PSP - Lukewarm In Japan?

[wraggster]

Via Gamasutra

As regular Japanese chartwatchers may have spotted, Sony's portable console is doing merely OK in the territory, and is lagging majorly behind the runaway success of the DS. Why might that be? Ricciardi has a theory: "I think there's some kind of disconnect between the people who create the hardware and the people who sell it." He believes that the PSP has amazing hardware - he commented that when he first picked it up, "I felt like I was holding the future", but the game-based ramifications of the hardware are not well thought through.

As he notes, the games are often great-looking, but it "costs almost as much to make a [PSP] game as to make a PS2 game", meaning a significant barrier to entry into the development market for PSP games. In addition, issues like loading times do not play well to the Japanese market - when "playing it on a go... you can't afford to wait 2 minutes for the game to load", Ricciardi sagely notes.

Not only this, Sony's big hope LocoRoco, which even had an associated hardware bundle, "didn't sell nearly as well as I think it should have" in Japan, Ricciardi notes - a sentiment many observers agree with. He continues: "That shows there's a problem with the PSP... [LocoRoco] is clearly an A caliber game, but because there's so much stuff that people aren't interested in, it got lost in a cloud of crummy games. I don't know how they're going to get around that."

[Video_freak]

That sums it up pretty nicely: Mediocre games, cost of making/buying games, load times.

[F9zDark]

Well in the beginning Sony covetted their device as a multimedia device. Now this most definately had huge implications in the Japanese market.

For starters a Cell Phone in Japan is capable of all the things the PSP can do and even then some. Japanese gamers probably felt that the some of the PSP's features were undue.

Sony could have done any number of things differently. For starters, Sony could have made sure to have a HUGE following of 1st and 3rd Party games at launch (GOOD games, not crap ones), this would have won over the Japanese market, then it would merely require them to keep the market by introducing newer and better games regularly.

The Japanese market could see more focus on gaming, while US and Euro markets could see more a focus on things that please consumers in those markets.

The PSP could have also benefited from a program, either on the PC or PSP that would offer music for purchase (similar to iTunes) and direct to PSP download.

Also 1st party software for syncing one's music and movie library from their PC to their PSP could have really helped the PSP in the long run (meaning that a CD-rom should have shipped with every PSP with this software on it; not something that should be sold with a memory stick...)

As well the ability to have videos in a Video folder should have been standard from day one.

[LC_killer]

i agree with F9zDark, but i think another reason is that sony just wanted the system on the market. then make moves to ensure that they sell units, through games and movies. the problem with that. now it cost alot of money to re-energize the system wiht umd movies a humungous flop. i belive sony was thinking in the long run. that psp would out sell the ds with in say, 5 years. you cant take down the goliath goliath with one stone. sony is david. it will take years of waring down the market. kinda like the terrorist do in iraq. sadly enough the handheld market is much like gorilla warfair.

[Veskgar]

Sony definitely did not plan how to best take advantage of the PSP's amazing multimedia "possibilities". Just look what has become possible via homebrew. If Sony was more creative, they could have had so much for the PSP. Hell, Sony still doesn't allow full 480 x 272 video playback on the PSP.

I bet that with the combination of advanced homebrew, Sony's PS1 EMU, and great upcoming games, the PSP should see a surge in Japan starting in the end of October and on through January at least.

[Emeriastone]

You know what would really boost sales of the psp? The promise of *legit* homebrew applications and games (when I say legit, I mean legal).

I think the allure of being able to stream video and audio from your computer and being able to use all the functionalities of the internet, and this and that and all the other great things we've seen homebrew do is very inticing.

As well, it would be depressing to think that our homebrew community didn't exist, but if Sony provided an online system in which developers could upload and distribute their own products (this would be the exclusive method of homebrew distribution) then sales and the likeability of the PSP would likely increase dramatically.

It just goes to show that you shouldn't fight the customer.

Just give the customer what they want. Don't give them what you think they want.

[jwilds73]

I hope Sony will eventually give us a homebrew developers kit but Sony just seems arrogant and stuborn about the whole thing. I will never upgrade my PSP and if this means I can't play new games then I will gladly make that sacrifice.

[dmac]

I would much rather the PSP than the DS. The PSP is much more capable than the DS. I think sales of the PSP will increase once the PS3 is out and people will see how it interacts with the PS3.

[irongiant]

Lukewarm? In what sense exactly, it's consistently selling 20-30k units a week which for anyone is a success. It's only lukewarm in comparison to the DS and it's massive popularity. It's a completely different machine to the DS and given Nintendo's dominance of the handheld market their market share is no surprise whatsoever. The PSP isn't competing head on with the DS as they appeal to different kinds of gamers, the real competition will be when MS launch their handheld gaming device.

[drmr]

legalizing homebrew wont boost anything. those who are interested are already sitting in front of the computer and setting things up for their ultimate gadget experience.
thats a dreamcast site right? things were not boosting very well for sega right?
the psp will never get those who want pokemon, neither those who want to fold white and pink things things to put them in their nice bags, nor those who chat with their pencils in classrooms.
bad luck, but not such a big problem, there are tons of people who are interested in raw hardware capabilities, graphics and movies.
but its sad to see that even the publishers dont have faith. i dont feel like things are gaining momentum when i look at ridge racers 2.