PSPgone

By Rob Fahey Published 3 October, 2009

After the fireworks of the PS3 Slim launch, the PSPgo is a disappointment.

Published as part of our sister-site GamesIndustry.biz' widely-read weekly newsletter, the GamesIndustry.biz Editorial is a weekly dissection of one of the issues weighing on the minds of the people at the top of the games business. It appears on Eurogamer after it goes out to GI.biz newsletter subscribers.

After a disappointingly anti-climactic reveal at E3, Sony's PSPgo finally arrives on retail shelves this week - or at least, on the shelves of the majority of retailers who are supporting the device, while a fringe of refuseniks continue to decline to sell a console they'll never be able to sell games for.

This unseemly spat with a small group of retailers is far from the biggest pothole on the PSPgo's rough road to launch. The console, its functionality and its price point have been confusing, annoying and disappointing a broad cross-section of consumers, market commentators and industry professionals since the system first took a bow in Los Angeles.

The most obvious and oft-repeated criticism of the platform is the most simple - it offers no upgrade path for existing PSP owners. If you've bought a PSP previously, and own some UMDs for the machine, forget about the PSPgo. Lacking a UMD drive, it won't be able to play your discs - and after hinting at a service which would swap UMD copies for digital downloads, Sony has now announced that it'll do nothing of the sort. An offer of a few free games from a limited list for previous PSP owners is fairly weak compensation (and so far available only in Europe).

Of course, having to re-purchase content in a new format isn't an entirely new experience for consumers - although we've had it easy in recent years, since our CDs could be ripped to create MP3s, and our DVDs play perfectly happily on our Blu-ray players. One could compare the move from UMD to digital download as being similar to moving from a tape Walkman to a CD Walkman - same content, slightly improved user experience, but you had to buy all your albums again.

That's not a defence which is likely to calm any of the consumers annoyed at Sony's back-pedalling on the whole UMD conversion issue, though. The affair stings all the more because it carries such a heavy burden of "I told you so" for many consumers and professionals alike. UMD has been utterly despised since the outset, marked out as a doomed format since the day it first crawled, ill-conceived and unloved, onto store shelves.

The reality has always been that UMD sucks battery life, contributes to massive load delays and makes the console ridiculously noisy for a handheld. Sony argued its corner for years, and even now protests that it will continue to support UMD-toting PSP owners with the PSP-3000 hardware. For now, that's fair - but it's still obvious that PSPgo is a major step down the road to obsolescence for the format, and it doesn't change the fact that if you want Sony's new console, you'd better be prepared to pay for your games and movies again.

This isn't necessarily an insurmountable problem for the PSPgo. After all, if the hardware is attractive enough, consumers will, ultimately, suck down their pride, open their wallets and buy into the new system. Good hardware design and compelling features can overcome almost any level of consumer antipathy, in the long run.

It remains to be seen whether the market judges the PSPgo to be worthy on those grounds. The machine is certainly attractive enough, handily ticking the boxes marked slim, light and sleek. Personally, I remain totally disappointed by Sony's lack of foresight regarding additional functions for the system - including things like a camera, microphone or GPS module as part of the hardware would have seriously set this apart from its predecessor. Like much else with the device, this feels like a missed opportunity.

Again, I can see the counter-argument to that point - that including those devices (tiny, inexpensive hardware, to the extent that even Apple's low-priced and diminutive iPod Nano now sports a camera) would have pushed the cost of the system up. Perhaps that's the case - it certainly brings us neatly to the question of cost, at least.

The PSPgo is too expensive. Vastly too expensive, for what the system is - nothing more than an existing PSP in a nice case, with the UMD drive removed and a bit of cheap flash memory slapped on in its place. There's precious little extra functionality, no new headline feature to shout about - no camera, no touch-screen, no GPS, no 3G connectivity. It's just a PSP with a big memory card and a nice bit of industrial design. In itself, that's not a terrible thing - but what I've just described should be positioned at the same price point as the previous PSP models, which should then receive a price drop to open up a new market segment. Instead, PSPgo is being positioned in a "premium" segment of the handheld market - a segment of which, to be blunt, I'm not convinced of the existence, at least not in any great scale.

The irony is that the question marks and uncertainty around PSPgo contrast most strongly with another recent Sony hardware release - the universally acclaimed PS3 Slim. This was exactly how hardware redesigns and relaunches should be handled. Announced only weeks before hitting retail, the PS3 Slim created huge excitement in a short space of time. Recognising that it brought with it a smaller form factor and minor benefits rather than revolutionary change, Sony positioned it alongside a price drop for the whole console range - and reaped the reward in the form of vast, vast sales. Along with fantastic software like Uncharted 2, it has set the PS3 up for a fantastic winter season - probably its healthiest quarter in the market so far.

The PS3 Slim launch showed Sony firing on all cylinders, understanding its market and its competencies and creating a product, business model and marketing drive that drove the PlayStation - temporarily, at least - right back to the top spot in this business. The fire and intelligence that drove Sony through the PS1 and PS2 eras is still there - but on PSPgo, it seems to be utterly lacking.

Upstream consumers don't like it, because it offers them no upgrade path. It's too overpriced for downstream consumers. It desperately wants to compete with iPhone, yet balks at emulating any of the functionality that would allow it to do so. It feels like a solid concept that was tugged in every direction by competing needs and ideas within Sony, and has ended up unloved and directionless. The market may well judge otherwise - for Sony's sake, I hope it does - but from where I'm standing, PSPgo looks like an extremely weak launch. This was an opportunity to redefine the PSP and bring the fight to the doorstep of the firm's rivals in handheld gaming - but that opportunity, sadly, has sailed right past.

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About Rob Fahey

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Comments (81) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

  • drumbaby #1 2 years ago

    I literally need to have Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on it, but already own the UMD. If I can't download MHF for free then I won't get the system. Simple as that....it really is.

    And I'd say this rings true for many other PSP 1000/ 2000/ 3000 owners with different must-have games.

    There needs to be a way to get already-purchased UMD games onto the system for free, or for very little cost via a peripheral.

  • INSOMANiAC #2 2 years ago

    You mean you to say you think the PSP GO is an expensive farce of a product that noone will buy ? Your joking !

    But seriously, it would take this thing to drop to £100.00 and for the entire back catalogue to be priced at £9.99 and new releases at £15.99 for me to buy one, even if I didnt already own a PSP id go for the older models, UMD mght be shit but it offers you something the GO doesnt, choice.

  • Pro_Gamer #3 2 years ago

    Ill stick with my flashed firmware model thanks.

  • techknight #4 2 years ago

    The price isn't great but I find the Go way more comfortable to play than my PSP-1000. (Plus the square button isn't wonky and there are no dead pixels.)

    The only UMD that I'm annoyed I can't transfer is SFA3 Max, since the new d-pad is actually usable for fighting games. Capcom says it'll be on PSN this month though so I can live with that.

  • Moz #5 2 years ago

    The big thing that still draws me to the GO is that it's way best at being a portable device. It fits in your pocket and you don't have to carry an extra case around with your games in.

    Currently i'm holding back to see if i can get someone to get me one for christmas, espesially as dissidia is still absent from the store.

    Though is anyone (inc sony) even slightly surprised that it's a weak launch? It doesn't offer a reduced price so not going to attract new buyers, and doesn't offer any new must have features for current PSP owners.
    It also doesn't help that the shops that are stocking haven't supported it in any way, was in game yesterday, and there were no posters to be seen so unless you already knew about GO you'd be nun the wiser.

    But I think sony are happy to gently introduce the idea of download only systems. Trust me as soon as GO gets to a decent sell through (if it ever does) then you'll see all the next gen systems launched and they'll all be download only. (wouldn't surprise me if MS and Ninty even put money toward promoting GO in the future cos they all games download only just as much sony do)

  • poopmonster #6 2 years ago

    I think the over-arching problem with the GO is that it appeals to PSP owners more than new customers, where clearly Sony want it to appeal to new customers.

    While I'm sure they'll sell a lot, especially as Christmas gifts, the more savvy customers, who have their own income, will be comparing tick boxes with the competition - hardware features being an important aspect in what is becoming a very social-oriented market. iPod Touch / iPhone and even the DSi (with it's camera) have the edge, hands down.

    The final irony is that the GO is aimed at those same savvy customers (the PSP 3000 is aimed at the youngers - the most likely group to receive a PSP as an xmas gift).

    Time will tell...but you don't see Apple breaking a sweat when they release their annual iPhone/Touch updates... they know they're going to sell like hotcakes every time, even to the same people. Every 12-24 months.

  • wobbly_Bob #7 2 years ago

    The fact that I can't shop around for the best game price, buy second hand games, or sell on the games that I don't use/like makes the pspgo a no go for me - I would never buy it. There is no way I'm paying the crappy prices that sony wants to lock me into paying.

  • Moribundman #8 2 years ago

    I used to have a PSP (in fact I bought 2 even before the slim one came out because I broke the screen on my first one - and was amused to see those are made by Sharp when I opened it up).

    I am by no means a Sony fanboy (no means at ALL) and this review is spot on for me. If this had introduced any decent new features whatsoever I'd have happily bought one (and begrudged the way I had to buy all my games again) because it was an UPGRADE.

    As things stand, I feel more like buying an iPod touch if want to play decent games on the go. Shop around and its cheaper, offers more functions and plays a decent amount of music and videos too.

    And I have to say I *hate* Apple and their smug evangelistic marketing, but I am far less inclined to buy a half-arsed rehash that costs the same as a PS3 in the middle of a recession.

  • rhubarbandcustard #9 2 years ago

    Never owned a PSP, but have played on friends and colleagues.

    The original UMD PSP was wide - you would have needed clown pants to carry that thing.

    A smaller, more portable PSP has my interest piqued, but I'm still not buying until the inevitable (?) software price point drop.

    Surely there is no way that PSP download sales will take off until we see a £9.99 sales point for full games, and £0.99 for mini's?

    Or has the Apple App store turned me into a penny pinching curmudgeon?

  • carrotcake #10 2 years ago

    I love it but I can't afford one. My friend is getting one today however. If I had the money I'd probably get an iPhone first, then if I had more money this would be next. Having a collection of games like Gran Turismo, Soul Calibur and Little Big Planet in your pocket on something as small as the PSP Go is amazing and really desirable, but I'm too cheap at the moment.

  • Mr_Dodger #11 2 years ago

    Here's the basics of an idea:

    There are shops saying that they won't stock the Go because they can't sell games for it.
    Sony say they aren't going to swap UMD's for digital downloads.

    Solution:

    Provide shops with DD codes redeemable at the PSN store, which people can trade their UMD's for.

    Sony get the initial UMD sale.
    The customer gets his DD copy of the game he's bought.
    The shop gets a UMD to sell 2nd hand.

    Shops get something from the deal, they'd be encouraged to carry the Go, and Sony solves the UMD/DD problem.

    Edited by 1 at 03/10/09 @ 09:57

  • superjag86 #12 2 years ago

    I agree that the PSP Go is abit disapointing but I'm getting sick of everyone going on about how bad UMDs are. They're not ideal but they're nowhere near as bad as people make them out to be.
    I've been a very happy PSP owner since launch and continue to be impressed with alot of the games on it.

  • infoxicated #13 2 years ago

    Oh look, it's Rob Fahey touting his negative, biased, blinkered, ill informed rubbish as journalism once again.

    What happened here, Rob?

    Did the recent announcements by Intel demonstrating that their product roadmap fully supports the highly successful netbook form factor just make it a little more obvious that you don't have a fucking clue what you're talking about in your Flash In The Pan 'article.'?

    Good job jou played it safe here , then. Bit of PSP, Sony, and UMD bashing and the fanboys will bump up the hits on your published content whether you had a valid point to make or not.

    Tell me, Rob, just out of interest - how do you think Sony should have implemented the distribution of 1Gb+ games and movies when the PSP was designed back in 2003?

    Would it be the download /retailer stiffing model you're bashing now or would it be expensive distribution via memory stick that would have ramped up the cost of ownership, like you're bashing now, coincidentally.

  • Nightster #14 2 years ago

    I'll never support a device where they lock you into paying whatever price they want to charge for games. The games industry's holy grail of all digitial distribution will only serve to screw over game players. Why pay for something that restricts choice and gives you less ownership?

    Although they're supporting it for now how long before they phase out umd game releases and force you to go digital? This isn't an anti Sony rant as Microsoft are no better either.

    I sincerely hope Sega rethink their decision to just release Valkyria Chronicles 2 on the psp. I need that game!!!

  • Tomo #15 2 years ago

    lol @ infoxicated - Rob used to write for ThreeSpeech for gawd's sake. You are an utter moron.

    Unsurprisingly I agree wholeheartedly with the article. Let's be frank, the PSPgo is a steaming pile of shit. I think that's what Rob was getting at, in a more polite, Sony-friendly way.

  • Tomo #16 2 years ago

    One thing the article misses I think is that surely Sony has a monopoly on what it charges consumers for its games? Am I right in understanding that you can only buy new games from Sony's online store? It'll be Xbox On-Demand all over again ffs.

  • Pedrolot #17 2 years ago

    Id rather buy the Nokia N900 with my money...

  • GamesConnoisseur #18 2 years ago

    PSPGo defenders.... Ask yourself if Sony is on a winning strategy when retailers aren't all stocking PSPGo as nothing in it for them, whereas iPhone which are as guilty for cutting out the retailers are seen as a hot multi purpose cakes?

    Ask why should PSP owners whether 1000 - 3000 PSPs, should repurchases UMD games, when the more loyal and serious PSP gamers like me would have a big UMD library??

    Why would new consumers get PSPGo over the likes of PS3 slim for better console or iPhone for better functionalties and eh better supported too?

    The sleek look and more portable the device is not going to be enough for me, would have got it if was a proper upgrade ie PSP2 with touch screen or such. Also if I can get all my UMDs transferred, as it is only hacked PSPGo with option to download all my games would possibly interest me and I hope PSPGo would succeed as much as Sony hoped because it's a mess!

    The pricing is not the only problem!

  • FladgeMangle #19 2 years ago

    Great article, couldn't agree more.

    How could Sony get this all so wrong? On top of the insane price, it turns out the battery life is little or no better than the so-called battery eating UMD models.

    I can't help thinking that the whole thing is a big joke. An experiment, build on recycled hardware (it's basically a modified Mylo 2 chassis) in order to herald the inevitable and almost certainly UMD-free PSP2.
    Edited by 2 at 03/10/09 @ 11:41

  • HiddenPooh #20 2 years ago

    You all seem to be forgetting that, at the moment, the system comes with 4 free games which makes it rather better value than you are claiming.

  • dirk_aircool #21 2 years ago

    The future looks grim . no game trade ins . Dont know how much the games will cost but I bet its on par with shop prices . Sony want too much control over the software ( over 20 years ago the sony president said ' If you control the software you control the market ' or somthing similar in relation to the VHS v BETAMAX war and it looks like they found a better way than buying up all the film and music companies )

  • HiddenPooh #22 2 years ago

    Can you really blame them? Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that second hand game sales are as bad for the industry as piracy.

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #23 2 years ago

    "Can you really blame them? Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that second hand game sales are as bad for the industry as piracy."

    Worse, by any rational assessment. But that doesn't mean you can just double the price of things and expect people to actually pay it.

  • RESIDENT_nEVILe #24 2 years ago

    It's really hard to decypher the Sony logic sometimes.

    Middle of a recession - taking losses, but they still decide to rush out an evolutionary anomaly of a product, whilst simultaneously pissing off their core customers.

    All for the sake of trying to compete with the iphone.

    More greed than sense.

  • yrg_autumn #25 2 years ago

    is it just me, or did the psp 1000 look like it was made from higher quality materials?

  • davisorle #26 2 years ago

    "for Sony's sake, I hope it does"

    Why praying for Sony on this one? Let them fail till they learn that consumers are smart enough to not just pay somethign new. But pay somethign worth its money for more options involved in their product. I dont have time for handhelds but I know as much as I dont like Sony's tactics I would rather buy a PSP 3000 or whatever and forget the DS and the PSPGo. DS cause its not gonna have much I feel like playing even if it has more titles. A PSPGo is so not worth though... So why should PSPGo be a success when it shouldnt since it will only affect us negatively if the company sees that forcing shitty products for high prices would work?

    Anyhow, like most comments say already, I agree. There is no actual upgrading here so its not worth it.

  • Zastai #27 2 years ago

    Love my PSP and the fairly decent selection of RPGs for it. Love that it's comfortable to use with my man-sized hands. In contrast, the DS is quite uncomfortable to use for non-stylus games.
    Don't see anything that should appeal to me in the PSPGo - smaller form factor means smaller screen, and less comfortable to use (just look at all the promo videos and you see an uncomfortable claw-like grip being used). Shorter battery life than the PSP. No UMD is in itself fine (it was loud, slow and ate batteries) but without a way to get my UMD-based games on the device (for free), that's just silly - and going from Sony's download pricing so far, you'd be forced to pay RRP for all games. Not to mention that I like to have a tangible game on my shelf; one that I can choose to sell on if/when I feel like it (not that I have ever done that so far, but who knows?).

  • dirk_aircool #28 2 years ago

    HiddenPooh.

    I bet U don't complain when u buy a used car . and nither do ford or othe car makers .

  • dirigiblebill #29 2 years ago

    Good article, particularly this point: "...a solid concept that was tugged in every direction by competing needs and ideas within Sony."

    The lack of a touch screen is irksome. Together with the sliding form factor, this would have put clear light between PSPgo and the iPod Touch/iPhone - slide it open for "trad" D-pad and face button gaming, slide it closed for short-burn Mini experiences, music and internet browsing.

    PS. I wonder how much credibility there is to the idea that a costly, feature-crippled PSPgo is the price we pay for the PS3 Slim and PS3 price-drops?
    Edited by 1 at 03/10/09 @ 13:06

  • GreyBeard #30 2 years ago

    I honestly think the go is just a pretext to push the profile of the PSP line as a whole up.

    Seriously, do you think there'd be the stream of high-profile franchises appearing on PSP (Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Soul Calibur, GT, etc,) if they didn't have a new piracy-free sku to support?

    I doubt Sony expect the go to shift in large numbers (at its launch-pricepoint anyway) but its going to draw a lot of extra attention to the PSP line as a whole, and thanks to it basically being a repackaged PSP its all 100% compatible.

  • patchbox360 #31 2 years ago

    im not buying a handheld that cost more than a 360, plus the iphone has more functionality.

  • kifkludge #32 2 years ago

    And as mentioned by the arstechnica review, for a system that relies solely on network connectivity there are some shocking bad decisions - 802.11b, no background downloading and interrupted downloads have to be completely restarted...

    Not with a 10' pole.

  • andromeda #33 2 years ago

    i recently dusted off my psp fat and got up to speed with cfw 5.50 Gen b. All my lovely emulators back on the go and a decrypted gran turismo. GT is a sight ti behold although i dont see myself playing this on the move at all.

    Fuck this pspgo though.

  • Red930 #34 2 years ago

    I have just bought one. Why? I have a PSP1000 jap version I imported when it first came out. It has served me well and I have never been tempted by 2000/3000.

    As for the price, its 200 quid, plus 3 free games from a list of 17 and GT-PSP free also. That'll do, thats 80-100 quids worth of free games. Makes it a snatch compared to the 3000. It very cool, compact and fits in my pocket, and I dont have to lug around a load of UMD's that more often than not break in transit.

    I'm sold, and I'm happy. Moan all you like this a seriously cool bit of kit. Oh and I have an iPhone, games are mostly rubbish.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #35 2 years ago

    There seems to be a lot of mis directed hate on here. If you want to keep playing UMD's dont upgrade, i can imagine there being a bit of anger if sony was discontinuing the 3000 but there not.

    The Go also does have some extra features the old ones dont have so to say it has less features just because it doesnt have a UMD drive is false. But if those extra features dont interest you and you dont own a psp then get a 3000.

    The price of the go is high but no ones got a gun to your head to buy one, and if no one gets one the price will soon drop and i would expect there to be more bundle type offers before xmas.

    I can only think the anger comes from the fact that people actually want it, they just want it to be cheaper and have there UMDs upgraded for free.

    I had one preordered but i decided to cancel mine based on the lack of support from Square Enix games on PSN, and ill carry on happy enough with my PSP1000, but if sony can get full 3rd party support from all my favoourite developers then i will probably get one.

  • ShinMegami08 #36 2 years ago

    I bought my last PSP three years ago and have custom Firmware M33 5.00 on it.
    Don't want to upgrade to official firmware, but can't play the new games (my heart breaks for Persona...).

    that's for me the reason why I bought a Go.

    Now I have two PSP with different firmwares and their own functionality... Expensive fun, but if you have the money....

  • ShinMegami08 #37 2 years ago

    ... and I had so much fun and spent so many hours with my PSP. Love it.

    Buying the Go is my way to say thanks to Sony.

    I know: Very fanboyish, but....

  • bdaggers #38 2 years ago

    Fuck Sony and their PSPGO.

    And fuck Infoxicated too - what a cock.

    There, I said it.

  • freakzilla #39 2 years ago

    I know its a bit sad but seeing Sony being so incompetent makes me really angry, it's like seeing a retard add 2+2 and get 5, and no matter how hard you try the child will never understand.

  • Bravestinsane #40 2 years ago

    As a potential new customer so Sony's handheld i have no intention of buying a PSPgo, the idea of downloading games is annoying, i have a fast connection because im at uni, back home i can't get fast interent, i takes me a day to download a 500mb mack pack on call of duty full games would be ridiculous.

    On top of that they are charging the same as a retail UMD, i can trade in a UMD when i have finished with it get some cash back and use it to get a new game cheaper. I usually buy most of my games new and sealed and then trade them in when done. I can't do this so i will never buy this expensive paper weight.

    The reason is the same on the PC why i buy very few games, because once you have bought it you can't trade it back in, once its been unsealed stores won't accept it, even if you havn't used the CD Key. Then again games are cheaper on a PC which makes them more appealing and less of an issue to me that i can't trade them in. The PSPgo is charging the same price as far as i am aware which gives much less value when compared to a solid format.

  • Loghorn #41 2 years ago

    I definitely agree with the #20 comment posted by GamesConnoisseur. As for those that are purchasing it, they're either actually misinformed or that they are dumb as bricks. It sure won't be long before it winds up like these consoles here & these handhelds here.

    Even though I don't own a PSP as of yet, I would still take the 3000 model over the Go anyday of the week.
    Edited by 3 at 04/10/09 @ 07:17

  • DarkMoon #42 2 years ago

    too much hate for the go guys. way too harsh. lets just be patient until the price comes down and then get one. I know I definetly will. right now I just need a bigger memory card, GT loadin times are brutal!

  • SniperZoz #43 2 years ago

    Sony sony sony ... yet again missing the ball ... i mean this product should simply not exsist!

    I have a PSP1000 (only used as a mild anti-bordem-device during my business trips) - it's not a bad device, but it's been around a while now (4 years) and at the price this is selling for I would rather they had waited another 6 months or so and released a PSP2 - that way you could get away with not having a UMD (which sux anyway - but you can't just stop support!).

    What they needed/need to do is pack in more gfx-power, a crap-o-camera, an iphone-like touch screen, and ffs a phone & gps thingy (ppl it can be done)... call it PSP2 and be done with it!

    Also - to the author of the article - the move from PSP1000/2000/3000 to PSPgo is not like the move from tape-walkmen to cd-walkmen .. cos' that brought around some sensible upgrades like track skipping, no rewind, and a decent gap in quality. It's not even akin to the dvd-to-bluray transition cos' at least (even thou' the uptake is slooow) there's HD picture (and sound for the well equipped). This is more like ... nothing in history really ... erm .. like moving from PS2 to PS2-Slim and charging double!?

    EDIT - one final thing - I am very much a proponent of the move to digtal-downloads (but I understand other ppl's positions against it). Having said that (and this goes to all the game developers for all platforms (you hearing MS/XBLA??)) DIGITAL DOWNLOADS HAVE TO BE CHEAPER... and whist I'm at it - I have an ebook reader (the 2nd Sony device inc. the PSP i own) and the ebooks sell for the same price of the printed stuff - HAS TO CHANGE!
    Edited by 1 at 03/10/09 @ 18:27

  • Nephirion #44 2 years ago

    the price of the PSP Go is ridiculous for such a gimped piece of hardware

  • SG #45 2 years ago

    PSPop?

  • Kami #46 2 years ago

    "EDIT - one final thing - I am very much a proponent of the move to digtal-downloads (but I understand other ppl's positions against it). Having said that (and this goes to all the game developers for all platforms (you hearing MS/XBLA??)) DIGITAL DOWNLOADS HAVE TO BE CHEAPER... and whist I'm at it - I have an ebook reader (the 2nd Sony device inc. the PSP i own) and the ebooks sell for the same price of the printed stuff - HAS TO CHANGE!"

    Exactly SniperZoz, and I've voiced my opinions on DD enough.

    The problem is for something to have a future, it has to be able to perform and compete in the here and now. This is business people, not charities that like you - they want your money. The future of DD and devices like PSPGo! really depend on getting it right NOW, not five years down the line when we've already formulated an opinion of it being an overpriced pile of shite.

    Sony here had a great oppertunity to actually make DD and the devices that run solely on DD relevant in the real world right now, but a massively overpriced machine and stubbornly RRP-and-no-less games pricing means it is likely to bomb. This goes to ALL DD services as well, they're all terrible at pricing (Nintendo especially! But the PC game ones are actually the worst of the worst and really should be ASHAMED!) and the quality of what is on offer tends to peak and trough more than Anton Du Beke doing a fucking Waltz.

    DD cannot have a future if it doesn't start changing now. And yes, it's convenient and you can have it in an hour or two dependant on where you live (though people in rural areas where I used to live have told me it'd be faster to mail order at times) but at the same time - there's no postage, no handling, no physical disc, no paper manual and no plastic case. That they refuse to budge in most cases from RRP when shops and mail order have been pushing down prices by a tenner or more for years, well... it's at best bad business sense and at worst, downright greed that could cost them a lot of goodwill...

    In closing, DD's future depends on how it performs now. We won't support it wholeheartedly unless they all get their acts together in a collective waking up. Yes, that may happen a couple of years from now, but by then people will have made up their minds and will be voting with their wallets.

    It will be too late.
    Edited by 1 at 03/10/09 @ 18:54

  • Ryze #47 2 years ago

    Yes Sony - you've continually fucked up with the PSP - and you've only gone and fucked it up again with the PSPgo.

    Saying that, I'll buy one if I can get it for under £100

    It's missing the following - which better be on their way within 18-24 months with a PSP2 launch:

    - right-analogue stick
    - better analogue sticks
    - PSN friends lists, in game messaging and game invites
    - PSN (in game) voice messaging
    - PSN video messaging
    - tilt sensor / accelerometor
    - touchscreen
    - GPS

    - option to browse PSN store, but send downloads to PS3 console
    - option to transfer files from PS3 over Wifi and Internet
    - option to use as a PS3 media remote, while the MAIN DISPLAY REMAINS ON THE PS3 SCREEN
    - option of wireless video adaptor (connect wirelessly to an external display)

    Jesus Christ - this stuff isn't rocket science.

    /waits...

    Edited by 1 at 03/10/09 @ 19:30

  • NotSoSlim #48 2 years ago

    Getting mine from US for £160 in a couple if weeks..worth a punt at that price for me anyway

  • Whatsfor #49 2 years ago

    Judging by the poor grammar, spelling and general attitude of most comments I am guessing that there is a lot of teen jealousy in here. If you can't afford the PSPgo you don't have to bash it. The 3000 is still a good option, its not as if Sony is only giving you one option...

    I look forward to my Go arriving.

  • toy_brain #50 2 years ago

    The launch of the PSPGo - the actual physical hardware - is not particularly interesting. Shops seem uninterested in pushing it, consumers are uninterested in buying it.
    However, what this launch has done is re-invigorate the entire PSP platform. The PSN store has been flooded with new content, the Minis are, in my opinion, a very good move, and there seems to be a bigger push to create new 'fulll fat' PSP games (probably more thanks to Monster Hunters success really, but thats a side-point). All of this is instantly accessable to any PSP owner.
    The PSPGo can crash and burn for all I care, its existance is unimportant. The PSP as an overall platform though, is important (well, it is to me. I rather like my 3000), so I think its vital that people dont somehow muddle the PSPGo with the services launched alongside it, because those are worth being excited about.

  • AOFanboi #51 2 years ago

    @Whatsfor. why do you think the price is the only thing complained about? Have you actually read the thread?

    But the price is a very relevant issue, and not in the "cannot afford it" sense but in the "is overpriced relative to competition" sense, where it ends up costing more than a PSP-3000 which can do 90% of what the Go can do (except slide the controls out) plus use UMDs. Is really the price increase justified by the smaller form factor?
    Edited by 1 at 03/10/09 @ 22:11

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #52 2 years ago

    Id rather buy the Nokia N900 with my money...

    The N900 is 500 quid on Nokia's own website. And, althought it's going to be a million times better than the PSP Go as a web tablet, it isn't likely to challenge PSP or even iPhone/iPod Touch as a gaming device.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #53 2 years ago

    Sony have really fucked up on the UMD front, though.

    What they eally ought to have done was move to releasing games on read-only Memory sticks, readable by old PSPs. As I recall, they made moves to start doing that with movies, round about the time the movie industry decalred UMD dead. Then after a year or two, unveil the PSPGO that can use either the cartridges that are compatible with the old systems or the new app store (mind you, the new app store is compatible with the old systems too, isn't it?), so there wouldn't seem to be such a losss with the UMD drive, and the legacy of the UMD format would not have done as much damage to the pre-Go PS market.

  • Xerx3s #54 2 years ago

    "Can you really blame them? Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that second hand game sales are as bad for the industry as piracy."

    I can't believe that people still bring this up. I don't recall the last time I sold a game but when people sell their games, it's their good right and the industry should quit moaning. Their claims to that package where voided the moment that the game was sold to the customer.
    Instead of moaning about it, maybe they should consider things that don't involve fucking their customers over (yes, I'm looking at your activision).

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #55 2 years ago

    when people sell their games, it's their good right and the industry should quit moaning

    I think the fight publishers are picking is that it might very well be right that people should be able to sell games they've bought, but it seems odd that so often they're selling them to shops who'll (a) take a considerable cut and (b) put said cheap second hand games on shelves as prominently displayed in an apaprently respectable high street store (even HMV!) as the full-price games.

    Anyway, I'm just playing devil's advocate, I bought Scene It (with the 4 buzzers) for 8 quid out of Gamestation's window last week.

  • electrolite #56 2 years ago

    "Judging by the poor grammar, spelling and general attitude of most comments I am guessing that there is a lot of teen jealousy in here. If you can't afford the PSPgo you don't have to bash it. The 3000 is still a good option, its not as if Sony is only giving you one option... "

    "Judging by the poor understanding and snobbish attitude towards most comments I am guessing that there is a lot of teen jealousy in here as that makes me feel better. I've committed money to PSPGo without actually looking into it and have realised too late that I've been horsefucked for the most overpriced piece of gaming hardware since the 3DO. If you can afford the PSPGo you don't have to buy it but I did and seem to think it makes me superior. The 3000 is still the best option, its not as if Sony is only giving you one option..."

  • Kami #57 2 years ago

    I said in the forums that for DD to be relevant in the here and now they have to work on three things; Price, Variety and Competition.

    Price; We've discussed this already.

    Variety; Games need to be on the store at the same time as their companions. The start of Go! should have had every single big name title up for download. This isn't rocket science, people aren't going to buy a Go! when they read their beloved games won't be on the system. And any delay in getting it onto the DD service means one more sale to the retailer. You can't just shovel on the shit and hope people will bite (oh hello Wii, 360 etc, I didn't notice you come in). So it has to be as varied as any retail outlet, including but not limited to discounts, sales and reducing the price of older titles.

    And competition. Why do you think Sony made the PSPGo! - I'll give you a hint; the retailers know EXACTLY why Sony did it. Cut out the middle man, boom, profits. The problem is, if Sony cuts them out completely then there'll be an almighty boycott shitstorm - then again, if Sony cuts them out completely they can dictate what prices they set and that will be the end of it. No competition means, surprisingly, no say in the costs. Why do you think consoles come down in price? Why Amazon and Play and Gameplay and the like always seem to be well below RRP? Because of competition. They have to offer the best price to get a sale, but at a price that doesn't make them a loss. Consoles, they come down usually when others drop their prices too - it's a domino effect, a "Me too!" scenario. We know this. We HATE this. We despise it. So why Sony thinks we're going to be thrilled by them trying to stifle competition so they can make a lot of money from stupid people I'll never know.

    I could go out and buy a PSPGo! tomorrow. But the reality? No thank you. For what it costs, for what it means and how Sony are going about this, my money stays where it is. It's an overpriced system selling overpriced games on a service which is more or less designed to ensure no more retail competition to drive those prices down. Sony could have shown us the future. They could have done something amazing. But nope, they chose the path of evil once again, so once more DD may be the future but it sure as hell isn't now.

  • Sunyavadin #58 2 years ago

    I wonder...

    If I were to place a particular bet right now, how much would I end up making on it?

    A bet that once devices like this with no physical media on sale through any retailers, and everything purchased direct, gain a majority market share - average price of games will rise from £30 to about £70 once competition has been 100% eradicated....

  • peterfll #59 2 years ago

    I've got oodles of cash and a clapped out PSP 1000. I'm an earlier adopter and generally a Sony consumer *hugs his Bravia*.

    But then I stare at my UMD collection containing lots of fabulous titles with no potential host machine to be played on, and consider how Sony want to charge me more for downloading a title then picking up the UMD.

    So when I do get myself a new PSP at some point I think I'll take a PSP 3000 thank you. A shame, and a wasted opportunity Sony... you are a daft old bird at times.

  • muttler #60 2 years ago

    I agree with most of the article, except a market for premium handhelds not existing. Someone previously mentioned the iphone, and going back in time, what about the PC Engine? I have been considering getting a PSP for sometime, and I have to say that the only thing the PSPgo has going for it for me is the size, and even that isnt really practical for me as I've got big hands and would probably find it uncomfortable to play for long- which is a problem.

    Damn, but if it had a few more features I'd get one. If it had a camera and could be used as a mobile phone I'd go out and buy one now, no joke. As it is I would never choose this over a PSP-3000, even if they were the same price.

    Also it's nice to see the recognition of the Slim launch and awesome game line up!

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #61 2 years ago

    "Can you really blame them? Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that second hand game sales are as bad for the industry as piracy."

    "I can't believe that people still bring this up. I don't recall the last time I sold a game but when people sell their games, it's their good right and the industry should quit moaning."

    BOTH of those statements are, of course, true. There is no conflict between them.

  • drxym #62 2 years ago

    There is a very obvious way that Sony could have solved the upgrade path. Sell a peripheral UMD dock. Dock your PSP Go to the dock, insert a UMD into the drive and the UMD is automatically synced to the PSPGo. Movies or games. To prevent piracy, the PSP could put a time limit on how long the game / movie can be played before requiring a shorter validation resync.

    It's a very simple solution (and profitable too since people would buy the peripheral) to the problem and I just cannot fathom why Sony would stumble into this launch without such a solution ready and in place. If there were legal issues Sony should have sorted them out a long time ago. As it is they have just released a lame duck, something which is likely to be remembered in the same breath as the NGage.

    The only other sensible way out of this quagmire was if the PSP Go was a mobile phone as well. Then it could have been subsidized and sold by phone stores and probably would do quite well for it too.

    As it is, Sony what the hell were you thinking?

  • peterfll #63 2 years ago

    "To prevent piracy, the PSP could put a time limit on how long the game / movie can be played before requiring a shorter validation resync"

    :-\

    Sounds like a mooosive pain in the arse to me. Although I have to admit, I don't have any brighter suggestions.

  • oktava #64 2 years ago

    I use my Slim to play SCUMM Adventures, Ultima 7, SNES, PSX classics and lots of homebrew apps. It's great and I don't understand why Sony hasn't looked into and tried to profit on those things more instead of trying to have it their very own way.
    Edited by 1 at 04/10/09 @ 13:43

  • VMerken #65 2 years ago

    I think the most important points have been said. Digital Distribution is the inevitable Future (and will be the inevitable Now - btw, Kami, time heals all, don't worry about that) because it will allow the distributors unprecedented control over the distributees. However, Digital Distribution should make sense in that the LEASING of PURELY VIRTUAL property should be CHEAPER than the BUYING of PHYSICAL property rather than COSTING EQUALLY MUCH AS THE LATTER.

    Unfortunately, Companies don't dabble in logic and will inevitably gouge the Consumer under the pretense that video games "were never physical property to begin with". They're merely setting the record straight, with -oops- unexpected financial consequences. Of course, I am certain that a time will come when this system/paradigm will be forced down our collective throats. For now however, alternatives are available, so seize them and show the Companies that you will not partake in their Nirvana lest the price makes sense.

  • Kami #66 2 years ago

    Oh time doesn't always heal, remember this is business not charity, and the bottom line is DD has to be able to compete. RRP stands for Recommended Retail Price, and I highlighted the important word there. Retail price is rarely ever as much as the RRP, and as a great example of this let's take Woolworths - who couldn't force down the prices they paid, and couldn't drop the RRP, and so the games part of their business made stonking great losses. It wasn't the main reason they went down but it was most certainly a contributing factor because at tthe end of the day, it was making losses that killed the business.

    The problem is yes, opinions can change but it will take steps to start patching it up. Are you seriously going to suggest given the chance that the current digital prices will eventually go down when there is no retail competition? If you believe that, I have a bridge in London to sell you. I'm no big fan of many retail and mail order outlets but I am not completely oblivious to how business works to not know that it is competition between them that keeps prices down and keeps companies like Sony and Microsoft from setting fixed prices. If they had their way, of course we'd all pay RRP. But it isn't a fixed price, and retailers can drive those prices down.

    The framework needs to start being set up now. Amazon and Game et al could set up digital distribution as valid and serious competition but Sony and Microsoft would of course fight it. The relationship between the companies and retailers is not sweet, of course not, but it benefits us as consumers at the end of the day. We get a good deal, and a choice of where to buy from. A future where we buy from one or two places isn't healthy - and I've referenced them enough, D2D and Metaboli are the worst of the worst. There are very few DD services for the PC market right now, and they clearly have no intention of dropping their prices because there isn't enough competition for them to do so. They don't feel they have to compete with other outlets, so prices are artificially high as a result.

    The future is just that. We can't predict what will happen in 5 years time. We couldn't have forseen Nintendo dominating the market in the way it has, and Sony having a massive fall from grace. There is never a certainty in business. But we can talk about the here and now, and right now it just doesn't add up. If it doesn' start adding up now, then you have to ask yourself really if it will ever add up - and based on what we know, I think a future of DD as it stands now is actually going to hurt the industry rather than free it.

  • clockworkzombie #67 2 years ago

    The day that digital downloads are my only option is the day I stop buying video games. I have had enough experience with XBLA and the iTunes store to know I have a LOT of wasted money tied up in these two areas. If I could remove a licence and its associated game from my systems and receive a partial store credit of around 20% lets say then I would remove the stuff I do not want and would buy more product.

    I spend a lot of money on new games and I keep many of them, the ones I trade in go towards new product. I tend to buy second hand games that are flawed that there is no way I would pay full price for, such as Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, or just did not make it into my geographical area. In a digital download only ecosystem there is no way I would have purchased it at the obligatory full price.

    Look at the pricing on the XBLA, original games are still the same price they were at launch, the much bemoaned "race to the bottom" in the iTunes store is due to the competition with all the other publishers, the suppliers on XBLA do not seem to compete with each other in the way they do on the iTunes store.

    An idea has just occurred to me, at the time of purchase of your digital product if you had the option to pay 20 to 30 percent more but gained the option to remove the game and its licence then receive a 100% store credit refund not including the extra you paid for such a service, I would probably use that.

  • InternetRed #68 2 years ago

    Out of interest (not sure if I asked this before), I've got the original PSP (gigapack). I am thinking of trading it in for a red PSP3000... plus about £60 on top from CEX. Is it worth it? What does the 3000 offer that the 'phat' doesn't? I do know that my 'phat' has no dead pixels, but on games such as GTA, as there's a lot of dark colours, there's lots of 'ghosting' on it, which to me makes GTA hard to play... I think I heard that the 3k improves on this, but then when things move fast, there's scan-lines?

  • INSOMANiAC #69 2 years ago

    I bought a PSP 3000 the day they launched, a week and a half later Id traded t in for a PSP2000, The scanlines are worse than the blur in my opinion I couldnt stand it. Most new games take the blur into consideration and dont use the browns and reds that contribute to it so it isnt a problem, one good example is God Of War which looks great on the 2000 and shite on the 3000. Games like GTA and Dead Head Fred which have bad blurring are few and far between but ALL game suffer from the scanlines on the 3000. Still, others will disagree

  • davisorle #70 2 years ago

    @Whatsfor

    "Judging by the poor grammar, spelling and general attitude of most comments I am guessing that there is a lot of teen jealousy in here. If you can't afford the PSPgo you don't have to bash it. The 3000 is still a good option, its not as if Sony is only giving you one option...

    I look forward to my Go arriving. "

    Wait wait, I'll have everyone fax you their graduation papers and then I'd also buy a PSPGo and send it to you so you can feel a bit better if I didn't wanna contribute into Sony thinking they can sell a single extra piece of crap to anyone just to prove to you something. I think its that you got something stuck far up your ass and also can;t find another way to excuse to yourself why you spent that much on a PSPGo?

    Next time think before you start insulting a bunch of people so you can feel better. To me at least you are the dumbass and I really couldn't give a fuck what you might think. Specialy about our grammar which in my case, English isn't even my first language nor close to it.

  • Maledictus010 #71 2 years ago

    I find the "refuseniks" attitude rather hypocritical. Sales of PSP games here are incredibly low because of piracy; the shops are mainly selling consoles and big memory cards. Add to that the horribly commercial choices of most retailers (jrpgs are incredibly hard to find here) and i don't understand why they make such a fuss.
    As a consumer i feel ripped off either way; i can choose to pay loads of money for importing my games because of the disappointingly sparse offerings here, or rebuy stuff from the psp-store (which is another rip-off; prices are high and the games catalogue is big joke). i just hope the psp-3000 will be in the shops along with the psp-go.
    So by now, with all this going on, and as an early psp fan i now feel sony can kiss my hairy behind. And i pray karma takes care of the pirating masses.
    Edited by 2 at 05/10/09 @ 10:58

  • onyxbox #72 2 years ago

    I got myself a PSPgo by trading in an old 360 that was sent back from repair and has been sitting in a box behind the sofa for months. With the trade in I shelled out £140.

    I've been using it over the weekend and I think it's quite a nice bit of kit but It's hard to recommend it over an iPod touch for £160 as a convergence device... as a gaming device tho' it does the trick.

    I got it because I wanted a PSP that I could fit in my pocket and I quite like the idea of carying more than one game around on the device.

    I don't think it's worth £220 quid tho' (i just happended to have something I wanted to get rid of).

    I really hope Sony sort the whole UMD exchange program out tho'... that's going to put a lot of people off and limit the success of the PSPgo.

  • INSOMANiAC #73 2 years ago

    Onyxbox, you gave a shop an Xbox 360 and £140 for a PSP Go !

    There must be some kind of special badge for people like you, if not there ought to be.

    Anyone guess what it might say on it ?

  • onyxbox #74 2 years ago

    ^^
    :-)

    I've still got a 360 (newer cooler one) the one I handed over wasn't being used so I figured I'd trade it for something I know I'll use on the train to London from time to time.

    Don't worry, I wouldn't have sacrificed 360 gaming just for the PSPgo :-D

  • mungolikebeans #75 2 years ago

    Got mine on friday and loving it, it's a lovely piece of kit. My old PSP has gone back in it's box....time to move on.

  • AliRay #76 2 years ago

    If Sony REALLY wanted digital downloads they'd sort out their bloody PSN Store, am I right?

    1) More PS1 classics. At £3.50 a pop I'd buy loads of em.

    2) Cheaper PSP games. Tiger Woods at £29.99 is NOT an impulse-purchase.

  • onyxbox #77 2 years ago

    @AliRay

    I was looking at FIFA 10 at £29.99 and thinkiing... I want it but I just can't do it... it's too expensive... £20 I would have probably buckled.

  • toy_brain #78 2 years ago

    @InternetRed
    "What does the 3000 offer that the 'phat' doesn't?"

    A 'wider' colour pallette - the display is a bit more vivid. If you put a 1000 or 2000 side-by-side with a 3000 there is a clear difference.
    Option for TV-out via seperate component cable. Of somewhat limited use this, but nice to play around with. PSP games do not get 'blown up' to display fullscreen which is a bit dissapointing, but the OS does, as do any videos, and PS1 games.
    USB recharge so you can charge it off a laptop or PC. The PSP needs to be in USB connection mode though.
    UMD Cache RAM - can make a big difference to loading times. Not sure how much of a difference it makes to games already on the stick.
    Smaller, lighter etc etc.
    EDIT: Better D-pad. Almost forgot that one, but it makes a huge difference to fighting games.

    Going back to the screen and its scanline problem, it really is a case of 'six-and-two-threes' between the 1000/2000 and the 3000. The 3000 has sharper colours and no blurring at all, but it does have the scanlines if you really look for them. The 1000/2000 screen has more muted colours, no scanlines, but some games can look a bit of a mess if they feature a lot of very dark colours mixed with bright colours. Best thing is just to take a good long look at a 3000 screen ansd decide for yourself. Personally I have a 3000 and no desire to go back to my old 1000 which is still kicking about in a drayer somewhere.
    Edited by 1 at 05/10/09 @ 16:52

  • Loghorn #79 2 years ago

    I definitely agree with clockworkzombie. I too, would quit gaming if everything was DD only. Physical media has always worked in the past, present, & will continue to work in the future. I like having physical copies. What should happen, one day, if your favorite company goes six feet under one day of if their servers stops working? Then what?

    Plus there were rumors that Microsoft would go DD only next gen. I hope not. They should consider going for Blu-Ray, since by next gen, that format would be mch cheaper, & that Microsoft won't have to pay much.

    Back on topic, IMO, the ones who have purchased the PSP Go over the 3000 model are pure suckers.

    The screen is much smaller, they charge you a lot of money for a download when you can just get a physical copy for around that same price or even less on a UMD (plus with UMD's you can play the entire gaming library, including imports), plus the battery life is even shorter than the regular PSP models. Not to mention that a 3000 model has tons of features & can do almost everything that the Go can do, including downloading games from the PSN store. With downloads, you don't exactly own a copy of the game.

    I don't exactly own a PSP as of yet, but if I had to choose, it would definitely be a PSP 3000. Especially when it's much cheaper.

  • jefranklin18 #80 2 years ago

    I find it amusing that all pro-PSP GO posts are downmarked and all anti- are marked positively.

    I am ambivalent - I would like a PSP in some shape or form, and to be honest I do not want to arse around with that many UMDs as I want something to chuck in a bag that I can pull out whenever the train gets stuck again. So, I could get either a Go or a 3000 - games I will play will be the minis (as I don't want to spend too much time on them) or on long flights, probably one of the PS1 classics from the store. I have been meaning to try FF7, so a flight to Australia should give me time to crack it, if Changi airport has recharging facilities.

  • Les #81 2 years ago

    The PSPgo must be one of the most silly hardware revisions ever: Fully breaking compatibility with games that are already owned while not (really) upgrading hardware performance. So no incentive (rather a disincentive) to get one for people that already own a previous iteration while the high price and no real added features will not convince people that weren't convinced till now.

    What were Sony thinking?