Sony plans to keep PSP downloads at 'pricing parity,' whatever that means
By Paul Miller 
posted September 23rd 2009 9:02PM
posted September 23rd 2009 9:02PM
Here's a great scenario for you, if you happen to be Sony's wallet: charge $250 for a handheld console without a physical game media option, and then charge on average $5 more for downloaded titles than they go for at retail, since you have zero competition in the download space. That seems to be SCEA's definition of "price parity" right now for the PSP, though in Japan downloadable titles have been on average slightly cheaper than their physical counterparts. Sure, it's rough on retailers if they have to compete with a lower-than-MSRP price coming straight Sony, but the likes of Amazon are already at below MSRP on plenty of titles, and we're not so sure consumers are going to take kindly to paying more for less (in the physical sense, anyway) after they already splurged hard on the PSP Go... not that they'll have much choice in the matter, outside of trying their luck at the old swap-a-roo.[Via Joystiq]
Sweet.
how so?
Pricing charity?
no..... bad!
This is why I'm sticking with my PSP-3000. Am I the only one left that likes to touch the games that I purchase? UMD is for me, F this d/l crap.
Too late. I already boycotted Sony products.
@rickjames
Try English you illiterate fuck.
@avengeryarr
What do you not understand about what I said? When games go digital, Nintendo and MS will both price gouge those digital only games. Meaning that digital downloads are great for the big three since it eliminates the need to make physical media, packaging, etc--thus increasing their margin. That's fine so far, but it also allows them funnel the games through their own stores (ie PSN, Live, and whatever nintendo uses). And I think its foolish to think that one company is evil for gouging its prices when they will all do it. Not to mention they will all have us by the balls with DRM laced games--thats why I want physical media is to avoid these issues.
So where did I go wrong?
I would agree with rick, though for early example microsoft is mostly selling games cheaper for Games on Demand then their lets say Gamestop counterpart. Though it has yet to be seen what will happen if they go the digitial game route for new releases.
@rickjamess04
physical media? lol, the last generation of physical media console has already left the building and there is no other planned, ever.
At this point, I don't think sony wants to sell any of these things.
Interesting strategy huh?
ROLF
I think that's meant to be ROTFL or ROFL.
But if you actually meant ROLF, that's funny.
it's Rolling Over Laughing F***ingly
rolling on le floor.
(well, have a nap. then fire ze missiles!)
Will someone please explain to me how Sony is still a profitable company?
Sheep following the Sony herd. How does Bose stay in business?
Brand Recognition.
The downfall of PSP is the lack of dual analog sticks.
You can't play 3D games properly if you can't simultaneously control movement and camera angles. Its the basis of the modern First Person Shooter, as well as most 3rd person action games.
Having to download games is also going to be a problem, but we can wait to see how that works out.
PSP GO
the meaning of awkward and uncomfortableness using a PSP taken to another level.
Just to join in on the hate train here.
I mega loathe the PSP Go. It represents everything that is wrong with Sony today.
Sony is only encouraging piracy, and with 16 gb internal storage, it shouldn't be that hard.
With a gaming console that gets its games solely via download, sooner or later retailers like Best Buy and Gamestop are going to demand to be let into that, too.
Let's just hope that happens before Sony starts price gouging us.
I feel the same way. Couldn't sony just offer to let retailers sell cards with game download codes on the back? This way the retailers could still sell and make profit of of the games and they can price it at whatever they want.
rhcpsfan, see there's a problem. Why would someone go to a retailer to buy a card with a download code on the back when they could just as easily, if not more so, buy from Sony directly and probably pay less?
They could post some of the popular ones there to drive impulse sales (those stores do lots of impulse sales; a customer comes in for one thing, walks out with more than one thing), but they're not going to want to waste the shelf-space on something that they hope people will come in for. Even if they were able to put the codes on, say, www.gamestop.com, which would you rather buy a game from, direct from Sony with a fast download or waste time putting all your payment information on a website, buying a code, then logging into PSN, entering the code, etc..
Sony's gotta let them sell digital downloads from their own sites. Knowing Sony, that's not going to happen for a very long time. They're way too protective of their turf. I'd wager a guess that if anybody was going to force their way into digital game downloads, it'd be Best Buy.
Fuck you. I feed my family with that money.
My psp-1000 has been able to do this for a while.
I still don't get why it's so awesome now.
exactly. it's NOT awesome. there was a point in time i actually used to like sony.
i can no longer defend them at all.
i want to type 'at least they won the format war, and dropped the ps3 price finally.'
but that's like saying, 'at least he didn't knock the baby out when he punched it'
way to go, sony.
so pretty much your gonna charge me more for me
using my bandwith and me buying my own memory stick duo
thats already over priced
sony dont be stupid about this its easier to hack something i download
think!!!!!!!
Easier, cheaper and less regretful to just wait 3 days and download them free. Even then I sometimes feel ripped off. Patapon (2? who knows/cares) anyone?
Sony is going to lose in the long run. PS3 sucks, PSP sucks, pricing sucks, Sony Erickson sucks, Memory Stick sucks, basically everything Sony is suck.
Wrong. PS3 sucks? What about it sucks? You can install your own OS(name another console that can) built in WiFi/Blu-Ray(which is amazing!)Free multiplayer service/And also the most powerful console handsdown.Only downside I found to PSP is only single stick thats it. SE-X1 is a amazing phone as it X2 and X3.
Only thing I agree with is sony sticks.
@ethos download speeds suck on the Ps3. it took my friend like 14 hours just to download patch. most of the ppl i kno with a ps3 say download speeds on it are crap.
@Joe Get friends with better connections? My download speeds are on average 700 KB/s to 1 MB/s from the PSN and my connection isn't even that great.
@Joe
Sounds to me like its either a bandwith problem or a damm big file....
I just love all these new devices that are suppose to play hd content while Verizon & AT&T can't support download rates that make these large files worth messing with. With a new content provider coming online almost everyday the CEO's of Verizon & AT&T have got to be getting ready worried that their multi-million dollar bonus may have to go to upgrading their cellular towers.
What the fuck does that have to do with the PSP Go?
As much as I can agree its nice to get free things you must consider something... If the publishers don't get money from sales, then that means developers don't get paid, then that means the developers quit and the publisher cant afford to hire new developers meaning they cannot publish games cause there is no developers to develop the games.
a dual analog setup isn't necassay for movement in a FPS. u can use analog for aim and x,tri,cir,o for movement. by the way, since ur such a "hardcore" gamer, haven't u ever heard of a mouse? god forgive you if you think i'm talking about an animal...
P.S.- a dual analog setup is not necessary for anythings besides off the wall experimental games. 1 analog stick works fine for FPS. 1 analog stick and two pressure sensitive shoulder buttons works for racing games. I have no idea why you need and analog stick to move forward, back, left, right, diagonals... PSP Go sux either way tho. I sold my PSP a long time ago. a week after i had it i realized it wasn't the software that didn't utilized the analog stick but rather THERE IS NO ANALOG STICK. the freaking d-pad has 2 times more accuracy if used right(taps) than that damn fake ass piece of plastic they call Kaz Hirai's wife's 8OO8S!
P.P.S.- I mean 8OO8, since there is no dual analog on PSP. Sony likes to keep things simple. and slim. with multiple iterations. basically, the PSP is a one BOOB prostitute. a petite one at that.
Depend on the titles you're looking for. For example, Tomb Raider Anniversary is $19.99 and Tomb Raider Legend is $24.99 at Amazon, but on PSN they are $12 or $13 each, that's a great price.
The only reason noone's allowing Sony to do digital downloads is because people already invested money in physical UMDs. Alternative? External UMB reader, or UMB to Digital at Gamestop. That way they can pay for accessory (good for Sony) and play our games, with manuals and cases (good for us). Then when people actually get bored of there old games we will slowly roll on over to Digital at our own pace. Now, about paying more for Digital download then physical game with case, and manual and stuff, that's bogus. Unless it comes with an iTunes LP equivelent.
wait a sec... they're charging more for downloaded titles than they would've charged for physical media... when they cut out all the middle men and thus should be able to pass savings to the consumers and still reap more profits. how greedy can you get???
Their profit margins should be truly astronomical on downloads.
Absolutely huge savings in manufacture and distribution and no need to sell to shops lower to account for retailer mark-up.
dont forget you probably wont have any way to transfer these game so 0 resale value.
Don't get me wrong, I think that overpriced and crippled games are the worst part of these download services. But isn't this the same exact thing MS is doing with their Games On Demand. You can find just about every game on there for at least $10 cheaper new in the store and some even more. Not to even mention buying used. Plus just look how fast all their arcade games releases have gone up in price. Hell every little thing on the one console you have to pay a fee to play on has a price tag.
Nothing wrong with digital downloads. Steam and the iTunes App Store both do fine, and the games work as advertised.
The difference here is that both of those offer the games at a lower price, since they won't work unless you check in with them. Picking up an App Store game for $5 is not the same as picking up a PSP game for $30... If the App Store game doesn't work, you're only out $5 and you can live with that. It's the price of a rental.
But if Sony screws you, and you can't access the games you bought, then you're out $30 or more.
Microsoft doesn't get a pass on this one, either. I find it absolutely ridiculous that they sell their digital download versions of retail games for the same price as retail, but without the benefit of a package or physical product you can re-sell. I've no problem with the concepts behind downloading games in digital-only formats, but when companies choose that model, they should NOT be charging the same as the retail version.
If I can pick up downloaded Oblivion for the same price online as the physical copy in a retail store, I'm getting it in the retail store. Cut me a deal, and maybe I'll consider buying more digital downloads.
I have quite a few XBLA games and iPod touch games. Why? They were cheap. I can deal with spending under $15 for a digital-only copy. That's reasonable. I'll load up. But no digital-only copy is worth over $30... Not when I get nothing with it, and lose the ability to re-sell it.
PSP will fail. The only people who get it will be Sony fanboys and people who intend to hack it and use it as an emulator.
Retailer notices lower prices online. Customers, too.
Retailer cannot compete selling UMDs.
Retailer goes out of business.
Sony's transition to downloads will happen small steps at a time. Until a high percentage choose downloads as their desired (preferred) way to get games, they won't be stiffing any retailers supporting them in neighbourhoods all around the world by cutting prices. Even when they do, there will be no reason to because they'll have the market by the balls. It's a no-win for the customer.
Given that they sell around the world, of course there's going to be some "higher than local store, but less than local store in Country X" talk going on. Sony sells around the fricken world, and it would be impossible to keep tabs on every market for absolute consistent pricing parity.
Welcome to the brave new download world. Where customers want convenience above all else - and at all costs. Literally.
@Danny
Not any more, the digital relm is an easy to hack one, torrent sites have just about every PSP game released.
I agree with what most people have been pointing out here already --> The PSP Go will be an epic fail, mainly due to their pricing scheme and the lack of anyone being able to re-sell/trade their games once beaten. I don't think even the $ony fanboys will bail them out on this one; sales will only increase once it's been hacked to play ISO's & homebrew... who knows, Dark Alex may already have the new f/w "fixed" and is just waiting for the Go to be released before setting it loose upon the world.
As with all, time will tell!