MrsSkywalker
Newcomer
I don't know how many of you all have kids. As you may know, the husband and I have 4 Jr. Jedis, and they are all gamers (we are so proud 
). Between them, they have 2 GBs, 2 GBCs, a GBA, and a Sega handheld (hey, it was wicked cheap on ebay and a good stocking stuffer), and about 40 different games for the various handhelds. I have removed cartridges from: the air conditioner, under the entertainment center, out of their gram's kitty litter box, unwedged one from the elevator in the Barbie Dream House, dug one out of the dirt after the snow melted, picked pretzel bits out of three of them (littlest Jedi...loves to cram pretzels and chocolate in electronics...)....they've been carted around in the bottom of backpacks with books and boots on top, used as weapons, used as dominoes...and every single one still works. I don't think that there is any question about the durability of cartridges. I have serious doubts, however, that after any one of the aforementioned abuses a disc would even consider working again.
If Sony is targetting kids with this system, then they are way off the mark. Sure, there will be a crap load of them under thousands of Christmas trees next year, but I wouldn't like to be a Sony exec. come January when angry soccor moms start calling about the discs being scratched up "already"! Doesn't matter how much a handheld is capable of...without working games, it's just a neat paper weight. I am not going to waste $35 on a game that's just going to be scratched beyond use in a few weeks.
Not to mention the kid whipping it around, throwing it in anger, stepping on it, carelessly kicking it under the bed, dropping it down the stairs, spilling drinks on it...you know, all the stuff kids do with no regard to how much parents have to shell out for it Sony is not really known for the durability of it's gaming systems.
That said, I think that the system can be a success if they don't target kids. But the perception in the mainstream is that handhelds have always been toys, and that toys are for kids. Remember, most people who buy handhelds aren't "gamers". This will be a very difficult obstacle to overcome.
As far as being a major competetor with Nintendo, I believe that for a little while PSP sales will top GBwhatever-the-next-one-will-be sales...but I think that once parents realise discs are a bad idea for the younger market, we'll see a sharp decline in sales. I see it as profitable, but no real competition for Nintendo.
). Between them, they have 2 GBs, 2 GBCs, a GBA, and a Sega handheld (hey, it was wicked cheap on ebay and a good stocking stuffer), and about 40 different games for the various handhelds. I have removed cartridges from: the air conditioner, under the entertainment center, out of their gram's kitty litter box, unwedged one from the elevator in the Barbie Dream House, dug one out of the dirt after the snow melted, picked pretzel bits out of three of them (littlest Jedi...loves to cram pretzels and chocolate in electronics...)....they've been carted around in the bottom of backpacks with books and boots on top, used as weapons, used as dominoes...and every single one still works. I don't think that there is any question about the durability of cartridges. I have serious doubts, however, that after any one of the aforementioned abuses a disc would even consider working again. If Sony is targetting kids with this system, then they are way off the mark. Sure, there will be a crap load of them under thousands of Christmas trees next year, but I wouldn't like to be a Sony exec. come January when angry soccor moms start calling about the discs being scratched up "already"! Doesn't matter how much a handheld is capable of...without working games, it's just a neat paper weight. I am not going to waste $35 on a game that's just going to be scratched beyond use in a few weeks.
Not to mention the kid whipping it around, throwing it in anger, stepping on it, carelessly kicking it under the bed, dropping it down the stairs, spilling drinks on it...you know, all the stuff kids do with no regard to how much parents have to shell out for it
Sony is not really known for the durability of it's gaming systems. That said, I think that the system can be a success if they don't target kids. But the perception in the mainstream is that handhelds have always been toys, and that toys are for kids. Remember, most people who buy handhelds aren't "gamers". This will be a very difficult obstacle to overcome.
As far as being a major competetor with Nintendo, I believe that for a little while PSP sales will top GBwhatever-the-next-one-will-be sales...but I think that once parents realise discs are a bad idea for the younger market, we'll see a sharp decline in sales. I see it as profitable, but no real competition for Nintendo.
