Sony thinks its "aspirational" PSP Go might encourage an uptick in PSP-3000 purchases
We've heard plenty of arguments for high priced products before -- many of them from Sony, oddly enough -- but this has to one of the odder ones. Sony UK's Claire Blackhouse says that Sony was actually expecting a greater backlash from retailers than it got in regards to the PSP Go, and that many retailers are seeing the new launch as a way to get consumers into stores, at which point they'll realize they're too poor for a PSP Go and might end walking out with a PSP-3000 instead. Sadly, the logic sounds pretty sound, though Claire's own suggestions that some families might get a PSP Go for dad and PSP 3000s for the kids seems a little fantastical -- kinda hard for dad to rock those Hannah Montana UMDs, yeah Sony?
[Via Joystiq]
[Via Joystiq]























Well, if you were to show me both devices and then explain the costs then yes, the PSP-3000 seems the better choice, in my opinion (Even though I think the PSP GO looks better).
when you break down the costs (on the canadian market, admittedly) the $249 for PSPgo is less than $179 for a -3000 series, plus $119 for a 16gb card. add another 20 if they get a -3000 bundle
naturally we can all do the math,
Who would be stupid enough to buy a PSP Go anyways? It's obvious that this new gadget is a fail and the older model will sell more than the Go.
well hey, if you got the the money and wanna be different form everyone else (or just got tired of the old look) then by all means, spend away :D (least the girlsll know you got money... the geeky ones anyway)
I don't want one, but what constituted failure? Sony will sell some, they are not priced low so they probably make money off each one.
The device surfs the internet and plays music and movies. It's a pretty awesome device for games, too. The UMD is power sucking and takes up space. If you don't own any, and you don't sell games back, then you might want a PSP go.
It's a prototype for the all digital distribution model. Sony makes a TON more that way.
It's failure because, unlike the original which was a failure due to having a UMD drive (that _nobody_ wanted), the PSPgo is a failure because it doesn't have a UMD drive (that _everyone_ wants).
It's intertube logic at its finest.
@oGMo
The reason many didn't like the UMD drive, as already stated, was that it consumed a lot of power. Many would have rather seen Sony gone the more conventional handheld route (ie. solid state carts or cards).
I wonder if Sony gives classes on how to bullshit the masses to their employees? There really was a overwhelming amount of bullshit in every answer that woman spewed out, I couldn't even bring myself to finish reading the interview. No knowledgeable person will PURCHASE a PSP Go, it isn't worth the money. PSP 3000 and the Go do the exact same thing ( minus BT on 3000), if you want to go download only, you can do that on both devices, so essentially the PSP Go is unnecessary. So does the removal of key features (no removable battery, it's screen is smaller, no umd support, no mini-usb port) and the sole addition of bluetooth support, justify a $80 price hike for something that is inferior to it's alternative? Heck no!! So I wish Mrs. Claire would stop trying to bullshit us, with nonsense like the PSP Go is for the older crowd, while PSP 3000 is for the younger. According to Mrs. Claire, I'm sure the kiddies will get better enjoyment out of their PSPs than the poor suckered adults. Heh, I'm glad I'm still 10 years old on the inside, now, what color PSP 3000 should I buy next week?
What killed the PSP for me was the horrible, horrible load times. If they'd gone with a regular slot-load cartridge, they could have fixed that without crippling the device to indefinite rentals only. (If I can't sell a game second hand when I'm done with it, I didn't "buy" it.)
I also think that not giving the device a touch screen or a second analog controller was a serious mistake. I'd settle for one of the two, but having neither--ugh.
Also, the form factor is bad for true mobile gaming. The DS works because you can shut it and jam it in a pocket.
Ummmmm.....
What.....?
In other news, Sony completely fails at public relations again.
In other news, your name 'Bag of Meat' seriously fails.
I think it's more like Sony saw a revenue model, and then built a device around it that consumers might want, as opposed to the traditional method of building a device consumers want, and then figuring out how to make money off of it. Seems to be the Sony Style lately. And by lately I mean the last decade.
Mr. Blue, I don't know about you, but my "bag of meat" kinda wins on all fronts for my girlfriend... so...
More proof that Sony is run by 50% Monkeys and 50% Apes. Wouldn't it be easier to just say:
"we hope big sales."
FAILED ON DELIVERY
- no dual thumbsticks
- no keyboard attachment
- costs too much
- no physical media.
How did SONY go this badly?
If I was SONY, I'd have released games on mini DVD disks that could be taken out of their cases. Then you could take the disk, put it in a drive and transfer the game from the disk to your system after downloading a fsoftware similar to Sonicstage or ITunes.
I'd have made billions on this.
Without two thumbsticks First Person Shooters on this system SUCK. I coulda played World At War or Rainbow 6 on it in comfort but as is, its crap.
SOMEONE AT SONY NEEDS TO BE FIRED.
No physical media is a good thing. I never really want to lug around a bunch of UMD. However, they should of implemented a touch screen because I can see myself using it for web browsing and navigation. I always wanted a more portable version of the PSP because the old model is just too uncomfortable to fit in my pockets and I got cargo pocket. With that said, I just can't justify the price. I'll wait out until it came down in price.
I've overheard that you can use a dualshock 3 with it. Also since it has bluetooth I'm guessing it can use a physical keyboard. You can easily upload music and movies. One more thing, it has a memory card slot.
My original PSP (~5 years old) works and does everything this one does (except bluetooth and video out) so I am not at all interested in it.
Wow, what an idiot.
I've overheard that you can use a dualshock 3 with it. Also since it has bluetooth I'm guessing it can use a physical keyboard. You can easily upload music and movies. One more thing, it has a memory card slot.
My original PSP (~5 years old) works and does everything this one does (except bluetooth and video out) so I am not at all interested in it.
@photophreak
I'm with you on that 100%. The price is too high, but this could be a good portable gaming system for new adopters and others down the road (myself included when the price drops). UMDs are a pain to carry around, I'd much rather load them onto some flash memory. You could definitely go out and buy some memory cards on the older systems, but the PSP slim is kinda humongous, fits in some pockets, but can't really compare to the Go's actual size imo.
If only they had made that conversion service a reality, sigh....
The above comment will fade in 3....2....1....
I down ranked that comment from as many computers as possible!
So SONY thinks kids are going to opt for a PSP 3000 when they see how expensive the GO is?
Apparently they never heard of PARENTS WITH CREDIT CARDS.
What if the parents still say no?
Ha, parents saying no.
Kids also have credit cards, look at the iphone sales. Sorry, had to do it.
why would they buy this? why would anyone at all buy this!!
if another 50 bucks is added to the current price, you could get a ps3 slim... i have a psp 1000, and its really sad but the platform has been kinda dead for a while now... especially with no new CFW coming anytime soon...
i have a hacked 2000 and an unopened dissidia 3000 from japan (might be worth a shit load years from now XD)... i just might get this out of pure boredom/love of gadgets
When your metric for success for your product is "people don't hate it as much as we thought", that's when you know something has gone horribly wrong with your company.
I still can't decide whether Sony is incredibly smart or incredibly stupid... all I know is that they've certainly got everyone's attention. I guess Kraft isn't the only one...
Its about time sony realised that that the PSPGo is a waste and the 3000 is much superior....
Sounds like Sony is in the running to take the "Worst Marketing Department Ever" title from Microsoft.
Their product line-up seems questionable too. Why not have put together a combination PSP with a Sony Walkman line? It would have basically been a good iPod Touch / Zune HD competitor.
Instead the Go is an expensive, but half-hearted, almost defensive product. Way to go, Sony. Keep on keeping on with the mediocrity.
Hey, the HDTV line is still pretty good (altough sales are no place to be found in a very tough recession) and they can make a decent movie via Columbia Pictures, so there's that.
Let me translate " we made the psp go an epic failure from the start, of course you will realize this and probably just buy a psp instead"
FAIL!
Worthless. Will break in the first few months.
Maybe Sony was jealous of the iPhone/Touch market and needed to build a plastic piece of crap like Apple does.
@Landtat
"Will break in the first few months."
lol Thanks for the heads up!
If that logic aplies and that the consumer only cares about price, wouldn't most consumers look at the DS and go "oh that's only like 100 bucks" and take one of those instead? fail
exactly,... and making the PSPGo almost exactly the same price as a PS3....
statisticly people are more likely to get a new PS3 than a Go if they are both in the same price range
What a great marketing plan! Create the illusion that the consumer is saving $100 to boost psp 3000 sales, while making a huge profit on those stupid/rich enough to get a pspgo! I finally understand why its being released!
This could backfire on them. Almost anyone looking for a PSP and comparing them may decide to just get the PSP 3000, on price alone. You can still download games to the older PSP if that's what you want. Just get a cheap Pro Duo stick online.
yah
I think that Sony really was trying to price this thing in competition with the Itouch and the MS Zune, which I think a lot of people overlook. The idea of the GO is very similar on the surface, download games/videos, and watch them on the GO and you get built-in WIFI. The problem is there is no touch screen, which is an Uber-fail.
This thing is very handy and by far the best gaming choice among the three. If anyone is actually willing to claim that they prefer to play their videogames on an Itouch, let me know and I will fedex you a box of Tampax for your courage
Itouch pricing -> 8g - $199 32g - $299 64g - $399
Zune pricing -> 16g - $219 32g - $289
PSP Go -> $249......or $217 from Dell......
but what about competion with the DS?
real buttons (approximate).
Ipod touch :2
Zune :4
PSP go :12
So, no matter how Apple's PR is trying to show the ipod touch as a next gen portable console, the true is, it is not a true console because the lack of controls (the touchscreen, while is fine, but it is not enough sensitive to replace an old-good set of buttons).
@Magallanes: Actually, the iPod touch has 4(home button, power, volume up, volume down) and the Zune(HD at least) has 3(home, media,power). Just thought I'd point that out for accuracy's sake.
I like gaming on my iPod touch. The games look better, the unit itself is smaller and fits in my pocket. The games cost WAY less than any other system. And as for buttons, any controller they want can be implemented on the touch screen... It's not perfect, but it works. Unlike the PSP, I can play a FPS and have dual analog control for it. The touch screen is indeed sensitive enough to replace buttons; All it lacks is the tactile feedback buttons give you.
You're also not counting the accelerometer among the iPod touch's controls. That counts as an analog stick, I'd say.
PSP-3000 is too big to carry around in a pocket, and doesn't have the non-game apps that you can find on the iPod touch. The PSP Go is a nice size and has nice controls, but the games are the same price as those on physical media ($29 for a game that I can't re-sell is too much).
The web browser on the iPod touch is better. The battery life is better. The availability of non-game applications is VASTLY superior to anything out there, and there are still way more GOOD games on the iPod touch than on the PSP. The music playback is better, too.
I've had both on and off since they launched. I always end up selling my PSP because it's got a poor interface and it's not terribly portable. The iPod touch is kicking major ass in the realm of portable gaming. Once more companies take advantage of the OpenGL ES 2.0 on the new iPod touch, you'll see games that blow away anything that could be made for the PSP.
Every time I try the PSP again, I'm disappointed. Until Sony comes up with the PSP2 and includes dual-analog controls, and sells games at a reasonable price (Under $20 for new titles) I won't bother again... Unless I see some MAJOR price drops from Sony.
I pulled out my cellphone and my PSP to downrank that one...
so before ps3 drops price, people walk in store and find out they cant afford ps3 so they bought a xbox360?
lol, Sony.
"We priced the PSP Go high because we want people to look up to it!"
"We like that the PSP Go is priced high because it means no one will buy them and buy the old PSPs instead!"
Where does this make sense.
so they created a PSP spin-off to increase sales of the original PSP?