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PSP Still Struggling For Notice

Posted by Zonk on from the more-games-might-help dept.

TheStreet.com is reporting that the 360 has captured the hype machine for this Christmas season. The PSP, meanwhile, is still struggling for mindshare compared to Nintendo's offerings. From the article: "Sony launched the PSP in the U.S. to great acclaim earlier this year and sold more than half a million units in the first two days. The device marked the first effort by Sony, the leader in the console game industry for the last 10 years with its PlayStation and PlayStation 2 systems, to enter the portable game market, which has been dominated by Nintendo ... Right now, the PSP's threat to Nintendo -- much less to Apple -- remains hypothetical. Sales of the PSP are disappointing thus far, particularly this holiday season. Through the end of October, Sony had sold just 1.6 million of the devices after the first days' sales flurry."

21 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe... by dlvu5 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I bet if they stopped pissing off their consumer base we'd be more apt to purchase their products. Just a suggestion Sony execs...

  2. What the-- by daeley · · Score: 2

    Through the end of October, Sony had sold just 1.6 million of the devices after the first days' sales flurry.

    Erm, what? How many have they sold? And when? According to the wikipedia article they have sold 10 million units worldwide through October 21st, 4.5 million in the US alone.

    (This isn't a comment on whether those are disappointing numbers or not, just that the quoted sentence was pretty unhelpful.)

    --
    I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
    1. Re:What the-- by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 5, Informative

      You're confusing shipped with sold. The article makes the distinction.

      IE: If retailers order 10 for their stock and don't sell them, you've shipped 10 units, but you're not shipping more until some of those 10 units sell.

      I'm not sure how many units Nintendo has actually shipped worldwide. I'm positive it's higher than 10 mil if they've sold 8 mil.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
  3. Who are these people? by MMaestro · · Score: 4, Insightful
    "It's just been slow out of the gate."

    Slow out the gate? Wtf? Slow out the gate is having your console selling game released 6 months AFTER the system is released. Having a PS2 port come out a YEAR after the system is released is trying to breath life into the dead.

    Sony just plain mismanaged the PSP. The movies offer little that DVDs don't outmatch, let alone the bonuses. The games are few, far and are often times nothing more than ports. Online capabilities is a joke, and trying to stop the PSP hackers has more or less alienated the PSP as a portable hackable Xbox.

  4. It gets worse for the PSP by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 3, Informative

    in Japan. Where Animal Crossing[Forest] is pulling another Nintendogs and widening the gap even further. Nov 21 - 27.

    --
    The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
    1. Re:It gets worse for the PSP by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 2, Informative

      Because it bucks Sony fan predictions that the huge lead the DS went into(over 1 million units in japan alone) this year with(because of shortages, right, the figures now say differently) would somehow be reversed. Instead the short-term trend we saw up until March(5k more PSPs per DSes sold per 2-week period) reversed drastically with Nintendogs, calmed down again(but the PSP never regained a sales lead) and is getting worse again with Animal Crossing. The game sales trend has continued(no PSP game has yet to hit the top 10 or crack 300k units), and now we're at the DS having 66% of the next-gen handheld market and sales are picking up.

      In the US, the situation is similar. Not sure about Europe. But Europe has never really mattered, and even if Sony sold every last unit they claim to have shipped there it still wouldn't push them above that 33% share globally(and note that 33% figure doesn't even take into account the GBA and GBA SP, which have sold as many units as the freakin PS2)... so who cares?

      When it costs an order of magnitude more to develop on a platform, and you barely sell enough to break even, you don't pump a bunch of money into new projects. Not when it's an incredibly distant 3rd place platform. You're already seeing this as title flow slows down. It doesn't make business sense to throw your weight behind a platform like that. So people aren't.

      The PSP is the gamegear 2.0, Sony has horridly failed to dethrone Nintendo in the handheld space, and unless something drastic happens, soon, it's all-but-dead. Things are bleak, hope you didn't buy one.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
    2. Re:It gets worse for the PSP by Thwomp · · Score: 2, Informative
      So you look at a 7-day period and claim the sales are better? I'm sure we can find an arbitrary 7-day period where the PSP sold more, too.

      It's certainly possible but not likely. More info on Japanese sales.

  5. Still trying to decide... by Havenwar · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmm.. I don't know... should I buy one... hmmm... Do they come with a free rootkit, or is that extra this time around?

    1. Re:Still trying to decide... by tktk · · Score: 2, Funny

      Knowing Sony, the rootkit would cost you extra, be overpriced, and install second rootkit.

  6. Keep it or ditch it? by ajservo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I thought about selling mine a few months back, but then decided against it when a working SNES emulator came out. SNES and NES games ALONE make the thing worth the $250. No amount of money could convince me that those $20 game in a joystick things are worthwhile when I can play Super Metroid, Bionic Commando, or Burgertime in my hands.

    The PSP's been the best handheld ever in my opinion.

    As soon as someone cracks the new firmware, 2.6?, I'll go games shopping again, since the two games I've waited for are out now. (Boku no watashi no katamari damashii and GTA, for those keeping score...)

    1. Re:Keep it or ditch it? by Hitto · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So, you bought yourself a very expensive NES and SNES emulator?

    2. Re:Keep it or ditch it? by xtieburn · · Score: 2, Informative

      These days you can get SD based carts for the DS for about 50 quid including the adapter to play DS ROMs. Which means its still about 50 quid cheaper in total than the PSP. Also all your media for it will be cheap multifunctional SD.

      I dont know how recently you tried the SNES emulator but it can play a fair few games at full speed, and each update a great deal more are added. A fair distance from being completed and I dont think on par with the PSP but SNES9x (the PSP one ive tried. There may be others.) is hardly perfect either. (Speed issues abounded but I havent tried it for a bit.)

      Course most of this doesnt mean much to me anyhow I have my DS because of DS and GBA games, Ill let my X-Box handle the console emulation. Id still say spending nearly 200 on a PSP for its SNES and NES playback is verging on the very silly though. If you want emulators and homebrew youd buy a GP2X.

  7. PSP needs more good ORIGINAL games by spir0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    99% of the games are just rehashes of older games or properties. There's nothing new and exciting..

    Gripshift is the most original game I've seen in a while on any console. Currently it's the only PSP game I'm playing. I own several others, but they just didn't last long because I've played them all before..

    Even better, Gripshift was made right here in little old New Zealand. :)

    --
    The reason girls and Windows users don't understand UNIX is because all the documentation is in Man files.
  8. Well by Strell · · Score: 4, Funny

    Any system where you can play a lot of Nintendo games HAS to be a good system.

    ...

    Wait...

    --
    I'm not scared of anonymous cowards.
  9. I wonder why.. by Durinthal · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As of this posting, the only positive comments about the PSP I've seen in this article are solely based on emulating older Nintendo consoles. I guess it's not a Sony product that people really want, is it?

  10. Where are the games? by MBCook · · Score: 3, Interesting
    As with most systems, the problem is the games. What great PSP games are there? Lumines was great, but it launched with the system back in Spring. I liked Hot Shots Golf (not a new title), but it came out in July. There hasn't been much since then. I played Burnout: Revenge when it came out (October?), but it wasn't fresh (just Burnout 3 repackaged). GTA:LCS came out to little fanfare (which suprised me). I've played it, and while it was interesting, the controlls were terrible (they are bad enough on the consoles, but without the second stick things are VERY tough). I still don't see how all the reviews gave it high marks (9 or 10 out of 10) despite some obvious flaws as such (it is a technical marvel, but it had flaws).

    So I'm left with my PSP and almost no games. I've played others (Mercury, Twisted Metal, and a few others) but there is no killer game for the PSP in my eyes (Lumines is great, but I don't think it was THAT great); and there doesn't seem to be in anyone else's (I figured it would be GTA:LCS, but I guess I was wrong).

    Compare that to the DS. It was slow at first but we got Yoshi's Touch & Go, Wario Ware, Castlevania, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Mr Driller (not new, but the second screen really helped), Phoenix Wright, Kirby: Cursed Canvas, Trauma Center, Mario & Luigi, and I know there are some I'm leaving out. Nintendogs was a massive breakout hit.

    The DS has more great games right now, the PSP doesn't. Some of the titles they promoted haven't done well (Death Jr. turned out to be a bit of a dud). The mainstays aren't there (no MGS, Acid doesn't count; GTA didn't have a big impact; a Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter game isn't out yet; we're waiting on Gran Turismo Mobile; etc). A quick look at the release date calendar over at IGN shows nothing I am interested in with a real date, or even a quarter. The next stuff is just "TBA '06". The only thing I can think of that is out now that I want to see is Tokobot which looks interesting but the reviews range from a 50% to a 90% and are all over the map (means it will be a rental at best).

    I've had fun with my PSP, but it will be a while before the next game I'm interested in comes out. (Can't even think of what it is). But the DS has those games that just came out I mentioned (Mario & Luigi, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart) plus more comming (Metroid Prime Hunters) in the not to distant future. There is even a title in the Black & White series scheduled to come out in February. And let's not forget the new

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
  11. Re:Even though sales suck I still don't regret my. by goodenoughnickname · · Score: 2, Interesting

    >>the PSP screen is beautiful...

    For still images, yes, it's gorgeous, but its response time is horrible. I was excited for GTA, but the constant ghosting makes me sick (not to mention the aforementioned ass-sucking analog nub).

  12. Overheard... by porcupine8 · · Score: 3, Funny
    While Christmas shopping this weekend, I heard a staff member ask a customer on the phone: "You're looking for Mario Kart for PSP?"

    Doh! Looks like someone will be asking for a DS for Christmas... Even when Sony manages to get one sold, they still haven't truly taken the "mindshare"...

    --
    Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
  13. I Saw One on Display by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I saw one of these on display at my local gaming store, and decided to try it out. I started up a game and... ........ just stood there waiting for it to load.

    Finally I got to the menu and tried to start a new game and ...... ...I had to just stand there waiting again.

    I actually felt kind of stupid just standing there waiting for this thing to load. I started looking around and saw the new Xbox 360 displayed impressively on a high resolution monitor. I noticed all the new DS games I'd like to play. I noticed that Fire Emblem had come out for GameCube, and then I looked back at the PSP and saw that it was still loading. OK, "forget this", I thought, and wandered over to look at the rest of the merchandise.

  14. As a PSP owner, let me just say... by Guppy06 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... hold off your purchase until the SNES emulator(s) gets a little more streamlined. First gen games run fine with no frame skipping, but it chokes a bit on Super Metroid.

    Of course, if you're more interested in NES, go for it. I haven't tried Genny/MD yet, but I imagine it runs better than the SNES code (i. e. full speed).

    I got my PSP because of what I could put on it (ROMs and the occasional MP3, but I got something smaller that plays MP3s with no DRM crap), not for what Sony could put on. I have yet to see any compelling UMDs to buy, be it game or movie (but my opinion of the movies may be skewed by my refusal to buy movies from MPAA members).

    Modern games? Well, I know I'm getting Animal Crossing for Christmas...

    Note to trolls: I've only played the ROMs of cartridges I own (and still own) and dumped myself with my SWC. Take your holier-than-thou attitude and shove it.

  15. Backwards compatibility by BenjyD · · Score: 2

    I think a major factor for the DS's success is the GBA. Most gamers who want a handheld will already have a GBA, so the fact that the DS is cheap and allows them to play their GBA games on a better screen makes it much more attractive, even without the excellent games. I know that was part of my decision. Also, the huge success of the GBA means there is a large ready-made pool of developers who will transition to the DS.