Because my son's has been sitting in the bottom of his drawer since he got a NDS. That's the biggy for me.
Can someone tell me exactly why the PsP is considered a failure?
- Thread starter Ghostz
- Start date
I can understand the pain of a father forced to witness his son becoming a casual gamer. Now the purchase of an Xbox 360 makes perfect sense in this context.
I think the PSP did very well all factors considered. It's a great media player and has been for quite awhile. As far as games go I find that buying used games is the way to go. I've got the Capcom classics and I also bought some classic 2D games made for the original Playstatiion like RTypes from the PS Store. When I owned the original DS I didn't buy many games either but the big difference was I didn't use the DS for playing music or videos so for me the PSP was more useful and the better portable.
I'm hoping that the PSP2 will have the same qualities as the PSP with the additiion of a touchscreen, built-in camera(s), accelerometer and maybe a second analog thumb stick. They also really need to open up a PS Apps category in the PS Store strictly for Apps. I would love to get some simple low cost apps for the PSP without the need to hack a PSP.
I'm hoping that the PSP2 will have the same qualities as the PSP with the additiion of a touchscreen, built-in camera(s), accelerometer and maybe a second analog thumb stick. They also really need to open up a PS Apps category in the PS Store strictly for Apps. I would love to get some simple low cost apps for the PSP without the need to hack a PSP.
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Two points!
No, the DS was much easier/friendlier to use/share is I think what won it. The PSP just never found its audience, mainly because Sony bent over backwards when it came out to alienate 'em.
I should dig up his old PSP and play with it, it's all modded up...
Two points!
No, the DS was much easier/friendlier to use/share is I think what won it. The PSP just never found its audience, mainly because Sony bent over backwards when it came out to alienate 'em.
I should dig up his old PSP and play with it, it's all modded up...
Two points!
I am going to leech that gif!
I suspect its not out of deliberate neglect. I suspect that Sony is really infact very clueless when it comes to delivering the features/games that people want and its simply blind luck + pandering to third parties who do understand what people want which effectively netted them their once illustrious gaming empire. Between then and now a general sense of cluelessness has remained though they have improved their hit/miss ratio significantly since then.
To be honest, no one understands what people want in the gaming industry. It's why publishers stick to desperately to proven franchises. Nintendo took fairly big gambles -- but who outside of dyed-in-the-wool Nintendo fanboys would have thought Nintendogs or Brain Training would be as big as they became?
With the PSP, part of the problem is that no one knew if it should be a pared back experience, like the DS, or a mini-PS2. And people still don't know, especially on forums: half the time they want more of the PS2-like experiences you see out of Japan, half the time they say Sony should get their own Brain Training. iDevices offering an even more pared back experience just muddles the issue more. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the ultra shovelware moves from DS (or 3DS) to iTunes completely.
With the PSP, part of the problem is that no one knew if it should be a pared back experience, like the DS, or a mini-PS2. And people still don't know, especially on forums: half the time they want more of the PS2-like experiences you see out of Japan, half the time they say Sony should get their own Brain Training. iDevices offering an even more pared back experience just muddles the issue more. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the ultra shovelware moves from DS (or 3DS) to iTunes completely.
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corduroygt
Banned
Well, the PSP beat DS in Japan in April, so it's not doing too bad.
Iron Tiger
Regular
The PSP isn't really even for hardcore gamers. It's got one analog nub, no pressure-sensitive buttons, and only one pair of shoulder buttons. All those console titles they try to carry over to the PSP end up broken because they can't control worth a damn. Why do you think Polyphony made such a half-hearted attempt to bring GT over to a system that can't even support analog throttle and braking?
If my PSP could play all the formats that are playable on my PS3, I would agree that it's a great media player.
Wayyyyy back in 2005 the psp looked like a wonder device , the ds wasn't yet it sexy ds lite / dsi self and many thought psp would enter the market like the ps1 did.
However dispite having a slow launch with poor games the ds picked up the steam. I think there were many reasons for that.
1) Portability . The ds while originaly bulky did nt have bulky media like the psp. The ds also had strong battery life and fast load times , which the psp did not have.
2) Game experiance. The ds has a ton of pick up and go game. The psp suffers / suffered a lack of these and coupled with the long load times of umd made for a lack of users buying the psp or continuing to use it for gaming.
I think alot of people have simply replaced their psp. I have many friends who bought psp 2000 for the better battery life. But many of them have thiers hacked. Mine is hacked and I took it out for the first time since last april cause I'm driving to florida and figure someone can waste time on it during the two day car trip there and back.
However dispite having a slow launch with poor games the ds picked up the steam. I think there were many reasons for that.
1) Portability . The ds while originaly bulky did nt have bulky media like the psp. The ds also had strong battery life and fast load times , which the psp did not have.
2) Game experiance. The ds has a ton of pick up and go game. The psp suffers / suffered a lack of these and coupled with the long load times of umd made for a lack of users buying the psp or continuing to use it for gaming.
I think alot of people have simply replaced their psp. I have many friends who bought psp 2000 for the better battery life. But many of them have thiers hacked. Mine is hacked and I took it out for the first time since last april cause I'm driving to florida and figure someone can waste time on it during the two day car trip there and back.
Compared to other portable game machines in the same price range, the PSP can't be beat.
I'm not sure it's a failure from business point of view. Probably a failure in people's mindset, because they had high expectations from it. They expected it to crush the DS, faster load time, better battery, graphic just like the PS2 and walk on water. Which I think is unrealistic considering the price point.
So sales and profit, I don't think PSP is a failure. It just didn't live up to people expectations.
So sales and profit, I don't think PSP is a failure. It just didn't live up to people expectations.
I can't believe they have only caught a grand total of ONE PSP pirate recently:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/05/25/psp_pirate_arrested/
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/05/25/psp_pirate_arrested/
Iron Tiger
Regular
So it plays more media than the DS? Who cares? The PS3 and X360 play more media than the Wii. Clearly there are more people interested in playing games on a gaming device than media. If I didn't have to convert all my media to a PSP-compatible format, I might thing it's worth something as a media device. But I can find a million MP3 players I'd be more comfortable carrying around, and most of them these days also play more video formats than the PSP.
This is one of the areas where Sony left PSP to rot. The original sync software was barely functioning (and in Japanese), but the homebrew community picked up the slack.
PSP is great for video playback because of its form factor: I can read subtitles in foreign films.
Sony didn't improve on PSP playback capability. They attempted to enhance the PSP sync software. Unfortunately it looked like they outsourced the earlier versions to an average team (May be the latest version was outsourced too). In general, it was not inspiring to use.
They added radio, SenseMe, but these are all one-off efforts that cannot compare to what we have on the PC and web.
These days, I use my PSP very often as a PS3 remote, and to play the occasional game that I'm interested in. But my family members fight over the iPad. My friend's kids are all over DS.
PSP is great for video playback because of its form factor: I can read subtitles in foreign films.
Sony didn't improve on PSP playback capability. They attempted to enhance the PSP sync software. Unfortunately it looked like they outsourced the earlier versions to an average team (May be the latest version was outsourced too). In general, it was not inspiring to use.
They added radio, SenseMe, but these are all one-off efforts that cannot compare to what we have on the PC and web.
These days, I use my PSP very often as a PS3 remote, and to play the occasional game that I'm interested in. But my family members fight over the iPad. My friend's kids are all over DS.
Sony admits the PSP is failing
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/28643/Sonys_Dyer_The_PSP_Has_Problems_Were_Fixing_Them.php
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/28643/Sonys_Dyer_The_PSP_Has_Problems_Were_Fixing_Them.php
The way Sony is handling PSP situation is just mind blowing bad.
1st there is a region segregation, which kill EU game sales the moment US version is available on torrent sites for all "avid hc people" who have CFW on their handheld.
2nd, a vast utter lack of "UMD only games" to be available also on PSN. Sure most older UMD games are sold out and unavailable, but this is just pure "ignorance" from Sony, where they could capitalize the most.
3nd. PSN Store is another big fail for PSP. Due to this region segregation, it's just astounding and unbelievable how big are those (PSN Store) gaps due to region (and country in EU) differences. And UMD >>>>> PSN game situation regardless of sold out/NA of them.
Japan have probably (IMHO as I have never seen it) the most stuff on their PSN. (Not even surprising that Sony is catering their own people the best way) . Even quite good US PSN is way behind in games for PSP.
EU PSN? THERE IS NO EU PSN STORE!!! (Sorry for caps.) PSN in EU is divided for each country separately! So there are dozen PSN stores for (not so!) every country which are part of EU. And "the best part" about country specific EU PSN Stores is that they are the worst in terms of games available.
For example, UK PSN is just bad even compared to US version. By my own estimate UK PSN have only around 30% of games of US PSN.
Not to mention that I cannot even use (and buy from) PSN If I would chose my own country for my account even as legal EU citizen! Sony officially do not want my money unless I lie about my nationality (and/or continent).
4nd, Sony (IMHO) have no guidelines how and when UMD game can get into PSN as "digital only" for all to download it.
5th. Pricing on "digital", PSN titles. Even for premium, AAA titles. No way in hell I would pay more than €25+ for digital only game even with convenience of faster loading and true portability (no need to carry UMD discs around).
1st there is a region segregation, which kill EU game sales the moment US version is available on torrent sites for all "avid hc people" who have CFW on their handheld.
2nd, a vast utter lack of "UMD only games" to be available also on PSN. Sure most older UMD games are sold out and unavailable, but this is just pure "ignorance" from Sony, where they could capitalize the most.
3nd. PSN Store is another big fail for PSP. Due to this region segregation, it's just astounding and unbelievable how big are those (PSN Store) gaps due to region (and country in EU) differences. And UMD >>>>> PSN game situation regardless of sold out/NA of them.
Japan have probably (IMHO as I have never seen it) the most stuff on their PSN. (Not even surprising that Sony is catering their own people the best way) . Even quite good US PSN is way behind in games for PSP.
EU PSN? THERE IS NO EU PSN STORE!!! (Sorry for caps.) PSN in EU is divided for each country separately! So there are dozen PSN stores for (not so!) every country which are part of EU. And "the best part" about country specific EU PSN Stores is that they are the worst in terms of games available.
For example, UK PSN is just bad even compared to US version. By my own estimate UK PSN have only around 30% of games of US PSN.
Not to mention that I cannot even use (and buy from) PSN If I would chose my own country for my account even as legal EU citizen! Sony officially do not want my money unless I lie about my nationality (and/or continent).
4nd, Sony (IMHO) have no guidelines how and when UMD game can get into PSN as "digital only" for all to download it.
5th. Pricing on "digital", PSN titles. Even for premium, AAA titles. No way in hell I would pay more than €25+ for digital only game even with convenience of faster loading and true portability (no need to carry UMD discs around).
LMAO...you need to lay down the crack pipe. When the PSP first came out there was NOTHING on the planet that had the same size widscreen LCD that was priced competitive.
You say you could watch videos on an MP3 player...lol. Which MP3 player was available at the time the PSP hit the market that was comparable? When I say comparable I'm talking about price, LCD quality and size.
Answer...NONE, NADA, ZILCH.
And I haven't even touched the WiFi capability, music playback etc.
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