Sony PSP showing up over $300.00 at Game Crazy

[RCM]

150 is OK for a handheld but pushing it. 300 makes me laugh down inside. I hope Sony shoots themselves in the foot walking blindly into the handheld market so Nintendo can once again destroy everything in it's path. Lynx, Game Gear, Game Com, Neo Geo Pocket.....will the PSP finally break the curse? I'm guessing not at that price point.

The GB killed all of those other handhelds. But I do remember claims that Game Gear did outsell Gameboy in America for a time. Anybody else remember?

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[zmweasel]

150 is OK for a handheld but pushing it. 300 makes me laugh down inside. I hope Sony shoots themselves in the foot walking blindly into the handheld market so Nintendo can once again destroy everything in it's path. Lynx, Game Gear, Game Com, Neo Geo Pocket.....will the PSP finally break the curse? I'm guessing not at that price point.

Whatever the PSP's initial MSRP turns out to be, Sony is certainly not "walking blindly" into the handheld market. If anything, Sony has been exceedingly patient, making sure it had thoroughly pummeled Nintendo in the home-console market before challenging it in the handheld market.

And I don't understand the reasoning behind your implication that Nintendo's handheld-market dominance is somehow better than Sony's home-console dominance. What makes Nintendo "good" and Sony "evil"? Is it because Nintendo is "hardcore" (a ridiculous statement, since the NES was the most mainstream videogame console of the 1980s, and the Game Boy is the most mainsteam handheld ever)?

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

The thing that worries me is that the PSP price point fits with the market they are aiming at - the older gadget geek (also known as I-Pod owner). The reason this worries me is that all these folk who buy all the latest and 'coolest' gadgets won't buy the DS cos it'll be seen as a bit of a toy. Nintendo needs to keep as much koudos as it can since it suffers from a distinct lack of it already in the eyes of the general public. Also, Sony's marketing is mega powerful. Virtually everybody I know thinks Sony always produces the best gear, you know the statement "Oh me? I always buy Sony, it's the best..." . This portable market is seen as being pretty new to the masses and it is becoming a consumer market thanks to the touting of digital convergence and Sony is the king of the consumer market.

What "worries" you about the possibility of the PSP being a commercial success? Do you think it's better that Nintendo has a virtual monopoly on the handheld market, and if so, why?

And you're right in that Nintendo is (and will always be) fighting its image as the consoles-for-kids company. That's why I was so impressed with the redesigned DS. The old look was Game & Watch-y; the new look is modern and grown-up. Nintendo seems to realize that it's competing with Sony for the adult demographic.

-- Z.

[RCM]

ZMweasel wrote:

Nintendo seems to realize that it's competing with Sony for the adult demographic.

The "adult" design is a start but you wouldn't know they were competing for adult bucks by the 1st party software they've shown.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[Pedro Lambrini]

Don't get me wrong! I don't like any sort of monopolistation of a market. Tee difference between Nintendo owning the portable market and Sony owning most of the music and movie industry and then owning half the market that produces the previously mentiond martkets is pretty scarey! As an example:

Sony buys Philips for it's DVD technology and then says that it must be a great format cos the 3 major movie companies in holly wood say so. Lo and behold Sony own the 3 major movie companies. Sony also owns the biggest plant that produces the DVD discs as well! This form of business synergism is not good for growth and development and I fear this happening in the console market too.

Just in case you might feel I'm just a Sony basher I also think that if Nintendo had competition in the portable market maybe the GBA would've had a back light first time round and maybe the first party games wouldn't be so reliant on ports and old IP.

[zmweasel]

if Sony brings the PSP to market at $250 it's still too much. Sony gained momentum (with Playstation) out of the gate with a reasonably priced piece of hardware, awesome original software, and a major exclusive (MK3). They really don't have any of this with the PSP. If they fuck this up and start tarnishing the Playstation name with the general public it could be a big problem for the PS3. I firmly believe that you could have slapped the Playstation 2 logo on any piece of shit hardware and millions still would have bought it on name alone. I don't wish death to the Playstation brand, but I would like to see a more balanced console war next round! If it means the failure of the PSP to do so I say bring it on. It would be ironic if this happened. I admit that if it did, I wouldn't be too upset, unless I bought a PSP at launch.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

My memories may have faded with time, but I recall MK3 receiving very little attention at the time of the PS1's successful launch, especially since the coin-op was such a disappointment. In the fighting genre, Tekken and Battle Arena Toshinden certainly received much more attention in the press. Twisted Metal was another PS1 killer app. But MK3? Nah.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

ZMweasel wrote:

Nintendo seems to realize that it's competing with Sony for the adult demographic.

The "adult" design is a start but you wouldn't know they were competing for adult bucks by the 1st party software they've shown.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

Good point. Nintendo and Sony are both porting their biggest IPs to their new portables, but Nintendo's franchises are mostly for the kiddies. (No wonder NoA is so enamored of Metroid.) I can't see many mainstreamers picking up Super Mario 64x4 instead of Gran Turismo PSP.

-- Z.

[RCM]

ZMweasel Wrote:

My memories may have faded with time, but I recall MK3 receiving very little attention at the time of the PS1's successful launch, especially since the coin-op was such a disappointment. In the fighting genre, Tekken and Battle Arena Toshinden certainly received much more attention in the press. Twisted Metal was another PS1 killer app. But MK3? Nah.

You're right, your memory must have faded. MK3 was exclusive to PS for 6 months. No other 32bit system (Saturn) could get a port. It was very important to Sony at the time to get this. MK3 also was specifically mentioned in PS print ads at the US launch! I never said MK3 was a killer Application. I just said it was a major exclusive. At the time it was. MK3 made a lot of money. Maybe not as much as its predecessors, but it did. THe evidence? Many sequels!

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[zmweasel]

ZMweasel Wrote:

My memories may have faded with time, but I recall MK3 receiving very little attention at the time of the PS1's successful launch, especially since the coin-op was such a disappointment. In the fighting genre, Tekken and Battle Arena Toshinden certainly received much more attention in the press. Twisted Metal was another PS1 killer app. But MK3? Nah.

You're right, your memory must have faded. MK3 was exclusive to PS for 6 months. No other 32bit system (Saturn) could get a port. It was very important to Sony at the time to get this. MK3 also was specifically mentioned in PS print ads at the US launch! I never said MK3 was a killer Application. I just said it was a major exclusive. At the time it was. MK3 made a lot of money. Maybe not as much as its predecessors, but it did. THe evidence? Many sequels!

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

The MK franchise was destined to be milked whether MK3 was a major hit or only modestly successful. And while Sony considered MK3 important enough to hype as an early exclusive, Twisted Metal and Tekken and Toshinden and NFL GameDay proved to be more important in the PS1's first Christmas at retail. Those were the games that had consumers and journos buzzing, not MK3. An exclusive, yes--a major one, no.

Incidentally, Midway itself privately acknowledges that MK3 was the beginning of the franchise's long period of mediocrity. Ed Boon says he had very little to do with MK3 or MK4, and that he was thrilled to restore the franchise to respectability with Deadly Alliance. Which has nothing to do with the thrust of your argument, but I find it interesting to note. :)

-- Z.

[RCM]

The MK franchise was destined to be milked whether MK3 was a major hit or only modestly successful. And while Sony considered MK3 important enough to hype as an early exclusive, Twisted Metal and Tekken and Toshinden and NFL GameDay proved to be more important in the PS1's first Christmas at retail. Those were the games that had consumers and journos buzzing, not MK3. An exclusive, yes--a major one, no.

I'm not disputing the fact that other titles were more important to PS at retail. But there was a lot made of the fact that Sony got MK3 on PS before Sega got it on Saturn. The Saturn later got Ultimate MK3. Some people (people can be defined as, consumers, salespeople, journalists) thought it was major to get MK3 exclusively. Regardless of the sales numbers the title put up, it was seen as a major exclusive. Looking back it didn't make much of a difference in the Playstations long life cycle. I totally disagree, it was major.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[petewhitley]

But wait!! I can watch movies on it!! I just need to rebuy them on a newer format.

But wait!! I can play Nintendo 64 games on the DS!! I just need to rebuy them on a newer format.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

But wait!! I can watch movies on it!! I just need to rebuy them on a newer format.

But wait!! I can play Nintendo 64 games on the DS!! I just need to rebuy them on a newer format.

Atleast your buying the remakes 100 dollers cheaper. Come on do you really think their just going to port over n64 games. If anything i'm going to bet that the psp well have more shovelware then the ds sony even said it themselfs. Atleast the ds's gimmick comes with the system.

[kai123]

I will buy a psp when the price comes into my range, which is about $170. I love all systems!!! Why whore yourself to one system when you can whore yourself to them all? Come on be a videogame slut like me.

[zmweasel]

The MK franchise was destined to be milked whether MK3 was a major hit or only modestly successful. And while Sony considered MK3 important enough to hype as an early exclusive, Twisted Metal and Tekken and Toshinden and NFL GameDay proved to be more important in the PS1's first Christmas at retail. Those were the games that had consumers and journos buzzing, not MK3. An exclusive, yes--a major one, no.

I'm not disputing the fact that other titles were more important to PS at retail. But there was a lot made of the fact that Sony got MK3 on PS before Sega got it on Saturn. The Saturn later got Ultimate MK3. Some people (people can be defined as, consumers, salespeople, journalists) thought it was major to get MK3 exclusively. Regardless of the sales numbers the title put up, it was seen as a major exclusive. Looking back it didn't make much of a difference in the Playstations long life cycle. I totally disagree, it was major.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

For me, a "major exclusive" is one that receives critical and commercial success. MK3 certainly had some of the latter, but none of the former. It bombed with MK fans, and put the franchise into a tailspin that only Deadly Alliance pulled it out of.

As for Ultimate MK3, it certainly didn't revive the Saturn's fortunes, and acts as another example of the irrevelance of the franchise at that point in time.

I certainly don't recall any of my journo friends at the time being excited about MK3; we were stoked about Tekken and Twisted Metal and Warhawk.

I'm always fascinated by the varied perceptions of why a game system failed or succeeded. In my eyes, MK3 had virtually nothing to do with the PS1's success, but you consider it a "major exclusive." Another person in the forums blames piracy as a primary cause for the failure of the Dreamcast, while I believe that piracy was a non-factor--that SEGA's marketing sucked, it couldn't rebuild its burned bridges with fanbois and retailers, and everyone (publishers, consumers, journos) was killing time 'til the PS2.

Ah, well. We agree to disagree, anyway.

-- Z.

[petewhitley]

Come on do you really think their just going to port over n64 games.

After the precendent Nintendo has set with their GBA line-up, yes. Yes I do.

[Black Dragon]

the sony PSP has a known estimated price as $300 being the lowest and $500 being the highest, DS estimated price is where $100 being the lowest and $180 being the highest, also PSP game are going to be around $50 and DS games being around $20!

The Sony PSP forums had a poll on what system is better and it said DS WON!!!!!!!

The PSP maybe the "virtual boy" of sony!!

[RCM]

For me, a "major exclusive" is one that receives critical and commercial success.

I disagree. The definition might be acceptable in a perfect world. You and I don't live there. Also, while game journalism generally sucks today it was far worse in 1995. I remember one magazine declared that ToShinDen was far superior to Virtua Fighter. I found that laughable then and certainly laughable today. So to say that critics scored MK3 poorly means nothing. Although I admit it's not a masterpiece.

I'm always fascinated by the varied perceptions of why a game system failed or succeeded. In my eyes, MK3 had virtually nothing to do with the PS1's success, but you consider it a "major exclusive." Another person in the forums blames piracy as a primary cause for the failure of the Dreamcast, while I believe that piracy was a non-factor--that SEGA's marketing sucked, it couldn't rebuild its burned bridges with fanbois and retailers, and everyone (publishers, consumers, journos) was killing time 'til the PS2.

Ah, well. We agree to disagree, anyway

I am glad you're fascinated by such things. Go back and look at magazines and ask people, ask your journo buddies, Mortal Kombat was still a major deal in 1995. MK was past its prime, but it still was a major deal. Major enough to advertise on television when the arcade version was coming out. Major enough for SOny to secure the exclusive 32bit rights to. That sounds major Major Meston! Jog that memory some more fella.

I agree to that we clearly disagree.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[Gamemaster_ca_2003]

Nintendo will still be in control of the handheld market eventhough the psp will get some of the market share away from nintendo but in the end sony will just be the 10th company that tried and failed ( the others being Sega, NEC, Atari, Tiger Electronics, Bandai, SNK, Tapewave, nokita, and one other I don't remember.)

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Come on do you really think their just going to port over n64 games.

After the precendent Nintendo has set with their GBA line-up, yes. Yes I do.

Besides the obvious remakes of mario 64,banjo kazooie,mario kart and the zelda's what else would they use? True their are tons of remakes and shovelware on the gba but the snes also had a bigger library of classic titles. As much as i liked the n64 it didn't really have to many solid titles on it.

[davidbrit2]

Besides the obvious remakes of mario 64,banjo kazooie,mario kart and the zelda's what else would they use? True their are tons of remakes and shovelware on the gba but the snes also had a bigger library of classic titles. As much as i liked the n64 it didn't really have to many solid titles on it.

Goldeneye, Perfect Dark (spare me the licensing gripes), any one of several "Cruisin'" games, Smash Bros (well, that would be pretty sweet, actually), etc. etc. Let's just hope they don't dig up Superman. ;-)