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[GigaDrive]

sorry if old


http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=4535

New handheld will definitely ship this year; several new titles announced in Tokyo

Sony has finished work on PlayStation Portable hardware and still intends to ship the console this year, Sony COO Ken Kutaragi told a press briefing in Japan yesterday, although the company has yet to announce pricing or release date details and Kutaragi declined to say whether or not the unit would cost more than the Nintendo DS ($149).

Yesterday, reports started drifting around that had the PSP retailing in Japan at 33,000 yen (around 167 UKP / 244 Euro), but Sony has since described any talk about price as "speculation" and refused to confirm or deny pricing plans for any territory.

"We won't announce the price of the PSP today," Kutaragi told the assembled hacks yesterday, adding that he hoped to announce it "after we hear the voices of our users, distributors, and developers at the Tokyo Game Show." Sony plans to have 100 playable PSP units at the show and more than 20 playable games.

Yesterday's Sony briefing also revealed a bunch of new games on the way from the likes of Atlus, Namco (Taiko no Tatsujin drum/music game), SNK (3D King of Fighters game), From Software (Tenchu) and Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment (Lumines, a "sound and light action puzzle game" to be published by Bandai).

Sony certainly needs the PSP to make an impression at the Tokyo Game Show after mounting speculation that the handheld will slip to 2005, and rumours of discontent amongst PSP developers surfaced recently.

Kutaragi also said that plans for movies on UMD - the proprietary disc format the PSP will use - are now in the final stages, although there are currently no plans to let users record anything to UMD. Apparently it might happen "if the market starts to get stabilised and things are going well," but if it does it will come after a period of consultation with companies about recording formats, copy protection, standards and so on.

For now though the message is that the hardware is finished, and software availability and the critical reaction are the main factors. "It wouldn't be good if there were a stack of games released at launch, and then a long period afterward without game releases," Kutaragi said, presumably calling to mind the PS2 launch in some people's minds. "So we need to look ahead. We want to make sure that we have a steady release [schedule] before announcing the launch date."

edit: oh wait, releasing PSP this year probably means this fiscal year, which ends March 2005. I'm just assuming that. it would be nice if Sony actually released it in Japan this December...

 

[neptunes]

IT's on track for japan I suppose.

'We won't announce the price of the PSP today," Kutaragi told the assembled hacks yesterday, adding that he hoped to announce it "after we hear the voices of our users, distributors

I find that interesting? Does it mean the proposed price point is subject to change?

Who plays a role in this? Board members? retailers? Forum Joes?

 

[jiggle]

Kutaragi also said that plans for movies on UMD - the proprietary disc format the PSP will use - are now in the final stages, although there are currently no plans to let users record anything to UMD.? Apparently it might happen

There's still hope!

 

[mj1108]

I find that interesting? Does it mean the proposed price point is subject to change?

Who plays a role in this? Board members? retailers? Forum Joes?

Nintendo.

 

[GigaDrive]

Nintendo to Sony: 'haha we can force you to lower PSP price, 99% marketshare, bitches'

 

[SantaC]

the company has yet to announce pricing or release date details and Kutaragi declined to say whether or not the unit would cost more than the Nintendo DS ($149).

yeah right. I'll eat my socks if the PSP is under $200.

 

[Insertia]

I expected both DS and PSP to be pushed back into 2005. Color me suprised.

"We won't announce the price of the PSP today," Kutaragi told the assembled hacks yesterday, adding that he hoped to announce it "after we hear the voices of our users, distributors, and developers at the Tokyo Game Show."

$200-$250

edit: oh wait, releasing PSP this year probably means this fiscal year, which ends March 2005. I'm just assuming that. it would be nice if Sony actually released it in Japan this December...

IF the hardware is finish there's no point in holding it off till next year.

 

[Deg]

yeah right. I'll eat my socks if the PSP is under $200.

Be prepared. I see no reason why PSP should cost in the $2xx range unless they are incompetent.

 

[jiggle]

yeah right. I'll eat my socks if the PSP is under $200.

heh. *bookmarks this page*

 

[ourumov]

I know it won't happen and that's 100% impossible. But imagine Sony released the system worldwide @ 100$.
End of Nintendo ?

 

[Mrbob]

I'd pay 250-300 for a PSP if they included a longer life battery that lasted around 10+ hours while gaming.

 

[SantaC]

Be prepared. I see no reason why PSP should cost in the $2xx range unless they are incompetent.

I said under

 

[The Faceless Master]

I know it won't happen and that's 100% impossible. But imagine Sony released the system worldwide @ 100$.
End of Nintendo ?

hah, if sony did that, microsoft would probably send employees out with gift certificates to buy as many as they can

 

[Culex]

But, but, they aren't competing!

 

[Bob White]

I dont even WANT a psp (or ds), but a 100 dollar psp would mean instant buy for me.

 

[open_mouth_]

after we hear the voices of our users

Hear my voice, you prick, don't release the PSP @ more than $249

 

[Drexon]

So the more we bitch about the price the lower it gets? I'd say It'll get pretty low.

 

[Rocket Punch]

Nintendo to Sony: 'haha we can force you to lower PSP price, 99% marketshare, bitches'

Hmm, this bring into the picture an angle I hadn't actually considered. Could the DS be Nintendo's way of neutralizing Sony's PSP at the expense of losing money from it? I mean, sure, we've discussed this several times but to what point would Nintendo be willing to do this?

Would the DS business plan call for it to be solely a responsive product with the fundamental purpose being to fend off Sony's breaking into the handheld arena? If so, Nintendo could hypothetically, keep on lowering the price of the DS just enough for the PSP not to have a chance to break into the handheld market... All the while maintaining the more affordable/more accessible yet primary cash cow Gameboy line available for the masses thus in effect securing its hold on the portable market.

 

[GDGF]

I don't know about all that, but I do know that Nintendo was prepared to bring the NDS to market at $99 bucks. It'd be nice if Sony lowered the price of the PSP to $250, so Nintendo could go ahead and do that

 

[mj1108]

Or Nintendo forces Sony to go lower then they break out this:

 

[nubbe]

What about battery life?

 

[SolidSnakex]

What about battery life?

Still not confirmed. All we know is that IGNPSP said that played it for an hour yesterday and the battery level never moved.

 

[Chittagong]

I really can't make my mind on which will prevail, PSP or DS. Both have their pros and cons. Today I have the "PSP will win" day.

I came to think of the days when N64 was launched, using the small cartridge format, not capable of "casual adult audience" sexy FMVs etc. Now, with 128MB as the biggest DS game size. To the casual audience, the four controller ports and innovative "3D controller" didn't make the difference. It was PS audio and FMV that ruled. To be fair, that also created a huge difference in third-party support - which is not applicable here.

One thing is for sure. With an operating margin of 1% and games as it's key revenue stream, Sony can't start selling this device at anywhere around 200USD. The business is completely destroyed at that price level and the game sales and eventual volume price reductions won't help to bring the lifecycle business positive.

I just don't know.

 

[sohka88]

Be prepared. I see no reason why PSP should cost in the $2xx range unless they are incompetent

What are you talking about? Although I will not buy a psp, the tech is worth $250 at least. People were ready to pay $200 for old tech(DS).

 

[Link316]

it doesn't matter if the PSP is more expensive than the DS cause being the cheapest hasn't helped the GC against the PS2 or Xbox

 

[nubbe]

it doesn't matter if the PSP is more expensive than the DS cause being the cheapest hasn't helped the GC against the PS2 or Xbox

Being more technology advance on the handheld market hasn’t helped the competition against Nintendo earlier

 

[GDGF]

it doesn't matter if the PSP is more expensive than the DS cause being the cheapest hasn't helped the GC against the PS2 or Xbox

I could name you nine companies that thought that to be true, but now strongly disagree

 

[Mrbob]

Being more technology advance on the handheld market hasn’t helped the competition against Nintendo earlier

Apples and oranges.

There hasn't been this big of a push in the portable market before PSP.

 

[Link316]

Being more technology advance on the handheld market hasn?t helped the competition against Nintendo earlier

difference is none of those other handhelds had 3rd party support like Sony does

 

[neptunes]

There hasn't been this big of a push in the portable market before PSP.

Gamegear? my good ole Turbo Grafix express?

But I agree, this scenerio is very different and it'll be interesting to see how this pans out.

 

[xsarien]

Game Gear is probably the closest you can get, by the time it came out Sega was actually doing well with the Genesis, and they had the muscle to at least let the world know about the device.

But Nintendo still won. In the portable gaming market, price matters *a lot*. You can lose or break something that's constantly on the road, nevermind having it stolen.

 

[GDGF]

Nintendo's handheld market is like the Russian winter of the video game industry, apparently :lol

 

[GDGF]

But Nintendo still won. In the portable gaming market, price matters *a lot*. You can lose or break something that's constantly on the road, nevermind having it stolen.

What matters nearly as much as cost is battery life. Sucks to be the guy disadvantaged in both when you're dealing with the Gameboy empire.

 

[nubbe]

The holy trinity of portable gaming is:

Price
Battery Life
Pokemon

 

[SolidSnakex]

There's really no other handheld to compare to the PSP since none of them have come into it with the backing of a company that's just produced 2 of the most successful consoles ever back to back. They've got alot of hype going into this thing. Nintendo's clearly not taking the PSP lightly. This should be the most competitive system war since the SNES/Genesis.

 

[kaching]

The portable electronics marketplace hasn't remained static since the last time that pricing and battery life were significant perceived issues in knocking down a significant Gameboy competitor, so it would be foolish to assume the issues have remained static as well.

 

[iyox]

I know it won't happen and that's 100% impossible. But imagine Sony released the system worldwide @ 100$.
End of Nintendo ?

No, that would be the end of sony from all the money they would lose. Every unit they sold would amount to greater and greater losses. The kind of tech they are pushing is going to make this thing cost in the $250+ range. Anybody dreaming otherwise is a crack baby.

 

[GDGF]

I'm sure people have grown to love higher prices, lower battery life, and way less compatible software than their (so popular it's pretty much a standard) competition!

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Sony: We will tell you the price when we find out how much we can get away with.

 

[kaching]

Love has never been a factor in what a buyer considers acceptable pricing. I'm sure the only thing that most people would ever truly love is getting a product for free. Anything short of that obviously involves a determination of perceived value at cost. Same for battery life.

Edit:

Sony: We will tell you the price when we find out how much we can get away with.

The corollary to that being that Nintendo's own pricing for the DS indicates they didn't think they could get away with much at all.

 

[Deg]

So the price of the PSP isnt confirmed?

 

[GigaDrive]

at least not for the United States. maybe not even for Japan. unconfirmed reports say the price of PSP will be 33,000 yen which is about $300. this is not confirmed.


I expect the U.S. price to be $249 at most.

 

[Lord Error]

Sony: We will tell you the price when we find out how much we can get away with.

I don't know what else can they do, as it seems to me they'd be losing money even with the $300 price tag. Their Clie PDAs cost twice as much and are not nearly as technologically advanced as PSP. Now, I know PDA market is different and does not rely on softare royalties, but still.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Be prepared. I see no reason why PSP should cost in the $2xx range unless they are incompetent.

Hell, PS2 is still $150-ish. To shrink it down even further, build in a good screen, and a battery for barely more money would truly be something. Of course, PS2 has been overpriced for a long time.

I know it won't happen and that's 100% impossible. But imagine Sony released the system worldwide @ 100$.
End of Nintendo ?

How many days would Sony be able to sustain themselves?

it doesn't matter if the PSP is more expensive than the DS cause being the cheapest hasn't helped the GC against the PS2 or Xbox

One cannot ignore the market conditions in each situation. What if PS2 had launched at $200 against a $300 GCN?

 

[Smiles and Cries]

well then people should not complain about the price... just pay and shut up

 

[Pimpwerx]

Game Gear is probably the closest you can get, by the time it came out Sega was actually doing well with the Genesis, and they had the muscle to at least let the world know about the device.

But Nintendo still won. In the portable gaming market, price matters *a lot*. You can lose or break something that's constantly on the road, nevermind having it stolen.

Big difference though is that Sega has repeatedly proven itself to be a repeated failure. They got lucky with the Genesis. Hit the right marketing approach at the right time. Everything after that was produced, packaged and pushed poorly. Sony >>>>...>> Sega for marketing. If anyone will make a more advanced handheld work, it will be Sony. And by the looks of the 3rd party support, the writing is on the wall for Nintendo...again. I like Nintendo, but I can't help but think that their approach to the industry is woefully outmoded. Sony's gonna eat their lunch IMO. PEACE.

 

[sohka88]

No, that would be the end of sony from all the money they would lose. Every unit they sold would amount to greater and greater losses.

I never understood this logic. THEY WOULD LOSE MORE IF THEY DIDN"T SELL.

 

[GDGF]

Big difference though is that Sega has repeatedly proven itself to be a repeated failure. They got lucky with the Genesis. Hit the right marketing approach at the right time. Everything after that was produced, packaged and pushed poorly. Sony >>>>...>> Sega for marketing. If anyone will make a more advanced handheld work, it will be Sony. And by the looks of the 3rd party support, the writing is on the wall for Nintendo...again. I like Nintendo, but I can't help but think that their approach to the industry is woefully outmoded. Sony's gonna eat their lunch IMO. PEACE.

Sega was riding high back then. Their marketing was perfect. They had a shit ton of games for the Nomad (guess why) and by default, they had alot of third party support. Hell, the Gameboy brand back then wasn't nearly as strong as it is today either (as this was pre Pokemon) Know why they failed? Battery life and price. That's why everybody fails. That's why everyone's been saying since day one that sony had better get those two issues right.

Now we have the NDS which has a shit ton more software than the PSP (GBA legacy and all that), plus as many if not more games in development (and the added benefit of strong Square/Enix support and the portable system seller to end all system sellers, Pokemon)
Not to mention GBA level battery life and a low price...oh, and it's releasing months before the PSP...

Sony is doomed. Sure, they'll sell several million systems, but that is a mere drop in the hat of the Gameboy industry.

 

[Deg]

I never understood this logic. THEY WOULD LOSE MORE IF THEY DIDN"T SELL.

I think he means Sony cant sustain the losses incurred from selling them either Remember Sony isnt MS.

 

[human5892]

I never understood this logic. THEY WOULD LOSE MORE IF THEY DIDN"T SELL.

If you were selling something to me for $5, but it cost you $7 to make it, wouldn't it be less expensive for you not to sell it to me in the first place?