Sony teases 'very robust' 2010 for PSP, which still struggles with piracy [Joystiq]

[DP ServBot]

After completing 2009 with redesigned hardware and several high-profile games (including Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge and LittleBigPlanet), the PSP platform is looking for another strong lineup to carry it until the end of another year. Sony's senior vice president of publisher relations, Rob Dyer, told Industry Gamers that third parties will provide a "very robust lineup" in 2010 -- albeit one that has to face a very old problem.

"I think we had a great lineup last year. The biggest problem that plagued PSP was piracy; we have not been able to slow that down," Dyer said. "We think we have some answers going forward, but we're not ready to talk about that publicly at this point. So we're working on fixing that, because that's been a big problem. Publishers, when they put out good games, are not getting the same sales results that they got a few years back. So piracy's been a big issue and we're working on that very diligently to bring about some solutions."

Some solutions include the PSP Go, which focuses on digitally acquired games (through the PlayStation Store, of course!) and -- as recently demonstrated by third-person shooter SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 -- a form of potentially consumer-unfriendly online activation. And while Sony appears pleased with the platform's longevity, six years is a long time to still be tinkering with anti-piracy experiments.

"We're into the sixth year now on the platform, and that's a long time for a handheld," Dyer noted. "I think given where we're at right now, we're doing very, very well. But yes, the business has had problems and I think it all stems, candidly, from the piracy."Sony teases 'very robust' 2010 for PSP, which still struggles with piracy originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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[josekortez]

Sony needs to focus on putting killer apps on the system instead of worrying so much about piracy. And the "Go" needs to go back to the original design.

[Aussie2B]

Very robust my butt. The PSP gets the least amount of releases of any of the current systems, and I don't see that changing. PSP owners know it's not something you're buying games for constantly. It's racked up a good library over its 6 years, though. Hard to believe it's been that long.

[skaar]

Piracy is a huge deal for devs looking to do PSP. When you're a small publisher you really have to consider it as a serious problem because it is - those 20,000 pirated copies can kill you fast. And when you're not EA you can't just suck it up.

I've talked to people at a few pubs and everyone's looking at the Go instead of a UMD release because of piracy. A few Sony execs have said that's the whole point in the device - fighting piracy.

Same problem plagues iPhone - copy protection is a joke so nobody wants to sink any money into developing something that'll get ripped off a thousand times.

[The 1 2 P]

I still have two games I want to play on the Psp but not until the price of the original comes down by atleast a third. Looks like I might be waiting awhile.

[chrisbid]

a fine example of adjective inflation

very robust today = pretty friggin meager 20 years ago

[Leo_A]

A PSN download can be as easily pirated and make the rounds online as a UMD, so I doubt that.

And the PSP has an install base of over 60 million. That's how many units the NES sold 20 years ago. So what is very robust today is pretty amazing if it were 20 years ago.

[Cryomancer]

Protip: allow non-infringing homebrew to be ran without modifications. Put em on PSN or something. Homebrew on the PSP is legitimately awesome for plenty of reasons that don't even involve piracy. But then to use it for any of those other purposes, you end up being able to pirate software too.

I'm not just giving the normal justification here either, homebrew programs literally do make the PSP a lot more useful and fun of a device. Enhances it's media playback, lets you take screenshots in-game, let you charge it while using it, etc.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The "problems" that plague the PSP as a platform aren't going to go away in this console generation.

That being said, as Skaar eluded to, it's quite the accomplishment that the system has subsisted in the market alongside several iterations of the DS for six years.

Anything we see from Sony moving forward on the PSP1 (1000,2000,3000 and Go) I think will still be more like mass focus testing/data gathering for the development of the PSP2. At this point they should be able to see what profitability is like for DLC, even in the relatively small installation base of the Go, they've still made DLC available on all versions of the PSP, so I'm sure they're crunching the numbers to see if physical media is still "worth it" moving forward.

Next on their radar is the piracy issue. We'll see how at retail incentives contribute to the solution.

[chrisbid]

A PSN download can be as easily pirated and make the rounds online as a UMD, so I doubt that.

And the PSP has an install base of over 60 million. That's how many units the NES sold 20 years ago. So what is very robust today is pretty amazing if it were 20 years ago.

and the psp's market share is comprable to the sega master system's 20 years ago

POP OPEN THE CHAMPAGNE!!

[Compute]

Maybe they could COME UP WITH A NEW NAME for the thing. I'd consider buying a Sony Maoism or something like that, but "playstation" sounds SO 1993

[Leo_A]

and the psp's market share is comprable to the sega master system's 20 years ago

POP OPEN THE CHAMPAGNE!!

The Sega Master System had about 13 million units in homes versus over 60 million from Nintendo.

Clearly you dislike the portable, but selling half as many units as the Nintendo DS is still a huge success. It's obvious that the Nintendo DS has been far more successful, but that doesn't mean the PSP failed. It's sold more units then most any other piece of gaming hardware.

[swlovinist]

The PSP was sony's first foray into the portable game market. Looking hindsight I feel that Sony probably overlooked the DS, as well as overlooked what people were looking for in a portable game system. Sony had the right idea, to make a game system that mirrored one of the best home game consoles ever. The problem was that it did not necessarily equate to a great portable gaming device(battery life, one analog stick, load times etc), were just a few of the rookie mistakes that Sony did, on top of pricing the system out of reach of the casual user base.

The PSP will not be remembered as a failure, but more of a portable that never really hit its potential. I think that the PSP2 will really be hopefully the portable everyone was wanting.

On a collectors side, I am having fun with collecting for the PSP, and I think that collectors will appreicate its library for its many exclusives and RPGs. To me it was not a disappointment, but a distant second to the DS.

[Gameguy]

"I think we had a great lineup last year. The biggest problem that plagued PSP was piracy; we have not been able to slow that down," Dyer said. "We think we have some answers going forward, but we're not ready to talk about that publicly at this point. So we're working on fixing that, because that's been a big problem. Publishers, when they put out good games, are not getting the same sales results that they got a few years back. So piracy's been a big issue and we're working on that very diligently to bring about some solutions."

I remember when the PSP first came out, plenty of people gave reviews on youtube about both the DS and PSP. Most people said the DS was the system to get for the games, while the PSP was the system to get for emulation. A big selling point for the PSP was that you could play plenty of classic games emulated on it, if that wasn't possible Sony wouldn't have sold as many systems.

[kupomogli]

I once bashed the PSP without playing it for the same reasons as everyone else did. Once Gundam Battle Royale came out, I imported it, picked up a PSP and Mega Man Powered Up which was already out for awhile.

I still love the DS, but since then the PSP has become my handheld console of choice. Aside from the emulation, which is one of the reasons it's my favored console of choice(otherwise it'd be my GBA with the amount of games for it that I own,) the library of good games that the PSP has is staggering.

People complain about the missing second analog stick when it's not even a issue. First person shooters should stick to consoles or PCs. Third person shooters are also not the only other genere, and a lot of the third person shooters on the system have some really great work arounds because of the single analog stick. Any other type of game, action adventure, rpg, etc, the second analog stick really isn't needed at all. I think because it was on the console and now it's missing from the portable, people decide they need to throw out it only has a single analog like it's some kind of huge hit for the system, like no other games work properly because it only has one analog.

Last year btw was definitely a great year for Sony. PS3 don't care about much, but the PSP had release after release of good games. The PSP adhoc party finally getting released in the US only added to make the PSP the most superior handheld available. Technically adding infrastructure to any multiplayer on the system.

If you ask me. There's still a robust 2010 lineup on the PSP. Definitely not 2009 quality, but still good quality. I like "robust with little to no shovelware," than DS robust or Wii robust "robust with 99.9% shovelware."

Games that I think may be good for 2010. Metal Slug XX, Dante's Inferno, Mimana Iyar Chronicles, WTF Did I Do To Deserve This(this should have been the new name,) Valkyria Chronicles 2, and God Eater. Games a lot of other people may like. Persona 3 Portable, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, Dead or Alive Paradise, Lunar, BlazBlue, Xexyz Force, and Metal Gear Solid Walker Texas Ranger.

So far, other's I want haven't been announced at getting a US release.