I would say that the price is hurting the sales for the PSP. I don't have any local video game places so I wouldn't know whats selling and what isn't, but it just seems like the PSP doesn't have much going for it.
I would say that the price is hurting the sales for the PSP. I don't have any local video game places so I wouldn't know whats selling and what isn't, but it just seems like the PSP doesn't have much going for it.
GTA liberty city. quicksilver/mercury/or whatever it's calledOriginally Posted by Whiskers the Wonder Cat
You think PSP is doomed to fall under the weight of the Nintendo Portable - like GameGear and Atari Lynx?
.
(•¿•) - "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use." - Emily Post ----- Component Video looks just as good as RGB, is a heck of a lot easier to set up, and also a lot cheaper!
Yeah, but GTA has superior versions on Xbox and PS2. I guess its nice to play on the road and all. Still have issues with that game, coughcontrolscough.GTA liberty city. quicksilver/mercury/or whatever it's called
You think PSP is doomed to fall under the weight of the Nintendo Portable - like GameGear and Atari Lynx?
The best game on the system, and the only game right now that I see worth owning is Lumines, and if you like Metal Gear/Strategy games, Metal Gear Acid. Those games I've enjoyed, and you can't experience them elsewhere.
Here in a mall environment, it's give and take. I actually sell a bit more GBA SPs than the DS (which is almost the same) and than PSP is usually dead last.
What's interesting is that Liberty City Stories seems to have backfired on Sony and Rockstar. Granted, we'll have to wait till Christmas to see for sure, but it's the same story with every customer:
Customer - "Yeah I need Liberty City Stories for PS2 (XBox)"
Me - "It's a PSP exclusive."
Customer - "You mean it's not on the PS2 (XBox)"
Me - "Unfortunately, no."
Customer - "Oh...that sucks"
The 'sucks comment' has been a toss up of depression, anger, and hopelessness. I have YET to sell a PSP and a GTA LCS in the same bundle. I think had Rockstar made it for all 3 with some sort fo link up feature (PS2 exclusive?) I think it would have done a LOT better.
Surprisingly, we've gotten a lot of the higher profile PSP Games, like GTA and Battlefront traded in because of control issues. Socom was a retail store's bread and butter for 2 incarnations, and now the PSP version (and to a degree, Socom 3) seem to have no life in them.
After playing with the demo kiosk that Sony only sent out a year too late with a game no one cares about (The Con)...it seems like the PSP is destined to be the bargin bin basement system everyone buys just to hack.
I've had this exact same exchange with about 20 people.
same at the store i work at :/I've had this exact same exchange with about 20 people.
-Jan
While interesting, these case-studies are really irrelevant. Overall, worldwide, the PSP has been a resounding success for Sony. UMDs have been the great unexpected tech success of the year. This isn't based on personal observations, it's based on actual sales. The PSP may not be selling quite as well as the DS, but that does not make it a failure.
i take in a good 7-8 used psps a week in my store and maybe one ds a month. thank goodness for amazon or id never get rid of them!
www.worldofgamespublishing.com
Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!
Where I work, we rarely sell DS's. We sell lots of games for the DS and very few for the PSP, but by and large we sell many more new PSPs than DS's. I personally have no allegiance to either system (still in love with my SP), but it is interesting to me that certain regions seem to be selling one unit more or less than another region.
Dammit Pete, why'd you have to post first
I think that the PSP has definitely been selling less than the DS lately, thanks to Nintendo really pulling out some software for the DS that people want to play. Between Nintendogs being a surprise hit (even to Nintendo, as it was sold out EVERYWHERE for a long time after it's release), Castlevania and Mario Kart DS, there is a large demand for the systems suddenly.
While Liberty Cities is a killer app for the PSP, I think the problem was defined to me very well by a store manager from around town -- the advertising and the game are aimed at a group of people that for the most part cannot afford the system and the game, and they can't get their parents to get it.
I'm not saying that LCS is going to be a failure -- it won't be -- but if the "success" of it depends on it selling tons of systems, it alone hasn't been able to do that yet.
I think there is a lot of interest in the system. Hell, it's beautiful, it has seemingly endless possibilities of uses, and it has features that aren't on other systems. The problem is that it is running into at the moment, in my opinion, is that there are other things that do the same sorts of things as the PSP that people want more.
iPods do video and music, and GameBoys (and DSes) do games. I think that the crowd that the PSP is aimed at is the same crowd that the iPod is aimed at, and currently the iPod is winning. This is not in any way a knock against the 'all-in-one' machine the PSP is trying to be. The problem is that there are things that people currently see as better options.
Will that change? I think so. In fact, the history of the DS proves this. Does anyone remember last Febuary and March when practically nothing was coming out for the DS, and those games that did come out weren't very good? The time when all of the Nintendo people kept saying, "They're just figuring out the hardware. Give them time."
Well, those Nintendo people were right. There are tons of DS games coming out now finally that are making people want to buy the system. In fact, I would argue that they had a launch that was much like the launch of the PS2 -- it came out early with few games that people really wanted, and people went crazy for it immediately (remember how the Matrix movie was the best selling "title" for it for months in Japan?) Well, the same thing happened with the DS, except people didn't hold onto it because they couldn't watch movies with it. So, there was a huge sell-off peroid while the library expanded, and now that it has DSes are selling very strongly again.
The PSP is in the same sort of situation right now. It has had a lull in releases, and a lot of the releases haven't been must-haves... yet. The reason for the high quantity of UMD sales? Probably the same reason that the Matrix sold so highly at the PS2's launch. People want to use this sweet hardware for something, and until games fill the hole and make the hardware into something really must-have again, that's what will fill the space.
What will make the hardware must have? Two things, I think. First is a price drop of both hardware and software. I was seriously considering getting one this past week because I had $165 worth of credit, but I decided not to yet. Why? Because I could apply that amount of money to a bunch of games and wait for the system to come down in price. Had it been $199, I would've happily bought one. It also bothers me that the games aren't cheaper than they are. Yes, there is a lot of space on those discs, but $50.00 for a portable? Too much, and I think a lot of the general public agrees with that (if not the DVD / UMD thing)
The second thing is a few more games like GTA:LCS. At this high of a price point, one game isn't enough to be a system seller to the general masses. Another two or three games that were as high profile as GTA:LCS would really help. It also didn't help when R* got all their negative publicity over the hot coffee business -- now parents have been alerted that the GTA series isn't a reason to justify a purchase for a kid. They need another two or three really awesome software titles to push them over the edge.
So, will it happen? Yes. In fact, I would be greatly surprised if Sony didn't experience a Christmas next year with the PSP like I expect Nintendo to deliver this year with the DS. I would be very surprised if we didn't have software will come out that will really push the hardware, hardware upgrades will happen so that the battery life lasts longer and less pixels are burnt out on new units, and a price drop on the console by this time next year. When all of that happens together, the PSP will be hard to slow down.
The DS is a great little system, but it presents SUCH a different gameplay dynamic than the PSP that I don't foresee it being the runaway "winner" of the wars. The DS with its touch screen is a different beast than the PSP with it's startingly good screen and graphics.
Dan Loosen
http://www.goatstore.com/ - http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/
** Trying to finish up an overly complete Dreamcast collection... want to help? (Updated 5/3/10!) http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61333
I debated which to get for a long time, and I think I will be getting a Mario Kart DS bundle.
There's just nothing on the PSP I really want to play and at least half a dozen DS games I really want with more in the pipeline.
It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass.
If only I could afford one, let alone any higher quantity!Start stuffing them on eBay mate, there's no PSP to be found anywhere in the south of England...
Well, some may argue it's the games, but I say both.Agreed I think this is the main reason why the PSP isnt selling.
I personally would rather have a Gamecube/Xbox and new backup PS2 than ONE PSP anyday.
Also Its great to get some real responses thankx
Lol, jk....but seriously, there's a lot of DS games I want and I still haven't seen a PSP game that I want to buy...and I have a PSP. Can't wait for that Gradius collection (drool).
-ROb
The moral is, don't **** with Uncle Tim when he's been drinking!
I debated as well and MK was the deciding factor.
I was just trying to lure you in here Dan!Dammit Pete, why'd you have to post first
Those were some of the most insightful and honest observations about the current state of the PSP (and DS) ever posted on this board. It's perplexing to me that Sony hasn't exploited the early interest and inherent "sexiness" of the PSP by releasing more "must-have" games than GTA: Liberty City Stories and to a lesser-extent Socom. The Matrix/UMD analogy is spot-on I think. Despite my relucatance, I've even purchased a few UMDs at this point just for the novelty value and desire to make further use of my $250 investment. That said, as a working adult what games I have do keep me occupied, but a wider selection would be appreciated by all and definitely draw in even more consumers. I do think that when Sony is finished developing the PS3 they will give the PSP some of the attention it deserves; it certainly has the technology in it to last for some time as a premium handheld. And it's amazing to me that a $50 discount was not a part of the Xmas plan.
I'll tell you why Liberty City Stories isn't storming the charts. EBGames and places like it won't let you buy it unless you're 18. I requested it, and was freaking carded for it. That's ridiculous. I was just like, dude, does it look like I have ID, and perhaps more importantly, does it look like I'm some 12 year old quif who is gonna tell all his friends about "teh coolzzorz GTAS for PSPS!!!11?"
Being 16, I can't buy the game in a brick and mortar store, but I can, using my trusty debit card, purchase the game from ANY PLACE I choose online, along with copious amounts of porn, booze and other such substances.
All I'm saying is that they're killing their main demographic by not selling it in the actual stores. Most people don't have the credit card when they're 14 - 17, which it seems many PSP owners are. I know if the game had came out last year, I wouldn't have been playing it, because there would have been no way to get it.
On a somewhat related note, there is a lot of cursing in the game -- much more than GTA 3/Vice City. The humor seems more juvenile though. Overall, it's a pretty good game.
And UMDs, while a neat technology, are way too expensive at this point. Some of the movies are $30, which I can buy on a higher quality DVD format for $15, then rip to my $50 1 GB stick. However, UMDs can be had for rather cheap on eBay, so I guess it's not all bad. I may pick up a few for watching during free periods.
Basically, to sum up my point, I'm just saying that in releasing these so called "mature" and "console-like" games on the PSP, the people who want to buy them are essentially shut out and told they can't have it. And when the only games worth a damn on the PSP are T to M rated affairs (Lumines excluded), that severely limits just who exactly will buy it, and the market for games. The DS, on the other hand, has a wide variety of games that are A) cheaper and B) of greater quality than much of the PSP's shovelware crap. Still didn't keep me from selling my DS, but the PSP is seriously lacking in the games department. Liberty City Stories, Lumines, and maybe (in my opinion at least) Twisted Metal Head On (having owned Wipeout Pure, Ridge Racer, Metal Gear Ac!d and THUG 2: Remix as well).
Dude! You're supposed to be putting up the front about how we are in a war over these two systems, and whenever we go into a thread it might as well just be locked. People are going to catch on that we're just debating stuff at some point otherwiseI was just trying to lure you in here Dan!Dammit Pete, why'd you have to post first
Just a few comments...
I think the problem that Sony especially runs into is that they aren't their main developer. In the case of the DS, Nintendo as the manufacturer needs people to come up with great games to show off the touch pad (WarioWare, Yoshi, Kirby), the WiFi (Mario Kart, Animal Crossing) and so on so what happens? Nintendo relys on Nintendo the software developer to provide those games.Those were some of the most insightful and honest observations about the current state of the PSP (and DS) ever posted on this board. It's perplexing to me that Sony hasn't exploited the early interest and inherent "sexiness" of the PSP by releasing more "must-have" games than GTA: Liberty City Stories and to a lesser-extent Socom.
Sony's biggest hits for the most part are not in-house deals. Metal Gear could be a huge hit, but ultimately it is up to Konami to make the game, not Sony. Same with GTA:LCS. And so on. Couple that with the fact that Sony made the hardware a little more difficult to program by putting in such a powerful processor that you can only use parts of or you burn the battery too quickly, and it's a risky proposition.
It will turn around, initial hardware sales were strong enough that developers realize it's a goldmine with the proper game, but it takes longer as the developer isn't necessarily looking to also move hardware the way Nintendo is.
I actually really feel that the strange launch of the PS2 is the new standard for a successful console launch, especially compared to the Dreamcast. That might sound odd, as the Dreamcast had like four killer apps immediately (Soul Calibur and NFL2K were the big ones, but Marvel Vs. Capcom and Sonic Adventure were also of course huge), but the fact is that while the Dreamcast captured the market's attention immediately, after that they had their lull, and then others got the attention.The Matrix/UMD analogy is spot-on I think. Despite my relucatance, I've even purchased a few UMDs at this point just for the novelty value and desire to make further use of my $250 investment. That said, as a working adult what games I have do keep me occupied, but a wider selection would be appreciated by all and definitely draw in even more consumers.
What Sony did with the PS2 was get the media's attention by flaunting the hardware specs to the point that the hype was big enough to buy it right away when it came out, when Fantavision was about the best launch title (I forget the others, but that was the one that really got my interest). People grabbed the PS2, and then Sony kept media attention by announcing or rolling out one must-have game every month or two. It allowed them to get hardware made at a more steady rate and keep media attention high. Since the PS2 could be used for other media, people were okay with waiting for the games to come.
The PSP is in the exact same boat. Like I said, the DS had their lull and everyone sold them off. If they had (beating ye old horse to death, as usual) the PDA functionality, I think a lot more people would've kept them at that time to use as a PDA figuring the "other stuff will come." Now, that stuff is coming and both new and used DSes are selling everywhere.
I agree with all of those statements, but I think that the PSP will start getting more attention sooner than that. Because of the fact Sony isn't the biggest developer, it allows other developers to take up the challenges no matter what is going on, and they surely will.I do think that when Sony is finished developing the PS3 they will give the PSP some of the attention it deserves; it certainly has the technology in it to last for some time as a premium handheld. And it's amazing to me that a $50 discount was not a part of the Xmas plan.
See, the problem is that if the store sells it to you, it's their fault. When you purchase the game online through a retailer, you are misrepresenting yourself which clears the seller of damages.
The solution? Take a parent or guardian to the store with you and have them get it for you. If you're mature enough for it (and I'm sure that you are), they should have no problem with it. If they do, then that's a whole different ball of wax that you have to deal with at some point anyway. If that's the only reason that the game is lacking sales though...
I really don't think so. I think it is the combination of parents being alerted to GTA = possible porn (and yes, I know the *full* story and don't want to hear it again, that's what the collective minds tend to think), then they aren't buying it any more for their kids like they were.... and the fact that most kids aged 14-17 don't have the money for a $250 portable (that isn't currently as hip as having an iPod), and their parents won't spring that much for a game system. The crowd with PSPs seems to be tech-saavy types who are older and parents who want a nice entertainment system for their kids that does everything -- including games, music and movies -- which nothing else does. The 14-17 year old market won't get tapped to their full potential until that price drop.
Dan Loosen
http://www.goatstore.com/ - http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/
** Trying to finish up an overly complete Dreamcast collection... want to help? (Updated 5/3/10!) http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61333
Well, here I go. I'll offer you another take on the situation.
My beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful, 8-dead-pixel PSP and it's great game library will be traded in next week for a shiny new Mario Kart Edition DS and starter library.
Why? One small observation is that I've noticed the prices of PSP games to be steadily creeping UP, while I've noticed that the prices of DS games are MUCH lower. This is something that I'm considering because I tend to buy lots of software. I was on the verge of considering a PSP movie library, but that's a cash layout that I don't really want to begin. I like the fact that the DS will be able to play all of the GBA RPGs as well. But these are small "reasons".
The main reason for dumping my PSP? It may sound silly to most of you. I have arthritic hands from years of severe pounding while riding trials bicycles, which have no suspension. Everytime I play my PSP my thumbs end up hurting because of the insanely stupid positioning of the thumb nub. This is magnified by the fact that winter is now here and cold temperatures don't help matters any. It gets so bad that I have to try and hold the PSP "way up" against my fingertips so that my thumb is positioned straight upwards on the nub, which gets precarious for the PSP, since it isn't properly supported. It's a strange balancing act. I just can't physically play it if the game requires the nub. I've got the new GTA sitting on my shelf unplayed. I was SO looking forward to Monster Hunter.
I never once looked at the DS when considering the purchase of a new handheld. It was the PSP for me because of the versatility of it, coupled with the promise of familiar Sony franchises. On second look, the DS appears to be awesome and I'm sure that I'll love it just as much as I've loved my PSP. The main thing is that when I recently tested a DS, it was wonderful. No pain. I can actually physically PLAY this system. The D-pad and other buttons are mercifully positioned way up high.
It's a shitty lousy reason to have to dump a system, especially when you love the thing and you've sunk an assload of money into a game library, but at least there's consolation in the fact that the DS is very good as well. I'm interested in using that dual screen stuff. And yeah, I've noticed that more people prefer their DS to their PSP, by an alarming margin.
I don't get how anyone can say the PSP isn't selling well while the DS is doing great. Sony announced a little while back that it shipped 10 million units worldwide. I understand that all of them purty lilttle PSP's haven't been sold but i'll go out on a limb and say the sales must be reasonably close to that number.
Around the same time Reggie stated that DS has sold 8 million units WW. DS is doing great in Japan, they just sold over 2 million consoles there this year. But it's not doing as great elsewhere. I love the GBA line but they have to drop it and advertise that the DS is BC to GBA.
However flawed the PSP is at least Sony has their eyes on the prize while Nintendo is pulling a Sega with 3 different handhelds on the market. Focus on DS only Nintendo!
Oh yeah, it's interesting that the DS is selling so well in japan. THe combination of a low price point, innovative, and traditional titles is really helping Nintendo. I don't see Revolution doing well over here but I wouldn't be shocked if they pulled an upset and ruled in Japan.
I don't want you to hate me, I want you to want to hate me - GamersUniteMagazine.com
C'mon Dan, how many 16 year olds bring their moms and dads to the store to buy a game? That's not something they do. Do 16 year olds (or teenagers in general) want their parents involved in anything they do?
I understand that there is liability issues, and I'm not trying to say that they SHOULD sell it to minors; I was just saying that the demographic of the PSP has difficulty buying said mature games.
Posting Permissions
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Similar agreements apply to other advertising or affiliate programs such as those from eBay, Google, etc.
Copyright © 1991 - Present of Digital Press. All rights reserved.
Reply With Quote
