I get home however. But then, why would I pay money to look at a small little screen when I can just watch DVD's on any of my TVs. Or play my PS2.
They should really try to market to kids. Hell, when you have no job and people are driving you to places you don't really want to go to, there's opportunity-time galore.
0- Eamonman Proud member of DNRC
As a Nintendo DS owner AND a PSP owner, I find it ridiculous that people are complaining about the PSP only having ports and that being the specific reason that it sucks.
Has anyone really noticed the majority of the DS library? Super Mario 64, Warioware (pretty much a port), Ridge Racer, Tiger Woods, Madden. I mean aside from Yoshi Touch N Go and Ping Pals, Nintendo doesn't exactly have a ton of original non-port stuff either.
While everyone complains about ports, I wonder how many people will run to stores and pick up DS when Ocarina of Time ends up hitting it, or when GTA hits a PSP. Face it people, sure we love original games like Lumines, but really the majority of games you purchase for handhelds are portable versions of your favorite home games. Slightly tweaked, but still great games.
Yes the price point is a bit high.
Yes the bundle pack makes it more expensive.
I think that the game prices are right along the prices for other platforms. I don't see why people would complain about that.
The problem I have with it is that there is no compatibility with anything. If you get one of these, you can't play games from other platforms.
My PS2 plays PS1 and PS2 games, and has the eyeToy accessory. My Gamecube plays GC, GBA and GBC games. The Gameboy Advance SP plays GBA, GBC, GB, and e-reader games. Heck even the DS plays GBA games too.
I'm not saying that I don't want one, just pointing out it is a system that does not really have any compatibility with anything else. Kind of like the xBox. It's hard to justify purchasing a system that only does one thing, especially at that price.
You can lose something that is loose, so tighten the loose item so you don't lose it.
It's more like not buying a Ferrari because you can get a family car and have enough left to feed said family.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
6. No more dead pixels.
So you're never going to buy a laptop? It's also worth noting that my GBA SP has a dead pixel, but I just sorta accept that...
When you look at the state of the world, how can you not become a radical, liberal anarchist?
There could be a significant urban audience that you are missing. In an urban setting, people will have plenty of time to play the PSP, either walking destination to desination, riding the bus or taxi, or just sitting outside in a park rather than in the home. Also, the PSP would be attractive to the young professionals who do a lot of airplane travel.
There is a psychological barrier that transcends economic conditions, a point at which something simply feels too expensive for the majority of consumers. For handheld videogames, that number is $100. And for game consoles, it is $200. Below these price points, there is mass market appeal.
The DS, thanks to years of Gameboy momentum, has surprised many of us by having an impressive launch despite the $150 price tag. People could look at recently $100 GBA-SP, then at a DS, and see a lot of hardware added to a system that keeps on delivering great entertainment. It made the price point acceptable, if still a bit high.
Then along comes the PSP, priced much higher than a full blown PS2 and yet clearly not as powerful as one, and the mass market chokes. Clearly it is a beautiful, even elegant machine, but $250?!? Holy crap!
But we shouldn't ignore timing. Nintendo rolled out there new baby in time for the Christmas holidays. When many people are not only running about in a frantic orgy of consumer spending, but are also contemplating the long winter months of indoor confinement. Sony, on the other hand, launched the PSP when many people are preoccupied with their tax bills, and those with extra cash are looking forward to fun in the sun during the impending spring and summer months ahead. If anything, I'd say the Easter launch window was just as bad an idea as the $250 price point.
Must... think up... something... clever!
What the hell kind of movies do you go to, that it costs fifty dollars? It costs five dollars a person where I go. A good meal is ten to fifteen dollars a person. Even that is expensive, when I can just make my own meals.
-- Aderack. Usually.
A toy is exactly what these things are. They are for playing games. They're fucking toys.
The ability to play movies is a much more USELESS gimic than the touch screen on the DS..
I mean seriously who is going to pay full price for a movie that can only be watched on a PSP..
You can get a good portable DVD player and MP3 player for cheaper than a PSP + memory stick and still have money over to buy a GBA.
Wait, Game Boy DS? Do you mean the Nintendo DS? Nintendo has already stated that the DS is not intended as the next system in the Game Boy line.
Also, what did you not like about how the touch screen was used, especially in relation to Metroid? I (and all of my friends who have tried it) agree that the way the touch screen is used in Metroid Prime: Hunters is easily the best control system for a FPS game short of a standard mouse and keyboard (and face it, you're never going to get a mouse and keyboard with a handheld gaming system).
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
Funny.. but the OP is correct. Who is the target audience for the PSP? The older crowd. The older crowd doesn't really have time to play games when they're not at home. And when they are at home, a console is much better.
Sure there are your standard plane trips and waiting at the DMV, but really, do you spend so much time at the DMV that you'd spend $350 for the PSP and 2 games?
I can't play at work, and when I'm not at work, I'm at home or out socializing. I'm not going to be playing the PSP in a bar.
Sony's target market has very little need for the PSP.. which is why it isn't selling well.