Sony can't sell PSPs in Europe!

[wraggster]

Article From Joystiq

We've been wanting to put this post together for a while but always lacked the image to do it justice, so imagine our glee at spotting the advertisement at right while strolling through London's Soho district.

When the Xbox 360 launched in Japan, certain English-speaking bloggers jumped all over photographs like this one to support their claims that the Xbox 360 had been marked down to about $170 USD because retailers were desparate to rid themselves of inventory. At the time, we refused to blog about this, because we knew that retailers were not, in fact, discounting the Xbox 360 but were bundling it with a cell phone contract. Editorially, we felt that any site that picked up the story was doing its readers a disservice.

One site even used the photograph to support the following dramatic lead sentence, "The train wreck that is the 360 Japan Launch continues."

In fact, the photograph had nothing to do with the volume of Xbox 360 sales.
Fast forward to today. By that same (faulty) logic, some Japanese blogger visiting London this month will go back home and breathlessly report that PSPs are in such low demand in the UK that they're being given away totally and completely free of charge. (This is of course patently false, as a cell phone contract is very lucrative. Baiting customers with an attractive consumer electronics device is a tactic used the world over.)

The point is that the advert at right tells us nothing about how the PSP is faring in Europe. This isn't a post about the PSP at all. It's a post about English bloggers in Japan who mislead their readership about the state of affairs in Japan. The mere fact that retailers consider the PSP (or Xbox 360) to be good bait for a lucrative cellular contract is actually a positive indicator that implies that both devices are attractive to consumers.

Screenshot Via Comments

[acn010]

lol, interesting deal that it is, i wish they do that here in the U.S cause my plan is about to get expired, and also i need another psp in my hands (so the old one i can change the faceplate, buttons,etc)

[Shadowblind]

thats flippen awesome

[fistikuffs]

Yes it is a bit dumb to claim a crisis for the PSP or XB360 when it's obviously being used as a carrot and stick to get people to sign phone contracts. These are, as mentioned, highly desirable items which many people will happily sign up to any phone company to get for free! I know plenty who have already!!

[Mustang]

Theres an advert i saw in a newspaper in scotland : free xbox 360 OR PSP (giga pack i think) with a mobile contract, the advert is meaningless but unfortunately thats not always how the public see it it..

As you say - it tells us nothing.

[shadowprophet]

I was worried that the psp was flopping in europe
That would be the beginning of the end.
Id hate to see what happened to the DC hapen to the psp

I so glad theres nothing to this lol
I mean the deal is completely understandible.
I mean accept the cell phone deal, and they make there money back from the loss of a psp, its just good buisness

[Emeriastone]

I need a new phone anyway...

[mog]

Sony couldn't sell me a psp in the UK, Ebay could sell me one from a cool Japanese guy though!
Seriously, until downgraders and FF7:CC, I would never have even considered buying a psp in the UK.
And I definitely would not pay 35 quid a month to get one... and mobile phones are lame...

Also, in over a year now... ive only seen 3 other people with psp's where i live!
Although my friends say they will buy a psp if it's one that can be downgraded...

[robotdevil]

Also, it doens't say how long the contract is for. I mean, think about it, T-Mobile buys the PSP in bulk for about $150-$180/unit, then they get you to sign up for a 3-year contract witha free one. Now I'm not sure the exact conversion, but I believe that deal would be about $50/mo US. So, 50x36=$1,800. I'd say they made back their $180 (just guessing here).

It's the tuna sandwich over the tiger pit (read Calvin and Hobbes if you don't understand this).

[Nasty Nate]

lol calvin and hobbes is the funniest strip i have ever read, and i wish this would happen in the US too, i would buy a phone just for the 2nd PSP but only if it didnt have 2.7 on it