Alright, so when is PSP gonna get it together?!
- Thread starter pixelbox
- Start date
I don't think it's going to see the same drive as the DS through unique innovative software. It's important to point out that the DS is more of a phenomenal success driven by pushing the boundaries of the gaming market than the PSP being an abject failure. It was the success of the Game Boy heritage which ensured the high concept touchpad interface would be well received, and it's the delivery [by Nintendo] on making games which utilise this that has elevated the rest of the platform's sales.
No, the PSP will ensure its success through big name franchises which have held the PlayStation brand above all others. By re-releasing Valkyrie Profile on the PSP ahead of the sequel for the PS2 is a shrewd marketing move which may pay off - we'll find out next week when the numbers are out, though pitching it against the launch of the DS Lite wasn't the best move. But it will probably be when Gran Turismo: Mobile, Tekken, DMC, or Final Fantasy come out that overall software sales should start to pick up. The only game so far which has proven a defining success on the PSP in Japan is Monster Hunter but that is a relatively new franchise that has translated more to the benefit of its sequel on the PS2 than anything.
Basically, I don't think the PSP is going to magically improve until we see some monster [non port] franchises being released. It doesn't have a unique hook to drive sales, nor does it have an established reputation in the handheld market. To do what it has done so far is more a statement of the PlayStation brand, because it has put itself as a viable handheld alternative in a historically Nintendo dominated market.
But this is just Japan. Elsewhere, it has been much more of a success. Many believe this to be because the handheld addresses more Western conventions, and has a much larger developer support there. As such it's been coyly dubbed Sony's Xbox by some.
That said, I think it needs to dramatically improve its software output by Christmas this year for Japan, otherwise developers will simply ignore the platform. A third Christmas without a killer app would be very bad for Sony.
No, the PSP will ensure its success through big name franchises which have held the PlayStation brand above all others. By re-releasing Valkyrie Profile on the PSP ahead of the sequel for the PS2 is a shrewd marketing move which may pay off - we'll find out next week when the numbers are out, though pitching it against the launch of the DS Lite wasn't the best move. But it will probably be when Gran Turismo: Mobile, Tekken, DMC, or Final Fantasy come out that overall software sales should start to pick up. The only game so far which has proven a defining success on the PSP in Japan is Monster Hunter but that is a relatively new franchise that has translated more to the benefit of its sequel on the PS2 than anything.
Basically, I don't think the PSP is going to magically improve until we see some monster [non port] franchises being released. It doesn't have a unique hook to drive sales, nor does it have an established reputation in the handheld market. To do what it has done so far is more a statement of the PlayStation brand, because it has put itself as a viable handheld alternative in a historically Nintendo dominated market.
But this is just Japan. Elsewhere, it has been much more of a success. Many believe this to be because the handheld addresses more Western conventions, and has a much larger developer support there. As such it's been coyly dubbed Sony's Xbox by some.
That said, I think it needs to dramatically improve its software output by Christmas this year for Japan, otherwise developers will simply ignore the platform. A third Christmas without a killer app would be very bad for Sony.
The biggest problem with the PSP is the comfort factor. Somebody walks into a store and sees this shiny black handheld with amazing graphics, but it isn't made by nintendo. That very fact makes them nit pick every little thing such as the battery life, nipple shaped anologue nub, load times etc. What Sony has to do is come up with some add-ons such as a hard drive and be an even more capable multimedia device. All at a nice price too....
I mean people still buy the thing in japan but almost none of it's software sells. Ds is a nice system but the way it's selling you'd think it's going for free. I really don't see the fussMmmkay said:
. The only games i see selling are previous ps2 games. Once starts seeing familiarity that works well (i.e. full blown games and not half assed "portables") then we'll see people starting to flock to the system. It's NOT about uniqueness. It's about great games that work with a systems attributes. People are less willing to experiment with an unknown system with unknown games. Anyway, what i'm saying is familiarity then unfamiliarity.psp needs one thing only - official opening of the platform. preferrably with total cut-off of access to the umd from unsigned apps. sony and a handful of dev-houses just cannot be as productive as the whole enthusiast society on the planet. moreover that so far sony have been losing serios money from their inability to get the security ends of their paltform tied. they need to develop a totally new approach to DRM - proper media security on an open plafrom, as apparently the old 'security through obscurity' motto does not work.
overclocked
Veteran
In my mind as they did a good jobb in making PSP a portable, i see it as a portable console witch i think many others do also. Much of the games ala the PS2 generation will continue with PSP and thats a strengt imo, and now we are only talking about the games and not the other features that exists now and with much more to come. PSP is handheld pron imo. More software will come and the library will grove..
Teasy said:
EXACTLY!!!!
pixelbox said:
you're talking nonsense. the PS2 is a piece of crap with only great games holding it together. The PSP is the exact opposite -- a relatively costly machine that has nothing to support it but fanware. The DS is somewhere in the middle, with some great games, at a medium price, but even more importantly (to me), bringing a whole new gameplay dynamic into the genre -- one which other companies are SURE to imitate.
Don't be rediculous. It's not a piece of crap.poopypoo said:
hmm, maybe i was being harsh -- it does what it's supposed to do -- plays dvds (sometimes) and plays games (it just has like 64 KB of texture memory again) ;pGuden Oden said:
...honestly, i have nothing against the ps2. i like so many of the games for it that i can't bear it a grudge! Does that make it a stunning piece of hardware? No, i think rather think the gamecube eats it for lunch, to say nothing of the xbox. Why would i need a (less-than-stellar) dvd player anyway? that's what $40 DVD-ROM drives are for. Without getting mired in this (in fact, i won't, sorry even to dig up this thread, i just missed it for a few days), my real point was only to say that there's nothing wrong with DS -- it's an innovative twist done well. it's a tad pricy, but pixelbox's statement "There's plenty of reasons why ps2 sells well. Ds only has games and ok ones at that." still makes absolutely nosense to me. If anything, ps2 trounces ds in terms of game library. They're not even in the same market -- the whole analogy is ludicrous.
Pixelbox
My point is you don't have to understand why something sells well. Trying to do so based on your own tastes or likes is pointless because everyone else in the world has there own opinions. Saying that there is every reason for PS2 to sell and no reason for DS to sell means nothing more then "I like the PS2 and I don't like the DS", its just your opinion and has no basis in fact.
My point is you don't have to understand why something sells well. Trying to do so based on your own tastes or likes is pointless because everyone else in the world has there own opinions. Saying that there is every reason for PS2 to sell and no reason for DS to sell means nothing more then "I like the PS2 and I don't like the DS", its just your opinion and has no basis in fact.
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Shogmaster
Regular
The moment it sprouts a second analog nub on the right side, there will a +1 sale from moi.
Back on topic...the games library isn't compelling. Portable games compete for the same dollars as console games, so they need to differentiate. When Game Boy was the only game in town, merely being portable was enough differentiations. That's not the case when you have competition.
The only hook of PSP games right now is "like PS2, but smaller and with worse controls." Need for Speed on PSP will be directly compared to the PS2 and DS versions--though it's vastly superior to the latter, it pales compared to the former. Even a game like Daxter is going to be compared to numerous PS2 titles when evaluating a potential game purchase.
At this juncture in time, DS games offer unique experiences. This makes them desirable in their own right without being directly comparable to any other game on the market (though they compete for the same dollars/yen). You can't get anything like the Brain Training, Nintendogs, Warioware or Advance Wars experiences on the home consoles. In the case of AW, the touch interface adds to the experience so much that playing the GBA games feels crippled. Also, don't discount single-cart multiplayer. If you're into multiplayer gaming, that's another compelling reason to choose Mariokart or Advance Wars over Ridge Racers.
The only hook of PSP games right now is "like PS2, but smaller and with worse controls." Need for Speed on PSP will be directly compared to the PS2 and DS versions--though it's vastly superior to the latter, it pales compared to the former. Even a game like Daxter is going to be compared to numerous PS2 titles when evaluating a potential game purchase.
At this juncture in time, DS games offer unique experiences. This makes them desirable in their own right without being directly comparable to any other game on the market (though they compete for the same dollars/yen). You can't get anything like the Brain Training, Nintendogs, Warioware or Advance Wars experiences on the home consoles. In the case of AW, the touch interface adds to the experience so much that playing the GBA games feels crippled. Also, don't discount single-cart multiplayer. If you're into multiplayer gaming, that's another compelling reason to choose Mariokart or Advance Wars over Ridge Racers.
fearsomepirate said:
See, now that's just preference. Games are all about have fun they are, "unique experiences"
. And on the topic i believe Daxter is the first current gen handheld game to receive a 9 at ign. All this talk about unique experiences is really annoying and needs to be rooted out because PSP will alway be PSP: a portable playstation.