"Sony Is Doomed!" Ray Redirected Toward PSP

[wraggster]

It's been a rough couple of months for Sony and the PlayStation 3, particularly in the mainstream press. Now that the two year old console has been sufficiently thrashed, we think the PSP is due.

And so does Yahoo! Games, who paints a very bleak picture of the PSP's current performance and its future. Clearly, we're all beyond admiring the PSP's success relative to previous Nintendo handheld competitors and ready to start giving the PSP the what for over its middling 2008.

Yes, Yahoo! makes some good points — the 2008 software line-up was largely forgettable, as third parties have moved on from shipping PlayStation 2 to PSP ports to... well, not doing much at all on the platform. On the quality side, the DS has had more games rated 80% or higher, as Yahoo! points out. And that's translated to a bigger gap between the Nintendo DS and PSP, 1.5 million versus 420,000 units sold in the US in November.

But Sony's still holding its own in Japan, even if it's regularly bested by the DS — thanks to the recently launched DSi. But is it really over for the PSP? And, if not, will it really be over for the PSP when Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars makes its appearance on the DS next year?

I'd actually think that Sony is doing a respectable job of continuing to hold its own against Nintendo, despite seeing far fewer high quality releases on the PSP and that its transition from UMD only games to digitally delivered software is a step in the right direction for the next-generation of PSP.

http://kotaku.com/5120359/sony-is-doomed-ray-redirected-toward-psp

[AdamRav]

The homebrew scene is keeping the PSP alive, FULL STOP.

Once that goes its over, people want touch screens and stuff these days!!!!!!

[caffeinekid]

Disgaea and emulators is all I use my PSP for.

The only thing I'm excited about is Disgaea2.

Things could be soooo much better but Sony doesn't seem to care about getting decent games out for the PSP ... or the PS3 ... what the hell are they thinking?

"It's not just for playing games it's for music and movies and..." blah blah blah doesn't do it for me at all.

I want a games console so I can play games.

[shadowriffe]

Dear Sony: Support homebrew.
Give the devs an official sdk.
Allow homebrew to be played on official firmware, but not ISOs.
Problem solved.

[Brainy142]

Agreed, I will usually get excited about games on consoles I dont have but psp... Not so much. Homebrew is Great I've heard and I would like to buy one and hack it (or buy pre-hacked) as when hombrew> official games everyone should use homebrew. :D:D:D:D:D:D

[maxipower90]

the PSP is the next Gamecube... didnt get the respect it deserved... as much as i hate were nintendo and the Wii are going the Gamecube was awsome and if had more support from third parties would have kicked ass.

the PSP is also a great machine just needs some loving. i would rather have a new PSP with better specs so we can play PS2 titles such as FFX and such portable... that is all folks

[mike_jmg]

I really hate the direction nintendo is taking their consoles ever since the gamecube.

I grew up with their consoles, problem is, I kept getting older and they started going backwards, gamecube control seems specially made for little children, not to mention the Wii and DS

PS2 was the next step and it was awesome, gamecube had better graphics but I think third parties weren't thinking like nintendo at the moment.

I see the PSP as a portable PS2, maybe that's why I love it

Sony needs to start making more games, Dissidia FF is a really good start, hope they keep up

[Buddy4point0]

Uh, 2009 is gonna be amazing for the PSP.
There are so many games comming out, I expect it to sell more than the DS.

[JLF65]

It doesn't matter if the PSP never catches up with the DS - there's more than enough PSPs out to make the platform successful. It's the installed base that matters, not how many you sold last week.

As to games, Nintendo (for the DS at least) specializes in cheap shovel-ware aimed at little kids. Forget the ratings - they mean nothing anyway. Magazines regularly slam a game as complete crap, then rate it a 75. Nintendo dumps a cheap forgettable game, which sells for a week or two before being forgotten, then they're on to the next. It works for them. The numbers are misleading as they don't make as much per game. However, that's all that many "analysts" look at. They have no understanding of how things work, and it shows.

[Spyzius]

after gamecube failure nintendo were in big trouble, low budget ( imagine in market at that time was only GBA and gamecube) it's normaly that they started somethink new instead trying follow SONY or MS. DS were as powerfull as nintendo could create at that time, wii was other story, DS ere sold great, money goes on, but nintendo decided to do what allready work well with DS, they make controling enjoyable, thats why nintendo consoles are so cheap and so great