Sony's PSP-2000 sells 1 Million faster than original PSP

In the latest PR game called "we sold a million!" Sony steps up with their bid for attention, the million selling PSP-2000. That's 1 million sold just in Japan since the slimmer, lighter, more colorful model was introduced on September 20th. Remarkably, that's two weeks faster than it took the original PSP to hit the same milestone after its launch way back in December, 2004. For comparison sake, the PS3 took 8 months to move 1 million units. Things sure seem to be looking up for Sony's fiscal anchor called a game division.

[Via Impress]

[Miker @ Nov 26th 2007 6:35AM]

With that in mind can Sid Meyer now please make Civilization Revolutions available on the PSP as well. He's releasing it on the DS, why not the PSP for flips sake?!

Thank you

[Brian Kirchhoff @ Nov 26th 2007 6:59AM]

The PSP has a very real software issue (in the form of lack of new titles) that is about to hit. Very unfortunate. It's good solid hardware... but people are going to have to be satisfied with the titles that are already out.

Wonder how many of the new units sold went to existing customers?

[Jay @ Nov 26th 2007 7:05AM]

What a pathetic, very tired old cliche. No titles for the PSP: okay mate, if you say so.

You may have had a point twelve months ago, but now you just sound like a disingenuous DS-fanboy (whether you are one or not).

I'm off to buy Pippa Funnell and Cooking Mama for DS..........rockin' games!

[Noshino @ Nov 26th 2007 8:48AM]

you do know that there are more titles out for the PSP than there are for the DS?

Also, since quantity doesn't always imply quality, the average rating of PSP games is also above the one for the DS games...

[mypetridish @ Nov 26th 2007 10:59AM]

i have 2 ds lites, one for myself and another for my bro. i kinda regret buying a lite tho, im having trouble finding a good game. the last good game ive played on the lite is Zelda, even then I still find it lacking. I probably will buy a PSP next

p/s i cant/despise using stylus while im on the go. I wanna play some GOOD action games that dont use stylus at all.

[deedeedee @ Nov 26th 2007 11:04AM]

haha yea, cooking mama's not a bad game, but won't play in public, and while its good, got bored of it in a couple days, which goes for most DS games.

PSP has some solid games, which unlike DS, can last you a while to play like a real ps2 game.

Right now I'm playing [Gundam Seed:Alliance vs.ZAFT Portable], its in japanese and never release in the US, but if you like fast paced mech battle and superb graphics, this game is just awesome, no need to know anything about Gundams or japanese cuz I never really liked it and never watched any of the shows. Simple control and great sound effect, definitely much better than any Armored Core games! Only thing is you'll have to import it...

[Frastoglegnia @ Nov 26th 2007 2:27PM]

Brian Kirchhoff -- you shouldn't leave yourself open to abuse, particularly if we're on a full-name basis. The PSP's teen-to-adult market, which features edgier titles than the DS (if you leave out Resident Evil: DS and Dementium) is one reason for its recent ascendency. Disgaeia, Castlevania: TDC, Silent Hill Origins, the FF and Syphon Filter series -- all of these are not only ported but created and maximized for the PSP. The hardware's superior to the DS, which is a fine system in its own right but lacks the ability to play music and videos (and websurf without enduring complete frustration), which makes the PSP perfect for gadget aficionados on this site and everywhere else. The iTouch has wifi? The PSP's had it for years.

If you're going to target the PSP, pick a real flaw. UMD media and the lack of backward compatibility would be a start. Flash and hard drive media have much better load-times, and recent Sony and Microsoft devices lack the available back-catalog of Nintendo's.

[Brian Kirchhoff @ Nov 26th 2007 4:07PM]

Wake up and read the comment flamers! My original comment was intended to point out the lack of NEW (as in YET TO BE RELEASED TITLES). And without a steady state of new titles in the pipeline it will be tough to perpetuate further continued growth at the exisiting rate.

Other than Final Fantasy Crisis Core, and God of War, and potentially Gran Tursimo... there's not much on the immediate to near term horizon for new games in the pipeline. I love my PSP (both of them) and think there are some great games out there currently. As a matter of fact I've found that the new WarHamer: Squad Command titel from THQ to be an extremely compelling play and have had a tough time putting it down. Would love to see THQ modify the engine and develop a Company of Heroes strategy title for the PSP as well.

If I failed to make my point initialy - shame on me - lesson learned.

[Poom @ Nov 27th 2007 4:45AM]

You're like saying that the DS does not have any good games, excluding Zelda and Pokemon.

First of all, it's stupid to exclude the games that people actually but the console for. -_-"

Second of all, that is soooo not true.

What's next, the X-Box 360 has no good games except Gears of War and Halo 3? >_>

[Frastoglegnia @ Nov 27th 2007 8:30AM]

Brian Kirchhoff: Since you yourself beg discernment from your readers, I trust you've read me with like discernment and know I'm not a "flamer" and have actually read your comments.

Tactfully or not, people have responded to your point specifically: That "new games" "on the horizon" are more plentiful than when others voiced your criticism years ago. You might want us to understand you are a current PSP user, but your "dearth of new games" complaint has the ring of ancient flames.

Perhaps you feel nothing of interest has been released recently or will be; clearly, others feel differently. The new Silent Hill, Castlevania, Disgaea, and even Manhunt 2 (as overhyped, censored, and nu metal as it seems), are breathing new life into a creaking toy. God of War and Gran Turismo are valid entries, but more are on their way.

Perhaps your dissatisfaction is reducible to a dearth of the kinds of games you like to play on the platform we're discussing. Sadly, I like darker games, which makes most of the DS library a too sunny for my tastes. That's why the PSP tends to scratch an itch.

Here's a thought: If the standard PSP library annoys you, then why not import other games you'd prefer with homebrew? Or would the missing second stick and L-R buttons be deal-breakers for you?

[Hotwings @ Nov 26th 2007 7:29AM]

Pippa Funnel and Cooking Mama?! You sound more like a disingenuous DS fanboy yourself! And what the hell is Cooking Mama?!

[Alex @ Nov 26th 2007 7:39AM]

A really fun cooking game that I would never play in public.

[Hotwings @ Nov 26th 2007 7:45AM]

Exactly! Never play in public! Although it is great during Thanksgiving. Hell, you could even make mom happy by saying your learning how to cook and not destroy the kitchen or blow up potatoes at the same time!

[Jay @ Nov 26th 2007 7:02PM]

@Hotwings,

Look up "sarcasm". Quickly. There you go.

Jesus, they'll let anyone onto the internet these days.....

[TheJoemeister @ Nov 26th 2007 7:40AM]

So people like better products for less money? Savant!

[Clayton @ Nov 26th 2007 12:14PM]

No way! Not even the most experienced economists or financial experts could have predicted this!

[Flashpoint @ Nov 26th 2007 8:15AM]

The PSP was destined to sell well because it combines some pretty good hardware with some pretty good uses. I'm glad to see it succeed.

After seeing the latest PSP releases and PS3 releases, I think the "there's no games for it" cliche is played out and downright stupid.

My biggest problem with PSP is that it only has one analog stick wherein it was based on a system that had 2. They should have corrected this with the re-release so games like Rainbow 6 Vegas wouldn't suck.

I hope they re-make Warhawk for it.

[Frastoglegnia @ Nov 26th 2007 2:38PM]

The problem isn't the controls but the fact that past ports game chose not to remap the controls with playability in mind. Syphon Filter and GTA were the beginning of more intelligent approaches to the controls. The latest Dracula, Disgaeia and Silent Hill games continue that strategy. Pity about the crippling of Manhunt 2 -- homebrew seems the only intelligent way to play that title.

The new analog stick feels much better to me, if that's any consolation.

It's interesting to watch official firmware struggle to keep pace with homebrew. Themes, media compatibility, flash-drive-loaded games and wallpaper options have all improved considerably with the last three FW releases.

I'm hoping that future iterations of the PSP do away with UMD, offer flash or HD games, and sell a UMD adapter as an add-on. (The ideal perk -- free or discounted game updates -- or a converter application -- for those who own extensive UMD libraries.)

[Frastoglegnia @ Nov 26th 2007 2:59PM]

Erratum: "The problem isn't the controls but the fact that past ports game chose not to remap the controls with playability in mind."

This should read: The problem isn't the PSP's controls but the fact that early PSP ports of PS2 games remapped PS2 controls without keeping playability in mind. They didn't rethink the absence of the second analog stick and lower L-R buttons.

[mike @ Nov 26th 2007 8:39AM]

I don't think PSP has few titles. In fact I think there are way too many, I think they should consolidate and concentrate on certain titles with certain advertisement policies so that they can push the system even further. Also, I heard sony will let users download PS1 game from the internet and play them directly on psp without the need to buy the UMDs. This opens up thousands of titles from the PS1 library and for a decent price as well.. Now since the PSP has a wifi built in, I believe you could use that to directly download any thing(including PS1 games) from the net and store on your Pro duo MC...

[Frastoglegnia @ Nov 26th 2007 2:44PM]

"I heard sony will let users download PS1 game from the internet and play them directly on psp without the need to buy the UMDs."

It's called the Playstation Store, and Mac Users need to access it using Boot Camp and a 32-bit copy of Vista or XP. Pity about Linux users, and a pity that Sony chose to run a Windows-dependent copy-protection scheme on a web-based store that ought to favor every competing platform that can access the web. That said, the Playstation Store is pretty damned cool. If Sony handles it correctly, it could become the iTunes of gaming. If not, Microsoft or Nintendo will win that contest.

[Ian @ Nov 26th 2007 9:15AM]

Now I really need a PSP!

[Marty @ Nov 26th 2007 9:30AM]

"After seeing the latest PSP releases and PS3 releases, I think the "there's no games for it" cliche is played out and downright stupid."

I'm a PSP owner, I like my PSP, but I will be the first to admit that the games suck for it.

First, some of you's are being fanboy-nitpicky over schmantics:
"Not enough games" does not mean QUANTITY of games. "Not enough" means not enough quantity of GOOD games.
The PSP could have triple the amount of titles that the DS has... what does it matter when all the games suck?
Since owning a PSP this year, I have bought around 10 games... 7 of which I've traded back in.
Without the second analog stick, they need to stop with the 3rd person/1st person shooters. Not just stop, they should REFUSE to allow them on the PSP period. No one can criticize a game for having broken controls if you don't allow it in the first place!
Sony needs to pay attention to what Nintendo is doing. Sorry to say, but Nintendo has been riding the Gameboy for like 20 years now. They actually do know what they are doing.
Sony got some good RPGs though, and Castlevania and God of War should be great additions.
But again, I still like my PSP, I like the few games that are good, and I like converting and playing movies on the PSP. I just wish they had more outstanding games.

[deedeedee @ Nov 26th 2007 11:36AM]

hey mate, i totally understand, but there are some good games I have to recommend to you, if you like action/shooting games(NOT FPS), HAVE to try [Gundam Seed:Alliance vs.ZAFT Portable], its like Armored Core but much better, go buy it from playasia.com or something $50, like I said in the earlier post, definitely no need to be anything close to a Gundam fan, this game actually got me into watching gundam (which I always thought was lame) It has very good use of controls and good graphics. I've been playing it for a month now, before I got this game my PSP was probably like yours, setting somewhere collecting dust.

For RPG, im waiting for FF7 to come out in English, probably early next year. I have to recommend Monster Hunter, reminds me of the good old games of playing Diablo and collecting gears. Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops is a great game too if you like MGS series. I'm not a big fan of GTA but lots of people like it, you should give it try if you haven't yet.

Driving game, Burnout is very exciting and Wipeout Pure is pretty good too.

Flight simulation has to go to Ace Combat, its super awesome! :)

Strange games: Katamari is a fun game to play, its strange but fun, if you've played it on PS2, you know what i'm talking about.

Shooting games: NONE, like you, i hate playing FPS on psp, just not very practical.

Hope this helps! Those are the games I really liked, and there are alot more out there I haven't tried. PSP is a good platform and I think its just start to get better this year, I've never played it so much since I got it 2 years ago.

[Frastoglegnia @ Nov 26th 2007 2:50PM]

The problem isn't FPS games for the PSP. It's badly ported FPS games. Syphon Filter is a good FPS, as I mentioned before. The first port of Metal Gear Solid is really disappointing.

If you're going to choose good games for the PSP, you can't just grab what looks interesting at the store. You need to research the games that interest you first. The reason RPGs feel better on the PSP is because most of the best are recent. Lenneth feels OK on the PSP, but it's still nothing like Disgaea. And I'll bet the new SOCOM feels leagues better than the old MGS.

[sLm4ever @ Nov 26th 2007 10:10AM]

because now people can run custom firmware ...

[jaalin @ Nov 26th 2007 10:43AM]

one word answer as to why it sold faster:

----pandora----

[sLm4ever @ Nov 26th 2007 11:10AM]

yeah that too

[Mark @ Nov 26th 2007 1:25PM]

I sold my PSP a long time ago. I've heard about Pandora a number of times ... is the back and forth game between hackers and Sony finally over with Pandora? What's the verdict so far?

[Frastoglegnia @ Nov 26th 2007 2:54PM]

People have been able to run custom FW on the PSP for a long time. It has always been infinitely easier and more rewarding to hack a PSP than a DS, esp. given the hardware. Plenty of people use homebrew on the original PSP.

I wouldn't say Pandora is selling the PSP-2000 to the masses. But for people in the States who want to play a UK copy of Siren 2 on a U.S. handheld, Pandora's a good beginning.

[Wilder.K.Wight @ Nov 26th 2007 11:29AM]

Sony can easily sell a million of ANYthing in Japan. I suspect they include a pair of used teenaged girl's panties in every box over there, to spur sales.

Or maybe it's just the brand loyalty over there is strong. It's like GM used to be in most of the auto factory towns in Michigan. . . People bought the products because it was a matter of local pride and keeping the economy strong. The Japanese support the hell out of Sony because they probably all know someone who works for the company.

Still. . . I think the underpants theory carries some weight.

[Poom @ Nov 27th 2007 4:50AM]

Nintendo is also Japanese.

[John Stracke @ Nov 26th 2007 11:32AM]

Why is this remarkable? The original (at launch) was more expensive and had fewer games.

[Ciego @ Nov 26th 2007 1:07PM]

Of course the thing is selling faster ... the price has been cut by over 30% since the original PSP release.

[Kamalot @ Nov 26th 2007 2:26PM]

This version of the PSP launched with a Final Fantasy VII game. Too bad Sony can't launch every console with a Final Fantasy title. They'd be sure to sell a lot more that way.

While this is still nice for Sony, the PSP Lite is clearly the device that should have launched years ago. It is the right size, lighter, and does not have the button-over-the-screen design problem of the original. The price is better, the load times are better, and if this PSP had been the original launch unit, more people would have purchased one, providing developers with a healthy install base for games.

[Adam Bergstein @ Nov 26th 2007 3:05PM]

I like the PS2, it looks like it has a really great design, but what about the Nintendo DS? And the DS Lite? I really like all the games for those, and they have a smaller profile.

[Jay @ Nov 26th 2007 7:04PM]

Brian,

Then your comment is even MORE ridiculous!! Are you seriously complaining that there is not enough coming up when Sony and it's game suppliers have already released a huge library of excellent games?!

Don't pour petrol on the fire, man!

Priceless.

[Jay @ Nov 26th 2007 7:05PM]

^^ For christ's sake why don't these replies always appear next to the post you are responding to!!!

Sort it out, webmaster.

[navstar @ Nov 26th 2007 11:19PM]

Since when does Sony announce "sold" numbers? They always mention the misleading "shipped" statistics.

[brooke @ Dec 6th 2007 10:18PM]

how much are the new psp?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????