The PSPgo. Most people in the gamer community are laughing and/or grimacing at it. A number of retailers around Europe are boycotting it for being expensive and attempting to diminish in-store revenue. Sony doesn't mind, though, because it expected the negativity to be worse than it is. The publisher has said that it's "really quite fine" with the hating.
"We were very aware of concerns when we went into it and I actually expected a lot more negative responses than we actually got," says PSP UK product manager Claire Backhouse. "They were really quite fine with it. They see it as a way of getting people into the store because it’s new interest, a new product. And they’ve had such strong sales as well of PSP 3000 almost off the back of it."
I'm not surprised PSP 3000 sales are up since the PSPgo was revealed, as Sony appears to be using the new PSP to make the old one look ten times better in comparison. Perhaps that's the reason for the go's existence, and Sony's marketing department is more clever than anyone had ever anticipated. At least then it'd have a purpose.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
9:20 AM on 09.30.2009
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Geesh.
Sony "We have decided to make a game console that evokes feelings of Hitler!"
Marketing "We have made commercials to support that with a 'Donate-blood-to-Nazis-a-thon'"
Shareholders "HEADSLAP"
This makes no god damn sense. How does revealing the PSPgo make people go out and buy more PSP 3000s? Those who did buy the PSP 3000 after the PSPgo was revealed already had the intention of buying a PSP in the first place. Are they telling us that revealing the PSPgo made people angry enough to go and buy a psp 3000? The only way I can see people buying more psp 3000s is if Sony discontinued the 3000 series. God, this news makes my brain hurt.
The only two reasons why I would think the PSPgo would increase 3000 sales are as follows:
1. People holding out for the new system have decided to avoid the stupidness of the PSPgo and have decided to just buy a PSP 3000
2. People holding out for the new system to launch so that hundreds would flood the market with trade-ins so that they can afford a PSP 3000 used on the cheap (ME! ME! ME!)
I want a PSP, and the used market is just where I want it to be to get one.
all I got out of that was them trying to say "you all got trolled."
Sales are up only because I've told my friends, family, co-workes, etc. to not buy a Go and buy a 3000 if they're in the market for a PSP.
Here's some more negativity. Maybe I can help Sony meet their negative response expectaions. I'm suprised that the Official PlayStation Blog comments didn't count from earlier this week.
Hate. Hate. Hate. Costs too much. Hate. Hate. Hate. What happened to the transfer program? Hate. Hate. Hate. Battery what? Hate Hate Hate.
Hate.
</Hate>
When everyone from hardware manufacturer to publisher is at odds with the retailer then the magic's gonna happen.
Games on Demand/Steam/Etc are so bloody expensive (seemingly) because digital distribution puts retailers noses out of joint and selling a game for £20 on download and having an RRP on the high street of £40 is not going to keep your distributers or resellers sweet.
So when we get to a point where Sony, etc are spitting on the graves of high street retailers with a smug "where's your pre-owned shennanigan's now" smile (while David Barben dances a merry jig on said grave). Digital download prices can start to fall.
Hopefully the fight between the high street and digital distribution will see some nice innovations to carry us forward into the digitally-distributed future? e.g permanently delete and old game from your Steam/PSN/etc account and get money off your next game (to keep people buying new games rather than replaying old ones) ?? Loyalty points for downloading games from certain publishers (so Konami can try and pull in a potential Capcom sale, etc because you bought 3 Konami games before and your 4th will earn you £5 off your 5th game, etc)... Or whatever.
Maybe I'm being shortsighted as I've only brought one boxed game in the last year, the rest have all been digitally distributed. Maybe many people couldn't afford to game without the highstreet's used-game schemes and perhaps my comments are a bit to self-centred... But I think this is all going to turn out great, I see PSPGo as Sony doing something right for a change (or more like doing the right thing but doing it badly ;p ).
But that's the problem. Digital prices are NOT going to fall because companies like Sony <i>know</i> that we'll pay a premium for titles. We've been doing it for years.
The funny thing is that Steam has show that people go gaga over heavily discounted prices on games. Why? Because we are so used to paying such a high price that 30% off seems like a deal. The craziness of it all is that Valve states they make MORE money when they do it.
They'll (all digital companies) just keep coming up with some reason that keeps the cost up. Instead of making $15 on a title, now they can make $35. Who's out? The brick and mortar shops.
There should have been a smooth transition to an all digital platform but Sony is trying to jump in full steam ahead.
There shouldn't be a transition to all digital at all, its just a move to a lesser product and should really be avoided. Not buying horse sh*t like the Go is one way of telling the industry its not gonna work.
The problem is that in the pre-mass internet age of the original playstation, Sony could tell us what was cool and we'd all swallow it down. But now, information, media, the blogosphere and more importantly all of us individuals discussing this stuff define whether something works or not.
Sony doesn't like that, because they like ignoring what people actually want and trying to get us to force down something we don't.
Still, the PSP Go is just becoming more and more of a disaster. They say that the hardest product to sell is a swiss army knife due to the fact that it does everything and masters none; You can't call it a small knife because it's also a pair of inferior scissors, but you can't call it that either because it's also an awkward nail clipper and bottle openner, etc. So I find it odd that Sony is trying to turn their PSP into a Swiss Army Knife, considering generally people prefer something that has one function it does well. I also find it odd that there isn't a killer app - does Sony understand the importance of system selling software for a game console, or do they really think people will buy a PSP Go for it's Twitter applications?
At last decent games are coimng out of the pipe, and they pull this bs with the Go. I personally won't be buying one, as I have a PSP 1000. My advice to those that want one is search ebay, Goozex etc, and get a preowned PSP. This way you can still support those good PSP games out there. The competition is more fierce now than ever, so choose carefully. With all this crap, Sony do not deserve your loyalty or money.
PSPgo is the ultimate evil. I will preach unti I die...or until Sony successfully doesn't piss people off with it's DD model.
-_-
It's a good thing some fantastic games have squeezed through the stupidity this generation for every system, otherwise I would have seriously just sat out this whole period. Can I just say "Yay Shadow Complex, Uncharted 2, Metroid Prime 3, Loco Roco, ODST, and Scribblenaughts" and ignore this rubbish?
You are an idiot of a caliber I lack the ability to believe possible in spite of seeing the words you have written on the page.
The PSP Go isn't for customers that already have a PSP. But it's also not for customers that didn't have a PSP before, otherwise the price point would be low enough that someone who doesn't already own a PSP would risk spending the money on it. In addition, it requires a familiarity with the PSN network, and experience with the digital format. It wasn't built for new customers, and it wasn't built for current PSP owners, therefore, it appeals to nobody.
When I say you are an idiot of a calliber I didn't think possible, it was not because of your opinions. It was because you think anyone will actually care about your opinion when you type the jumbled mess I see before me.
I mean seriously, the kind of person I picture wrote that post lacks both the social skills or ability to be civil necesary to function in any environment and the necesary skills to listen to reason from anybody.
Now, that last line where you say it's just as a good as the regular PSP, that's practically an endorsement for the regular PSP. I mean, if a PSP Go is just as good as the original but not better, then I will try to save $70s and buy the original. Especially since the original gives me the option to own UMDs which unlike digital content do in fact have an inherent value after purchase, and a battery that can be replaced without voiding the warranty.
"...oh no boycott away and you fucking idiots are like yeah right retailer seriously get the fuck of this xbotz dick (jim sterling) and realise what the fuck is going on and jim im disappointed in you i took you for someone with brians ..."
I agree. This could have all been avoided Jim if you only had more friends named Brian . . .