Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime says the PSP Go has a 'fundamental concept problem'
By Donald Melanson 
posted Oct 12th 2009 5:33PM
posted Oct 12th 2009 5:33PM
Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime has been known to take a few shots at the competition in the past and, while he's not exactly verging into CE-oh no he didn't territory this time around, it seems that he just couldn't help himself from offering a few thoughts on Sony's latest handheld. Speaking with The Washington Post, Reggie says that the PSP Go has a "fundamental concept problem in terms of 'Who's it for?' and 'What's the benefit?" -- adding that he always has the "utmost respect for all our competitors, but that it's "interesting to try and answer the consumer question of 'What's in it for me?' in that product." Of course, Sony does have a few answers to those questions for its part, sort of.
[Via Joystiq]
[Via Joystiq]
At least we are 100% sure that the Wii Fit 'Who's it for' has been answer.
People with self-esteem of steel with 0 concern of looking ridiculously funny.
Go eat some chik-fil-a, reggie.
Hmm, aw, don't mock his last name it means "Beloved Son" en français, monsieur.
And who exactly is the DSi for? It had the worst console launch ever. ZERO actual games for it!
And the GBA micro? Virtual Boy?
I think Nintendo needs to solve their own problems before worrying about other people's
@Extinction
The DSi is a Nintendo DS game player with added functionality.
The GBA Micro is a GBA game player for those who don't want to carry a brick on them.
The PSPGo is a PSP game player with added functionality. Minus the PSP games that you bought on UMD.
Reggie has nothing to do with the Virtual Boy. Let's talk THIS Millennium.
"And who exactly is the DSi for? It had the worst console launch ever. ZERO actual games for it!"
huh? is that you Kaz Hirai?
I would also like to add that Sony does know who the PSP Go is for:
their loyals fans that enjoy getting screwed by Sony, even if they are told they are going to pay a lot more for early adoption, that none of their games work, that European buyers are getting 3 free games and the online store is way more expensive than physical media. Not even the stores are willing to let Sony get away with this major screwage.
If Louis XVI have had these type of loyal followers, there would have never been a french revolution.
It's obvious that Reggie doesnt use it. He looks like a cross between Anthony Munoz & Mike Golic. Wierd.
Right then Reggie, when it comes to the DSi whats in it for me? 2 sub-par cameras that no games use and a library of games aimed at 7 year old Japanese girls? Gotcha.
lol like Hello Kitty Smash-a-ton
the only thing that I would want a DS for is to be able to play the Mario games.
Mario and Luigi Bowser's Inside Story :D
I thought it was obvious that the PSP-Go was only for suckers or Sony fanboys. Fanboys asking the same thing about the DSi are ignoring the fact that the DSi doesn't cost twice as much to own, and you can still play all your regular DS games on it. . .unlike the PSP-Go, where you have to re purchase every single game in your library.
Come on. Nintendo knows how to sell a portable console.
I think Nintendo's approach beats the hell out of Microsoft's approach to criticism. I still am annoyed at that BBC YLOD 'documentary' that just happened to be presented by a paid MS shill.
The DS is an awesome system. It's not like the PSP... they are smart to sort of steer clear of eachother, but the iphone is clearly a competitor to both.
The PSP go is a good music player when compared to a iPod Shuffle. It's a great movie player. It's not as good for games for me... I don't like where the stick is located, but I think it's a much better size. I LOVE the idea of a digital only platform for wealthier gamers who have internet wherever they go.
That's who the system is for, Nintendo. It's an experiment, and priced so as not to cost Sony money when it obviously doesn't sell super great (though it's selling pretty well so far, compared to my expectations).
Sony is wise to gamble a lot less, but enter carefully into the digital only market. I don't really see why everyone bashes the PSP Go for costing more than the PSP. The iPod costs more than competitors with more functionality... but is a cleaner cooler package. The PSP go is a cleaner cooler package for PSP. It's just a pricier option.
Nintendo knows they won this war, but they also know the PSP 3000 ain't going anywhere. Sony doesn't have to offer just one choice.
Preston, I don't understand the 'have to repurchase all your content' argument.
A) that's good. Sony sells more games.
b) who's the idiot who replaces their PSP with a PSP go? The PSP Go is for people who either don't care about replacing their old library, or never had one because they are new to this.
That's something a lot on the internet are complaining about, but it's no shame that Sony didn't buy everyone free games (that we could easily pirate by passing around UMDs. That would have been asinine. Sony's sales boost proves they made a good move.
everyone knows those cameras are for up skirts
nub
@Gimboa
+1 for making this awesome point. It's not like you have to upgrade and for a new psp user this makes sense. Both consoles are still supported so people complaining are not making a lot of sense. I have a dsi and for the record nintendo's online store (and browser) is a joke.
Well, for one thing, it has hardware that's about twice as powerful as the DS, but until there's a large enough install base there aren't going to be games taking advantage of the extra power. I bought one mainly because I had some gift certificates saved up and I actually find that it's more useful than the DS just because there's a web browser that doesn't suck complete balls on it. I'll open it up to quickly check my email or something when I don't want to turn on my laptop. It's a bit slow, and it runs out of memory on anything complex, but it works in a pinch.
The potential of DSiWare is also good, but until some good games materialize on it that's just potential. Right now there are about 3 games actually worth buying (for me) on it but obviously as more games come out it will be more useful. I hope they open up DSiWare to useful applications as well, because it would be nice to have an actual email client on my DSi but not critical. Flipnote studio is also a pretty cool/fun toy, although I don't use it much myself. The entire OS is 10x better than on the DS Lite, just all the little things like hot-swappable cartridges, soft reset to main menu, not requiring you to shutdown after any settings change, etc. On the whole, I don't think it's really worth $170, but it is a decided improvement over the DS Lite. If I had a GBA collection, I would probably not have gotten it, but I don't.
wow.. ur clearly just a lame troll or PSP fan. I don't have neither of consoles but i played around with ea and both have good and bad... The guy clearly knows what hes talking about selling 100m+ DS's around the world...
most people here are playing Scribblenauts on their Dses, are you calling EVERYONE girls??
I got my psp go in the mail today and I really like the new buttons. I mean the device feels a tad bit small, but its not worse than say a ds light or GBA micro.
Speaking of GBA micro, wasn't it basically nintendo's version of the go? A small gaming device to carry on your person at all times... idk it just seems kinda hypocritical of Reggie to hate on the go, especially since the GBA Micro didn't sale very well either XD
but you could still play all your old games. thats the major flaw with the PSP Go. the GBA and DS revisions weren't really targeted at people who already one. they offered the same functionality in a different form factor. the key argument with the PSP Go is that you don't keep all the functionality of the old ones. if it had a UMD slot we would not be having this discussion.
WHAT? You can't play your old game boy games on most of Nintendo's modern handhelds.
It's a legit comparison.
Your wii doesn't support Ocarina of Time, either. Unless you download it.
Why should Sony operate under different rules from the rest of the industry. You bought a UMD, you play it on an old PSP. If that is important, then buy a replacement PSP 3000 or stick with your old PSP. Sony has offered you the choice to abandon UMDs, carts, etc forever. That's your choice, though.
i don't understand how GameBoy backward compatibility is relevant at all. GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance are all completely different systems. Backward compatibility is a bonus. this isn't even a discussion on backward compatibility. the PSP, PSP 3000 and PSP Go are all the same thing. if the Go offered bumped up specs and was a different system entirely no one would care. but this is Sony giving you the same thing with less functionality and asking more money.
and yes my Wii does support Ocarina of Time. i have it on a GameCube disk that i got when i pre-ordered Wind Waker. check your facts next time.
@kojo87
No, we'd still be having this discussion. It really doesn't matter what Sony does at this point, people will find something to hate on.
PSP1000 released:
"WTF is this UMD bull? Don't you know everything is going digital download?"
PSPGO released:
"WTF... no UMD? We loved lugging around bags full of those crazy little discs! For shame, Sony."
As for me. I tried the DS, but found it just to be aimed at too young of an audience I guess. 99.9% of the games are crap, or made for babies, or almost good but dumbed down for kids therefore they drive me crazy. The PSP just fits me better, and I've been buying the games over PSN as soon as it was an option, so making the switch would be no big deal for me. Besides, I don't really go back and play my old games much anyways.
On top of that I find Reggie's attitude to be really distasteful. Not that it would really skew my purchasing decisions. But a public figurehead should be more respectful IMO.
>>if it had a UMD slot we would not be having this discussion.
If it had a UMD drive then it would be big, bulky, and cumbersome like the PSP-3000. Really, we don't need another PSP with a UMD drive. The PSP-Go right now is around the size of an iPhone, which is the whole point. The Go is a small device that's suppose to tie in with the PSN store. The system is only a little larger then the GBA Micro. And that's saying a lot.
If your UMD collection is an issue for you, then the PSP-3000, and the rumored PSP-4000 is the right solution for you. No fuss, no muss. Pass on the Go, it only an option, but for folks such as me who have hated the PSP all this time for the bulky, loud, slow, UMD drive the Go is awesome.
i think the fact that sony is still being the industry leader in pushing for new technologies, even if they're not exactly innovations, is a great thing to see regardless of how exactly this product does. face it or not, the future is in fact digial distribution, and the sooner the companies get on the bandwagon, the better it is for us.
sure there's that initial stage where all of our old UMD's are useless, but chances are, if you have a bunch of umd's, you also have the system that you bought to play them with. and if you seriously bought a bunch of umd's to play on sony next portable console that may or may not have umd support, i dont think you have enough mental credit to bitch in the first place.
I know this is way too late to reply, but Kojo, when you tell me to check my facts because the Wii supports Ocarina... just not the original cartridge... you are proving my point exactly.
Why should Nintendo's Wii support the old N64 Cart? Why should Nintendo give me a free copy of OCarina on a disc or by download just because I bought the game for my N64? No game company follows such a practice.
The PSP Go doesn't have to support my UMD games. Most of the good ones it does support in the download format, which is exactly how Nintendo supports its classics... it chooses some for download sale.
Instead of pedantically searching for some excuse to claim victory, just admit it... the PSP Go shouldn't give out free games to people who claim to own the UMD. It shouldn't be able to read UMDs in some half assed way. Sony still sells great PSP 3000s for people who value UMD game compatibility. This is manufactured outrage. No one realistically bought a PSP Go hoping to play their UMD games, and therefore, Sony did nothing wrong.
Who's it for? Me.
What's the benefit? I get to play games, music, and videos while bored on a flight to Chicago.
Now that's fundamental.
And you could do all those things with the (much less expensive) original PSP. Thus this article.
Honestly. The internet doesn't need to be cluttered up by people pounding their chest.
If you're not going to buy one, great, don't bother buying one. Don't try and prove how "hahahaahahah luk how stupidz u r fer buyin an infror PRODUCT!"
@mark
Ha ha, thanks for the price comparison and short-sighted analysis! So, if I want a mp3 player I can go for a sandisk device rather than Zune HD? (sorry for bringing Zune HD into this, but ...)
Why not get the psp 3000 for cheaper and have the ability to actually own tangible games that you can hold in your hand?
let me ask you a question; do you carry an mp3 player or are you still rockin' the discman/walkman? see what i'm getting at?
@iroq d. mullet: One small problem with your analogy: You can rip your old cd collection and put all the songs on your PMP.
Yah because you can't rip your CD's and put them on the MP3 player. Nope. Not at all. Epic fail in comparison dude.
@ mark and john doe
absolutely right, that's a good point, but neither i or aznjohnny said anything about already existing/purchased games. we're talking about going out and buying a new product...if on the market for a portable music device, i, for one, will not go out an buy a discman just because i want something cheaper and has physical media. what if i don't want to worry about having the UMD drive break or not recognize the disk (which i have seen happen)? what if i don't want to worry about my disks getting messed up/scratched? (again, seen happen)? what if i don't want to be carrying around multiple UMDs around while on the ago, instead of just turning on the device and switch from game to game without switching out anything?
all i can say is embrace new technology. ok
It's twice the price of the old one and you have to rebuy all your games.
The only concept to get your head around is that you'd be a muppet to buy one.
Unless you've never owned a PSP before. They you aren't a Muppet just a lackey for not buying the cheaper PSP3000
Or your dad's name is Sony?
Doooohohohoooohoho!
coool
yes it's twice price of the old one
The Nintendo DS has one of the best game libraries of any system ever. It is incredibly complete and varied, from casual to hardcore. The PSP can't touch that in terms of the "who" question. With that said, I agree the DSi hasn't really proven itself as a needed update any more than the Go. The difference is that the Go drops physical games without including anything new. The DSi includes new features which are primary novelties without losing the old format, unless GBA compatibility is taken into account. Neither should probably exist.
"The Nintendo DS has one of the best game libraries of any system ever. It is incredibly complete and varied, from casual to hardcore."
Is that supposed to be a joke? Cause you couldn't be more wrong.
DS has the WORST game library short of the Wii, and it's limited completely to ONLY casual games.
here's the thing, if you have a PSP 3k, then oh F'ing well, it's not worth it for you to upgrade, we get it. however, not everybody is upgrading from a previous PSP and not everyone cares about being able to play older physical media and actually see the fact of not having to carry around various little cartridges as a plus and wouldn't mind a smaller, sleeker form factor. these folks are called newcomers and it has been proven that there are plenty of the out there to increase the sales of the PSP. That's who it's for.
Finally someone who gets it :D
Thank you :)
@iroq d
ding ding ding!
The fact that you are locked into buying PSP downloads at Full retail, with I am sure an occasional "Sale" is the problem for me. I can't take my 30% off coupon down to game stop and get a used download. All of my UMD's were either used, or got in a clearence rack. Example, pick up tiger woods and madden 09 for $10 at target as soon as the 2010 hits the racks. Being at the mercy of their software prices is what scares me. I have a PSP fat going on 3 years, and I have downloaded games for it from the PSN also.
While I’m no fan of Reggie (or Nintendo, for that matter), he’s absolutely correct! Those consumers who'd buy anything just because it’s the latest gadget (or are Sony fan boys) more power to you, but you are a very few minority. This product is not consumer friendly, it restricts consumer choice, is over priced and its not even compatible with your existing psp games library (this product is a step backwards and reminds me of the days of proprietary software/hardware when you were forced to go back to the specific vender you purchased your technology from for everything). This product should have never made it out of the conceptual phase and it will fail – at least, that’s my opinion.
"I once ate a burrito DEEZ BEEG!"
you never button the bottom button on your suit. fail
While I’m no fan of Reggie (or Nintendo, for that matter), he’sabsolutely correct! Those consumers who'd buy anything just becauseit’s the latest gadget (or are Sony fan boys) more power to you,but you are a very few minority. This product is not consumerfriendly, it restricts consumer choice, is over priced and its noteven compatible with your existing psp games library (this product isa step backwards and reminds me of the days of proprietarysoftware/hardware when you were forced to go back to the specificvender you purchased your technology from for everything). Thisproduct should have never made it out of the conceptual phase and itwill fail – at least, that’s my opinion.
Hey Nintendo dude person. When are you going to upgrade the Wii so I can watch HD hulu on it without it choking and stuttering and threatening to explode? And perhaps, watch a DVD...
kthxbye
"watch a DVD"
Who cares?
LOTS of people care. See: Playstation 2.
Now, I agree that the wii doesn't need much help in the success department, but it's just weird that the 360 has no browser, and the wii plays no DVDs. The wii looks so good and minimalist that a lot of people would love to leave that up as their only device attached to their older SC televisions.
Just my opinion.
Can't play DVDs? People are seriously still trying to use that argument about the wii?
Newsflash - it's 2009. If nothing else connected to your TV can play DVDs you have more serious problems, like the fact you've just been robbed, or at least have no business commenting on a gadget blog.
@Gimboa: See: 10 years ago
Because Sony is hoping that by introducing a more expensive, less function PSP that they can make the original look good in comparison so people will buy it because all of a sudden it looks "cheap". Fail again Sony.
This is actually a good point, except your silly 'fail'. Sony is selling a lot more PSPs now. They do seem cheaper now.
The PSP Go is not a bargain bin device. So what? you don't have to buy it. Get the PSP 3000, which, if you own UMDs you wish to replay, is a superior and cheaper system. Everyone wins.
Yes, because playing DVDs, or even Blue Ray will insure success... Look at how many more PS3 have been sold than Wiis...
Oh... whaitaminute...
the DSi "what's in it for me?".. well now that is open to interpretation. You see, for me what you get with the DSi versus the DS is a slightly more expensive piece of shit. Oh wait.. I guess they added cameras, hot swappable games and the fact you can download game demos. So basically, they added two toys and fixed flaws that made the DS inferior to even the PSP-1000 (and they still have a long way to go). Plus the game library really is quite awful at best. I'm not defending Sony in saying that they don't do anything wrong... all I'm saying is it's a little hypocritical on Nintendo's part...
Kinda like the functionality of a DS to a DS lite?
Exactly.
the real question is: how many non-fanboy would buy a psp go?
Sony is constantly shooting its mouth off in the media about Nintendo's and Microsoft's gaming products, and usually the stuff they say is far more outrageous. What kind of a fanboy takes exception to this comparatively mild pair of comments from Reggie?
Sony is about as respectful of Nintendo as vice versa, but bear in mind how Sony got into gaming in the first place. Nintendo could have owned the entire PS1 and PS2 lines if they hadn't turned their backs on it.
Sony is aggressive, though I don't think Nintendo or Sony are all that hard on eachother. They just want to sell more product, respectively.
Now, Microsoft is a different matter entirely, but you can learn more about MS's ways on a legal blog than a tech blog. Those dudes are hardcore.
I'm just stunned by the obviousness of the statement. I think we've all figured out by now that the PSPgo is a raw deal for gamers and retailers.
I can't disagree with him. The PSPGo isn't a hardware upgrade, it's just a form factor change. It isn't going to open the door for a new generation of better looking, faster playing portable games. At the same time, it's locking out the PSPs entire back catalog of UMD games. On top of that it's a lousy PMP with a horrible browser.
Sony's basically killed any market that may have existed for the device. There's nothing new to capture the attention of anyone who's not already vested in the platform. The lack of a UMD drive or conversion method means that anyone who IS vested in the platform will just stick with their existing hardware. No-one looking for a PMP that also plays games is going to buy a PSP when an iPod Touch is cheaper and has arguably better games. Who's left to buy the thing?
Sony should have just held off another year and pushed out a full on PSP2. The concept of download to local storage games is great (and arguably should have been done with the original PSP), but if you're going to kill off the UMD drive you should have done it on brand new hardware and had a reasonable number of launch titles ready to go.
The browser is fine for what it is (micro-browser) and it's one of the best PMPs there are.
Maybe he should learn how to dress before taking swings at others :-) A two-button suit isn't cut the have the last button buttoned.
Besides - visible t-shirt under a shirt? Atleast wear a v-neck...
I think you're reading the wrong blog. Try The Cut, Glamor, Vogue, etc.
This dude has a fundamental tiny head problem.
FAIL... THe psp go, is a no no...
Guys, enough! I do have PSP 1000, 2000 and Go with me. PSPgo is the first step to completely rely on the digital distribution model that PSP2 is going to be. Nobody tells you to buy PSPgo when you already playing your ISOs collections on your memory stick.
All my PSP 1000 and 2000 are running 5.50 GENB2 and I'm happy with it. However, I'm also happy that PSPgo has finally abandoned it's UMD drive that I've been hating since 2005. UMD drive is slow, noisy, consume lots of power, and the UMDs are huge compare to flash storage. UMD can only hold 1.8GB max while a tiny microSD, M2 that's 1/4 size of the current memory stock duo can hold up to 32GB or more.
PSPgo is very pocket friendly and it does load games faster than UMD and very convenient. For all people using the legitimate ways, the huge downside is that you can't sell your games or buy budget used games so stick to your PSP 3000.
For hacking and piracy, it's just a matter of time for PSPgo to be hacked to play ISOs. So once the PSPgo is hacked, let's see how you guys will react again. Maybe PSPgo will outsell the PSP 3000. Do you still care about the UMDs? Probably not. I have like 20 UMD games laying around but I also have more than 100GB of PSP ISOs in my harddrives. I bought UMDs just to support developers. I usually play the isos on a memory stick instead because there is no stupid slow loading time and the noisy motor. I can also put multiple games on a card to play. Guys, just get over it okay? Stop complaining PSPgo lacking UMD drive when most people think UMD is just useless.
Seriously, UMDs.... It's a failure from start. UMD was designed to anti-pirate, but it has failed since launch. So Sony has been thinking about abandoning the UMD drive long time ago. Just that they also needed to consider those of us who have bought UMDs. They have admitted their mistakes of using UMD. To fix that, they have come out a solution which slowly migrates titles to the PSN to allow people to download games and movies to their PSP. The next step is obvious, just completely abandon the whole UMD physical media distribution channel and create a PSPgo!
Those who think that Sony is monopolizing their own software distribution channel is wrong. Amazon has recently start selling PSP and PS3 downloadable contents and games online though the selections are still limited. For Gamestop or any retailers to survive, they eventually need to setup digital downloads booths in-store and online instead of just selling physical copies and used games.
Digital distribution works very differently than physical media. It doesn't occupy huge storage space except harddisks and servers which are getting smaller and smaller in physical size. Therefore the retail stores don't need to worry about shelfing space for new products by doing clearance. The consumers may end up with less bargain deals from clearance items base on traditional business model, but look at iPhone, lots of apps are always dirt cheap and on sale forever! Soon, people will start selling their accounts full of games. I'm sure some of us already did that. In the near future, people will sell accounts instead of individual games. That means, for those people who just want to buy and sell one game, you can create multiple accounts such as one account for RPG, one for racing, the other for action, etc. Just think about new ways of doing business. Don't let the traditional model bothers you.
Digital Distribution is the future. It's proven to be successful by looking at Apple App Store.
I'm so glad you're completely wrong.
Digital distribution is horrible for full games. And I'm glad the Go is failing so badly that PSP2 won't follow in it's existing-owner-screwing footsteps.
DD is a step backwards
Being a PSP bigest fan, I just have to go with Fils-Anime on this one. PS I still hate the DS(i) kiddy library.
If you honestly think the DS library is just for kids, you're a fool.
If you look at the American market maybe it's true, but once you look at the Asian market, there are plenty of games for adults... Speaking of that, GTA Chinatown Wars is rated M.
He's got a point- The PSP Go! was a waste.
Doesn't anyone think that one of the fundamental problems with the psp go is that it's only method of obtaining games is via wifi, but WPA2 still isn't supported.
Seriously did no one at Sony foresee this as an issue for customers?
PSP Go's Fundamental Concept problem...
iPod touch.
I think the problem with the PSP conceptually is it's a "portable playstation". Handheld games should be fundamentally different from console games, and ports don't really cut it. People play handheld games on-the-go and they'll never be as immersive as a console game, simply because of the form factor. The game library and controls should reflect the differences, and the DS does that much better.
"I think the problem with the PSP conceptually is it's a "portable playstation"."
I think that's the best part about PSP.
No, Raffi is right. Part of what makes many DS games so enjoyable is that they're pick up and play titles that can be enjoyed in any portion size: during a long play session, or for ten minutes while riding the subway. That is perfect for a portable device and is a different paradigm than console games, which almost never have much of a payoff in small doses. And that's what playing the PSP is like: nearly impossible to enjoy unless you're in one spot for a long period of time.
Reggie would be right
Anyone else think he looks like a Goomba? Im sure he's a nice guy and it's just this picture and aboout 10 others I've seen
I got the psp go 2 weeks ago and i love it! Since I have a PS3 and download stuff quite a lot from the PSN this was a good move by Sony. I'm the type of person that when I finish a game I rarely play it again. There are always new games coming out so no time to play old one once you finish it. The PSP go are for new gamers or people like me who don't touch old games once you are done with it.
i think they brought out this psp go just to make the people buy the normal psp by making them feel there getting such a bargin
@mynk
"i think the fact that sony is still being the industry leader in pushing for new technologies, even if they're not exactly innovations, is a great thing to see regardless of how exactly this product does. face it or not, the future is in fact digial distribution, and the sooner the companies get on the bandwagon, the better it is for us."
One word "802.11b". The device horribly design, full of nearly decade old technology. Hell the thing doesn't even have an internal structural frame. This is one device that isn't going to survive abuse (when one of its selling points is throwing it in your pocket), and add that to a mechanical slide from the cellphone industry and you have a rather flimsy product. When your "core" innovation is digital distribution, its a good idea to use a network protocol that can actually handle digital distribution. Its really sad when the oldest iPhone can download faster out of a cellular network than a PSP over a home wireless network.