PS2, DS Real Console War Winners

[wraggster]

via /.

Paradox writes in with a link to an MSNBC article that shouldn't be too surprising for anyone: the real winners of the console war are the DS and the PS2. Boasting numbers unmatchable by the johnny-come-lately next-gen consoles, the PS2 and Nintendo DS each sold about 1.5 Million units last December. Article author Kristin Kalning points out the reality: given the high quality of gaming in general nowadays, the low prices and rich libraries of these 'venerable' systems will see them in circulation for some time to come. Given the success of last-gen consoles, what are your plans regarding gaming systems? Are you holding out for price drops, or considering buying one of the older systems now that they're considerably less expensive?

[canvasch]

i am holding out till the 360 gets a price drop... till then i'll play games on my ps2, pc or ds

[woods05]

I'm waiting for supply to reach demand for the Wii.

[voorheesda]

Iam waiting for the WII pricedrop ;U and until then its the psp, ds and pc that stands for the entertainment.... WII GOT THE POWAH

[Mikaa]

It is quite amusing how everyone had dismissed the DS, back in 2005, as a gimmicky device that played gimmicky games (ie - Feel the Magic). Everyone was convinced that the PSP would completely own the DS, and who would question them? I myself, a traditionally die-hard portable Nintendo fan, found myself buying more GBA games than DS in the first six months, and even more PSP than DS at one point.

To go from joke system to one of the best selling systems of all time, coupled with Nintendo's infamous first party reputation, the sudden defection of Square-Enix to the DS (and to a lesser degree, the Wii), and to completely outsell the PSP worldwide is no small feat.

And the irony is, had it not been for the brain games in Japan, things might be just a wee bit different (just LOOK at the sales charts following their release).


The PSP is probably one of the saddest stories I have seen in video game history or designs in a long time. Do not misunderstand me, the PSP is a nice little system, with a nice array of multimedia abilitites. But the biggest threat to the PSP is not Nintendo's DS, but Sony itself.

Why do I say this? After horrendous sales, Sony killed off the UMD movies, which, granted, was a smart move at the time (around spring/summer of 2006). Problem was, when Sony released the Entertainment bundle for the PSP, parents and kids went nuts looking for PSP movies. But where were they? Yes, there was a selection, but most were either older releases or new ones aimed at the core PSP demographic (male 16+). By the time they got the line going up again, any chance to push PSP sales dropped again.

Then there is the afore mentioned Entertainment package. Said package had a 1GB memory stick pro duo, Lords of Dogtown UMD Movie (which is probably the last movie to get parents to buy, as they are the ones that usually determine a system's success), and ATV Offroad PSP. Retailing at a mere US$249.99 (compared to getting a PSP with no game or memory stick for US$199.99), people grabbed the bundle as fast as they hit the shelves.

But then, the bundle vanished. Right around mid-November 2006, retailers found that they were losing PSP sales due to the lack of having the bundles. People passed over the PSP Core package just to find the bundle for the pending holiday season, and PSP Cores sat there, while the DS sold as fast as they arrived.

The final flaw in the PSP that I wish to make in this post is the fact that Sony itself just hasn't managed the game side of the system as well as they could have. Granted, Sony is not known for outstanding first party games (one of the few recent best-sellers was God of War), relying mostly on third-party. A system's library is only as varied as its first party support. Take the DS for example - Nintendo itself churned out the usual Mario games, Metroid, a few puzzlers, and new fare (ie - Nintendogs). Mario and Nintendogs drew in the younger gamers (and the female gamers as well), Metroid drew in some die hards, and puzzlers brought in the adults.

The PSP's first party? Racers, action games (Daxter), and shooters. That was about it. Most puzzlers were by third parties, and the racing and shooting genres that Sony pushed resulted in third parties designing games that centered around the main demographic of those genres (ie - males 16+). True, a few child friendly games appeared, but most of them (ie - Lego Star Wars II, Cars) were already on the PS2 (and other systems), and almost identical. For that matter, most games were direct PS2 ports.

The PSP, had Sony shot for a more diverse audiance like the DS, might have made the race for supremacy closer, but sadly, Sony itself has halted any real chance the PSP had. Even now, should Sony try, the PSP would not come close to taking the throne from Nintendo.


Oh, one final problem with the PSP beating out the DS - the abundance of rumors of Sony's PSP Type 2 redesign (ironically, incorperating many DS features, such as touch screen). When you get a lot of rumors of a replacement design, faith in your product falls.


Mikaa

[Joel92]

What the crap are you talking about mikaa? everyone loves the Nintendo ds... plus that isnt really even what this topic is about? i dont think i know anyone who has Dismissed the DS as being "gimiky".

i just think you want to sound smart with an overly-long, souped-up post.

[Mikaa]

"Everyone loves the DS?" Up until the DS Lite came around, most gamers were still accusing the system as "ugly," dismissed its abilities, and viewed it as nothing more than a kiddie toy. Even today, many view the PSP as a superior hardware.

Then again, currently, these same people buy DS Lites for the Final Fantasy games...

And as for the gimmicky, back in 2004, many people that I talked to viewed it as maybe good for a few things (then-superior GBA playing (the screen), Super Mario 64 in portable form, Feel the Magic), most dismissed it as a pointless gesture. When the PSP was released, most of my friends went for it - even I. It was not until the DS hit its stride late in 2005 that I tossed aside the DS. It took my friends another year to realize this.

Mikaa

[JKKDARK]

yeah but more people buy the DS, and it's what really counts.

[Mikaa]

I do not dispute that. My point is, the DS overcame a crapload of prejudice thanks to Nintendo's "eternal quality" (despite the fact I still hear the word "kiddy" thrown around here and there) and the fact that Sony is taking a page from Sega and destroying itself.

Mikaa