The PSP brand is considered by some to be a huge success, and by others a wet fish. Analyst and louse wrangler Michael Pachter is definitely in the fish category, claiming that Sony is destined to be third place in the handheld market and declaring the PSP system a disappointment.
“I think they’re doomed on small market share until they get more competitive on price,” says Pachter, always asking for cheaper stuff. “The PSPgo is more expensive than most iPod Touch devices and the game library is more expensive that the iPod library. Nintendo’s got a huge cost advantage on the DS … I think Sony is running into a brick wall trying to compete in that sector.
“With that said, I don’t think they’re giving up. I think we’re going to have a PSP four, five, and six thousand, I’m hopeful that they come down in price, and that the games come down in cost and that they can be competitive. But right now I’d say they’re destined to be second place to Nintendo on the pure game front, and overall in third place with iPod thrown in there. So no, I don’t think the PSP is going to be a huge success in future.”
I think Pachter’s right in this case. The PSPgo is ludicrous expensive and features less functionality than an iPod Touch, and it can’t compete in the digital game market while Sony still charges full price for games that people can get significantly cheaper on UMD. While Apple rakes it in by selling disposable games at $2.00 a pop, we’re expected to pay ten bucks for a five dollar version of Tetris. Such a sh*tty business plan deserves to fail.
Pach Attack [Gametrailers, via CVG]
