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Sony: Blame PS3 for lack of PSP games photo

The PSP may finally be getting a more consistent amount of solid game releases, but let us not forget that it took Sony's handheld almost half a decade to get this far. According to Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida, part of the problem was the PlayStation 3 of all things.

"We look at all the titles we are working on and try to see if there are any holes or areas where our focus isn't enough," he explains. "A couple of years ago we clearly put too much focus on PS3 titles and that caused a lack of support for the PSP last year. So we need to be focused and gear a lot of our resources back to the PSP, and we have many titles this year.

"We are continuing to support the PSP. We didn't announce new titles at [Tokyo Game Show 2009], but in the near future we'll have some announcements."

That's all well and good, but was it not a couple of years ago when the PS3 itself had a lack of titles? It seems to me that both the PS3 and PSP have really hit their stride this year, so I don't know quite how focus on one platform led to problems with another. Still, Yoshida's a wise man, so I guess I'll take his word for it, even if the dates don't quite align well enough for my satisfaction.








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25 comments | showing # 1 to 25
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Chris Carter's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 18:23
Chris Carter
PARKER!
Grawly's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 18:24
Grawly
That's a pretty foolish thing to say considering they just launched the PSP Go
RBinator's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 18:28
RBinator
So only five years after a system's release do they really start caring about releasing solid titles for it on a regular basis? Doesn't certainly sound like flawed logic to me at all, none at all.

Also, what about the time between the PSP and PS3's launch? It's almost like I'm gonna sound like a PSP hater, but come on, if Nintendo could have worthwhile games on the DS to play every year, couldn't Sony do the same for the PSP, 3rd party games or otherwise?
Kalmah's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 18:34
Kalmah
I think they should have scrapped the PSP completely and focused soley on the PS3. They're not going to win the console war, there's no need to compete with Nintendo in that category anymore.
Zeta Crossfire's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 18:36
Zeta Crossfire
wow this is uncanny i was just thinking of this. I've beat all my PSP games and i don't see anymore i want to play coming out. DAMNIT SONY LETS GO!
RenegadePanda's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 18:47
RenegadePanda
Clearly it's the PSPGo to blame for the lack of PSP games.
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 18:50
Xzyliac
Excuses no more. Just put exceptional games on it from here on out and nobody will care.
Cynical Gamer's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 19:04
Cynical Gamer
Why does it always take Sony years to get good games on their consoles? It's been like this since the PSone.
ender_x's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 19:10
ender_x
lack of psp games???
Man I hate the gaming industry. You're all so whiney.

I have a shit ton of games for my psp that rock. Infact, I haven't stopped playing Dissidia since it was released. Yes, several months, haven't even turned the game off yet!
bobyoko's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 19:17
bobyoko
@Cynical Gamer

that's easy, because sony is a hardware manufacturer. they've never been into developing software, and that's why getting third party support is so crucial to them. yes, i know that scea has come out with a few good titles, but that is really not the norm. now that the industry has started to move toward microsoft, the sony house of cards falls apart. it's the reason why i don't buy sony hardware, because if they don't end up leading the industry, they don't get the games.

early adopters of sony hardware ALWAYS get burned. don't be sad, it seems as though early adopters of all the consoles got burned this gen.
Hcapt's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 19:36
Hcapt
@ bobyoko - But Microsoft is exactly the same as Sony. Except for the ridiculously high hardware failure rate.
linuxguy's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 19:44
linuxguy
@bobyoko: sony not into developing games? Are you still stuck in 1997?
-PL-'s Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 20:14
-PL-
And microsoft is a software manufacturer that's never been into developing hardware, which is why the 360 explodes when you touch it.
TheTruth's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 20:21
TheTruth
The timeline makes sense, if it's true. Developing a PSP game takes about a quarter of the time it takes to make a PS3 game, so if the PS3 games being focused on three years or so ago then are arriving now and the beginning of 2010 and PSP games of now would have been focused on, say, six months to eight months ago in "refocusing"...there's why they'd hit retail at the same time.
Monodi's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 20:24
Monodi
@kalmah

Remember that Nintendo won the first period but it still needs to pass the closure of the generation.
Hcapt's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 21:04
Hcapt
@ Monodi

Nintendo won the last 20 years when it comes to handhelds. The fact that the PSP did as well as it did is a testiment to the size of Sony's marketting budget. Not to mention that Nintendo has 6 first party games that sold over ten million copies on the DS, as opposed to the PSP which has yet to have even one title break five million.

I would say that Nintendo's victory is a forgone conclusion in the console space too, seeing as Microsoft and Sony both decided to release motion controllers to a degree that obviously would never had been acchieved without the wii's success.
Gestault's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 21:04
Gestault
Sony needs to shut up and say "The games are there now for BOTH systems, you dicks. Play them. Unless you have a backwards traveling time machine, the lack of games in the past is our problem, not yours."
Electrium's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 22:29
Electrium
I think you can blame the DS, not the PS3. Devs don't make a decision to make a PS3 game or a PSP game, they make a decision to make a handheld or console game. From there, they decide which system to go to, and since the DS sells so outrageously well, it gets a lot of attention.

For example, it probably would've been more logical in terms of gameplay for SE to port Chrono Trigger to the PSP instead of the DS (considering the PSP's controls are similar to a SNES controller), but they opted for the DS with minimal second screen usage. *shrug* Sony can think what they want, though. =P
The Silent Protagonist's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/03/2009 00:36
The Silent Protagonist
@Ender

Yes, lack of PSP games. I had to wait until around Dissidia and Persona to even be movitaved to pick up PSP, since by that time there was an actual selection.

What I didn't realize was Ubi Soft makes shovelware for PSP, too. I totally appreciate their effort on putting up on Petz games for PSN last week, but I don't think kids even want those.

And, yeah, I think DS has quite a bit to do with this since it, you know, has games and the largets market penetration of any gaming system out there.
lewness's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/03/2009 09:15
lewness
Wow. Sony's pulling a guilt trip on itself.
kamenryuki's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/03/2009 09:41
kamenryuki
Sony needs to focus on one console and that's it. They are killing themselves trying keep up with Ninty and Microsoft. I say let Ninty have handheld because piracy all but destroyed the PSP market and the DS is better than the PSP from many standpoints, drop the PS2 and tell those fools still playing to upgrade or go buy the thousands of used games they haven't played yet, give the PS3 more great titles.
whormongr's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/03/2009 10:36
whormongr
I can kind of see where they are coming from, they are really fighting 3 markets at once, ps3 vs 360, psp vs. ds and ps2 vs. wii ds and wii are inexpensive to deal with and MS can throw a large amount of $ to the 360 as well as cross development from their Win platform due to architecture so sony has an uphill battle
Inuboy1000's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/03/2009 11:05
Inuboy1000
Sony is full of idiots. However as I plan on getting a PSPgo I should say good job on the PSP and PS3. But they are idiots.
hornetjockey's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/03/2009 15:43
hornetjockey
It's hard to crack Nintendo's grip on the handheld market. Atari tried, Sega tried, and Sony tried. They all failed, but at least the PSP is still around, and there are great games for the system even if there simply aren't enough. The biggest problem with the system was the constant stream of PS1/PS2 ports and clones that came out early in the system's cycle. Speaking for myself, many of them just don't translate well to a portable system, especially one with only one stick. Now that we are seeing games specifically designed with portable gaming AND the PSP in mind, I actually find myself glad to still own one. Now that IS a shock.
Valthonis's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/05/2009 08:24
Valthonis
Sony's ability to make nonsensical excuses for releasing (mostly) decent hardware* and then being utterly inept at properly supporting it with software and other such love is astounding. One would think that SCEW reports "potential squandered" as a line item on their quarterly financials.


*'decent hardware' implies, but is not limited to, the PS3 and PSP models up to (but not including) the PSPgo.
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