The PSPgo is considered by sensible people to be a dreadful mistake, but Sony is never a company to be deterred by sensibility. Instead, the platform holder has described the digital-only system as a trailblazer, hinting that future versions of the system will likely follow in its footsteps.
“[PSPGo] was the first device of its kind where you did not have packaged goods or pre-recorded media,” claims Sony Australia boss Michael Ephraim. “I think PSPGo will blaze the trail for future iterations of the handheld.”
Ephraim also claimed that the handheld space is very crowded right now, with smartphones also providing competition for the PSP. If Sony things another PSPgo is the way to tackle smartphones, well, they’re welcome to persevere with that.
This allusion toward another all-digital PSP runs counter to Sony’s message that the UMD is alive and well, but then Sony’s marketing department loves to send mixed messages in the hopes of having its cake and eating it too. Sony’s going to have to think carefully about how it packages and sells the PSP2 when it’s finally revealed, because the iPhone is already selling more games, and if Sony unveils another all digital format with expensive games and an even more expensive bit of barely-supported hardware, it will probably be the nail in the coffin for the PSP in the West. Portable gamers are smarter than that.
Michael Ephraim Video Interview [GameSpot via CVG]
