Scarface shows PSP software sales are lacking

[wraggster]

Via PSPFanboy (http://www.pspfanboy.com/2006/11/12/scarface-shows-psp-software-sales-are-lacking/)


According to Gamespot, the Scarface video game topped the PSP's US sales charts in October by selling over 37,000 copies. This is distressing for two reasons. Firstly, the game sucks. Secondly, 37,000 copies sounds much too low a number to be the top selling game on any console. For comparison purposes, the new Pokemon game on the Game Boy Advance sold more than 150,000 copies (with the DS version selling more than 140,000).

According to PCVS Console, PSP software did not manage to break into the top 30 sales at all this month. This is especially distressing considering the slew of great new releases that were released in October. Will this discourage publishers from supporting the PSP? Should Sony fanboys worry that even the supposedly-dead Gamecube ranked more titles in the top 30?

Hmm the PSP does have some great titles but the downloading of ISOS for use seems to be causing massive damage to the PSP, even the best games are being warezed almost right away which does major harm to the PSP as a long time commercial product.

[The_Ultimate_Eggman]

The sign of things to come we need a killer ap like GT portable or MGS to TRY and stir some new intrest $ony might as well put thier pants round there ankles and let ninty do the rest.Thank god for the homebrew scene.

[Emeriastone]

Where in the article does it say that ISOs are killing UMD sales? Not that they aren't but I'm not seeing any proof. I mean, DS games are pirated too! It's not hurting DS sales as much as UMD sales! I think the problem lies in the format and the way games are developed for each system. I think we need to stop placing so much blame on ISOs.

[YourStillWithMe]

i agree with emeriastone piracy wil always exist it does for movies, games, trailors, everything it will always exist people just dont buy games because they contain updates. I know sony is upset about the isos because what the ps3 does is a big door open for homebrew, there not against us running our apps, there against piracy. ps3 is gonna be friggin sick!

[nhlhockey]

Chill out dudes. Just enjoy the PSP for what it is... a kick ass gadget. Quit comparing it to the DS, Ipod, Xbox, 2007 ferrarri, lamborghini or whatever. Just enjoy for what it is.

[jhontikis]

Hmm the PSP does have some great titles

I think this needs reconsideration, at least by Sony.

[Vega]

I think this needs reconsideration, at least by Sony.

Of course there are great titles for PSP... people saying it has shit games has been the warycry of DS fanboys for months. Metal Gear Ac!d 2, Syphon Filter, Smackdown 2006, GTA Vice City stories and Gitaroo Man lives are all great PSP titles IMO, and I could think of more too.
It is a shame that we are seeing the decline in PSP software sales.... and I do believe it comes down to ISOs. Granted, piracy happens on all systems, but the ease of downloading and running ISOs on PSP defninitly has alot to do with why PSP games are more pirated than DS titles.
Just my opinion.

[emuking]

i don't think it's piracy it's just that psp games suck major balls, ds games are pirated but they sell like crazy because their fun and people would make an investment in a game they like of course unlike psp games, seriously it's sad to know that out of everyone at school who i know has a psp including me, Im the only one who ever plays actual psp games and everyone just listens to music on their psp's, now that's lame

[Dave the Rave]

In the UK;

DS Games - £25
PSP Games - £40+

[Basil Zero]

it just proves how stupid in decision making was the makers of the scarface game, they made it entirely different from the PS2 version, dont blame Sony and PSP for that mistake, blame the game

[smith1]

ISO downloading has hardly any effect on the sales of games.

[grit]

ISO downloading has hardly any effect on the sales of games.
I agree.

At least it has the same effect as downloading ROMs and emulators: Who will buy the "retro game collection" PSP titles after they can emulate and play those games for free?
(NJ was concerned about this when he said he was finished with his emus...)

ISO's... I think it's a false question.

Piracy didn't kill micro$oft. :rolleyes:

[notaforumtroll]

i highly doubt ISO's are to blame for the horrible sales. they sell 40'000 units a week. 40'000 non 1.5 units. of those 40'000 units how many people actually go on the internet and bother learning about how to load isos? all you have to do is rent scarface or ask a friend how good it is ,and they will tell you the same thing, its just a shitty port of dope wars for graphics stolen from gta:3 and very very repeatitive game content.

[slayer2psp]

i dont think thats it look at the ds games sales its even easier to play roms on a ds gba and there sales are still very good. ps2 360 all easy to play free games on there still doing fine dont blame it on the isos 99.9% of the people who own a psp have no clue how to play isos or were to get them

[SSaxdude]

Isos aren't a large problem of lacking sales, the PSP just isn't selling very well. And even people who don't pirate any PSP games still don't buy many PSP games.

[Veskgar]

Yeah, that was a cheap shot aimed at ISO users myself. ISO's are not to blame for PSP game sales. Its the price and lack of quality that causes PSP games to get a bad deal.

The GOOD Nintendo DS games have such a high quality feel and production value to them, it makes even the best PSP games look mediocre. The Nintendo DS are a lot easier to "download" and / or "pirate" but yet they still do just fine. Selling incredibly well all around the world.

[Gray Fox]

How the **** can scarface be on top of sales charts???? That game as said sucks! At least some good titles like GTA sell alot of copies, and ISOs cant b a that big problem since alot of people do most likely got FW 2.80+ or something like that

[SkinnyBoy]

I wonder if the majority of the people in this thread saying that ISO's arent hurting the sales of psp games are actually using ISO's themselves? That being said, I do totally agree that the Psp needs a killer game to boost sales! I mean GTA: VCS is great, but not really groundbreaking anymore :(

[irongiant]

The GOOD Nintendo DS games have such a high quality feel and production value to them, it makes even the best PSP games look mediocre. The Nintendo DS are a lot easier to "download" and / or "pirate" but yet they still do just fine. Selling incredibly well all around the world.

What a load of crap, the best PSP games are fantastic. Games on the DS do not make them look mediocre at all, take off your fanboi glasses.

Quoting sales figures for a rubbish game is pointless, sales figures of something like Need4Speed Carbon or Fifa 07 would be much more revealing.

Scarface on the PSP is a bad game that got bad reviews so it's not rocket science that the game isn't selling well. D'uh.

ISOs are affecting PSP software sales, of that i have no doubt, but on the other side of the coin ISOs are pushing sales of PSPs up. I'm aware of about 20 or so PSP owners and every single one of them has their memory sticks full of emulators and ISO games. None buy originals. As for the DS, well lets face it a large number of DS owners are kids and they're hardly likely to be downloading roms are they?

The PSP attracts an older gamer with it's multimedia functionality and it's those people who are more likely to be ISO savvy and either buy DVDs full of ISOs off ebay or download the games themselves. Sony need to shut down homebrew altogether or start offering full PSP games for download at much more reasonable prices.

[hanky]

Bottom line is, the PSP need more GOOD games... I know I'M buying MGS: Portable Ops when it comes out. I've already pre-ordered it. Sign me up for GT Mobile (or w/e they plan to call it) when its announced, I'll buy it.

And as said in previous posts, just a small percentage of PSP owners take the time, effort, and have the courage/knowledge to either downgrade a PSP and/or find and download pirated copies of games. That’s what I think anyways. I even know people that supposedly know about computers and just can’t cope with was has to be done to run homebrew, etc on their PSP.

What about the GBA?? there’s a whole slew of flash cards at accessible prices that enable ppl to play pirated games and on top of that its said to be an obsolete console to say the least, and its still selling.. alot...

In conclusion: $ony, please bring more good games to the PSP!!

[the_eternal_dark]

What a load of crap, the best PSP games are fantastic. Games on the DS do not make them look mediocre at all, take off your fanboi glasses.

Quoting sales figures for a rubbish game is pointless, sales figures of something like Need4Speed Carbon or Fifa 07 would be much more revealing.

Scarface on the PSP is a bad game that got bad reviews so it's not rocket science that the game isn't selling well. D'uh.

ISOs are affecting PSP software sales, of that i have no doubt, but on the other side of the coin ISOs are pushing sales of PSPs up. I'm aware of about 20 or so PSP owners and every single one of them has their memory sticks full of emulators and ISO games.


People have different tastes in games. I'm not big into sports games, so I and a few others could also disagree with your thought on those 2 PSP games are awsome/best sellers. Personally, I love RPGs, FPS, shooter games, weird games (Me and My Katamari, Loco Roco), and old school games. Nintendo has some of the best RPGs, one of the best being that they ported FFIII (oldschool and RPG, how much better can that get?), and a pretty good online first person shooter, Metroid Prime: Hunters.

Maybe you should take off your
fanboi glasses and look to see what the DS has to offer instead of make assumptions from the sidelines since you don't have one.

I do agree with you on a few things, ISO's can hurt Sony, and do in some ways, but not enough that sales are effected to the point of crippling the system (like the DC). Scarface really sucks (I had it for about 12 hours and traded it in for Killzone: Liberation).

[MadMonkee]

ISOs are affecting the sales

Yes, indeed but there is something called supply and demand balance. Just like the CDs even though so many people are actually ripping music and digital media they are still buying DVDs, and buying CDs and the market is not majorly damaged because they have a budget for the theft amount.

When I go out and buy a DVD I believe that it is worth it, because it's 20 bucks and it's damn fine quality, I don't need to download a crappy quality and waste hard disk space, It's very convenient and reasonably priced.

I pay for game DVDs aswell, bought the Half-Life 2 when it came out for 80 bucks, though I thought it was overpriced a little, I really thought it was worth it.

But for a UMD, would you REAAALLYY pay 50 bucks? I mean come on, the damn thing breaks like a french toast. Games are not even close to being as good as the console games you have to admit this, 70% of PSP gaming market sucks horse caulk.

And people just see it as a waste of money to pay so much for something so crappy.

You have to make it worth it because why don't the DS and the other consoles have this major hacking and theft problem of the PSP? Because PSP attracts 18-30 year olds who are way more capable of hacking and more dangerous than a 5 year old with a Nintendo DS.

I mean PSP clearly has major issues which needs to be worked out, the analog stick is a pain in the ass, the digital could have been way better. I personally think PSP is a better portable movie watching gizmo than an actual game player. If only it played all the movie formats.

I only bought 3 games since I got the PSP, GTA, Tekken and Daxter. GTA sucked but it had the homebrew option. Personally I find myself using homebrew 90% of the time and actual games 10%.