Kotaku: "Sony Is Doomed! Ray Redirected Toward PSP"

[cuco33]

I don't think the PSP is a failure by any means but it certainly didn't live up to some of the hype. UMD movies? yeah that's what the memory stick is for. And the #1 issue Sony has with the PSP is the piracy. It's very easy to hack the system with what comes packaged in the box (PSP3000 has not been hacked yet but PSP2000 aka slim and the fat PSP1000 has been). Many sales not going their way. I think in a way it's time for a PSP2 but will Sony actually push it?

[Deathmerchnt]

I have both handhelds and the DS gets no play. The psp gets action almost every day. I should have bought one just for the bathroom alone! lol. And with Suikoden just coming out its not going to get any less play from me.

I think all the hacking has killed the software. I'm sure all the devs are scared they aren't going to make any money because of it.

[GizmoDVD]

I don't think the PSP is a failure by any means but it certainly didn't live up to some of the hype. UMD movies? yeah that's what the memory stick is for. And the #1 issue Sony has with the PSP is the piracy. It's very easy to hack the system with what comes packaged in the box (PSP3000 has not been hacked yet but PSP2000 aka slim and the fat PSP1000 has been). Many sales not going their way. I think in a way it's time for a PSP2 but will Sony actually push it?

The DS is even easier to hack if you buy a $30 Flashcart. No worries about "will this game work on firmware x.xx".

[danbala]

I'm fine with "crop dusting." But it doesn't seem to illustrate the intent of the poster.

To me, it should be "carpet bombing" or something similar because it invokes the image of someone flying down and just indiscriminately dropping a bomb (carpet refers to the wall of text) and pulling out of the area ASAP (no opinion or commentary on the article) leaving the rest of us to deal with it. "Crop dusting" is too nice. It seems to fit more with blanket assumptions where there is no real intent to bash someone or something.

I didn't comment because the article spoke for itself.

But if you are hungry for my opinion: the situation bears watching in light of (a) Sony's troubling financial numbers and (b) the hope that they might reduce the price of the PS3 next year. My understanding was that the profits from the PS2 in 06-07 helped to essentially subsidize the PS3 back when it was costing Sony $200 a unit sold. Some have pointed to the fact that the unit is only now costing Sony $50 per unit as a good sign that a price drop might be forthcoming. I would suggest that the flipside is that Sony's other games are dropping off in sales too.

[BladeofTheImmortal]

I love my PS3 and have tons mroe games for it than the DS Lite(not counting custom firmware either here). DS Lite is good, PSP is just better. Plus it has the best portable version of Puzzle Quest

[Shadow1019]

I didn't comment because the article spoke for itself.

But if you are hungry for my opinion . . .

michaelo was the one who mentioned the absence of any commentary in your OP. So, he decided to spur discussion about what to call that kind of post and I responded.

We're not hungry for your opinion. We just have an expectation that the forum doesn't become a news dropping site. We want people to talk about the news, not report it - even if it's just a quick commentary to spur discussion.

[viewsonic]

WTF?

So a console that has sold over 40m and is still selling phenomenally well is now not doing well?

This is one of the dumbest things I have ever read;

while the PSP languished, managing just 421,000 sales

That's 421,000 units of a games console in one region in one month yet apparently this is a disaster

Its amazing that people ignore the fact that Sony went from having a 0% market share of handhelds to taking around a 30% share of the market from Nintendo with their first handheld console which is huge achievement considering what a hold Nintendo had on that area. If someone released an MP3 player that took 30% of the market from the ipod would they consider that a failure too?

[sandyph]

PSP is vastly better in everyway and the market just rejects it.

the 'market' didn't rejected it ... they just opt to not pay for PSP games

that's what you get for having a lax drm and although the same can be said about NDS, the majority of PSP owner (teens) would be more inclined to get free ISO off the net then the majority of NDS owner (kids)

[silverback]

i had a japanese psp and it cost me a fortune (£300 from my local rip off importer lol) but once the novelty wore off it was just kind of meh.the games werent great,umd movies were a disaster and the fact that even now we still await the arrival of GRAN TURISMO still fucks me off (i dont even have the psp anymore,but it still annoys me as it was one of the reasons i bought the psp) but one thing it did have was lovely built quality.when you held the psp you knew exactly where the extra money over the ds had gone.its a bloody shame the games catalogue never got off to a better start and once the ds was out the traps and flying it was always going to be up hill for the psp.

one game i absolutely adored on the psp was Syphon Filter,unbelievably good on the psp and it was the first must have title imo.the games just seemed to be sloppy ports that just got trimmed down to squeeze it onto the psp,while the ds games came across as tailor made for the console.from my experience the psp was for show,while the ds has stood the test of time.just my opinion.

[Gutter21]

PSP gets use from me all the time
DS is for kids plain and simple

[jpimgt]

I wish they made a slimmer, smaller version and got rid of the umd for a second memory stick port. Then they could exchange your games on UMD with their memory stick versions for a small fee, or allow you to do it yourself on your own memory stick (which would only work on your PSP hardware)

[Elitheos]

Just got my Special Edition Dissidia PSP from Japan this week. Just wish I knew more Japanese so I could play the packed in Dissida game. As a game machine and a media player it is awesome, as long as the media is being played off of memory sticks and not UMD's.

[bbc20000]

Kotaku editors are clearly X360 fans. Look how many anti-sony articles are on their website.

[OneManShow]

The DS is even easier to hack if you buy a $30 Flashcart. No worries about "will this game work on firmware x.xx".

Yep, I know people that have pirated nearly every DS game ever made in addition to the entire gameboy advance library, which easily fits on a flash card. It's crazy how these games are being pirated.

[Ohgami]

I like Both the DS and PSP but I am also in the camp that Sony needs to finally wake up and realized MD is dead and has been for over 10 years. I think we are seeing a more of a focus on the move to DD now though and the newest PSP version will reflect that (by either a 4000 or a PSP2). I though don't think a PSP2 is due for about another year or 2. I think they are looking to do a big change in tech like they did with the PS1 to PS2. Honestly I think they will add a touch screen next and forgo a LCD in favor of OLED which Sony has already invested conciderable amounts of money in. A Huge focus on DLs will be the main source of games. But unless they have a way to service the core B&M buyers they'll have to go to a cartridge based system. A DL Kyosk I mentioned before would fit nicely and would eliminate the "Sold Out" problems of Software. But that's just crazy talk.