Slashdot Mirror
Sony May Outsource PSP Production
SCE president Ken Kutaragi has confirmed that PSP production may be outsourced to another company, as demand for the PSP is already outstripping Sony's ability to produce. GamesIndustry.biz has the story, which points out that the handheld console is still not released in Europe, an event anticipated in early September. From the article: "At present, there is only one factory producing PSP consoles - the Kisarazu facility east of Tokyo, which manufactures around one million units per month. Sony has previously announced plans to double this figure by the summer as it continues the fight to compete with Nintendo."
Um, care to explain why four of the top ten games in Japan are for the DS then, and why none of them are for the PSP? Perhaps your facts also need some checking.
Dear friend,
Pay attention to reality.
Thanks,
AC
Others have questioned those numbers, but I'd like to point out that the numbers in question are sell-through (selling to end users), but Sony has to manufacture for sell-in (units sent to retailers). If Walmart wants 30 units in every story, Walmart gets 30 units in every store, no matter how well they are selling. Most retailers don't like selling out, and will keep a cushion around. As it doesn't look like the PSP will die as a platform any time soon, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone wanted a few month's stock for cushion. Add to that impending launch in new territories and the short-term boom that goes with that, and it's plausable that they're not just outsourcing to save money. They may just need to placate retailers that they can produce in quantity, and they may need the extra handhelds to move into new territories.
Of course, they may just be trying to save a few bucks by moving away from their Tokyo production plant. Se La Vie.
The ______ Agenda