What is Sony Doing with the PSP?

[gepeto]

zmweasel said:
it was Nintendo inability to grow beyond the kiddie/hardcore market.

That has been an overused excuse for a long time to hide the truth that it was Nintendos Business practices that knocked them from the top. The first Snes mortal kombat had no blood. Every release after that had blood. The reason that they are not alot of adult games for n64 and gamecube was the fact that the 3rd party support had jumped ship due to nintendos way of handling business.

Sony Psx came along and offered cheap medium cd's and and lower fees and support. That is how young companies like naughty dog and edios was able to make games and turn a profit a whole lot faster than they would if they where creating games for a nintendo 64 at the time.

The stain of the n64 carried over into the gamecube like the 32x to the saturn.

There was an article out there some years ago about the dark side of doing business with nintendo. It talked about how companies went bankrupt sitting on alot of unsold cartridges. Maufacturing cartridge cost and the large fees to nintendo was already paid, whether the game sold or not. If the company sold a cartridge it was only making about $10.00+ If the game didn't sell nintendo never offered reimbusment and the co lost big time. That will stop creativity right there.

Believe it or not and correct me if I am wrong I believe the article stated that Capcom was almost a victim due to tons of unsold Super street fighter sitting in the warehouse They were really cashed strapped games like Resident evil help pull them out of dark times.

It is funny how the worm turns in life when companies were in need of a break nintendo wouldn't pee on them to put the fire out. Know the company needs support I believe alot of people still remember an zip there zipper up.

[Mitch_Naz]

Im kinda of disappointed in PSP and even regret a litte getting the thing so soon for such a price tag, The only thing that keeps me going is the MP3 playback but the duo's or so damn expensive. There has been mainly ports which I can get pre-owned on the PS2 ? ! - I have been looking forward to coded arms but it seems to have failed. I think the only thing that will bring the PSP back up is Grand theft Auto but for how long......

Finally the DS is really starting to pick up and I am very happy - Theres a good amount of great games out already and more on their way (Nanostray and nintendogs !!!!) and its hard for me to keep up. I think this trend will continue with the online play, new colors -> lending to Christmas where nintendo is the must buy becuase of Zelda, mirco, and its hype generated by more info on the revolution, me thinks.

So you better dust off your DS, or go get one.

[SoulBlazer]

Zach is right, guys. If you want indepdent games, you've GOT to get into the PC gaming market. I'm always finding new and original games to play, some work and some don't, but companies and people can release them for either free or for very little and all it takes is a download. It's one reason I've always been more of a PC gamer then a console gamer.

[zmweasel]

That has been an overused excuse for a long time to hide the truth that it was Nintendos Business practices that knocked them from the top. The first Snes mortal kombat had no blood. Every release after that had blood. The reason that they are not alot of adult games for n64 and gamecube was the fact that the 3rd party support had jumped ship due to nintendos way of handling business.

Did you see my mention of "Game Over" earlier in the thread? I'm indeed aware of the big N's brutal bid-ness practices during its years at the top.

And you're exactly right: when the uncensored Genesis version of MK outsold the censored Super NES version by an absurd ratio, Nintendo quickly dumped its censorious ways.

But Nintendo's first-party titles, the games that define the company and its platforms, have always been kiddie-oriented: Mario, Pokemon, Kirby, Animal Crossing, etc. That perception has been reinforced by third-party releases, which tend to kid-friendly offerings.


Sony Psx came along and offered cheap medium cd's and and lower fees and support. That is how young companies like naughty dog and edios was able to make games and turn a profit a whole lot faster than they would if they where creating games for a nintendo 64 at the time

Are you familiar with the history of Naughty Dog? They'd been around long before the PlayStation; Crash Bandicoot was their first megahit, but they'd been successful enough with their previous ventures to land a development deal with Universal Interactive Studios. Sony co-published Crash Bandicoot because it recognized the game as a system-seller, but hadn't given Naughty Dog any support before then.

As for Eidos, again, are you familiar with its history? It was a merger of several European developer/publishers (including Domark and U.S. Gold) that had been successful long before the release of the PlayStation.

In other words, I'm unsure why you cite ND and Eidos as examples of young, struggling companies. They had their greatest success on the PlayStation, but that's because Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider were fantastic games.


There was an article out there some years ago about the dark side of doing business with nintendo. It talked about how companies went bankrupt sitting on alot of unsold cartridges. Maufacturing cartridge cost and the large fees to nintendo was already paid, whether the game sold or not. If the company sold a cartridge it was only making about $10.00+ If the game didn't sell nintendo never offered reimbusment and the co lost big time. That will stop creativity right there.

Absolutely. That's exactly what Costikyan is talking about in his GDC rant.

-- Z.

[gepeto]

All I am saying is that sonys business practices helped small developers like Naughty Dog and The Tomb Raider designer and put their face on the average joe's map. The money they earned took them places they would not have been able to go with nintendo. Sony saw a chink in nintendos armor and exploited it. I remember a time when companies were afraid to say bad things about nintendo for fear they would be blackball.

I will say this nintendo has had the best quality hardware of all the companies. There systems stand the test of time which is a tribute to there commitment to quality.

[dbiersdorf]

There's no real point to arguing about this -

zmweasel you claim the PSP outsold the DS in terms of launching at that point of time. By who's standards? Yours? Who cares. The PSP didn't even sell out when it launched (sold around 75% of initial batch). It was Sony's fault to miss the holiday launch and now they are facing the penalty. You seem to think the May NPD's are a figure that will represent the success of the unit. It was it's second month on the market, of course the numbers are going to be high! What don't you understand about that?

Every number released thus far for the US is totally unreliable, solely because it's all based on numbers from the launch window, numbers that are alwyas the highest in a systems life span. From the looks of things you seem to think that word of mouth is going to suddenly boost the systems thrust power. All total sales are going to go downhill from here, past has proven this, the PSP isn't going to suddenly change this. That's not to say it won't sell well however, just that the peak of a systems sales are always at it's launch, when it features a "value pack" or when the systems price lowers.

As for software numbers, I don't have US ones, but I do have Japanese ones -

For comparison - Media Create LTD Totals: (various ending dates)

Nintendo DS:

740,594 Sawaru Made in Wario (Nintendo) - through June 5/05
737.164 Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo) - through June 5/05
421,540 Nintendogs (Nintendo) - through June 5/05
335,015 Pokemon Dash (Pokemon) - through June 5/05
246,148 Nou wo Kitaeru Otona no DS Training (Nintendo) - through July 3/05
196,031 Touch! Kirby (Nintendo) - through June 5/05
180,199 Cath! Touch! Yoshi! (Nintendo) - through June 5/05
172,215 Daigassou! Band Brothers (Nintendo) - through June 5/05
171,488 Naruto Saikyou Ninja Daikesshu (Tomy) - through June 5/05
112,720 Another Code: Futatsu no Kioku (Nintendo) - through June 5/05
102,330 Chokkan Hitofude (Nintendo) - through Apr 10/05
97,629 Kimi no tame nara Shineru (Sega) - through Apr 10/05
82,898 Puyo Puyo Fever (Sega) - through Apr 10/05
76,724 Kenshuui Tendou Dokuta (Spike) - through Apr 10/05
72,656 Yawaraka Atamajuku (Nintendo) - through July 3/05
70,514 Pac-Pix (Namco) - through Apr 10/05
66,022 SD Gundam G Generation DS (Bandai) - through June 5/05
56,987 Bokujou Monogatari Corobockle Station (Marvellous) - through Apr 10/05
49,385 Tennis no Oujisama 2005 Crystal Drive (Konami) - through Apr 10/05
49,131 Egg Monster Hero (Square-Enix) - through Apr 10/05
47,976 Mister Driller Drill Spirits (Namco) - through Apr 10/05
45,412 Zoo Keeper (Success) - through Apr 10/05
39,232 Meteos (Bandai) - through Apr 10/05
34,545 Mahjong Taikai (Koei) - through Apr 10/05
26,633 Spiderman 2 (Taito) - through Apr 10/05
24,685 The Urbs: Sims in the City (EA) - through Apr 10/05
12,000 Famicom Wars DS (Nintendo) - rounded off through June 26/05
10,946 Bomberman (Hudson) - through May 22/05
10,254 Kamen Genei Satsujin Jiken (Genki) - through Apr 10/05
9,613 Cool 104 Joker & Setline (Aruze) - through Apr 10/05
8,201 Pachinko Slot! Fist of the North Star DS (Sega) - through June 5/05
7,330 Rakubiki Dictionary DS (Nintendo) - through June 19/05
5,545 Electroplankton (Nintendo) - through Apr 10/05
4,791 Yakuman DS (Nintendo) - through Apr 10/05
3,381 Tiger Woods PGA Tour (EA) - through Apr 10/05
3,249 Space Invaders DS (Taito) - through Apr 10/05

Sony PSP:

337,972 Minna no Golf Portable (SCEJ) - through Apr 10/05
274,682 Ridge Racers (Namco) - through Apr 10/05
268,514 Shin Sangoku Musou (Koei) - through Apr 10/05
157,043 Tales of Eternia (Namco) - through Apr 10/05
108,599 Piposaru Academia (SCEJ) - through Apr 10/05
99,871 Metal Gear Acid (Konami) - through Apr 10/05
98,109 Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan (Namco) - through Apr 10/05
89,202 Gagharv Trilogy: Shiroki Majou (Bandai) - through Apr 10/05
86,255 Dokodemo Issho (SCEJ) - through Apr 10/05
77,137 Mahjong Fight Club (Konami) - through Apr 10/05
70,364 Popolocrois Monogatari (SCEJ) - through Apr 10/05
61,895 Namco Museum (Namco) - through Apr 10/05
58,288 Armored Core Formula Front (From Software) - through Apr 10/05
52,140 Bleach (SCEJ) - through Apr 10/05
49,345 Puyo Puyo Fever (Sega) - through Apr 10/05
42,674 Sarugetchu P! (SCEJ) - through Apr 10/05
37,271 Lumines (Bandai) - through Apr 10/05
37,184 Vampire Chronicles (Capcom) - through Apr 10/05
36,424 Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory (Hudson) - through Apr 10/05
25,689 Need for Speed Underground Rivals (EA) - through Apr 10/05
25,622 Soukyuu no Fafner (Bandai) - through Apr 10/05
19,700 Fist of the North Star Pachislot (Sega) - through July 3/05
15,264 Mahjong Taikai (Koei) - through Apr 10/05
14,000 Coded Arms (Konami) - rounded off through June 26/05
13,269 Gagharv Trilogy: Akai Shizuku (Bandai) - through June 5/05
12,861 Mobile Train Simulator + Densha de Go! (Ongakukan) - through Apr 10/05
11,943 Puzzle Bobble Pocket (Taito) - through Apr 10/05
9,910 Sangokushi V (Koei) - through Apr 10/05
9,684 AI Shogi (Marvellous) - through Apr 10/05
9,534 Shinten Makai: GOCIV Another Side (Idea Factory) - through Apr 10/05
8,649 AI Mahjong (Marvellous) - through Apr 10/05
8,479 AI Igo (Marvellous) - through Apr 10/05
8,184 Kollon (Cyberfront) - through Apr 10/05
5,904 Derby Time (SCEJ) - through May 15/05
5,772 Wipeout Pure (SCEJ) - through Apr 10/05
1,559 Harukanaru Toki no Naka de: Iroetebako (Koei) - through Apr 10/05

And if you pay any attention it daily and weekly Media Crate numbers, you would know PSP games rarely make it into the top 20 (daily) and top 10 (weekly) while games like Nintendogs and the Brain game have been ruling the charts since their release. And even games like Bomberman, Naruto and Wario Ware have been making reappearances.

[petewhitley]

zmweasel you claim the PSP outsold the DS in terms of launching at that point of time. By who's standards? Yours? Who cares. The PSP didn't even sell out when it launched (sold around 75% of initial batch). It was Sony's fault to miss the holiday launch and now they are facing the penalty. You seem to think the May NPD's are a figure that will represent the success of the unit. It was it's second month on the market, of course the numbers are going to be high! What don't you understand about that?

But what do you not understand about the fact that hardware sales numbers are clearly showing that the PSP is now the next-gen portable of consumer choice in the U.S.?


As for software numbers, I don't have US ones, but I do have Japanese ones

Which are relevant to this topic how? This initial topic was regarding the perceived lack of software for the Sony PSP. It's been shown by several individuals that the Sony PSP has been and continues to be a tremendously popular system in the U.S. since launch despite what some may perceive to be a lack of software. It's also been shown that the PSP's UMD and multimedia capabilities are a sales-proven (see UMD sales and Memory Stick sales) success and attraction for U.S. customers. Thus, Sony is sticking to it's original business plan for the system, and is clearly reaping the benefits of that plan.

[dbiersdorf]

But what do you not understand about the fact that hardware sales numbers are clearly showing that the PSP is now the next-gen portable of consumer choice in the U.S.?

How so? The DS has still outsold it in overall sales, and the PSP's numbers will only fall from here. You need to understand the May NPD's are still impacted by it being a new unit, as I said before I could give you January NPD's (the second full month the DS was on the market) and show it was doing just as well, if not better then the PSP at this point in time. This really isn't that hard to grasp. -_-


Which are relevant to this topic how? This initial topic was regarding the perceived lack of software for the Sony PSP. It's been shown by several individuals that the Sony PSP has been and continues to be a tremendously popular system in the U.S. since launch despite what some may perceive to be a lack of software. It's also been shown that the PSP's UMD and multimedia capabilities are a sales-proven (see UMD sales and Memory Stick sales) success and attraction for U.S. customers. Thus, Sony is sticking to it's original business plan for the system, and is clearly reaping the benefits of that plan.

He asked for software sales, and I provided. As you continue to state the PSP is "selling through the roof" the same can be said towards the DS as well. It almost seems like you think the DS is not selling at all. Hello? It already has 2 million sold in the US, 2 million in Japan, and another 1 million in Europe.

[esquire]

Why do you think that consumers are buying UMD movies instead of PSP games, rather than in addition to PSP games? Early sales figures don't reflect the former trend.

Well, as the PSP is still fairly new, I can see why people are buying more UMDs than games. First, there aren't that many must have games that warrant a consumer spending $50 on, as opposed to the movies that run for a lot less. Second, I think a lot of it has to do with curiosity, people want to see what the PSP can do and how the movies look.

Additionally, as the Ipod is to music, the PSP may become to movies. Portable DVD players have become very popular, especially to travellers. A cheap portable DVD player runs anywhere from $100 to $150, depending on the manufacturer and options. For those who want more portability and compact design, the PSP gives them that. It is a lot easier I imagine to carry around a UMD than a DVD.

Moreover, with the expanding versatility of the PSP (games, music, movies, emus, hacked games, hacked movies) it is starting to become the "XBOX" of the handheld market. I love my XBOX, and I beginning to get the itch for a PSP, even though I swore to myself I would never pay $250 for a handheld, especially one which design/manufacturing problems (button, pixels) when it was first released in Japan.

[zmweasel]

zmweasel you claim the PSP outsold the DS in terms of launching at that point of time. By who's standards? Yours? Who cares. The PSP didn't even sell out when it launched (sold around 75% of initial batch). It was Sony's fault to miss the holiday launch and now they are facing the penalty. You seem to think the May NPD's are a figure that will represent the success of the unit. It was it's second month on the market, of course the numbers are going to be high! What don't you understand about that?

The PSP's launch was bigger than the DS's launch in terms of hard numbers: 500K for the DS, 600K for the PSP. I'm not applying any personal standards, but simply noting that one number is larger than the other, and that the larger number occurred outside of the fourth quarter, when game hardware and software sales are strongest. Had the PSP launched in the fourth quarter, sales would have been higher.

May was the PSP's second full month at retail, but the system launched in late March.

There's no question that Sony, in expecting the first million PSPs to immediately sell out, set the bar too high. But by any other standard, it was a very successful launch. That "only 75% of the initial batch" sold through can't be qualified as a failure to anyone but the Sony marketers who believed their own hype.


Every number released thus far for the US is totally unreliable, solely because it's all based on numbers from the launch window, numbers that are alwyas the highest in a systems life span.

May's number is the most interesting and most reliable yet, since the PSP has passed the launch window and is now in simple, direct competition with the DS.

That the DS sold 57,000 units in May indicates that the PSP has robbed it of attention and momentum. There are any number of "I see stacks of used DSes at retail" anecdotes to counter the "I see stacks of unsold PSPs ar retail" anecdotes, but the hard numbers cut through all of that.


From the looks of things you seem to think that word of mouth is going to suddenly boost the systems thrust power. All total sales are going to go downhill from here, past has proven this, the PSP isn't going to suddenly change this. That's not to say it won't sell well however, just that the peak of a systems sales are always at it's launch, when it features a "value pack" or when the systems price lowers.

I am indeed aware of when hardware sales are highest: launch, price drops, bundles, and the fourth quarter. That's why the 250,000 figure is so impressive. The launch buzz has cooled, we're in the deadest portion of the year, and the PSP still managed to sell more units than the GBA SP.


As for software numbers, I don't have US ones, but I do have Japanese ones -

I don't mind talking about the DS's virtual pet-driven success in Japan, but there are much different forces at work over there. Should we expand the conversation to that region?

Also, your list of Japanese best-sellers is quite misleading, as it gives figures through June for the DS best-sellers, but only through April for almost all of the PSP best-sellers. A list that showed sales figures at the same point in time would be more effective.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

How so? The DS has still outsold it in overall sales, and the PSP's numbers will only fall from here. You need to understand the May NPD's are still impacted by it being a new unit, as I said before I could give you January NPD's (the second full month the DS was on the market) and show it was doing just as well, if not better then the PSP at this point in time. This really isn't that hard to grasp. -_- p.

Please do give us January's NPDs! It would be very interesting to chart and compare the early sales of the DS and PSP hardware, and see how the PSP's launch has affected the DS's sales.


He asked for software sales, and I provided. As you continue to state the PSP is "selling through the roof" the same can be said towards the DS as well. It almost seems like you think the DS is not selling at all. Hello? It already has 2 million sold in the US, 2 million in Japan, and another 1 million in Europe.

I don't see a quote earlier in the thread in which I asked for software sales. I asked for TIE-IN sales, for which we need to compare Japanese hardware sales to software sales.

It's important to note that the games at the top of the DS list are almost all first-party titles; only one third-party title is over 100,000. Whereas, even on the outdated PSP list, there are three third-party games over 100,000. In fact, a simple comparison of third-party sales indicates there's not much difference between the two.

If the point of this list was to show that third parties are selling many more games on the DS than the PSP, it fails in that regard.

Also, you've failed to provide a list of third-party companies that, as you stated, "continue to jump ship" from the PSP to the DS. Could you do so now? That's a pretty big claim that requires some pretty big proof. You need to show that third parties have STARTED to jump ship, much less that they continue to.

As for the DS having sold two million units in the U.S. thus far, assuming that figure is correct, the 57,000 DSes sold in May indicates one of two trends: there's been a steep and consistent slowdown of DS sales in the six months since its North American launch, or the PSP killed the DS's momentum flat in March, and continues to kill it two months later. Either trend is a bad one.

EDITED to fix sloppy typos.

[petewhitley]

Which are relevant to this topic how? This initial topic was regarding the perceived lack of software for the Sony PSP. It's been shown by several individuals that the Sony PSP has been and continues to be a tremendously popular system in the U.S. since launch despite what some may perceive to be a lack of software. It's also been shown that the PSP's UMD and multimedia capabilities are a sales-proven (see UMD sales and Memory Stick sales) success and attraction for U.S. customers. Thus, Sony is sticking to it's original business plan for the system, and is clearly reaping the benefits of that plan.

He asked for software sales, and I provided. As you continue to state the PSP is "selling through the roof" the same can be said towards the DS as well. It almost seems like you think the DS is not selling at all. Hello? It already has 2 million sold in the US, 2 million in Japan, and another 1 million in Europe.

DS has been successful as well. I was trying to bring us back to the intent of the main topic however in relation to what Sony is doing in regards to the questionable lack of software. My point as quoted above is that Sony is doing exactly what they said all along they would be doing, creating a "Walkman for the 21st century", and that they have been surprising successful at that, particularly in the U.S. market. With or without a huge list of games or backwards compatibility, the PSP (along with UMD media and the Memory Stick format) has had a damn successful first few months in the U.S. market. With a couple of proven, system-selling killer applications/series on the way (GTA: Liberty City Stories and Gran Turismo 4 Mobile), anyone would be foolish to fortell of the PSP going the way of the Lynx.

Edit: Of course the Memory Stick has been around the U.S. market for some time, but with the release of the PSP, Memory Stick sales have exponentially risen.

[rayearthknight]

again, its a space issue. the more gaming dollars that go to movies, the fewer dollars gaming companies receive. the more shelf space UMD movies get, the less space PSP and PS2 games get. Sony may profit more (this remains to be seen though, the licensing fee for a UMD movie cant be as high as it is for a PSP or PS2 game), but in the end, we end up losing.

At the local Wal-Mart , the UMD's that are 19.99 and under are placed with the DVD movies and not in the case with the games

[rayearthknight]

again, its a space issue. the more gaming dollars that go to movies, the fewer dollars gaming companies receive. the more shelf space UMD movies get, the less space PSP and PS2 games get. Sony may profit more (this remains to be seen though, the licensing fee for a UMD movie cant be as high as it is for a PSP or PS2 game), but in the end, we end up losing.

At the local Wal-Mart , the UMD's that are 19.99 and under are placed with the DVD movies and not in the case with the games

[Griking]

As for UMD movies replacing second- and third-string PS2 and PSP games on store shelves, that's the nature of the retail beast, and it'll ultimately result in fewer, better games. Everyone wins.

I'll agree with the fewer games statement but I have to disagree with that the games will necessarily be better. The games that will end up winning what remaining shelf space there is will no doubt be uber high budget games from behemoth companies like EA who can afford to pay top dollar for visibility regardless if the games are fantastic or suck ass.

It seems to me that one is a lot more likely to find a game by a smaller developer in the used bin than in the new release bin. But if the shelf space for new game by smaller developers continues to decrease they will be less games sold that can ultimately become used games. This to me is real sad. The day that my only choice is Sony and EA is the day I've purchased my last console and new game.

[classicb]

I don't know what Sony is doing but my hamster is using my PSP as a skateboard and a big screen TV.

[Red Hedgehog]

I personally think it's the SADDEST console war ever seen.

This is like the 3d0 versus the jaguar or something.....

After reading four pages in this thread, I can say unequivocally that this was, by far, the best comment ever.

[GarrettCRW]

I personally think it's the SADDEST console war ever seen.

This is like the 3d0 versus the jaguar or something.....

After reading four pages in this thread, I can say unequivocally that this was, by far, the best comment ever.

And that's largely because of fanboys and anti-fanboys slugging it out over systems in their infancy.

[segagamer4life]

I was just reading the latest DP Wire and saw something that made me shake my head. In the upcoming releases section there were 21 PSP movies soon to be released and zero actual games.

Between competition from the DS to people hacking the PSP to play free emulators you'd think that Sony would be pushing out as many new games as humanily possible.

I'm sure that Sony wants to bury the DS and I know that Sony must hate the PSP hacking but what are they giving PSP owners to play instead of emulators and movies to watch.

To me it seems like Sony's content with letting it become the Walkman video edition.



have you played coded arms yet? If not this game is great, and a must own. As for the PSP being dead, sony isn't going to rush out half asssed titles (except for rengoku) to make it seem like the system has TONS of games, the games out for the most part are quality. So with Death Jr. and the current hits like Dead to Rights, and Midnight club 3.. minus the long load times. There are some good games out and comming out.

[sabre2922]

The PSP isnt going the way of the Dodo and neither is the Nintendo DS.

Im sure the lackluster sales of PSP has deflated Sonys oversized Ego somewhat but other than that Im sure that we will have the Gameboys, DSs and PSP for a long while to come.

Also why would anyone buy a PSP just to watch a bunch of UMD movies on it? I just dont get some of the arguments or "discussions" about how the freakin UMDs are such a big deal or taking over the game shelf space and shit like that its ridiculous.

The fact is that its much easier , cheaper and faster for Sony to print as many UMDs out there for the PSP right now in an attempt to fill in what is obiously a lack of quality first AND third party titles for the PSP.

I do agree with the fact that most of the ppl buying PSPs are older adults or tech geeks the soccer moms are buying up the GBSPs and DSs.

In fact ive decided to get a DS soon if I cant afford a new Xbox360 the PSP just dosnt interest me that much.

I think the PSP will hit its stride maybe right before or after the launch of the PS3 but time will tell.

[zmweasel]

have you played coded arms yet? If not this game is great, and a must own. As for the PSP being dead, sony isn't going to rush out half asssed titles (except for rengoku) to make it seem like the system has TONS of games, the games out for the most part are quality.

Sony didn't develop or publish Rengoku. Konami did.

-- Z.

[Gamereviewgod]

Bumping this one back up. Home Media Retailing this week has an entire booklet on the UMD movies, and just how unbelieveable they're doing for retailers.

"Give us the space and the sales will come" is Sony's line. Each of the major movie reatilers speaks their piece on how unexpected it was and how badly they want more. The new figure is 1.8 million units sold to date. Want to know how hot this is? They're releasing "Thumtanic."

You simply wouldn't believe just how huge of an impact this format is having. To not stock them right now is stupid if you're a retailer. Sony isn't doing this, the movie companies are as DVD sales slowdown. I don't even think Sony saw them as such a huge product.

[Damion]

Jesus, who Freaking cares. The DS is Good and so is The PSP and WTH is this shit about ports? there hasn't been a direct port of any game made to the PSP yet. Unless you call games that are "based" off an established property a port.


Damn you Fanboys :rockets:

[zmweasel]

Jesus, who Freaking cares. The DS is Good and so is The PSP and WTH is this shit about ports? there hasn't been a direct port of any game made to the PSP yet. Unless you call games that are "based" off an established property a port.


Damn you Fanboys :rockets:

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix is a direct port of an existing game from the PS2 to the PSP, as is Ape Escape: On the Loose. Both games have PSP-exclusive content (new levels for THUG 2 Remix, multiplayer mini-games for On the Loose), but the core gameplay is identical.

You could also argue that several of EA Sports' PSP titles are essentially ports of PS2 releases.

-- Z.

[Damion]

Jesus, who Freaking cares. The DS is Good and so is The PSP and WTH is this shit about ports? there hasn't been a direct port of any game made to the PSP yet. Unless you call games that are "based" off an established property a port.


Damn you Fanboys :rockets:

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix is a direct port of an existing game from the PS2 to the PSP, as is Ape Escape: On the Loose. Both games have PSP-exclusive content (new levels for THUG 2 Remix, multiplayer mini-games for On the Loose), but the core gameplay is identical.

You could also argue that several of EA Sports' PSP titles are essentially ports of PS2 releases.

-- Z.

I see your point but I think it could be argued that because of the added content there not a Direct Port. Like say Super mario Bros or Metriod for GBA.

that sounds More along the lines of like Super mario DS Kinda

[zmweasel]

I see your point but I think it could be argued that because of the added content there not a Direct Port. Like say Super mario Bros or Metriod for GBA.

I would argue that adding mini-games to a port, or making modest revisions and additions to the content of a port, does not fundamentally change the fact that it's a port.

Would you call the PSP version of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition a "direct" port?

-- Z.

[Damion]

I see your point but I think it could be argued that because of the added content there not a Direct Port. Like say Super mario Bros or Metriod for GBA.

I would argue that adding mini-games to a port, or making modest revisions and additions to the content of a port, does not fundamentally change the fact that it's a port.

Would you call the PSP version of Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition a "direct" port?

-- Z.

Well that would Depend Is it Pound for Pound the same game on a diffrent format (I never played it) then yes I would call That a direct port.

[GizmoGC]

8/10 games released for either system are ports/remixes. Wow! They added a new car to Midnight Club 3, its like a whole new game!

[neotokeo2001]

The latest weekly Japanese hardware charts covering the week ending July 10, 2005. Nintendo DS continues to reign as the supreme handheld, outselling the PlayStation 2 again. Xbox sales are rock bottom as usual, now selling under 200 units a week

Nintendo DS: 41,503 (Annual: 1,120,953)
PlayStation 2: 28,711 (Annual: 1,128,765)
PlayStation Portable: 20,390 (Annual: 1,020,461)
Game Boy Advance SP: 11,176 (Annual: 401,928)
GameCube: 2,273 (Annual: 127,226)
Game Boy Advance: 289 (Annual: 14,025)
Xbox: 179 (Annual: 8,574)

What is it that attracts more people to the PSP in the USA? Are sports games and movies that big of a draw?

[Gamereviewgod]

The mainstream gets more games they know on the PSP. They're familiar with NFL Street and Midnight Club. We also seem to have a more "image is important" attitude too.

The movies are obviously a draw too just looking at sales.

[zmweasel]

Nintendo DS: 41,503 (Annual: 1,120,953)
PlayStation 2: 28,711 (Annual: 1,128,765)
PlayStation Portable: 20,390 (Annual: 1,020,461)
Game Boy Advance SP: 11,176 (Annual: 401,928)
GameCube: 2,273 (Annual: 127,226)
Game Boy Advance: 289 (Annual: 14,025)
Xbox: 179 (Annual: 8,574)

I find the PS2/GameCube numbers more interesting than the neck-and-neck DS/PSP numbers. PS2 is, year to date, beating GameCube nine to one? In Japan? Crazy.


What is it that attracts more people to the PSP in the USA? Are sports games and movies that big of a draw?

It ain't just the sports games and UMD flicks. The PSP and its library have the coolness factor and teen/adult appeal. Not one good or great DS game thus far (except Meteos: Random Stylus Movement Success Action!) reaches outside of Nintendo's kiddie/hardcore fanbase.

-- Z.

[Mayhem]

Not one good or great DS game thus far (except Meteos: Random Stylus Movement Success Action!) reaches outside of Nintendo's kiddie/hardcore fanbase.

Gotta pull you up on that one there. It's precisely the fact that certain DS games in Japan HAVE been reaching to people outside of the (now boring for people to keep repeating it) "kiddie/hardcore" fanbase Nintendo has, which has caused the DS to almost sell as many units as the PS2.

Nintendogs was absolutely leapt upon by women for instance. And the two "brain" games currently out (I forget their names) have been doing great business as well. The DS has done its job in attracting non-gamers to play games. And that, my friends, is where I believe part of the future of gaming is heading...

[petewhitley]

Nintendogs was absolutely leapt upon by women for instance. And the two "brain" games currently out (I forget their names) have been doing great business as well. The DS has done its job in attracting non-gamers to play games. And that, my friends, is where I believe part of the future of gaming is heading...

I would argue that demographically, Nintendogs has found the same audience that made Pokemon and Tamogotchi massively popular (i.e. children). My source in Japan (while completely anectdotal) reports that she sees kids everywhere going apeshit for Nintendogs, and rarely sees her colleagues or female adults on subways playing a DS. Again, it's anectdotal evidence only, but I've yet to see hard numbers showing that the Nintendogs phenomenon extends significantly beyond schoolchildren.

[zmweasel]

Gotta pull you up on that one there. It's precisely the fact that certain DS games in Japan HAVE been reaching to people outside of the (now boring for people to keep repeating it) "kiddie/hardcore" fanbase Nintendo has, which has caused the DS to almost sell as many units as the PS2.

The post you quote specifically addressed the North American audience. As I've stated before in this thread and many others, the Japanese market is quite different. You're "pulling me up" (and I've never heard THAT British-ism before) about something I didn't address and didn't attempt to.

Nintendogs is doing very well in Japan because Japanese people live in 3x5' apartments, which prevents them from owning pets in real life. It's the latest flavor of Tamagotchi, and it'll never do the biz in America that it's doing in Japan.

-- Z.

[Gamereviewgod]

I see Nintendogs as having a chance here, just not Pokemon big. The Neo pet craze right now in the US shows there's a market for this type of thing. Whether or not people buy the console to play Dogs is the point we'll simply have to wait for.

[zmweasel]

I see Nintendogs as having a chance here, just not Pokemon big. The Neo pet craze right now in the US shows there's a market for this type of thing. Whether or not people buy the console to play Dogs is the point we'll simply have to wait for.

Nintendogs as DS system-seller in America? No way. It won't reach beyond the kiddies (also the Neopets userbase), the fanboys, and the three women who own a DS.

Japan is different. Japan is VERY different.

-- Z.

[Mayhem]

I'n quietly confident in Nintendog's ability to capture some key sales in the US despite being released in August. And we've still got most of the big hitters left to come (Mario Kart, Zelda, Metroid etc). Hopefully other more offbeat type titles such as Electroplankton and Band Brothers will get definite Western release dates too.

I think a lot of the naysayers have been surprised by the performance of the DS overall in comparision to the PSP. I'm almost of the opinion that Sony can't win this round; for once Nintendo have actually done something to turn the corner and keep handheld dominance in their court.

Still, I will agree there hasn't been anything released in the US to capture the non-gamer yet. That'll change, as said, next month, and hopefully other titles will follow.

Oh one thing I can think of too... the PSP release schedule is looking awfully bare at the moment. Many people I know have both DS and PSP. Needless to say the former is getting more attention in general over the latter.

[XxMe2NiKxX]

I declare this....
THE OFFICIAL NINTENDO DS VS. SONY PSP FANBOY ROYAL RUMBLE V. WHOGIVESAFUCK.

Honestly people, both consoles have been out less then a year. Stop making these stupid threads that have no purpose but attract rabid fanboys that zealously support either system without actually looking at the facts, and the fanboys that DO bring the facts to the table simply choose to ignore all other details that contradict or otherwise do not support their console. The lack of listening that involves in a fanboy argument basically means that DS VS. PSP threads will NEVER make any progress, ever, and those who see that with a little bit of intelligence and perception will simply laugh their asses off at the sheer stupidity demonstrated in these threads.

My name is Me2NiK, and I own both a DS and a PSP.

[Gamereviewgod]

Nintendogs as DS system-seller in America? No way. It won't reach beyond the kiddies (also the Neopets userbase), the fanboys, and the three women who own a DS.

Who would of expected Katamari Damacy to do anything over here? I don't believe it will be some national obsession, but I could see Nintendo gaining signifigant ground with it.

[zmweasel]

I'n quietly confident in Nintendog's ability to capture some key sales in the US despite being released in August. And we've still got most of the big hitters left to come (Mario Kart, Zelda, Metroid etc). Hopefully other more offbeat type titles such as Electroplankton and Band Brothers will get definite Western release dates too.

What does "key sales" mean, exactly? Do you have a certain sell-through number in mind?

As for heavy-hitting titles, ain't nothing on the DS gonna hit harder than the PSP's GTA: Liberty City Stories. Also, Metroid Prime Hunters didn't preview well at E3. And we all recall that Nintendo's triple-A GameCube releases still didn't keep that console out of third place in North America.


I think a lot of the naysayers have been surprised by the performance of the DS overall in comparision to the PSP. I'm almost of the opinion that Sony can't win this round; for once Nintendo have actually done something to turn the corner and keep handheld dominance in their court.

Worldwide, it should be very close. In North America, unless current head-to-head sales trends drastically shift, the PSP will have a solid lead by year's end.


Still, I will agree there hasn't been anything released in the US to capture the non-gamer yet. That'll change, as said, next month, and hopefully other titles will follow.

I'll stick with my call that Nintendogs doesn't reach outside the kiddie/hardcore demo, as there aren't any DS-owning non-gamers in North America.


Oh one thing I can think of too... the PSP release schedule is looking awfully bare at the moment. Many people I know have both DS and PSP. Needless to say the former is getting more attention in general over the latter.

A quick glance at ds.ign.com shows 25 upcoming DS titles with specific release dates, and several of those aren't set in stone. A quick glance at psp.ign.com shows 19 upcoming PSP titles with specific release dates. Not much of a difference there. And if you include probable/guaranteed '05 releases without specific dates as yet, the PSP comes out ahead.

-- Z.

[Gamereviewgod]

as there aren't any DS-owning non-gamers in North America.

Strong statement, and someone is going to call you on it.

If the PSP sees a price drop by years end, or at least gets out of the package deal, I don't think the DS will have much of a chance over the holidays. it's not even about the games anymore, and I think all of us can admit that. It's about what's cool and what looks good. The PSP does both.

[zmweasel]

Who would of expected Katamari Damacy to do anything over here? I don't believe it will be some national obsession, but I could see Nintendo gaining signifigant ground with it.

Katamari Damacy garnered ethereal reviews, had a $20 price point, and was released for the most popular home console in North America. And while it sold decent (not NPD-shattering, but decent) numbers in the States, it did much better in Japan. It's a cult game in America, not a mainstream title.

Nintendogs won't get ethereal reviews, it'll sell for $30-40, and it'll be released for a system with an installed base of two million. Unless it defies the odds and becomes an evergreen title, it's not going to help Nintendo gain any ground here.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

Strong statement, and someone is going to call you on it.

I wecome anyone to introduce me to an American citizen whose first game system is the DS, and who was a non-gamer before the DS's dual screens and touch screen seduced him into joining us.

Right now, the DS is selling to Nintendo fanboys and Nintendo Power-brainwashed kiddies. That's it. The PSP is selling to the non-gamer, because--shocker!--it has non-gaming applications (primarily hot-selling UMDs).

-- Z.

[Mayhem]

I wecome anyone to introduce me to an American citizen whose first game system is the DS, and who was a non-gamer before the DS's dual screens and touch screen seduced him into joining us.

That's pigeon holing it a bit too far there me thinks ;)

There's plenty of people I know whose ONLY touch with gaming is the GBA or varient thereof. Many of those have either also bought a DS or sold the GBA to "level up". So there you go...

Yeah know what you're gonna say... Europeans not Americans. I'll introduce you to Kris' mum then ;)

[zmweasel]

That's pigeon holing it a bit too far there me thinks ;)

What would you consider a non-gamer?


There's plenty of people I know whose ONLY touch with gaming is the GBA or varient thereof. Many of those have either also bought a DS or sold the GBA to "level up". So there you go...

I've yet to see an American non-gaming adult using a GBA or variant thereof (outside of the Tetris phenomenon when the original GB launched), while I've already seen several non-gamers using PSPs to watch UMDs. Anecdotal "evidence," of course (as is yours).

-- Z.

[LiquidX01]

That's pigeon holing it a bit too far there me thinks ;)

Me wish Me knew what exactly that meant... :hmm: LOL

[zmweasel]

That's pigeon holing it a bit too far there me thinks ;)

Me wish Me knew what exactly that meant... :hmm: LOL

www.m-w.com, my friend.

"pigeonhole: a neat category which usually fails to reflect actual complexities."

But I stand firmly by my claims that, at present, American DS owners are kiddies and fanboys, and that the PSP is the handheld with non-gamer appeal.

-- Z.

[Blanka789]

Around Christmas(Like Always) the big guns like Sega and Square will start cranking games out. Then, it just depends on who gets that "surprise" title that no one expects. This is what GTA 3 did for the PS2.

[neotokeo2001]

Right now, the DS is selling to Nintendo fanboys and Nintendo Power-brainwashed kiddies. That's it. The PSP is selling to the non-gamer, because--shocker!--it has non-gaming applications (primarily hot-selling UMDs).
-- Z.

The defining statement of the thread.
The DS is for gamers and the PSP is for the non-gamers. O_O I really like the gold-plated version that you can wear around your neck like an ornament. Flavo-Flav!!!!!!! :D

What a lot of people seem to miss is that Nintendo doesn't have to be number one in sales to win against the competition.

Hands down the PS2 won this generations console war, but do you really think Microsoft came in second? Microsoft took a loss on every X-Box they sold and is going to finish in the red while the Gamecube may have fewer sales but Nintendo made a profit off of every sale.

Same thing with the DS and PSP. Nintendo is selling at a profit and Sony is taking a loss on each PSP. And remember the DS is viewed by a lot of people as just a Nintendo stop gap untill a real GBA successor can be released.

No, I am not a Nintendo Fan-Boy.I guess you can call me a Videogame Fan-Boy. I have every system that has been released in the US since the Atari 2600, except the Sony PSP. The reasons being the Price and no real games worth justifying paying that price. Why did Sony ignore the PSP at E3?

I

[Mayhem]

But I stand firmly by my claims that, at present, American DS owners are kiddies and fanboys, and that the PSP is the handheld with non-gamer appeal.

And that's what I'll dispute... that there are no DS owners in America outside of children and fanboys.

Though as you rightly stated, it seems the UMD movies and emulation are doing more for the PSP than the actual games on sale :P

[LiquidX01]

www.m-w.com, my friend.

"pigeonhole: a neat category which usually fails to reflect actual complexities."

Ahh I see...I may try to use that and brush up on all the english slangs they use in "The Office" box set.

[Griking]

Right now, the DS is selling to Nintendo fanboys and Nintendo Power-brainwashed kiddies. That's it. The PSP is selling to the non-gamer, because--shocker!--it has non-gaming applications (primarily hot-selling UMDs).-- Z.

Oh don't give me that. As if it weren't completely obvious that you're a total, official card carrying Sony fanboy yourself. :roll: You can make all the accusations you like but once you start calling other people fanboys is where I stop taking you serious.

Truthfully I really couldn't care less for either company as I'm more of a PC gamer than a console gamer but honestly, how many shares of Sony stock do you own? You've got to be on their payroll somehow.

Have you ever been critical about anything that Sony has done?

[zmweasel]

What a lot of people seem to miss is that Nintendo doesn't have to be number one in sales to win against the competition.

There's no question that the video game biz has grown to the point that it can support three home-console platforms, which I wouldn't have guessed five years ago.


Hands down the PS2 won this generations console war, but do you really think Microsoft came in second? Microsoft took a loss on every X-Box they sold and is going to finish in the red while the Gamecube may have fewer sales but Nintendo made a profit off of every sale.

Microsoft always knew it would take a loss with its first platform in order to establish itself in the biz, and in North America and Europe, it has.


Same thing with the DS and PSP. Nintendo is selling at a profit and Sony is taking a loss on each PSP. And remember the DS is viewed by a lot of people as just a Nintendo stop gap untill a real GBA successor can be released.

Where has Nintendo stated that it's making a profit on every DS sold? Even with its cheap construction and Chinese manufacture, the amount of tech in the unit would seem to rule out a profit at a $150 price point.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

And that's what I'll dispute... that there are no DS owners in America outside of children and fanboys.

Again, I'll ask you or anyone else to direct me to an American DS owner who's not a child/GBA graduate, or who's not a hardcore gamer/Nintendo fanboy.


Though as you rightly stated, it seems the UMD movies and emulation are doing more for the PSP than the actual games on sale :P

No, I didn't state that. I stated that of the two systems, the PSP is the one that's reaching non-gamers (with UMDs) IN ADDITION TO gamers (with original titles and emulators).

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

Oh don't give me that. As if it weren't completely obvious that you're a total, official card carrying Sony fanboy yourself. :roll: You can make all the accusations you like but once you start calling other people fanboys is where I stop taking you serious.

I've stated this in many previous threads, but I'll do so again: I play and write about every system. I own a PS2, GameCube, and Xbox. I own a DS and a PSP. I own a Genesis, Super NES, and TG-CD. I own an Atari 2600, an Odyssey2, and a Mattel Intellivision. I own (or have owned) just about every console and handheld of the past 25 years.

I have no biases for or against hardware manufacturers, and I haven't pledged my soul to a hunk of plastic. I'm concerned with games and their developers. I'm a Dani Bunten Berry fanboy. I'm a Black Ops Entertainment hater.

In the context of my post, I wasn't using "fanboy" as a negative term, but as a synonym for "fan." And I didn't specifically reference anyone, yourself included.

If you're willing to disregard all of my previous points because you misinterpreted my most recent post, there's nothing I can do for you.


Truthfully I really couldn't care less for either company as I'm more of a PC gamer than a console gamer but honestly, how many shares of Sony stock do you own? You've got to be on their payroll somehow.

I own no shares of any video game company stock, and I'm not on any video game company's payroll, although I might be doing some work for Atlus in the future.


Have you ever been critical about anything that Sony has done?

Absolutely. One small example: not long ago, I posted a rant about Sony's quality-assurance policies in these forums that was cut-and-pasted to several other forums, and that prompted a very unhappy response from Jerry Jessop, CGE alumnus and Sony employee.

I could also scan and email you dozens of Sony-critical articles I've written over the past ten years, dating back to Sony's 2D-hating policies RE the original PlayStation, but that would be killing a butterfly with a nuclear bomb, and I assume you'll be satisfied with the above example.

I like to play devil's advocate and provide an alternate viewpoint to the heavily pro-Nintendo bent of these forums. That's all.

-- Z.

[neotokeo2001]

Interesting insight on the Japanese Software sales for the past week.

http://www.f-ism.net/fmds/new_img/guraph02.gif
Data Collected by Famitsu: from June 27 to July 3, 2005

[zmweasel]

Interesting insight on the Japanese Software sales for the past week.

http://www.f-ism.net/fmds/new_img/guraph02.gif
Data Collected by Famitsu: from June 27 to July 3, 2005

Crazy. Take away Nintendo's portable sales, and it's absolutely dead in Japan. I imagine the Cube has a similarly tiny sliver of software sales in America. And I wonder how much of the DS's 18% is Nintendogs.

-- Z.

[neotokeo2001]

Crazy. Take away Nintendo's portable sales, and it's absolutely dead in Japan. I imagine the Cube has a similarly tiny sliver of software sales in America. And I wonder how much of the DS's 18% is Nintendogs.

-- Z.

It's scary to think how much of the market the PS2 has cornered, I am sure the numbers look the same in the US market. I don't know about you but I hope someone can knock Sony out of the top spot in the next generation. Too much power and control by one company is not a good thing.

[hydr0x]

So why have all but two major movie studio's announced releases? Why are there so many new ones each week?

just look at the CD-I, it got lots of movies from the major studios too, but it still wasn't a success at all

[Griking]

Interesting insight on the Japanese Software sales for the past week.

http://www.f-ism.net/fmds/new_img/guraph02.gif
Data Collected by Famitsu: from June 27 to July 3, 2005

Crazy. Take away Nintendo's portable sales, and it's absolutely dead in Japan. I imagine the Cube has a similarly tiny sliver of software sales in America. And I wonder how much of the DS's 18% is Nintendogs.-- Z.

See, here's another example that leads me to believe that you're Sony biased. Instead of commenting on the fact that DS sales were 6x those of PSP sales you conveniently ignore this fact and comment on how Sony as a company has sold more software than Nintendo as a company has.

[hydr0x]

Interesting insight on the Japanese Software sales for the past week.

http://www.f-ism.net/fmds/new_img/guraph02.gif
Data Collected by Famitsu: from June 27 to July 3, 2005

Crazy. Take away Nintendo's portable sales, and it's absolutely dead in Japan. I imagine the Cube has a similarly tiny sliver of software sales in America. And I wonder how much of the DS's 18% is Nintendogs.-- Z.

See, here's another example that leads me to believe that you're Sony biased. Instead of commenting on the fact that DS sales were 6x those of PSP sales you conveniently ignore this fact and comment on how Sony as a company has sold more software than Nintendo as a company has.

how dare you ;)

[zmweasel]

See, here's another example that leads me to believe that you're Sony biased. Instead of commenting on the fact that DS sales were 6x those of PSP sales you conveniently ignore this fact and comment on how Sony as a company has sold more software than Nintendo as a company has.

I'm not ignoring it. I'm simply wondering aloud how much of that 18% figure number is Nintendogs, and how much of it is other DS releases. I'm guessing that if you take away Nintendogs, you take much of that 18% with it.

And while the DS numbers aren't that surprising, I'm astonished to see that Nintendo has become, for all intents and purposes, a portable-gaming company. Take away the PS2, and you take away the Japanese console market.

In my previous post, I explained why I have no bias for or against any hardware manufacturer, and offered to send you dozens of examples of "anti-Sony" pieces from the past decade of my game-journo output. I'll repeat that offer now. PM me your email address and I'll gladly send a few dozen scanned articles along. Whatever I can do to correct your mistaken assumption.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

just look at the CD-I, it got lots of movies from the major studios too, but it still wasn't a success at all

The CD-i hardware flopped for many reasons, but the Video CD format, of which CD-i used the "White Book" version, was apparently very successful in Asia.

As for the UMD format, it's certainly an early success. It's achieved several early milestones faster than DVD did, and video retailers are raving about it.

-- Z.

[LiquidX01]

So why have all but two major movie studio's announced releases?

Actually, There is only one major movie firm left that hasn't hopped on the UMD format. The lone wolf now being Warner Bros. because they are choosing to stick with their failing Mini Disk format.

In related new...The UMD disk has been approved as a standard format by ECMA International which is an organization that standardizes formats and systems.

Anywho, I know some of you are like "Why is this important?" Well because it will incourage more movies and music to be published on UMD.

Remember the PSP is much more than a gaming device, So piss off with the fanboy crap.

[CartCollector]

You know what that pie chart reminds me of?
http://www.photolocker.net/images/CartCollector/pie.jpg
Wakka wakka wakka. Guess who's getting eaten?

[LiquidX01]

You know what that pie chart reminds me of?
http://www.photolocker.net/images/CartCollector/pie.jpg
Wakka wakka wakka. Guess who's getting eaten?

From the looks of that picture I would say everything made by Nintendo... LOL

[neotokeo2001]

More Japanese numbers:

Platform................Total Sales to Date
=========================
Nintendo DS..................2,608,549
PSP...............................1,502,713
GameBoy Advance SP.....5,396,980

[petewhitley]

More Japanese numbers:

Platform................Total Sales to Date
=========================
Nintendo DS..................2,608,549
PSP...............................1,502,713
GameBoy Advance SP.....5,396,980

Beautiful. Out of context. Without launch dates. Completely meaningless and without any relevance (as presented) to the conversation at hand.

[MR.TI994A]

More Japanese numbers:

Platform................Total Sales to Date
=========================
Nintendo DS..................2,608,549
PSP...............................1,502,713
GameBoy Advance SP.....5,396,980

Beautiful. Out of context. Without launch dates. Completely meaningless and without any relevance (as presented) to the conversation at hand.

As is most of the posts in this thread, including yours I might add, discussing Nintendo vs Sony sales figures. I believe the original post was a complaint on a lack of game releases for the PSP, as opposed to all the UMD movies being released, and not meant to be a PSP vs DS flame war. There are plenty of those threads already in existence.

[neotokeo2001]

More Japanese numbers:

Platform................Total Sales to Date
=========================
Nintendo DS..................2,608,549
PSP...............................1,502,713
GameBoy Advance SP.....5,396,980

Beautiful. Out of context. Without launch dates. Completely meaningless and without any relevance (as presented) to the conversation at hand.

Spoken like a true Sony fan. :)

[zmweasel]

More Japanese numbers:

Platform................Total Sales to Date
=========================
Nintendo DS..................2,608,549
PSP...............................1,502,713
GameBoy Advance SP.....5,396,980

How many DSes were sold between December 2 (Japanese DS launch) and December 13 (Japanese PSP launch)? Then we'd know how much of that 1.1m lead was established before head-to-head hardware sales.

To sum up: the DS is staying ahead of the PSP in Japan, but the PSP is quickly catching up in North America, and we'll all benefit from the best console war since the SNES/Genesis era. Sweet.

-- Z.

[Griking]

To sum up: the DS is staying ahead of the PSP in Japan, but the PSP is quickly catching up in North America, and we'll all benefit from the best console war since the SNES/Genesis era. Sweet.

-- Z.

Best console war based on what? The amount of movies we can watch on our game consoles? Truth be told, Sony seems to be competing more with everyone's DVD and VCR players than they're competing with Nintendo and games.

As someone else had already said, this war is more like the 3DO against the Jaguar than it is the SNES and Genesis.

And how are we all benefiting from this "war"as you said above.

[zmweasel]

Best console war based on what? The amount of movies we can watch on our game consoles? Truth be told, Sony seems to be competing more with everyone's DVD and VCR players than they're competing with Nintendo and games.

Best console war, as in, the closest competition in terms of hardware sales between two like pieces of gaming hardware.


As someone else had already said, this war is more like the 3DO against the Jaguar than it is the SNES and Genesis.

Not at all. Among the many, many differences: both of those systems were swift failures, while both of these systems are immediate successes.

There's exactly one common thread joining the 3DO and PSP: both systems were/are marketed as more than game machines.


And how are we all benefiting from this "war"as you said above.

How are we all, as gamers, benefiting? Pretty simple: in the video game industry, as in many other aspects of modern life, competition benefits the consumer/the country/the human race. I could cite hundreds of examples from the past 200 years of world history, but I assume you don't need them.

My apologies for attempting to wind down the thread. Carry on!

-- Z.

[TougherToast]

What, they actually make games for the PSP :D All I ever do with mine anymore is play emulators and read digitized comics. I like that fact that I can do those things with my PSP but more games would be nice as well. I still haven’t bought a UMD movie and I don’t think that I ever will.

[petewhitley]

More Japanese numbers:

Platform................Total Sales to Date
=========================
Nintendo DS..................2,608,549
PSP...............................1,502,713
GameBoy Advance SP.....5,396,980

Beautiful. Out of context. Without launch dates. Completely meaningless and without any relevance (as presented) to the conversation at hand.

Spoken like a true Sony fan. :)

Spoken like someone who's had at the very least a high-school level course in statistics.