$250 PSP price to stay for a long time to come

[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']No price drops = no more sales.[/QUOTE]

Uhmmm no. No price drops mean less sales from us at CAG. We are a tiny percentage of the video game market. Its still going to sell very well.
 
Once the DS starts to drop and gains a ton of sales, Sony will have to follow suite. If they dont drop the price they may bundle a game or two with the PSP.
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']Uhmmm no. No price drops mean less sales from us at CAG. We are a tiny percentage of the video game market. Its still going to sell very well.[/QUOTE]

How would it still sell "very well"? I would guess that a good majority of people who wanted it at $250 bought it at $250. If $250 is too seems too expensive for a system now, why wouldn't it in a year or two?
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']Uhmmm no. No price drops mean less sales from us at CAG. We are a tiny percentage of the video game market. Its still going to sell very well.[/QUOTE]

The series of price drops that consoles see aren't to seek our dollars. After a year or two, console sales die down, price drops spur huge sales numbers. If a console could still sell very well at a higher price, why the hell would they drop prices in the first place? I'm pretty sure that if the PSP's price doesn't drop in the next year, sales will start to trickle off, making Sony reevaluate this stance.
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']Thats like saying apple wont sell any more Ipods because they havent/are not going to drop the price.[/QUOTE]

If they could sell everyone an ipod at $300 why would they create ipod that cost less money? Becuase not everyone will pay $300 for an ipod and not everyone will pay $250 for a PSP.
 
and in today's news, a complete BS statement from sony goes heard by the gaming world.

"WE WILL NOT DROP THE PRICE"

So, says the sony empire.

however in far away lands, far from the dreamworld sony lives in...in a place called reality....consumers will not open there pockets and lend a hand full of 500 dollars in cash to sony for a ps3.

can sony withstand the urge to cut the price due to small demand? will the sheer number of sequels hurt the value of the ps3? Will the very lack or originality in games, make us turn to our beloved retro consoles and realize our next gen games are the same as our current ones, with different maps and higher price tags?

tune in next spring for the release of the ps3, and dont forget to watch mtv. theyll be sure to tell us gamers how dope ratchet and clank 4 will be, along with gran turismo 5, and devil may cry 9. Don't you forget about grand theft auto: Jersulem now either!
 
Let them keep their high ass prices....they need to be taken down a peg anyway. I love my PS2 but there just seems to be so many dumb ass statements coming from the Sony camp these days. Were better than the XBOX 360 because its the xbox 1.5, Were going to charge you this amount forever, 12 dead pixels is pefectly normal. UGH!
 
I'm sure if they release the non-value pack it'll drop to about $200, then people will hop on wagon again. But at the same time it wont be considered a price drop, just an option.
 
Hmm...so I wonder what the countless people who have been saying "I'll get a PSP when they drop in price" are gonna do now. Looks like they've got a long wait.
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']If they could sell everyone an ipod at $300 why would they create ipod that cost less money? Becuase not everyone will pay $300 for an ipod and not everyone will pay $250 for a PSP.[/QUOTE]

But with every ipod thats smaller, you are getting less for less money. So with that argument Sony would have to take features out of the psp or include less in the package for a price drop. I agree that they should offer a non value pack, but that would essentially be the same thing apple does (give you less for less money).
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']How would it still sell "very well"? I would guess that a good majority of people who wanted it at $250 bought it at $250. If $250 is too seems too expensive for a system now, why wouldn't it in a year or two?[/QUOTE]

I totally agree. Sure there will be some games that come out that will get people to buy the system, but I think most people who will buy it at $250 already have. And the people who do want one are probably people who are waiting for the price to drop.

I don't think we're a minority at CAG, but we represent a much larger group of the gaming population. Just because someone doesn't know about CAG, doesn't mean they aren't cheap asses.
 
Well PSP's are still hard as hell to find, at least around here.....two TRU's I went to were out of stock, and EB hasn't received more than 5 of them since they sold out their preorder allotment. When I found mine two weeks ago TRU only had 2 or 3 on the shelf.

Sony is certainly not going to drop the price on a system that is selling out at $250.

Hell maybe they should just start limiting production and sell them exclusively through ebay :D

"RARE...LIMITED EDITION..."
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']How would it still sell "very well"? I would guess that a good majority of people who wanted it at $250 bought it at $250. If $250 is too seems too expensive for a system now, why wouldn't it in a year or two?[/QUOTE]

Because the software library grows and changes the perception of the product. Both by adding new desirable titles and lower price on earlier releases. Unlike the hardware, there isn't any reason to expect PSP games won't see price cuts over time and eventually GH versions of the most popular titles. A $250 PSP at launch with a dozen titles is a different thing from a $250 PSP with many times that range of choices including many more entries from major franchises and a good selection of early hits for cheap.

For that subset of the market that cares the growing UMD movie library will also offer encouragement. Likewise for lower prices on high capacity Memory Sticks to fulfill the full promise of the product beyond gaming. All of these factors improve the value proposition without reducing the cost of entry.

By and large, it doesn't matter what happens with the DS. Sony regards the PSP as being in a different category and Nintendo by choosing not to produce a product of comparable power supports that belief. Whether that category will produce sufficient software sales to make it a good business is another question. Regardless of competing platforms Sony has always been betting in favor of that or else they wouldn't have bothered to spend over a billion dollars in getting this product to market this year rather than at some future point when the feature set could be delivered at lower cost.

Today there are any number of people buying themselves a PS2, Xbox, or GameCube at the same price those consoles have carried for over a year. Why now instead of sooner? Can it be they've finally felt financially able or a new game release has pushed them over the edge? That should true for at least a few GameCube buyers when the new Zelda title ships, even though many of them could have afforded the $99 previously but didn't see the game they had to have and could only do so by buying that platform to which it will be exclusive. nintendo would rather they bought sooner than later but they'll still have the chance to make good by the improved chance of selling those people yet more GC games once the machine is in their home.
 
This is also somewhat of an acknowledgement that Sony really went out on a limb on the cost vs. SRP of the PSP and doesn't expect to see any serious cost reductions become available for a good while. Even after that happens they'd probably prefer to enjoy a period selling PSPs without subsidy. They've been doing this with the new model PStwo. This is the first version of the machine that not only doesn't require a subsidy but actually has a healthy profit at $149. If it weren't for all of the capital outlay for the PSP they might have already gone for a serious round of price slashing to make life harder for both Microsoft and Nintendo.
 
I have to disagree that the DS price point won't affect the PSP at all. If the DS hits say $99.99 or even $79.99 at some point and has the titles to back it up it may be pretty hard to justify spending another $150 or $170 on the PSP. You could get 4 or 5 new DS games with that money. I would agree it also depends on what they are looking for in the system such as an mp3 player or added features. Even though the DS isn't as powerful they are still in competetion. I think the next few years will prove to be weird especially if Nintendo releases a newer gameboy.
 
Rememer people will often overpay for a Xmas gift. so it make sense for it not to get a price drop after at least one holiday season.
 
If apple can keep selling 20gb iPods for close to 400 bucks then Sony can get away with selling the PSP for 250, there's no end to the number of people that will continue th puy it as long as it's available, it'll just take them longer to buy it than a DS or GBA.

The price will drop but it wont happen when we expect it too. Maybe after the holiday season they'll offer a modified "value" pack and sell it for 225, or stores will start discounting it a little more. I mean hell even iPods drop in price a little.

But I think what this means is that they're going to be trying to push it's other features besides gameing now, which I'd think if they lowered the price of their memorysticks they might get away with. Fix up the Video play back, maybe add a couple more codecs and tighen up the MP3 play back, drop the Memstick pro duo to like 45 bucks and sales could pick up even at 250 for some people. But first and foremost it needs mroe must have killer apps with so many new Video/MP3 players entering the market.
 
You're also forgetting about manufacturing costs.
The lowest bidder is how it works,... after the initial run, runs it's course, some Indonesian plant will design a cheaper screen, or they'll just use cheaper plastics.

Yes,... they may not drop the price off the bat, but I guarantee, they toss in a Greatest Hits title, that sells well.

Perhaps a GT4 version. The same unit, with a silk screened $0.50 emblem on the shell, with the game and a pair of LE driving gloves, all for $249.99!!!

What a deal.
Given time,... like next January,... the unit will be around $199.99.
:)
 
[quote name='HeadRusch']Well PSP's are still hard as hell to find, at least around here.....two TRU's I went to were out of stock, and EB hasn't received more than 5 of them since they sold out their preorder allotment. When I found mine two weeks ago TRU only had 2 or 3 on the shelf.

Sony is certainly not going to drop the price on a system that is selling out at $250.

Hell maybe they should just start limiting production and sell them exclusively through ebay :D

"RARE...LIMITED EDITION..."[/QUOTE]

Are you kidding? Every local game store or any store that sells games for that matter is filled to the gills with PSP's. My local Target has probably 30 PSP's sitting there, no DS's, a few new PS2's, a couple XBoxes, and a couple GC's. Nobody can convince me it isn't the worst selling system out right now, at least in my area.
 
Well,..... here in Japan,... on my US base, you can't get one.
People are paying out their asses for Region 1 PSPs.
Sadly.

I wish I had kept my other 4 units, with crappy screens,... as these guys are drooling at the mouths for them.

They are still ridiculously priced, and are worthless.
If you want an MP3 player, get one you can jog with, that comes equipped with enough memory to suffice.

I am stupid, and so are the rest of you, for buying this piece of junk.
Admit it.
Live with it.
 
thi is actually the first, only and last sony gaming product I've bought and i am quite happy with the price i paid. yeah it was expensive, and almost 400 with everything i have for it, but it doesnt matter, its an amazing piece of machinery.
 
[quote name='Alpha2']If apple can keep selling 20gb iPods for close to 400 bucks then Sony can get away with selling the PSP for 250, there's no end to the number of people that will continue th puy it as long as it's available, it'll just take them longer to buy it than a DS or GBA.[/QUOTE]

This statement is rather inaccurate. There have been a few nods to Apple and the iPod, pointing to the lack of price drops but the increasing sales. However, Apple does not keep selling the same old iPod for the same price. In its four generations, the iPod has gotten significantly slimmer and has a refined interface and improved feature set. Also, the capacity has increased dramatically. Right now, I can buy a 20 GB iPod for $299. Two years ago, when I purchased my iPod, it cost $299 for 10 GB. Also, items thrown in now, such as USB connectors, weren't part of the standard package prior to the fourth generation. Apple appears to have kept the same product at the same price, but that's because after the newer, better generation of iPods are released, the old ones cease to exist. The only example of an iPod model which stayed the same is the iPod photo. Originally, a 40GB and 60GB iPod photo cost $499 and $599 respectively (or at least around those prices). Now, a 30GB iPod photo costs $349 and the 60GB iPod photo costs $449. In the latter case, the 60GB iPod photo, the price reduced significantly and the package remained the same.

If Sony can follow this model and improve the PSP each year to year and a half by doing things such as providing a higher capacity memory stick in the value pack or using a better, longer lasting battery pack, then I would understand keeping the $250 price point...almost. However, I am fairly certain that this is not Sony's plan.

Then again, I'm hoping Sony doesn't stick to this model for long.
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']Somehow I just knew this topic was going to bring out the anti-PSP fanboys.[/QUOTE]

I don't see where you're seeing fanboys here. Some people are arguing the PSP could sell well at $250 forever, whereas others are arguing that a price drop may be necessary to spark future interest in the handheld. Maybe I'm just overlooking the posts that are like "PSP suxx & sonys d00m3d if they dont drop teh price!"
 
[quote name='jkam']I have to disagree that the DS price point won't affect the PSP at all. If the DS hits say $99.99 or even $79.99 at some point and has the titles to back it up it may be pretty hard to justify spending another $150 or $170 on the PSP. You could get 4 or 5 new DS games with that money. I would agree it also depends on what they are looking for in the system such as an mp3 player or added features. Even though the DS isn't as powerful they are still in competetion. I think the next few years will prove to be weird especially if Nintendo releases a newer gameboy.[/QUOTE]

For all of its virtues, the DS is simply not in the same class of product as the PSP on a pure gaming perspective. This would be like claiming N64 price drops would matter much to Sony when they were launching the PS2. The divide in what a multiplatform title would offer on each was immense, as seen in the cases of titles with DS and PSP entries currently. The DS Ridge Racer and Spider-man titles suffer from being early efforts but the best that will ever be seen on that system are unlikely to be remotely comparable to the equally early work for those well reviewed titles on PSP.

The driving factor for the DS is a unique features leading to unique games that cannot be readily outshone by sheer brute force of processing and storage capacity on the PSP. The people attracted to the PSP are that audience who wants that brute force capability brought to bear on portable games and currently no real competitor exists or has been announced. Until that situation changes there isn't anything compelling Sony to cut prices until the cost drops enough to make the greater market reach more valuable than the reduced hardware subsidy. Note how they've held steady on the PS2 price despite it now having a cost that would allow a much lower price without loss. Until the sales begin to slow down there just isn't any real motive to change.

The biggest challenge Sony faces right now isn't competition in portable platforms but their ability to deliver good software for the PSP. There is a number of title to look forward to but in general the lineup is still sparse. Getting more high profile exclusives onto the platform is critical to reaching those who can afford it but are still waiting for the right games.
 
[quote name='epobirs']For all of its virtues, the DS is simply not in the same class of product as the PSP on a pure gaming perspective.[/QUOTE]

If there is one thing that the DS is in the same class as the PSP it is in a purely gaming perspective. Sure the PSP may blow away the DS graphics, but if you are only interested in playing fun games on the go, then I think they are much closer competitors.
 
[quote name='alongx']I don't see where you're seeing fanboys here. Some people are arguing the PSP could sell well at $250 forever, whereas others are arguing that a price drop may be necessary to spark future interest in the handheld. Maybe I'm just overlooking the posts that are like "PSP suxx & sonys d00m3d if they dont drop teh price!"[/QUOTE]

I don't think anyone really believes the price could stand forever. Just much longer than longtime console buyers are accustomed to seeing. Eventually there will be die shrinks of the chipset allowing for better battery life and prompting a redesign. Once the development cost is paid off the silicon cost would be a lot lower and battery life much improved, even with the existing battery. That would do a lot toward allowing a price drop combined with a major usability improvement for a big new sales effort. By that point there would almost certainly be more cost effective screens of equal or greater quality, further adding to the reasons for a redesign. Perhaps while they're at it they could add an SD slot.

If they've been able to present a good software library to keep sales rolling, by that point they may also face a real competitor, either from Nintendo or a new name portable gaming, making the need for price cutting more important than previously.
 
[quote name='jkam']I have to disagree that the DS price point won't affect the PSP at all. If the DS hits say $99.99 or even $79.99 at some point and has the titles to back it up it may be pretty hard to justify spending another $150 or $170 on the PSP. You could get 4 or 5 new DS games with that money. I would agree it also depends on what they are looking for in the system such as an mp3 player or added features. Even though the DS isn't as powerful they are still in competetion. I think the next few years will prove to be weird especially if Nintendo releases a newer gameboy.[/QUOTE]

If Nintendo is going to be releasing yet another version of the Gameboy Advanced, you can rest assured that the DS wont be dropping in price anytime soon.

Unless they can introduce the NEW Gameboy Advanced at $49.99, and then make the DS the $99.99 price-point handheld, but I just dont see that happening if people continue to buy the DS at $149.99.

Sony wont drop the price of the PSP until they have to...and since there still appears to be more demand than supply, or at least a certain balance the S/D right now, Sony has exactly zero reasons to drop the price.

To expect them to do otherwise would be foolish....
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']Somehow I just knew this topic was going to bring out the anti-PSP fanboys.[/QUOTE]

So now someone is an "anti-PSP" fanboy because they think it's too highly priced?
So, with your logic, that makes you a Sony fanboy because you obviously think it isn't.


The price is too high if they expect to keep it at that price point indefinatly. Hell, even some who have bought one admit it's too damn expensive.
Comparing the PSP to the IPOD price just makes no sense. Apple is consistantly updating the IPOD (as some have also pointed out). So what? Sony is going to upgrade the value pack to include an additional movie?

They will lower the price, that's a fact they either already know and won't say because that would make them admit it isn't selling as well as they had hoped, or are in huge denial.
 
[quote name='alongx']This statement is rather inaccurate. There have been a few nods to Apple and the iPod, pointing to the lack of price drops but the increasing sales. However, Apple does not keep selling the same old iPod for the same price. In its four generations, the iPod has gotten significantly slimmer and has a refined interface and improved feature set. Also, the capacity has increased dramatically. Right now, I can buy a 20 GB iPod for $299. Two years ago, when I purchased my iPod, it cost $299 for 10 GB. Also, items thrown in now, such as USB connectors, weren't part of the standard package prior to the fourth generation. Apple appears to have kept the same product at the same price, but that's because after the newer, better generation of iPods are released, the old ones cease to exist. The only example of an iPod model which stayed the same is the iPod photo. Originally, a 40GB and 60GB iPod photo cost $499 and $599 respectively (or at least around those prices). Now, a 30GB iPod photo costs $349 and the 60GB iPod photo costs $449. In the latter case, the 60GB iPod photo, the price reduced significantly and the package remained the same.

If Sony can follow this model and improve the PSP each year to year and a half by doing things such as providing a higher capacity memory stick in the value pack or using a better, longer lasting battery pack, then I would understand keeping the $250 price point...almost. However, I am fairly certain that this is not Sony's plan.

Then again, I'm hoping Sony doesn't stick to this model for long.[/QUOTE]

My comment is more focused on the fact that people will buy it at a high price point because of it's high profile. I have no doubt the iPods of today are better than their original model but even then there are other MP3 players which are cheaper and would do just fine for many users needs yet some people buy the iPod anyway because it's the "hot item".

I did go on to mention the possibility of them altering the value pack or lowering the price of the memory sticks, these would be in line with improving the product, maybe not the same league as the changes to the iPod but Epobirs as usual made a better point of the internal chances that can lower the unit price and improve performance.

And yeah untill there's a competative handheld of similar power there's really no incentive to drop the price as long as it still sells as it is.
 
[quote name='epobirs']For all of its virtues, the DS is simply not in the same class of product as the PSP on a pure gaming perspective. This would be like claiming N64 price drops would matter much to Sony when they were launching the PS2. The divide in what a multiplatform title would offer on each was immense, as seen in the cases of titles with DS and PSP entries currently. The DS Ridge Racer and Spider-man titles suffer from being early efforts but the best that will ever be seen on that system are unlikely to be remotely comparable to the equally early work for those well reviewed titles on PSP.

The driving factor for the DS is a unique features leading to unique games that cannot be readily outshone by sheer brute force of processing and storage capacity on the PSP. The people attracted to the PSP are that audience who wants that brute force capability brought to bear on portable games and currently no real competitor exists or has been announced. Until that situation changes there isn't anything compelling Sony to cut prices until the cost drops enough to make the greater market reach more valuable than the reduced hardware subsidy. Note how they've held steady on the PS2 price despite it now having a cost that would allow a much lower price without loss. Until the sales begin to slow down there just isn't any real motive to change.

The biggest challenge Sony faces right now isn't competition in portable platforms but their ability to deliver good software for the PSP. There is a number of title to look forward to but in general the lineup is still sparse. Getting more high profile exclusives onto the platform is critical to reaching those who can afford it but are still waiting for the right games.[/QUOTE]

I'm calling foul on this one. First of all we all know that the DS is the less powerful of the 2 machines. But we all agree the PSP is somewhere between the PS1 and PS2 in capabilites. The DS is somwhere in the realm of the N64. Weren't the N64 and PS1 similar in specs? As for the storage capacity how well will the PSP take advantage of this? I don't see it as a big advantage because the load times to use the capability hurt the experience. This takes away from what a "portable game" should be anyway. The XBOX was more powerful than the PS2. The PS2 outsold it. Maybe the gap is larger but the idea is the same. People play the systems that have the games they enjoy. You forget that the portable race has always been a different animal than consoles. The gameboy is a clear example of that.

By your brute force scenario the N-GAGE, the Sega Nomad, and the Sega Game Gear all should have never lowered their prices throughout their life cycle. If the Nintendo DS starts selling more hardware based on great software Sony will have to lower their price if they want to compete. The "extra" features although a nice extra hardly make for IPOD like status.
 
This can be debated till the 2nd coming indeed.. But the fact is in time the price will indeed drop. This is the way it has always been, this is the way it will continue to be. SONY said the same thing with the PS2 year ago. "We won't lower, we won't lower." In the end they did exactly what they said they wouldn't do. Everything hardware wise eventually drops. How long before it happens is the true question.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Hmm...so I wonder what the countless people who have been saying "I'll get a PSP when they drop in price" are gonna do now. Looks like they've got a long wait.[/QUOTE]

We won't buy one. Or at least I won't.
 
you people who are like "omg teh psp iz tew much" have to understand that this is cag, we know its too much, you have to be creative in order to get one cheap

...like the one i got yesteday for $30 =o)
 
[quote name='howlinmad']So now someone is an "anti-PSP" fanboy because they think it's too highly priced?
So, with your logic, that makes you a Sony fanboy because you obviously think it isn't.


The price is too high if they expect to keep it at that price point indefinatly. Hell, even some who have bought one admit it's too damn expensive.
Comparing the PSP to the IPOD price just makes no sense. Apple is consistantly updating the IPOD (as some have also pointed out). So what? Sony is going to upgrade the value pack to include an additional movie?

They will lower the price, that's a fact they either already know and won't say because that would make them admit it isn't selling as well as they had hoped, or are in huge denial.[/QUOTE]


Well let's see we have


[quote name='thingsfallnapart']and in today's news, a complete BS statement from sony goes heard by the gaming world.

"WE WILL NOT DROP THE PRICE"

So, says the sony empire.

however in far away lands, far from the dreamworld sony lives in...in a place called reality....consumers will not open there pockets and lend a hand full of 500 dollars in cash to sony for a ps3.
[/QUOTE]

Seems pretty anti sony and PSP in my opinion. There's also:

[quote name='Jkam']
Let them keep their high ass prices....they need to be taken down a peg anyway. I love my PS2 but there just seems to be so many dumb ass statements coming from the Sony camp these days. Were better than the XBOX 360 because its the xbox 1.5, Were going to charge you this amount forever, 12 dead pixels is pefectly normal. UGH!
[/QUOTE]

Sure that isn't really anti but its pretty far from pro also. Then right after my post you have:

[quote name='Drone8888']Well,..... here in Japan,... on my US base, you can't get one.
People are paying out their asses for Region 1 PSPs.
Sadly.

I wish I had kept my other 4 units, with crappy screens,... as these guys are drooling at the mouths for them.

They are still ridiculously priced, and are worthless.
If you want an MP3 player, get one you can jog with, that comes equipped with enough memory to suffice.

I am stupid, and so are the rest of you, for buying this piece of junk.
Admit it.
Live with it.
[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='punqsux']you people who are like "omg teh psp iz tew much" have to understand that this is cag, we know its too much, you have to be creative in order to get one cheap

...like the one i got yesteday for $30 =o)[/QUOTE]



:applause:

That's what being a CAG is all about.
 
[quote name='jkam']I'm calling foul on this one. First of all we all know that the DS is the less powerful of the 2 machines. But we all agree the PSP is somewhere between the PS1 and PS2 in capabilites. The DS is somwhere in the realm of the N64. Weren't the N64 and PS1 similar in specs? As for the storage capacity how well will the PSP take advantage of this? I don't see it as a big advantage because the load times to use the capability hurt the experience. This takes away from what a "portable game" should be anyway. The XBOX was more powerful than the PS2. The PS2 outsold it. Maybe the gap is larger but the idea is the same. People play the systems that have the games they enjoy. You forget that the portable race has always been a different animal than consoles. The gameboy is a clear example of that.

By your brute force scenario the N-GAGE, the Sega Nomad, and the Sega Game Gear all should have never lowered their prices throughout their life cycle. If the Nintendo DS starts selling more hardware based on great software Sony will have to lower their price if they want to compete. The "extra" features although a nice extra hardly make for IPOD like status.[/QUOTE]

You keep expecting Sony to play by a rulebook that doesn't exist. (And no, I don't agree the PSP is 'somewhere between PS1 and PS2.' That would be a misapprehension based on early games only using two-thirds of the system throughput that is current constrained in the firmware. Even with that constraint the difference is quite major. A generational level.)

You keep expecting past products to serve as a guide but none of them are really indicators of anything but their own failures. Of them only the Nomad fits the brute force scenario. It was just a Genesis crammed in a box with a screen and batteries with no serious engineering effort to make it effective. Sega had no interest in doing so as the product only existed at TRU's request. It was never going to be true platform unto itself. As badly done as the Game Gear was, they at least made a go at reducing power usage and outfitting it with good accessories along with substantial software beyond what they could adapt from the Master System. (Some Game Gear titles had Master System releases in Europe where Nintendo's strength was less but the MS was completely unsupported in the US by then.)

The N-gage is just a joke, start to finish. It has a tiny group of adherents but most people looked at it and wondered what the attraction is supposed to be. (I remember being at their E3 launch event and realizing quickly they really had no idea what they were doing. Nothing since then has been a surprise.) Achieving multiplayer through a cell phone connection was a huge mistake when so much other advertising is devoted to tales of woe associated with cell phone costs. Nokia couldn't decide whether this would be a game system with wireless connectivity first or a cell phone first, so it ended up being lousy at both and really turned off customers from both directions.

By and large the Game Boy didn't beat any competitors so much as minded its own business while the rest self-destructed. You can find plenty of old ads where wouldbe competitors stressed their advantages but few where Nintendo took that approach. They stuck to their value formula and just kept moving along. Which was fine for the days when the market was narrower. Today there can be other portable game systems that take the same approach at a different level with neither really in direct competition.

Storage capacity matters quite a lot. PSP games are more expensive due to having near-console level facilites means a similar level of cost but the media is much, much less expensive than the DS's ROM. When you bring in the issue of capacity it only becomes worse. Just dropping in a bit of FMV is a huge decision for a DS game's publisher, since it can easily double the amount of ROM needed for just a small amount of video. On the PSP you're getting the full capacity of the inexpensive UMD regardless of how big your game is. You can fill it up however you like. Game demos, movie trailers, music videos, game documentaries, or whatever else they can think of, even just empty space. There is no penalty for any of it. Developers and publishers are free of the media capacity issue.

The advantage will only increase as down the road the most popular PSP games receive the GH treatment, including a much lower price. At the same time it is unlikely Nintendo can match this. Recall how they acted like they were doing everyone a big favor when elderly N64 games were treated as Player's choice bargains at $40? The problem for them is that they can only do price reductions as their costs go down for the production of each cart. On PSP UMDs, the cost per unit is very low from the very beginning and the price driven primarily by development costs. A big PSP hit can pay off those cost very quickly and evey unit there after either sold at a very high profit or reduced in price to increase the reach of the game but still make a good profit. On the DS it doesn't matter how fast a game sells, the cost of that ROM isn't changing any time soon.

As for load times, if you want to cast the PSP as PS1 to the DS' N64, let us recall there were load times aplenty on the PS1, yet it carried the generation and beyond. Because the stuff being loaded was worth waiting for. But we aren't talking about PS1. This machine has an even greater payoff since it has 8 times the RAM of the PS1. This is another part of the PSP's expense but that 32 MB of RAM is a huge factor in what game developers can achieve with the platform and a pure example of 'you get what you pay for.' On the PS1 there was a bit of a penalty for having approximately the same RAM space as the N64 but having to load everything off the disc before it could be used. (This was less of an issue than it would have been in coparison with earlier ROM systems as the N64 also required the same for many types of compressed data but some other types of things could be mapped directly to memory as was common on earlier systems where almost everything could operate directly out of ROM. The same issue applies to the DS and is the tradeoff for heavily compressed storage.)

Load times are more annoying on a portable but the big difference is that the experience is going to be something no other platform is offering on the go. It does influence game developers decisions, such as always allowing saves and making checkpoints in games more frequent. Less use of streaming audio from the disc is another but that is also a reason to have all of that RAM. The earlier specs called for 8 MB but it was realized this would necessitate lots of quick short disc loads rather than much less frequent long loads and would make for reduced power efficiency.

The Xbox was outsold by the PS2 but the reasons are far more complex than 'power isn't everything.' For starters, you had the great disadvantage of an upstart entering the console business against the reigning champ and a former champ. Sony doesn't have that problem in launching the PSP. To much of the market their move into portable gaming wasn't a matter of if but when. Even with its advantages the Xbox was seen by casual shoppers as being of the same generation as the PS2. There wasn't the sort of gulf one would see if comparing the GameCube to the N64, which is pretty similar to comparing the PSP to the DS. Microsoft could have pursued a higher price point and loaded the machine up with the full 128 MB RAM it was designed to allow and some other features but on the same NTSC screen it would have been difficult to make those advanatages quickly obvious to shoppers. On portables it's very different. The display is part of the product. Shoppers can immediately see a huge difference between the PSP and DS. They know why one is $100 more than the other. It also makes a big difference when they see what appears to be ten year old games on the DS while on the PSP the games are comparable to what is on current consoles. When you're targeting affluent shoppers that means a lot. The DS' qualites take more time to appreciate for the casual shopper who isn't sure they want to fiddle with a pen or be seen in public cooing to an imaginary animal.

Ultimately it comes down to sales. If Sony keeps moving units as well as games and movies, it doesn't matter how much business the other guys do if they can't serve the same customers. The car dealer doing a high turnover in $35K BMWs isn't concerned about the guy down street selling a lot of $20K GM models. Nor does he worry about moving sedans and sports cars to guys in the market for a truck. It isn't an all or nothing business. It can seem that way at times but in the portable game business that had more to do with competitors running into brick walls rather than figuring out what that door knob thing was for. In Sony's case part of the formula has been to avoid contending for the low end audience and pursuing the opposite. They have past evidence to suggest it can be a winner if they find the right balance.
 
While that was indeed a lot to take, some great points were made. I will still stick with what I stated earlier. The price will drop some time.. The true question is when.
 
[quote name='KingNES']While that was indeed a lot to take, some great points were made. I will still stick with what I stated earlier. The price will drop some time.. The true question is when.[/QUOTE]

thats very vauge. do you mean the price will drop in a reasonable amount of time (i.e. as other gaming systems (shoot me) have) or do you mean the price will drop over the course of mankind? if you mean the latter, thats kinda a useless point, as obviously in 20 years the psp wont be pulling in $250, but what about in 5 years (assuming stronge support from now until then)
 
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