Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Sony May Outsource PSP Production

Posted by Zonk on from the demand-outstrips-production dept.

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."

13 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. oh. my. god. by nomadic · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is the most exciting news regarding third party manufacture I've seen all day. I think I'm going to have to go lie down.

  2. They could just... by Admiral+Ackbar+8 · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...pull some of the PSPs off the shelf that are just collecting dust at stores here in the US!

  3. One million per month? by Burpmaster · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This doesn't make sense. According to The Magic Box, only 870,000 have been sold this year in Japan. That's only 174,000 per month, and I can't imagine that the demand is high enough in other parts of the world, especially not enough to make 2 million per month necessary.

    1. Re:One million per month? by Burpmaster · · Score: 2, Informative

      870k is the total for this year. (I just quoted that number to point out what rate they are selling at.) The PSP launched in 2004 and probably sold plenty at launch. I recall seeing that the US and Japan sales figures were pretty close.

      As for DS vs. PSP, what I heard was that the DS had a much better launch. After their launches, the PSP started slowly catching up, although it still has a long way to go. Then Nintedogs was released, and it boosted DS sales a lot. According to the link I gave earlier, the DS is still doing better, at least in Japan. The totals for this year say the PSP has sold a bit less than 1% more units than the DS, and that excludes the huge head start the DS got with its launch.

    2. Re:One million per month? by cgenman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      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
  4. The real reason by Kamalot · · Score: 2

    As others have already pointed out, there is no way that Sony has been selling a million a month.

    Sony is looking to outsource the production of the PSP to cut costs. They already loose an arm and a leg on every unit produced and this is a way to reduce the amount of bleeding.

  5. Ad paid for by Sony by Gogo0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    HOLY CRAP, THEYRE SELLING LIKE MAD! WE CANT MAKE PSP's FAST ENOUGH!!
    Sony PSP! Only $250 at your nearest store! Go get one before theyre all gone forever!

    What, this doesnt seem like marketing BS to the submitter or editor?

  6. Quality differences by yotto · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'd be concerned about the quality of an outsourced PSP, but conisdering the reported problems with the Sony-Produced ones (I don't have one myself, mostly due to the fact that I have trouble droping $250 on something that will break if I sit on it yet will fit in my back pocket), maybe 3rd party PSPs will be better.

    --
    Pulp Audio Weekly - Geek News and Reviews
  7. Re:PSP Supplies... by hollismb · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  8. Re:PSP Supplies... by Admiral+Ackbar+8 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not only is the PSP selling like hotcakes even at the $250 price point, but the Nintendo DS is essentially dead in the water as far as sales go.

    Please pass whatever you are on 'cause damn it must be good!

  9. Re:Hopefully by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 2, Informative

    You know, I've not yet met a PSP owner who HASN'T had any dead pixels. I think that would be a worthy news story if someone could find one without any. ;)

    My DS didn't have any dead pixels. I bought one for my GF for Christmas though, and she had a dead one. A quick trip back to the store, and we were handed a brand new one. Sony has a policy of not accepting it back unless you have 13 dead pixels. Nintendo will take it back if there's a single dead pixel.

    I have to say that Sony craftsmanship is always good for a laugh.

  10. Re:PSP Supplies... by MilenCent · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not just that:

    http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=4781

    Two of those games are versions of Nintendogs. The other one, in what can only been seen as a good sign, is the DS Bomberman, which uses both the classic game and art style of the game along with supporting 8-player games. (Are we finally getting a Bomberman equal to the sainted Super Bomberman back on the SNES? I certainly hope so.)

    But back to Nintendogs.... that week when Shiba and Friends was #4, the other two games were #5 and #6. Added together, and it would have placed second, right behind a Romancing Saga game (and interestingly enough, displacing the GC Fire Emblem to #3).

  11. Love or hate Sony, why be a liar? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Here educate yourselves and quit making baseless accusations and stupid comments.

    "Twelve million units apiece of the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable consoles will be shipped worldwide in the financial year through to March 31st, 2006, according to the latest projections released by Sony.

    The figures would bring worldwide shipments of the PSP to around 15 million units by the end of the financial year, while the PlayStation 2 - which currently has a global installed base of well over 80 million units - would be within shouting distance of 100 million units."
    LTFA

    America Drives Global Sony PSP Sales Underground

    PSP sales hit 500,000 mark in US

    PSP Not Even Close to Selling Out

    Assorted PSP news links etc