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[Steve Youngblood]

One of the main reasons is that with PSP Go users cannot pirate and cannot buy used games (this is perhaps bigger than the piracy aspect). They are forced to buy new software. Furthermore they must buy it through Sony's store which will increase the amount of money both they and developers receive by cutting out the retailer, hopefully creating more software for the platform, which will increase sales, and so on.

Go users, sure. But if the problem of today is that software doesn't sell because everyone's pirating it -- i.e. they WANT to play the software but they don't want to pay for it -- then there's an easy solution to this problem: don't upgrade to Go.

Surely we don't think that new software distributed digitally isn't going to show up on Torrent sites available to those with the hacked PSPs of yesteryear.

 

[Evander]

One of the main reasons is that with PSP Go users cannot pirate and cannot buy used games (this is perhaps bigger than the piracy aspect). They are forced to buy new software. Furthermore they must buy it through Sony's store which will increase the amount of money both they and developers receive by cutting out the retailer, hopefully creating more software for the platform, which will increase sales, and so on.

This is an extremely consumer-negative move, though. When you remove competition from a market, it causes stagnation.

Expect PSP game prices to end up being higher than they would have been in a competetive market..

 

[Captain N]

I plan on having a Go and a 3000 so I wanted to know if we can have the same game on 2 different systems at the same time.

 

[Evander]

I plan on having a Go and a 3000 so I wanted to know if we can have the same game on 2 different systems at the same time.

as of right now, yes.

 

[VanMardigan]

There's another problem with digital distribution that could hurt PsP Go: geographic content restrictions. I could think of several scenarios where this would suck:

1. You live in a geographic no man's land (such as I) or you travel/move to one. I live in the US Virgin Islands, which means I'm not in the continental US, not in the 50 states definition, yet neither am I in an international country. Now, it's getting better, but while I can access the Sony/MS video stores, etc., I still cannot purchase content from the PSN store because I cannot use my credit cards, and points are being sold at above their dollar value everywhere I've looked. Now, before you go thinking it's just me and these small islands, Puerto Rico and some other places face many of the same stupid challenges created by dumbass content providers and stupid licensing agreements. This means that while Sony's dumb ass will sell us the consoles at our local retail outlets, they won't take our credit cards to allow us to purchase the games from the PsN store.

2. If you travel and need to update your content. Since these services typically filter by IP, you won't be able to download, say an important patch, or even a copy of the game if the file becomes corrupted while you're traveling outside of the region where you purchased your game. And of course, you won't be able to purchase any new games either until you come back to your original geographic location.

3. If you decide to move to another region. Same as #2 above.

4. Games not offered in your region will be perpetually unavailable to you, since you won't have the option to import as you would with physical media. Now, switching your region on the PsP Go may or may not be available to you and may or may not work, because as Netflix on X360 has shown, these asshole companies are going to greater lengths to filter by IP and block users out of content they are more than willing to pay for.

Physical media allows you to bypass these limitations, and while I know that many folks won't encounter these issues because they don't travel etc., it's still a consideration for someone who is considering going DD only.

 

[AndrewG009]

It's good to see Sony learning from their mistakes.....

Some never learn. Sony needs to start digging up.

Edit: I have no problem with the technology itself nor the psp, Sony just needs to work on their pricing and strategy in my opinion.

 

[InsertCredit]

There's another problem with digital distribution that could hurt PsP Go: geographic content restrictions. I could think of several scenarios where this would suck:

1. You live in a geographic no man's land (such as I) or you travel/move to one. I live in the US Virgin Islands, which means I'm not in the continental US, not in the 50 states definition, yet neither am I in an international country. Now, it's getting better, but while I can access the Sony/MS video stores, etc., I still cannot purchase content from the PSN store because I cannot use my credit cards, and points are being sold at above their dollar value everywhere I've looked. Now, before you go thinking it's just me and these small islands, Puerto Rico and some other places face many of the same stupid challenges created by dumbass content providers and stupid licensing agreements. This means that while Sony's dumb ass will sell us the consoles at our local retail outlets, they won't take our credit cards to allow us to purchase the games from the PsN store.

2. If you travel and need to update your content. Since these services typically filter by IP, you won't be able to download, say an important patch, or even a copy of the game if the file becomes corrupted while you're traveling outside of the region where you purchased your game. And of course, you won't be able to purchase any new games either until you come back to your original geographic location.

3. If you decide to move to another region. Same as #2 above.

4. Games not offered in your region will be perpetually unavailable to you, since you won't have the option to import as you would with physical media. Now, switching your region on the PsP Go may or may not be available to you and may or may not work, because as Netflix on X360 has shown, these asshole companies are going to greater lengths to filter by IP and block users out of content they are more than willing to pay for.

Physical media allows you to bypass these limitations, and while I know that many folks won't encounter these issues because they don't travel etc., it's still a consideration for someone who is considering going DD only.

Just use a fast paid proxy. Unique IP's available for all regions of the world, excellent speeds, the works.

 

[Lucis]

The more I think about it the more I feel that PSP GO is going to be a step backwards for me.
It really hurt the region free part of the PSP for me. Back then I just just buy a umd game from any region, pop it in and it'll work. Now maybe I'll have to deal with if it is even possible to get games from multiple regions =(

 

[BeEatNU]

Some never learn. Sony needs to start digging up.

Edit: I have no problem with the technology itself nor the psp, Sony just needs to work on their pricing and strategy in my opinion.

personally, I think the pricing of the PS3 wasn't too shabby considering all the shit it has in it.

but thats just me. I will admit $199.99 psp go would have been the sweet spot, but $249.99 is a bit much for some people. Hopefully they don't like being third and not making money and that will jump start them into finding better strategies and what not.

 

[RedNumberFive]

Sounds like it could be a bit iffy. I've only got about 25 PSP games but I've been collecting them for many years. Looks like it might only cover a portion of my collection. Will wait and see.

I'm in the same boat. I have too large of a collection to buy a PSP Go, without some sort of transfer solution. I really had no desire to pick up a Go, but if Sony pulls this off well, I will likely be swayed.

 

[Kintaro]

personally, I think the pricing of the PS3 wasn't too shabby considering all the shit it has in it.

but thats just me. I will admit $199.99 psp go would have been the sweet spot, but $249.99 is a bit much for some people. Hopefully they don't like being third and not making money and that will jump start them into finding better strategies and what not.

PSP is third now?

 

[yankee666]

The more I think about it the more I feel that PSP GO is going to be a step backwards for me.
It really hurt the region free part of the PSP for me. Back then I just just buy a umd game from any region, pop it in and it'll work. Now maybe I'll have to deal with if it is even possible to get games from multiple regions =(

i Have the same worries about that, i love the possibility to play import games without any mod to the console. If you can download ANY game from ANY store right now with your old PSP, you will with the new PSPGO, and besides you can have the game "right in your door" the same day.

 

[Tideas]

personally, I think the pricing of the PS3 wasn't too shabby considering all the shit it has in it.

but thats just me. I will admit $199.99 psp go would have been the sweet spot, but $249.99 is a bit much for some people. Hopefully they don't like being third and not making money and that will jump start them into finding better strategies and what not.

when did the PSP become 3rd?

By pricing it at $249, they will be making money, so how can you say that they don't like making money?

Say, they sell to retailers at $240. It costs them $230 to make, and distribute the PSP.

They can sell their PS3 at a lost. I doubt they'll do the same to the PSP.

 

[Arkham]

16 gigs of flash memory isn't all that expensive these days.

Okay, then add a 16GB flash card to a PSP-3000 then. Brings the price up to about $220, and you only have 16GB instead of 16GB + 16GB minimum.

 

[Evander]

when did the PSP become 3rd?

By pricing it at $249, they will be making money, so how can you say that they don't like making money?

Say, they sell to retailers at $240. It costs them $230 to make, and distribute the PSP.

They can sell their PS3 at a lost. I doubt they'll do the same to the PSP.

Assuming that the 3000 is already being sold for profit, there's no way that the Go could cost $230 to produce.

16 gigs of flash memory ISN'T that expensive.

 

[Lucis]

i Have the same worries about that, i love the possibility to play import games without any mod to the console. If you can download ANY game from ANY store right now with your old PSP, you will with the new PSPGO, and besides you can have the game "right in your door" the same day.

I have never tried to use japanese PSN store to get stuff for my PSP on my PS3... does that work now? Also the point cards for jPSN is pretty expensive to get right now. I wonder what's the cheapest place.
I also love the idea of having a physical copy though =(. I actually do use CFW on my PSP, since i have a 32G setup i can pretty much put nearly half of my game on it. Hopefully GO will get CFW treatment (but looking at the 3000 still don't have CFW, it's probably not going to be anytime soon) so I can just buy the physical copy and use it with the GO the same way I do with my current 2000

 

[Arkham]

But individual consumers can see the Go sitting on the shelf next to the 3000, and see the price difference there.

...and I'll bet even more of the non-hardcore crowd than before will say "It's more portable, sexier, AND it has 16GB built-in!" -- even more will say "I can even reuse my bluetooth headset/phones. Even more will say "And I don't need to carry those discs with me!".

It's not going to sell DS numbers, but it's going to sell more PSP-platform numbers in total than if it wasn't released. That's all Sony cares about.

 

[Evander]

Okay, then add a 16GB flash card to a PSP-3000 then. Brings the price up to about $220, and you only have 16GB instead of 16GB + 16GB minimum.

memory sticks are also overpriced. If Sony would use something standardized, like Secure Digital, things would be much cheaper for consumers.

 

[Gamecocks625]

didn't read the entire thread, just have a question about the battery life. Has sony stated how long the battery life is in the PSPgo? is it comparable to the old PSP's?

That's the million dollar question that NO ONE has asked Sony.

 

[Evander]

...and I'll bet even more of the non-hardcore crowd than before will say "It's more portable, sexier, AND it has 16GB built-in!" -- even more will say "I can even reuse my bluetooth headset/phones. Even more will say "And I don't need to carry those discs with me!".

What will you bet?

Because personally, what I see is consumers buyng Gos when they first come out, and then angrily returning them when they discover that there is nowhere to put their discs.

 

[BeEatNU]

PSP is third now?

when did the PSP become 3rd?

By pricing it at $249, they will be making money, so how can you say that they don't like making money?

Say, they sell to retailers at $240. It costs them $230 to make, and distribute the PSP.

They can sell their PS3 at a lost. I doubt they'll do the same to the PSP.

I'm not talking about psp as a third, I'm talking about Sony as third.

Personally. I'm not 100% bothered by their pricing, I bought an PSP @ launch via import and a PS3 at launch despite the price.

...and I'll bet even more of the non-hardcore crowd than before will say "It's more portable, sexier, AND it has 16GB built-in!" -- even more will say "I can even reuse my bluetooth headset/phones. Even more will say "And I don't need to carry those discs with me!".

I'm already in this crowd and I guess I'm hardcore... I think :lol

 

[Jack Random]

PSP is third now?

In software sales? Distantly

 

[Pein]

if this thing had 3G it would be heavenly

 

[Outcast2004]

i Have the same worries about that, i love the possibility to play import games without any mod to the console. If you can download ANY game from ANY store right now with your old PSP, you will with the new PSPGO, and besides you can have the game "right in your door" the same day.

You don't know that.

There's a very real possibility that they will be tied to a gamertag. Who know what kind of restrictions could be implemented between now and Oct.

 

[Tideas]

Assuming that the 3000 is already being sold for profit, there's no way that the Go could cost $230 to produce.

16 gigs of flash memory ISN'T that expensive.

16 gig flash is $30 on newegg right now.

So $200. Something in the new PSP is causing the cost to go up. Is it the slide screen? Is it the bigger screen? better LCD technology?

Don't forget cost = production, distribution, paperwork. Who knows. Your assumption is as good as mine. Perhaps they just want to make $30 per PSP sold.

 

[Arkham]

memory sticks are also overpriced. If Sony would use something standardized, like Secure Digital, things would be much cheaper for consumers.

You can find 16GB SD cards and 16GB MS Micro cards for about the same price in bricks'n'mortar and online stores. This "Pro Duo/Micro is always more expensive" bit hasn't been true for a long time. Depends on where you shop, but it's not universal enough to make it a point.

 

[VGChampion]

I have a question though...if you think the PSP is "heavy", just how weak are you?

Heavy for my pocket. And it's not just weight, it's the size I'm factoring in as well. If I'm already caring my wallet, phone, and keys, the PSP isn't exactly the most portable system I want to be carrying around. I would prefer the Micro (which I dismissed until I actually got one).

I mean, none of us know how this thing is going to sell. It could be a complete dud, it could sell like crazy. Just based on my experience working in retail, people will a lot of time go for the better looking merchandise. Who knows in this economy though. Plus, from hands on reports, the screen seems to be the best so far and I would love to take a PSP out with me so when I have downtime, I can play some better games than the puzzle games I have on my iPhone.

And just looking at Patapon 2, that game never even got a UMD release did it? I know that's more of a niche game but Sony will save money from not releasing games on UMD. And you know, Sony seems to sell a lot of PSP's but not much software. If they think they can make money on this thing, good for them. It's just business.

Hope nobody takes this the wrong way. I'm not trying to argue with anyone. I'm just trying to put across my opinion of someone who doesn't play portable systems much at home and plays mostly on the road. That and how the current PSP hardware/software sells.

I don't know. I think I'll probably take a passive role in this topic now though. It's just going in circles. People for and against. I can't see some people here changing their mind ever. :lol

Have fun. I'm gonna go play my PSP right now.

 

[Chemo]

It's what happens when they run out of rational arguments to defend a bad business decision. It's all ad hominem. They're saying that because we aren't going to buy PSP Go!s, our opinions on them are somehow less valid.

No one has run out of arguments, you just keep typing the exact same shit in every post and people are tired of seeing it.

You've made 82 fucking posts in this thread, almost double what the next highest poster has made, and you're still coming back for more? Get the fuck over it already.

 

[Evander]

16 gig flash is $30 on newegg right now.

So $200. Something in the new PSP is causing the cost to go up. Is it the slide screen? Is it the bigger screen? better LCD technology?

Don't forget cost = production, distribution, paperwork. Who knows. Your assumption is as good as mine. Perhaps they just want to make $30 per PSP sold.

you know the Go has a SMALLER screen, right?

 

[BeEatNU]

And just looking at Patapon 2, that game never even got a UMD release did it? I know that's more of a niche game but Sony will save money from not releasing games on UMD. And you know, Sony seems to sell a lot of PSP's but not much software. If they think they can make money on this thing, good for them. It's just business.

I don't think so, I thought it was just vouchers

 

[Arkham]

What will you bet?

I'll bet that regardless of what anyone says in this thread, you'll continue to bang your drum.

Because personally, what I see is consumers buyng Gos when they first come out, and then angrily returning them when they discover that there is nowhere to put their discs.

Really? REALLY? This is the best argument against the Go that I've seen yet, and I cannot wait to see that happen in real life.

It'd be a veritable cd-tray coffee-holder moment!

 

[Evander]

And just looking at Patapon 2, that game never even got a UMD release did it? I know that's more of a niche game but Sony will save money from not releasing games on UMD. And you know, Sony seems to sell a lot of PSP's but not much software. If they think they can make money on this thing, good for them. It's just business.

That may be good for Sony, but it's bad for consumers.

 

[Deku]

My take on Go!

$249

 

[Evander]

Really? REALLY? This is the best argument against the Go that I've seen yet, and I cannot wait to see that happen in real life.

It'd be a veritable cd-tray coffee-holder moment!

Think about all the bitching people did when the PS3 stopped playing PS2 games.

Then consider the fact that it at least still played PS3 games.



If the PSP Go is on sale at Gamestop, this is all going to end with a lot of confused, angry customers.

 

[Jack Random]

if this thing had 3G it would be heavenly

yes, it would even be worth $250

Also on the subject of international stores, you can do that currently, can't you? Provided you have a foreign credit card or PSN cards from that region. I can't imagine they are going to change the way the store works for this.

 

[Guy LeDouche]

when did the PSP become 3rd?

By pricing it at $249, they will be making money, so how can you say that they don't like making money?

Say, they sell to retailers at $240. It costs them $50 to make, and distribute the PSP.

They can sell their PS3 at a lost. I doubt they'll do the same to the PSP.

fixed that for you.

seriously.

 

[AwRy108]

No shit. I've got one. But all the internals are metal. I've also got a 2000 and they ridiculously dropped the overall build quality.

Dunno, I have a 3000, and it seems a whole lot tighter and well built than my old 1000. Also, the weight difference is quite noticeable.

 

[Evander]

Forget 3G, it ought to have 4G if they're going to go in that direction.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

It's not going to sell DS numbers, but it's going to sell more PSP-platform numbers in total than if it wasn't released. That's all Sony cares about.

Which will lead to what? Everyone's arguing about the viability of this new hardware, but the hardware itself was ALREADY viable. It's just that software didn't sell anything.

I'm not convinced about the rationale that suggests that people -- with a smaller and sexier device -- will ultimately be more inclined to download software when they apparently had no desire to purchase the UMDs.

 

[Lucis]

yes, it would even be worth $250

Also on the subject of international stores, you can do that currently, can't you? Provided you have a foreign credit card or PSN cards from that region. I can't imagine they are going to change the way the store works for this.

you don't need a foreign credit card, all psn store has point you can buy.
however i can't sign into my japanese psn account on my psp.

 

[Evander]

Which will lead to what? Everyone's arguing about the viability of this new hardware, but the hardware itself was ALREADY viable. It's just that software didn't sell anything.

I'm not convinced about the rationale that suggests that people -- with a smaller and sexier device -- will ultimately be more inclined to download software when they apparently had no desire to purchase the UMDs.

as well as no desire to download the exact same software on the older device.

 

[kaching]

re kaching: To me, the one concern I have is simply that I'm not sure how this sells software. The old, clunky hardware was selling well enough, so that wasn't the problem. Consequently, this thing only really makes sense as a means of revitalizing the brand if they think that people will actually want to take this smaller iteration with them on the go (oh, I see what they did there) and use it consistently, and therefore purchase more titles through digital distribution. This, or course, is a concession that piracy wasn't their problem before, and that the problem was that people just didn't want to ever use the system after the initial honeymoon phase due to its portability limitations.

They're not selling software now, it couldn't get much worse, so what's the harm in diversifying the product line? The old, clunky hardware isn't getting pulled from the market, it can continue to sell as it has. But it's doing very little for software sales and revitalization of those sales is not going to come on the backs of the existing models.

It's not a concession that piracy wasn't a problem, it's a concession that piracy wasn't the *only* problem. It's a fast moving market and five years is well past the normal length of the actual marriage, nevermind the honeymoon, with portable devices. Ultimately staying sufficiently ahead of piracy where it isn't cutting into revenue to the point that it no longer makes sense to support a product is always going to come down to providing honest, legitimate customers with the product they are most interested in and willing to pay a fair price for.

 

[Evander]

will the DL games cost as much as the phisical ones?

Currents trends in Sony pricing would say yes.

Every game on PS3 for download is identical to it's retail price. And, while some of the PSP downloadable games are cheaper than they were on shelves, some are actually MORE expensive (Loco Roco for $23)

 

[DangerStepp]

More like PSP No! I'll seek out an older model.

What advantages does it have over 1001 and slim anyway?

 

[Steve Youngblood]

They're not selling software now, it couldn't get much worse, so what's the harm in diversifying the product line?

Eh, nothing really. Honestly, I hope it pans out for them.

I'm just a grizzled cynic who thinks this is a misguided effort to save a platform that has already failed. If there's a way to turn it around, I don't think this is it. Therefore, I just look at this and think "well, there's some wasted R & D right there."

Then again, they have scored a few titles of interest in this attempt to revive the system, and I do like my PSP (and will probably cave in and get a Go anyway because that's what I do because I'm a schmuck who buys every shiny piece of new-fangled gaming equipment under the sun), so have at it Sony.

 

[Kintaro]

Eh, nothing really. Honestly, I hope it pans out for them.

I'm just a grizzled cynic who thinks this is a misguided effort to save a platform that has already failed. .

Wait, now the PSP has failed? 50 million units+ is a failure now? My goodness. Someone alert Sony.

 

[Lucis]

Wait, now the PSP has failed? 50 million units+ is a failure now? My goodness. Someone alert Sony.

There are a lot of people consider something failed when they don't like such thing. It's how the world works.

Also
I am always intrigued by the discussion here. It was PS3 at first, 399 vs 299, then it's this, 249 vs 199. How much is 50$ to you guys really? I know some of you might throw the argument that you shouldn't over pay. But I don't really think it's overpaying.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Wait, now the PSP has failed? 50 million units+ is a failure now? My goodness. Someone alert Sony.

I'm aware that the hardware sells decently. I've acknowledged that several times. However, as a platform to sell SOFTWARE (typically this is the endgoal of games platforms), it is indeed an abysmal failure. Nothing sells, and support had all but ceased to exist prior to them making this push to revitalize the brand through Go.

But okay. You sure got me with your in my face sarcasm!

 

[Kintaro]

I'm aware that the hardware sells decently. I've acknowledged that several times. However, as a platform to sell SOFTWARE (typically this is the endgoal of games platforms), it is indeed an abysmal failure. Nothing sells, and support had all but ceased to exist prior to them making this push to revitalize the brand through Go.

But okay. You sure got me with your in my face sarcasm!

That's funny. I could have sworn the system and software is selling pretty well in Japan. I could be mistaken though.

If what you said was true, no one would be making games for it and Sony would have quit long ago. Otherwise, it makes no sense to develop for it. Yet, they continue to. Hmm...do they all enjoy losing money?

 

[Steve Youngblood]

If what you said was true, no one would be making games for it and Sony would have quit long ago. Otherwise, it makes no sense to develop for it. Yet, they continue to. Hmm...do they all enjoy losing money?

If someone wants to educate my sorry ass on how they're kicking ass and taking names in the land of the rising sun, then have at it. In my very passive following of Sales-Age happenings, I was under the impression that it was mainly Monster Hunter that was selling over there. Which is fine, I guess, but I don't know if that's really in and of itself enough to proclaim that your platform is viable.

Stateside, there's been nothing noteworthy in terms of software in quite some time. Furthermore, at most retail outlets, the system does look very much like it's about to lose its shelf space entirely any day now.

But I'm guess I'm just aloof. The system is rocking! The Go isn't an attempt to revitalize a dying brand, it's a DS Lite/DSi type move to make even MORE MONEY!

I can be sarcastic too.