Sony exec says PSP Go 'confused' consumers, might have been too expensive
By Donald Melanson 
posted February 25th 2010 2:16PM
posted February 25th 2010 2:16PM
Well, we've already heard some rumors that Sony was considering a relaunch of sorts for the PSP Go, and it looks like at least some execs from the company are now starting to speak publicly about why such a move might be necessary. In an interview with IndustryGamers, SCEA Senior Vice President of Publisher Relations Rob Dyer admitted that the PSP Go did "confuse" customers, and that the "higher price point didn't help matters any either" -- not exactly the sort of thing you hear Sony say every day. Does that mean we'll be seeing updated hardware or a lower price anytime soon? Dyer unsurprisingly wouldn't say when pressed, adding only that Sony is "going back and re-communicating" with consumers.
You think?
@godwheel well if u think about it, sony has been at loss with sales of there psp portable gaming! i dont think its JUST the price.
I still wont buy one. I like games on disc that I can "own".
@godwheel Hah came here to say the same thing. Why buy a psp go when for $50 more you have a system that can do "everything" it needs a $50 price cut to make sense
@Kaze9 its at par with the nintendo ds(the new one coming out) and its priced way to high. just like the nintendo dss! these things dont evenhave realy intercourse going on with them in pictochat! this pspgo isnt any better!
@godwheel
You'd have to be stupid to blow so much on a dead platform when you could buy a PS3 for a few dollars more. Not to mention that the graphics just suck. I though there would be more developers like Ready at Dawn with GoW quality graphics, but no. It just sucked.
@Kurian Huh? PSP graphics suck? Tekken 6, Monster Hunter Unite and Final Fantasy Dissidia (what I'm currently playing) says "hi!"
@HelghanSuperSniper I have to second that, Tekken 6 is stunning, and I am the biggest PSP critic.
@Dale P
I know, but I played Tekken DR to death, and frankly all Tekken 6 has over that is some improved lighting effects. The new moves are better mastered on a PS3/360 with an arcade stick. Buying a console for 3 or 4 games is stupid.
@godwheel One of the wonders of using PSP GO is its feature of without having UMD (Media Disc). 200 USD for a PSP go is not possible unless you are going in for a sale. Internet Downloading, streaming etc. Is all possible with PSP GO with a caveat that you should go to PSP's private website. Oh well, just keep in mind sony, that consumers aren't stupid. Opinions: http://bit.ly/psp-go-concepts-before-released
@godwheel
best comment of the week.
@godwheel
I'm confused as to why they didn't take the opportunity to make it a dual analog system. They converted the PS1 from no analog to dual analog controllers mid cycle - this shouldn't be too hard for them to understand.
@thinkthis Dual analog , with a full qwerty keyboard in the middle and i would jizz in my pants.
@Kaze9 well, as a frequent traveller, a handheld is a good thing to kill time waiting to board
@ anyone willing to listen
My take on this device after playing with it in person. Should have been a dual release between Sony and Sony Ericsson (so yea, throw a simcard in there). Should have also been touch screen.
And then, for that price, it would be kinda worth it. Of, and it would be the best gaming phone device with that slide out game pad on the marker.
Sony, you screwed the pooch royally.
@godwheel
So they didn't learn from the PS3, that sales only took off *after* debuting a second gen model that was cheaper; it took them having the same issue on another product to learn that they overprice their products?
@spade, what, you mean like the Pandora? Which has dual analogue, plus standard joypad stuff, qwerty keyboard, touchscreen, compatibility with USB devices, and about the power of early netbooks (maybe a bit more) in a pocket sized device? It's like a netbook and a DS had babies!
@Kurian, I bought an N64 purely for Tetrisphere. Of course, this was when the thing was about 7 years old, so I got it second hand for £12 and Tetrisphere for £5 (UK currency). Totally worth it :)
I'm still not even sure if I understand it.
@ack154
Agreed. It cost more, won't play my UMD games, has a (slightly) smaller screen, a non-removable battery, and lacks dual analog control sticks. Even if I didn't already own a PSP, if I were looking for portable gaming form Sony I would pick a PSP over the PSPGo simply because I can buy cheap used games and swap my battery when I want. I seriously don't understand why the PSPGo ever existed.
@Iopsyc
I didnt know it didnt have a removable battery :O
its probably to stop the pandoras battery hack but what the hell are you ment to do if the psp crashes? wait untill the battery runs out?
@BubblegumBalloon You would do what you always should have done, held the power button up until the system turns off instead of asleep
@BubblegumBalloon
whoa, i never thought of that. Glad I chose the 3000 instead
@Iopsyc That's their point. I think a lot of consumers thought it was a complete upgrade. Sony said it many times, its for those who prefer to download all their games. It was supposed to be sort of a jab at the slowly growing iphone/itouch gamer population. (the minis as well)
@ack154 LOL! don't try to.
Sony, “the NERO of the hand-held device world”!
@Iopsyc
Bit like the Gameboy Micro. Then again I absolutely love my Gameboy Micro.
Well, I stepped into an EB yesterday and looked at the two systems sitting side-by-side on the shelf and looked at the price, and I was "confused" too. $100-something vs $200-something, only one had more functionality, and it wasn't the more expensive one.
Durr!
@Caprice Dates Durka Durrrrr...
@geekthree More money + Less features (no umd) = Fail! Where's our Damn 2nd analog stick! If these idiots would strap a screen to a dual shock controller they would sell millions! Morons! So yea. Um. I 2nd the Durrrrrrrrr.
What confuses me is the fact that every one of us (the consumers) saw this coming from a million miles away. Why didn't sony?
@fs454
they are probably confused
@fs454
I know!!! and that line about going back to do re-communicate . . . what a joke. was the only demographic they listened to affluent and technology-impaired people?
what a piece of junk, look ugly, no umd support, and pretty much the same thing.
@fs454
Sony probably saw that Nintendo was getting away with it (DS->DS Lite->DSi->DSXL) and said "me too". Nintendo knows how to quadruple-dip.
@bolezhinkov Buy me this?
PSPGo was just a way for Sony to try to get extra money that didn't pan out to well because they didn't really listened to consumers. They paid attention when it came to redesign and storage but, failed to listen about addition functionality, backwards compatibly and price....
I'd get one if it were as much or even a little cheaper than a normal PSP.
@sodaboy581
What I really don't understand is why Sony changed around the USB and A/V cable connections for the PSPGo too. It's like this was a failed attempt to rape consumer pockets...
@PlatinumSkeet Yeah, it actually doesn't make sense. They take awake a feature (The UMD drive) and then design every aspect of the PSPgo was make you repurchase stuff you already had. Pretty sad.
@sodaboy581 Gar, I meant "away", not awake...
@sodaboy581 It's not a replacement! The go was targeted towards a certain crowd, thats all. They said it many times, the go was not made for you to sell your psp and buy it. It's like the DSXL, its made to cater for a certain crowd.
@RedYeti Targeted towards who? The regular PSP also plays downloaded games. Just need a Memory Stick Duo. Don't even need to use CFW. I can't think of any reason you'd want a go over a regular PSP, since the regular PSP does everything the Go does... 'cept have a different control and screen design.
Captain Obvious approves of this story.
Confused? more like Refused....
@commenter7 Yup. Sounds like a lot of flim-flam to me.
Good thing they weren't dazed too...
The price is certainly something that needs revising. But the more pressing matter for me is the inability to play my backlog of PSP games, and with Sony backing out of earlier claims to allow free digital downloads of purchased titles, it will remain a no go for me.
Communicating with customers?
How many times do we need to tell you, the JOYSTICKS SUCK, its like their actually designed to give RSI..
Well obviously they did not think about the $50 difference from the PS3 right?? Then fire all those idiots and relaunch the PSP Go for $150 or less and I might think of getting one.