Slashdot Mirror
PSP To Increase U.S. Lead Over DS
Next Generation has a piece on an analyst's prediction that Sony's PSP will gain more ground on the Nintendo DS, here in the states, over the next five years. From the article: "SIG has compared year-by-year sales and estimates for the first five years of each machine's life, using sell-in and factory shipments. It points out that in its first year both PSP and DS managed around 13 million units each, with DS slightly ahead. Year two cumulative stats give PSP 25 million over DS' 22 million. In Year Three the difference rises to ten million (38m to 28m). In Year Four, PSP's lead has stretched to 15 million and to 20 million by Year Five." Though the PSP is now leading in the U.S., the DS is still king of the mountain in Japan.
In the meantime, I hear that Mario Kart DS is doing surprisingly well.
-Rob
Biblical fiscal responsibility
The DS and PSP have both only been out for roughly a year. So this is really saying that the DS is ahead of the PSP here in reality-land, but some random analyst predicts that the PSP will win in America in the end.
Based on? Well, based on the fact that they refuse to believe that Sony could lose, it would seem.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Noted Slashdot analyst "Jerf" has analyzed the portable market, and has determined that the DS will beat the PSP in the US. Jerf points out that in its first year both PSP and DS managed around 13 million units each, with DS slightly ahead. Year two cumulative stats give DS 25 million over the PSP's 22 million. In Year Three the difference rises to ten million (38m to 28m). In Year Four, the DS' lead has stretched to 15 million and to 20 million by Year Five.
When asked for evidence for his claims, he replied: "What, we need evidence and reasons? What, are you a Communist or something?"
(Actually, the report may or may not be useful. Who can tell, since we don't seem to have a link to it. But the article is useless trash, and if I had to guess, this study does sound suspiciously paid-for, if you get my drift.)
It hasn't outsold the Nintendo DS for more than a couple of weeks at a time; and may never outsell the DS.
Unfortunately (for Sony fans) Sony is demonstrating an understanding of the market on a much worse level than they had with either the Playstation or PS2; at the same time Nintendo is demonstrating an understanding of the market at a much higher level than they have since the SNES.
Basically Sony thinks that people want a (3rd rate) MP3 player and a (2nd rate) Portable DVD player at a higher price than both of the components would cost together; on top of that their games are middle of the road, boring ports/clones/sequels of PS2 games. On the other hand Nintendo has focused on producing a low cost gaming system; their games are demonstrating a reasonably high quality and originality level for a new platform.
Pretty soon both systems will have price cuts, the Nintendo DS will be at a price level where it is gift friendly for most families, many people can purchase it on a whim, and small children/young teens can easily save up for one; the PSP will still be a pretty large investment for most gamers. Basically, the Nintendo DS will increase it's market dominance when it hits the mass-market price range well before the PSP.
But, I checked out some of the PSP titles last night. And I was appalled to see that some of the prices for them were $50.
$50 for a HANDHELD game? No thank you. $40 is a bit much for a hand held game, IMHO. $25-$30 I can deal with, maybe an occasional $35 here and there-- were I to be a handheld game player. But the PSP games all started around $40 with few exceptions (some older games were down to $30), and some of the newest games were $50.
Sorry, if the pricing on PSP games stays like this, I can't see the PSP gaining much of a lead, if any, over the coming years. Handheld games are generally shorter than their console counterparts/cousins. They generally as not as fully featured as their console cousins. But I'd be God damned if I was going to spend as much on a hand held game as I am spending for a full console game if I owned a handheld system.
The system is $250. Start adding in games at $50 a pop, and I'd rather just wait for all the next gen consoles to come out and get the game there. The handheld gaming market is driven from pick up and play games, and some long RPGs, that you don't spend a lot of money on but get tons of enjoyment out of. $50 for handheld games, no matter what publisher put them out, is simply too much money.
With all the added risk you take with your handheld systems (dropping/breaking, losing, etc.) and the games, the price of the PSP and its games is just too high to keep it viable in the handheld market for too long. Consoles generally sit in one place, and don't move, so they don't have the same risk factors associated with them. And we've been paying $50 for those games for years. Until the PSP, no one was paying $50 for a handheld game... and, frankly, it's a gamble I think Sony and the publishers attempting to milk the handheld market buyers are going to lose.