PSPgo now available for under 200 quid

By Robert Purchese Published 5 October, 2009

Various retailers cut the price.

Several retailers have dropped the price of the PSPgo to under £200 after just one weekend on sale.

Amazon.co.uk, Play and GAME and HMV now ask £199.99 for the smaller and lighter handheld which previously commanded £224.99.

Argos still asks for £219.99, however, and ShopTo charges full price, £224.99.

Sony announced a PSP sales increase of 120 per cent following the launch of the PSPgo, although the new model only matched the existing PSP-3000 in terms of units shifted over the weekend.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (62) 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ps3owner #1 2 years ago

    really?! wow I still think I won't buy one...
    Edited by 1 at 05/10/09 @ 17:27

  • ant72 #2 2 years ago

    Another 5 sold then. Awesome.

  • NotSoSlim #3 2 years ago

    Well play always listed it at £199!! Getting mine for £160 week after..Florida here I come :o)

  • Eraysor #4 2 years ago

    I feel sorry for the people that bought one last week. Then again, they were pretty stupid to buy it anyway.

  • reelbigkris #5 2 years ago

    I refuse to believe that a console that only caters for digital downloads is a good idea. If you are a manager of a gamestore, it is difficult to motivate yourself to be positive when you know that once they leave the shop, they will never come back again. the retailers here get screwed.

  • Zomoniac #6 2 years ago

    I still don't get Sony. They make a machine that locks people into their pricing, where they will make a fucking HUGE margin, probably tenfold what they make on a retail game, on everything sold. Yet they make it more expensive? Given that clearly nobody at all is buying the thing, wouldn't it make far more sense to sell it at as cheap as physically possible, making a loss if necessary, say £79, sell millions of them, then make an absolute killing on software? Seems like they're missing a huge opportunity here.

  • GreyBeard #7 2 years ago

    @Zomoniac
    They can still do that later. Starting out like this means they can make some tidy profit on the hardware and software.

    Just been playing with one, very nice little machine regardless of its price. And honestly people should really stop bringing up the issue of the screen-size, in your hands you won't notice a difference in size but the quality of the display is very apparent.

  • mungolikebeans #8 2 years ago

    Bugger. Do i get a refund for launch day loyalty by paying full price?

    Do i F***!

    Being an early adopter can be expensive.

  • Pirotic #9 2 years ago

    The people who got one on day one are going to be pissed, all 12 of them.

  • Lord_Gremlin #10 2 years ago

    It should be 50% cheaper than PSP 3000 - it has 50% less games.

  • Rirekon #11 2 years ago

    This pricing won't be entirely Sony's fault - the retailers will have very quickly realised that the only profits they'll see from the PSPGo is on the console as they won't get any return sales on games, as such they'll have pressured Sony for a much higher RRP to make sure they get a really good percentage from it.

    Regardless it's still too much and moaning about Sony setting the prices on games is entirely valid.

  • dr_zoidthrob #12 2 years ago

    Good start. Keep going...

  • MyPointIs #13 2 years ago

    Performed to expectations, says Sony

  • uglygamer #14 2 years ago

    149.99 Will be the sweet spot.
    Edited by 1 at 05/10/09 @ 18:07

  • immateriaux #15 2 years ago

    Was thinking the same there, around 150 and it becomes a genuine temptation

  • Royal Fool #16 2 years ago

    Why would you want to lock yourself into doing business exclusively with Sony, allowing them to control game prices as they see fit?

  • HiddenPooh #17 2 years ago

    It's stupid. My story must be fairly typical - I'm a PS3 gamer who hasn't yet got a PSP but really fancies Gran Turismo - shall I spend over £200 and then have to wait 30 FRIGGIN DAYS for my free copy or £150 for a nice new 3000 model with the game in the box. Sony are idiots.

  • steveb07 #18 2 years ago

    It's bound to drop in price again before christmas by then it will be hacked and maybe then I will buy one

  • makeamazing #19 2 years ago

    Hmm £200 thats not too bad, maybe when its gets to £150-160 i might get one.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #20 2 years ago

    Watching Sony mess up, is like its own sport now, both funny and tragic. Don't worry bout a week, I say give it a year and it will still be in the crap, from its brethren and the competition. It will be the biggest flop since Virtual Boy, and I feel that Sony need a kick to the nuts, so they can wake up to what gamers want and stop being snooty about PSP.

  • makeamazing #21 2 years ago

    Seriously these Sony hate messages are just funny, get over yourself. If your not prepared to pay for the device fine, if you dont like it fine... but grow up with the "Hate Sony" messages. Todays gamers really make me think they are too spoiled.

  • TopKatt #22 2 years ago

    @HiddenPooh

    I know they say it could be up to 30 days bt I got mine 4 days after I registered.

  • davisorle #23 2 years ago

    Before this article I already said the price went down for this reason : Sony said they are sutisfied from the sales of the PSPGo... lol who the fuck are they kidding? Even if they are counting so badly on the hardcore fans that will just buy a Sony stamped brick STILL you cant say you are selling as you hoped your product and tell me you lower your price under your own will for no reason. Since when was Sony into charities of the kind and Im not aware of? Plus the fact they proved how much money they wanted to make out of each piece of crap they solod if capable to lower the price already.

  • Loghorn #24 2 years ago

    LOL, I knew it. It's turning out to be a failure already (In Europe, at least). How long before our country in North America will follow suit? And it's only been officially released 4 days ago!

  • TopKatt #25 2 years ago

    @makeamazing

    I know! It's hysterical really isn't it? I wonder if it's just games machines that get them so upset? I can just imagine them on other forums:
    "Ha! So the new russell hobbs toaster has improved sales by 200% has it? well 200% of nothing is nothing!!! FUCK YOU RUSSELL HOBBS! FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
    Edited by 1 at 05/10/09 @ 20:08

  • Dizzy #26 2 years ago

    Fastest price cut ever?????

  • lssl17 #27 2 years ago

    @ TopKatt

    Thanks for that, made me spill my tea in laughter!

  • ukdm #28 2 years ago

    If PSPgo was price at £99 would anyone be complaining? I'm not buying one becuase of the ridiculous price, the lack of conversion program, and the fact Sony has said all games will sell at RRP. But if the unit was cheap to encourage uptake would that change things. I have to say it would tempt me at below a ton.

  • Loghorn #29 2 years ago

    LOL, I see that the ones who gave us minuses on voting must be these Go defenders themselves. I love this.

    @makeamazing: Seriously, nobody hates Sony. They only hate what dumb decisions that they keep making. Not just with the PSP, but with the PS3 as well. If you can't handle the truth, why bother ranting about it?
    Edited by 2 at 05/10/09 @ 20:26

  • bad09 #30 2 years ago

    "It's bound to drop in price again before christmas by then it will be hacked and maybe then I will buy one"

    It was already hacked 2 days after launch.... I've not researched it much (I'll wait for a much cheaper machine first!) and this won't lead to proper CF (apparently you cannot write to Flash0 on the PSPgo so not sure if they ever can TBH) but it might give emulator/custom PS1 eboot/custom ISO users some hope for a workaround in the future should they consider a go.

  • crickson #31 2 years ago

    Clearly these retailers have a better idea than Sony of what kind of pricing the market will bare right now. You also have to wonder what kind of profit they are making per unit, especially from a system with no retail software.

    And ROFL at TopKatt : )

  • whoslotte #32 2 years ago

    'PSP Stop'

  • Ryze #33 2 years ago

    /waits

  • Mozz-eyes #34 2 years ago

    I want one, but I think just coz it's new.

  • BritishBlue1 #35 2 years ago

    @Topkatt

    Thanks for that, so funny and so true. Here, have a +1 from me.

  • ChocNut #36 2 years ago

    Let's face it. The design is shite. We all thought it the second we first saw it. The original designs were far superior. Sony have been unlucky lately (psp hacking and poor ps3 sales). It's a damned shame really because they tried hard.

    Now what were seeing is desperation and more visible failure. The device should have had dual analogues and possibly a touchscreen (otherwise the slide design is retarded) but the truth is Sony couldn't afford it.

    All I can hope is that Sony have a great Christmas with the ps3 and then they can scrap the pspgotohell and give us a psp with two fucking nubs and shove the slidey crap unless they're doing touch.

  • zedzee #37 2 years ago

    PSPgo is for lazy developers. No more user guides, no stories to set the scene and fire up the imagination. No mini novels, no graphic novels, no character drawings. Nothing in your hand to say "I bought this game, check it out", as you pass it to a friend to try it out.

    There's something to be said about a tangible product that you can touch'n'feel - I don't know but call me old fashioned, while I appreciate for mini-apps that have limited capabilities and are not designed for a games console, such as those for the iPhone, it's perfectly fine for them to exist as download-only, I don't see how that can stretch to full-price games.

    Again, Minis are fine. Good idea, Sony, and about bloody time, too! But for full blown price games? I don't think so. They should've focussed on refining the UMD format by increasing its price and making the caddy stronger, so they don't break so easily and reduced the cost of the Dev Kits so that no profit was made on them. That would've been much better and more acceptable all round than shoving the PSPgo down people's throats! And I guarantee you that's EXACTLY what Sony will do.



    Nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Bugger all...!

  • zedzee #38 2 years ago

    So what games are available for the PSPgo RIGHT NOW, exactly?

    How many full price games can one buy, download and play RIGHT NOW?

    How many Minis are available RIGHT NOW for buying and downloading?

    Why instantly alienate your new handheld from the existing repertoire by not releasing a utility to convert from UMD to software?

    It's interesting that the PS3 went DOWN in price, after the revamp, yet the PSP has gone UP in price after it's own revamp!

  • LudusSolers #39 2 years ago

    They are appealing and I really like what they're trying to achieve technically and aestheically, but the price point needs to drop significantly before I'll bite. Yep, I can justify that purchase at the £150 mark I reckon...

  • rprince #40 2 years ago

    On that HMV link it's "perfect partners" (suggested product bundles) is a Black PSPgo and a White PSPgo and a Silver PSP-3000 Monster Hunter Pack, all for a cool £539.97!!! Just what I needed!

  • fma007 #41 2 years ago

    Only people that are allowed to charge that much are Apple

  • Vixremento #42 2 years ago

    When Sony announces that I can download their titles using local bandwidth then I'll consider it...maybe. Until then I'm not paying near double (double because of the bandwidth cost) for any title. Oh but they're not shy on the advertising here either...WTF? I hope they put this on their boxes at least:

    * Requires broadband (at your own expense)
    * Not compatible with any previous PSP UMD titles

    Nope...I'll stick to my 1001 and 1005 models for now. I love Sony but sometimes they do some really stupid shit. SonyGo Away.

  • bdaggers #43 2 years ago

    Imagine buying a 360, but only being able to buy the Games on Demand at £20 a throw - forever. No second hand, mo trading in, and only Sonys good will to reduce prices.

    Sound like a good idea ?

    Exactly.

  • EmiliasHorse #44 2 years ago

    Imagine a world without games shops. Where would I go when the wife wants to browse clothes shops? The Apple store?
    I would buy vastly less games if I had to download them. If several companies where allowed to compete online for my money there might be some flex in pricing.

  • spidermanalf #45 2 years ago

    Is it wrong that I didn't even know it had been released?

  • Shrui #46 2 years ago

    Or you could look at it like this:

    PSPgo doesn't succeed and everyone benefits

    Mad I know but stay with me:

    Whats the point of buying a PSPgo when you can get the older one with UMD drive and STILL have access to the online store? (just to check, the older ones have store access yeah?)

    So the odd person buys the new one but mainly older ones sell as old PSPs get price cut and 2nd hand market does well.

    End result (providing people still want a PSP at all!):
    More people own the UMD PSP.
    therefore:
    2nd hand games market does well so retailers don't lose out as much.
    New UMD games market does well so retailers don't lose as much and Sony get there kickback.
    Online market picks up slowly for Sony and money comes in.

    UMD films do not sell either way. Please.

    Risk of investment of a new device? maybe but its such an uninspiring thing I'm skeptical that they spent that much on it other than compacting existing tech and getting rid of the UMD.

  • SlackMaster #47 2 years ago

    The console itself looks quite nice but like others I think they are asking too much and I don't like the idea of having to pay full RRP for games and getting no physical product.

    If the console was a lot cheaper I might consider getting one, then the odd game or two to play on it. I don't really understand where Sony was going with the PSPGo though. It'll not really compete with the iPod Touch, the games are too expensive and there is no incentive to buy a Go if you have a current model PSP 1000-3000.

    It seems like a lot of money thrown away on development and production IMO, and although Sony are bound to say they are shifting the amount of units they expect, the very quick price drop by retailers goes to show it must not be selling all that well. And when you consider that the retailers don't really make that much of PSPGo to begn with, there must really be a lot of unsold stock to prompt them to eat a £25 price drop so soon.

  • KayJay #48 2 years ago

    Sod that... 14 Day Cooling of Period, Any product you are not 100% happy with you can return... Etc etc...

    Mine would be going straight back to the retailer and reorder placed. £50 from RRP is a lotta money.

  • Quak #49 2 years ago

    Way to reward your early adopters, guys!

  • Quak #50 2 years ago

    It's stupid. My story must be fairly typical - I'm a PS3 gamer who hasn't yet got a PSP but really fancies Gran Turismo - shall I spend over £200 and then have to wait 30 FRIGGIN DAYS for my free copy or £150 for a nice new 3000 model with the game in the box. Sony are idiots.

    Pay £200 and be locked into paying full RRP for games on PSN, or pay £150 and get your games off eBay for a fraction of that.

    Hmm, tough choice indeed...

  • Moonprince #51 2 years ago

    Why would you want to lock yourself into doing business exclusively with Sony, allowing them to control game prices as they see fit?

    They don't. Educate yourself :/

  • onyxbox #52 2 years ago

    @Quak

    That's fine but some of us don't want to carry a brick around with us together with a case full of UMD's ... been there done that and it just wasn't practical.

    I personally would have stuck with my iPhone to satisfy my gaming on the move needs but unfortunatley gaming kills the battery rather quickly on the iPhone and I can't be without my phone... so PSPgo does the job quite nicely.

    The biggest problem PSPgo has is the price but I bet that will drop to £160 by sping next year.

  • DrDamn #53 2 years ago

    As NotSoSlim points out. It was £199 from Play.com well before launch. So if you paid full whack then maybe try shopping around a bit maybe?

    It's a difficult one for Sony to price because they need to give retail a decent margin to play with because they are not selling the games. This leads to a situation where online retailers are happy to cut their margins for sales and we have quite a disparity in launch prices. I would guess the prices of Amazon, Game and HMV are more in reaction to Play.com's original price (which was £199 at least a week before launch).

    Overall it is still too expensive though, and that coupled with the RRP prices on the store mean I'm not getting one anytime soon.

  • NotSoSlim #54 2 years ago

    It will drop more around Xmas guaranteed but people who want a psp have a choice so it's not that bad. I will get a pspgo in America next week mainly cos it's £160 but also I just hate carrying around und cases. I ain't fussed about most psp games just the psone classics n minis so the go is perfect

    Sony I gather are trying to give retail as much as they can so they can sell the machine, they may have to find another route once the price comes down. Maybe redeem code in a case so everybody is happy???
    Edited by 1 at 06/10/09 @ 11:44

  • FladgeMangle #55 2 years ago

    The PSN lock-in is a major barrier to quite a few people. There is a simple solution to this, one that could make everybody happy - including retailers.

    Sell PSPgo games in standard cases, with manuals. The only difference would be that the UMD is replaced by a sealed PSN code. You get something physical to own and shops get something physical to sell.

    Obviously this doesn't help the second hand market much, unless there was some sort of "proof of deletion" reader installed at checkouts.

    PS When I said "make everybody happy" I was assuming a saner future where the PSPgo is sold for what it's actually worth, not for what a delusional mega-corp thinks it can get away with charging. That's about £129 by my reckoning.

  • KrissAkabusi #56 2 years ago

    There's smoke and mirrors going on with this thing. There's no way Sony could bring this to the market at that price and expected it to succeed. There is an alternative aim to having this thing out there, and among the reasons that spring to mind for me are making the existing PSP and the PS3 more attractive purchases.

  • Penguinzoot #57 2 years ago

    I was assuming a saner future where the PSPgo is sold for what it's actually worth, not for what a delusional mega-corp thinks it can get away with charging.

    Products are priced at a level the market will stand. I don't think you'll find many cases where any product is sold for what it is actually worth. In a Marxist sense, that would be the cost of manufacture including labour costs, excluding profit. In a market sense, the value of any product is the value it reaches on an open marketplace. And possibly that is what is going on here. On a personal level, the perceived value a product has to any individual will obviously vary from person to person.

    So. How do you decide how much a product is actually worth then?


    Edited by 1 at 06/10/09 @ 11:31

  • Quak #58 2 years ago

    If anyone else has been looking for reviews of PSP Minis then a site I've found that specialises on the very subject is [link url=http://www.pspminis.com.]http://www.pspminis.com.[/link] A load have been reviewed already with more going up every day or so.

    It's surprising that none of the big sites have done much with the Minis, but it's nice to see some new, independent sites fill the void.

    And no, it's not my website, I don't know the guy who does own it and I haven't been given anything for recommending the site. It's just a good thing to pass on to any PSP enthusiasts.
    Edited by 1 at 06/10/09 @ 13:13

  • Royal Fool #59 2 years ago

    @Moonprince: They don't. Educate yourself :/

    I suppose that was aimed at me? You should educate yourself on how to quote correctly.

    Anyway, are you really suggesting that Sony does not control the prices on the PlayStation Store? That's a pretty bold statement.
    Edited by 1 at 06/10/09 @ 20:23

  • FladgeMangle #60 2 years ago

    @ Penguinzoot

    That's for Sony to decide, my estimate was an opinion based on what the product actually offers compared to it's stablemate.

    Perhaps we'll see some sense creeping in over the next few months and the price will fall and sales will go up. Who knows? Right now, if you follow the comments, everyone buying a PSPgo at £225* is generally considered "special".

    * edit - Or even £199
    Edited by 1 at 06/10/09 @ 21:34

  • VMerken #61 2 years ago

    I like how Sony creates its own excuses on pricing... by introducing the concept of "Minis", for example, they are kind of 'forced' to specify what is a Mini (+set the price) and is not a Mini (+set the price). Hence, Sony was kind of 'forced' to set the big games at RRP :), because they are not Minis and thus couldn't possibly have the 'Mini' price, unless it's a promotion or something.

    Of course, Nintendo and Microsoft are also more than guilty of such classification strategies in their online stores, so consider this a 'general observation' of the What Is, and a 'slight wink' at the What Will Be :)
    Edited by 1 at 07/10/09 @ 10:00

  • Quak #62 2 years ago

    @onyxbox

    You are aware that the PSP 3000, 2000 and 1000 can make use of memory sticks, right?

    You are also aware that the PSN downloads also work on these consoles, right?

    If not then do some research; if so then quit your whining.