Sony: PSP "a disappointment" last year

By Robert Purchese Published 13 May, 2010

Company "looking into future platforms".

Sony CFO Bill Glaser has called PSP sales "a little bit of a disappointment" for the huge electronics company.

He was speaking in a Sony earnings call this afternoon. His comments come after full-year FY2010 earnings (for the year ended 31st March) showed flagging PS2 and PSP sales.

"PS2 is entering its 11th year this year, and it's amazing it is still contributing," said Glaser. "PSP was a little bit of a disappointment to us last year."

The PSPgo has been a commercial flop for Sony, although some rumours suggest it was an experiment ahead of a PSP2. Digital Foundry explored the possibilities recently.

PS3 performed better for Sony, although its results Glaser said were "offset" by the other platforms.

Talking of other platforms, Glaser revealed that Sony was already pumping money to researching new key gaming hardware.

"We're always looking into future platforms as well. Very premature to talk about future platforms, but R&D is continuing," he said.

Don't get too excited: Sony has talked long of a 10-year PS3 plan. It will take more than a giant crab to change that.

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. @Clert on Twitter.

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

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Comments (51) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • Zomoniac #1 2 years ago

    Well at least he's honest, instead of the usual exec trick of trying to manipulate figures to make it seem like they're winning. If they accept that the PSP has failed and look into why it's failed then it gives them a better starting point for trying to launch a successful follow-up.

  • spiritsnake #2 2 years ago

    good job with the ps3

  • dirtysteve #3 2 years ago

    PSP Go was baffling to me. Seemed like the epitome of pay more, get less.What precisely was the advantage? It's more expensive and no UMD? I had being lazily throwing the idea of getting a PSP around, and the second-hand market makes Go look even worse.

  • onyxbox #4 2 years ago

    I've got a PSPgo and I think it's ok... the main reason it failed IMO was the lack of commitment to bringing the back catalog to the PSN Store and most of all....

    THE BLINKING PRICE!!!!

    It's RRP is something like £230 ... handhelds need to retail at the £150 mark even if it means compromising the tech a bit.

  • VicViper #5 2 years ago

    I can't think why, I mean between releasing a dead on arrival overpriced 'upgrade' and all those 'amazing' games/Minis... oh wait. Well at least they haven't tried to sugar coat it.

    I have a ton of games on UMD, the Go was never an option. When my launch PSP, yep thats right I got one the minute it came out in the uk and its still running fine and it's not hacked, finally dies I'll be hunting for whatever the last UMD compatible version was before the Go and grab that so I can still play my imported games (DJ Max and Super robot wars/Bleach mainly) and my current libary.
    Edited by VicViper at 13/05/10 @ 15:02

  • wizlon #6 2 years ago

    If the PSP was a dog, I'd shoot it. It's had a great life, but now it's time to take a bow.

  • Toothball #7 2 years ago

    @onyxbox

    Yeah, they really don't seem to have made any effort to get most of the UMD range onto PSN. Not being able to play UMDs on it is one matter, but they don't even provide the option to pay for a game a second time to get it on the Go. Really hasn't been at all encouraging for the few of us who invested in one.

    It's a real shame as otherwise I really like the PSP Go.
    Edited by Toothball at 13/05/10 @ 15:09

  • jebus #8 2 years ago

    My psp languished in a draw collecting dust until I hacked it to play home ripped PS1 games from a mem stick. Even though I could pirate new stuff (which I didn't) I found portable ps1 gaming is an utter joy on psp. What a back cat.They really should have made it a lot easier to do. There is no way on earth I was ever going to buy a ps3 just so I could buy ps1 games from PSN to then stick on my psp.

    I have no idea if that is still the case - can you buy ps1 stuff directly with the Go now?

  • jonbwfc #9 2 years ago

    'No Sh!t Sherlock' award 2010 goes to...

  • GamesConnoisseur #10 2 years ago

    I ll happily get PSP2, even got three versions of PSP over the time, but knew instantly that PSPGo was going to be an utter failure and waste of money.

    Price and I am not prepared to bend over and get shafted for inability to get my PSP UMD games to work aside from token porting of limited titles.

    Sony well deserves to be totally burnt on this front.

    Problem is even just an experiment, people will associated with PSP in wrong way.
    Hope they learn useful lessons and go from there.

  • chessboxer #11 2 years ago

    Sony can put their 1st party games on the PSN, but 3rd party games have to be left up to the publisher, legal teams and involved parties.

    Many games (PS1 and PSP) will never make it on the PSN due to changes in copyright holders or changes made to laws in different countries since the games were originally released. That's at least 2000 games (and god knows how many parties are involved with just one game) which need to have their contracts revisited by lawyers to see if they are even eligible for a PSN release, otherwise lawsuits will be handed out left, right and center.

  • INSOMANiAC #12 2 years ago

    Yeah yeah the PSPGO was a shit idea and an overpriced failure but the fact is the PSP has been dead for years due to piracy.

  • peterfll #13 2 years ago

    It's very frustating when a company releases a really brilliant bit of tech and then squanders it. PSP has been dying through a lack of development support and piracy for a while now.

    Iit's a real shame as when the PSP is given the opportunity, its a fantatsic hand-held. I'm still looking forward to the new God Of War, but I would cite that it was the LAST God Of War that I probably bought for my machine...

    ps Oh not, I bought Motorstorm Arctic Edge for it - which I thought was great. But still....

  • Nuronv #14 2 years ago

    The PSP Go was never meant to be an upgrade to the standard PSP, its a bit like DSi to the DSi XL, if you have one its pointless sidegrade.
    For someone who didn't own an original PSP and so doesn't have a back catalog of UMDs i think its good. It also lives up to being better on the "Go"as i can have say 20 games in my pocket without the need to cart around 20 UMDS with it.

    PSP Cons
    Larger
    UMD needed for most games
    Shorter Battery Life
    Longer load times
    No Bluetooth Support

    PSP Go Cons
    Limited Catalogue
    Games tend to be more expensive
    Cannot sell or buy used software
    Non standard USB cable
    £50 on price.

    I wouldn't say the PSP Go was a bad system, it just has a smaller niche. The only major gripe i have about it is the limit back catalogue, for example i can get a demo worms but not the game itself.
    If Sony had stuck by their word and allowed people to trade UMD to digital download versions and kept it at the same price point as the standard model they would be selling a lot more.
    Edited by Nuronv at 13/05/10 @ 16:39

  • jonsaan #15 2 years ago

    PSP is a fantastic device.

    PSP back catalogue is an untapped goldmine.

    Sony are stupid.

  • Stegofreak #16 2 years ago

    One other issue I had with the PSPGo was the amount of storage space it had. I filled a 60GB PS3 with saves and game data. Imagine how fast 16GB would full when it has to store the game itself. And don't get me started on trying to download them without using Media Go.

  • SYS64738 #17 2 years ago

    "One other issue I had with the PSPGo was the amount of storage space it had. I filled a 60GB PS3 with saves and game data. Imagine how fast 16GB would full when it has to store the game itself. And don't get me started on trying to download them without using Media Go."

    You can hate the Go for various reasons, but come on. My Go has a combined storage space of 32GB (add unlimited amount of M2 sticks depending on your budget), has over 40 games on it, about 2 GB of music, 150MB of save data, and still has about 2 GB space left. And I never ever had download problems directly to the machine.

    Besides, you could argue the same points against the 2000/3000 model, they use PSN in the exact same way as the Go.

  • MaFlippinHeadHurts #18 2 years ago

    I still can't believe some total plonkers getting paid a whack of cash made such a huge mistake with the PSPgo, there was no way it was going to work, retailers weren't supporting it (including Game) and the general public who already had a PSP felt they were getting shafted

    Total idiots

  • Soton4084 #19 2 years ago

    I actually think the PSPGO is quite an attractive device and definately an improvement on the PSP in terms of form factor. However, as a PS3 user, I know that the PSN store isn't that great and that the prices are a rip off. Why would anyone pay full price for a game on PSN, which cannot be traded in once completed for new games? Especially when you take into account the fact that the PSP now has a huge back catologue you can pick UMD PSP games up cheap as chips preowned in places like Game or online.

    If the size of the UMD is an issue, why not just store PSP2 games on some kind of compact memory card. That way retailers will be happy and will actually be willing to advertise it and the PSP2 will benefit from being more compact. It also means that the PSN store will have a bit of competition and will be forced to lower it's prices in order to compete!

  • scottyd #20 2 years ago

    I just bought a new PSP-3000 for £130. Came with the FIFA World Cup game, which I promptly exchanged for WipeOut. In truth I'm only using it for FFVII on the train, and for that purpose its ideal.

    I also hoped to play videos on it, but it seems quite fussy about my h264 videos (which play fine on my Xbox and iPhone), which is a big minus.

    I did consider a PSPGo, but the price point and the inability to take advantage of any promotions or preowned games meant that it was a total non-starter. So a mixed bag so far for the 3000, but I'm not regretting it yet.

  • theguyfromspark #21 2 years ago

    I've not used the UMD drive on my psp 2000 in ages. All my recent games were downloaded from psn. I didn't need to pay extra for a smaller screen and some extra memory, if you want to use a standard psp like a go, you can. Battery life is fine, games load faster and you can have them all with you without any extra bulk.

  • bnazir #22 2 years ago

    Don't forget that when games do eventually make it to the store, they usually sell at the RRP with very little discounting. For example, FIFA 10 on the PSP store is 29.99, but on-line UMD version is £10. Makes you want to puke really.

    I'm one of the sheep that fell for the Sony marketing and bought the Go - won't be making the same mistake again.
    Edited by bnazir at 13/05/10 @ 16:15

  • des #23 2 years ago

    PSP:Sony"a disappointment" last year

  • Widge #24 2 years ago

    I like obvious-o-statements.

    Sony: Dualshock 3 "is a control pad"

  • slippysloppy #25 2 years ago

    It flopped because of Sony's greed to tie people in. Betamax, ATRAC, Mini-Disc, even Blu-Ray - does Sony learn nothing? They tired to compete with the App Store but the iPhone has other worthwhile functions. They went after the market the wrong way, they should have released a PSP phone, that would have rocked.

  • SAMagic #26 2 years ago

    First Manchester United, now this! Where will it end?

  • I\'mListening #27 2 years ago

    Why do we always hear about this ten year life span for the PS3 meaning there will be no new hardware within that period? They said the same for both the PS1 and the PS2...

  • dr_faulk #28 2 years ago

    I forgot I owned one of these...

  • alcides #29 2 years ago

    it's better that to actually remember having one but not caring for the amazing games that it's been blessed with, then.

  • castertroy #30 2 years ago

    Bloody expensive experiment the psp go!

  • castertroy #31 2 years ago

    Only Sony can make the psp a success. Where is all the downloadable psp go games?

  • AmethystSword #32 2 years ago

    "The PSPgo has been a commercial flop for Sony"

    that statement should also include "because the price was only affordable to those that use toilets made of pure gold and use silk to wipe themselves clean"

  • SpaceMonkey77 #33 2 years ago

    PSP is a nice but aged system, but even at the cheapest option, is vastly overpriced.

    Sony's memory cards could have saved the system, by just selling games on them, instead of UMDs. Unfortunately, Sony lack vision and imagination will help bury them. Millions of us sighed at no UMD to PSP transfer program.

    I'm going to keep hold of mine anyway, as I love buying import games.

  • Merefield #34 2 years ago

    @jonsaan "PSP is a fantastic device"

    It was once. its not now - its outdated.

    slippysloppy is absolutely right.

    Apple looked at the market, and thought, if we invest a bit of money and create a phone with significant enough power, including great graphics hardware and tether it to a closed sofware marketplace, we can develop a huge market for mobile casual (and not so casual) gaming. They were spot on.

    The only thing which lets the iPhone down in this respect is the lack of a keyboard.

    This has lead to some interesting new game interfaces and types appearing, but makes it less suitable for some genres.

    Nonetheless its completely stolen the show.

    The PSPGo was a lazy rehash and this is the result.

    Sony is absolutely right it needs to totally rethink this.

    they missed the greatest opportunity they had - a strong mobile gaming device and a siginficant interest in mobile phone hardware.

    Clearly the two divisions did not talk to eachother enough!!

    It's clear Apple didn't need massive gaming expertise, the game devs did all that legwork for them.

    They just needed to ensure the hardware and O/S was good enough, with a reasonable API and let the market get on with it.

    Platform is king.
    Edited by Merefield at 13/05/10 @ 18:51

  • Arwin #35 2 years ago

    Yes, but PSP2 as a platform may not be quite as far off as the PS4. I'd think that it would be very likely to appear before the PS4, like the PSP appeared before the PS3.

  • Windypops #36 2 years ago

    Sony should take heart from the fact that despite the PSP's flagging sales and lack of software, it still has its own entry in Eurogamer's navigation bar, whereas the iPod/iPhone has been relegated to the "Other Platforms" section. Finger on the PULSE, guys!

    And that Minority Report ad is making me want to fist my own eye sockets.

  • rosshuts #37 2 years ago

    I was really keen to get a psp earlier this year. Now that most versions on eBay or second hand in stores would be good for me to finally opt for one. I wasn't really aware of the PSP Go and its high price and an assistant in Gamestation tried to get me to buy a new PSP Go. He didn't want me to buy a PSP 3000 or even just a second hand PSP and tried justifying the really high price to me for a few minutes even. If it was £60 to £80 cheaper I would have bought it as I didn't have any UMD's already, but the price just pi**ed me right off!! He was very persistent and after putting my foot down and telling him what I wanted to buy and not the other way round he then admitted that only 10 people purchased a PSP Go from there store in months! Quite sad story for Sony to consider and more importantly a rather pointless long comment - sorry! ;)
    Edited by rosshuts at 13/05/10 @ 20:17

  • alcides #38 2 years ago

    A modest proposal for SONY:

    1) Listen to the whole universe SCREAMING touchscreen, second analog stick, massive internal storage.

    2) The only possible alternative to "IT JUST WORKS" in terms of usability is "IT JUST DOESNT WORK". PSP doesn't cut it as a MP3 player, movie player, web surfer. It. just. doesn't. work. Sort yourselves SONY.

    3) Pop your head out of your own arse! PSPgo has nothing in common with iPod Touch except in your whimsical retarded world. Stop insulting people with stupid rip-offs like that.

    4) Physical media or gtfo. OR 20€ price point for a game that would have cost 40 in retail. Make retail more expensive

    MAKE SENSE!

    It just occured to me that this is your slogan: make.believe It's such maddening cross-purpose, raucous irony. "play.pretend", more like!

  • Ryze #39 2 years ago

    @Zomoniac

    +1 about his comments. I'd love to say that my PSP is indispensable, but if I lost it and all of the games today, I'd get a DSi and iPhone to replace it.

    Sorry!

    The home consoles do better console games, and the DS/iPhone do better handheld games. iPhone does digital media/web MUCH better, and the iPhone means I won't also need a phone. iPhone does social networking better than the NOTHING that a PSP does in that regard unless you sit under an AP with Skype on the Slim with no video. No GPS, no bluetooth unless I abandon my UMD games and get ripped off by the PSN store with the 'go'... No camera unless I bolt that ugly unsupported mess to the top of the unit...

    OH BUT THEY UPDATED IT WITH 'SENSE ME' technology and sequential video playback!!!!

    Do fuck off please.

    PSP is a Jack of all trades and a master of absolutely none.

    Hack box for emulators (it's nearly as good as the GP2X for that), and throwaway pirated games that feel broken when you can't even move the bloody camera to look around without standing still and holding a toggle button.

    They need to learn from this.

  • zedzee #40 2 years ago

    Correction, the PSPgo has been "a bit of a disappointment". The PSPslim has done the best that it can, considering Sony's utter contempt for the platform.

  • Deckard1 #41 2 years ago

    hasn't the PSP always been a disappointment?

  • Shakey_Jake33 #42 2 years ago

    Sony only have themselves to blame for the PSP Go being a flop, they've hardly been proactive in ensuring the PSP catalogue is available. I am aware that it is largely up to the publishers, but the current situation seems to imply a disinterest.

    On the other hand, a completely new format orientated around digital distribution could work - a fresh start, without a previous rendition of the format overshadowing it, but it would require a chronic change in approach from Sony.

  • TVeyes #43 2 years ago

    @Zomoniac: "PSP has failed" is a bit harsh, no? "PSP is currently failing" is completely within the bounds of reality though.

    I hope they have something special for the next PSP and don't rush it. Back when the PSP launched and I was sitting with a Jap PSP on a couch playing Ridge Racer and Lumines I felt such a rush. This little device could not possibly be producing such graphics and CD quality audio. I was sure it would rule the world! Unfortunately, no matter how many friends I showed the PSP to, not one has bought one since, what was it, the release in 2004 ? Perhaps SONY where advertising/pricing the device to the wrong people? Or maybe the "low tech" Nintendo DS just had that certain Touch? Or maybe myself and my friends were all over 30?

    In any case they need something else than the PSP2 at this point. They need to offer a great platform for both consumption of media and a capable/very good gaming machine with just a couple of launch day gaming hits from their catalogue of the past 15-16 years.

    I have an iPad and an iPhone and they are both "neat" at many games. But damn, I need some buttons for tactile feedback and that is why I will buy Patapon 2 and Abes Odyssey from the PSN store in just about a moment. But I don't think the world outside our bubble realises the benefit of buttons or even cares. They definetely do not want to invest in 2-3 machines. Broadly speaking of course.

    My father would never care for the complexity of the PSP or most games on the DS. But he absolutely loves Peggle on the iPod Touch I gave him. Why? Because he also uses it to store his contacts, read his emails(while lying in bed) and news on the internet(while lying in bed). Are SONY targetting my father? No, but it would not hurt them to broaden their demographic. Probably an exercise in futility if they do not get it right. But what is the other option? Rely on hardcore gamers who love PlayStation stablemate games? I think they too also have a device that lets them read email in bed and possibly more.


    Sorry for the long rambling comment. Pretty sure I should have insulted somebody by now or made a fuss about one console over the other, but I'll save that for another comment..... Well pardon me for not having a fanboy bone in me. And please F off if you think I do. : )

    EDIT: You have to edit in a smiley
    Edited by TVeyes at 14/05/10 @ 05:05

  • Phishfood #44 2 years ago

    That is very bad for the PSP if Sony is willing to admit that its doing poorly. Sony almost never admit any of their products are doing poorly.

  • Widge #45 2 years ago

    I would really like a PSP phone. Size of the Go with the slide out controls would be perfect. I love the PSP’s mp3 playing abilities, wonderful gapless playback, no need to tag files so I can quickly dump projects on it to listen to. I really wish there was a “transfer games to the Go” tool as I would have one in a heartbeat. The main thing that bugs me about my 1000 it is a bit epic to lug around and have in the pocket.

  • Loghorn #46 2 years ago

    Well, it is obvious, even though the PS2 is a great system & has tons of games than you can shake a stick at, it's ran it's course, seeing it's now been 10 years since it was first released in Japan in '99, & that games are rarely being released for it as of today. People are paying more attention to PS3's now.

    Same with the PSP. It's really done well for their first gaming handheld, but outside of Japan, no one's really paying attention to it along with a lot of people not buying the software for it. As for the PSP-Go, ugh. Horrible failure. I don't think that it should've been invented at all.

    What they need to do is to ditch those (meaning the PS2, PSP, & PSP-Go), & start thinking about a PSP 2 & the PS4. And also, be extra careful about what kind of tech that they're using on them both, as I'm sure that they don't want to lose a load of billions like they did with the PS3 this gen (unless they want to use more advanced technology on those things, continue to lose even more billions, & then have to wind up shutting down their gaming division about half-way throughout next gen). And of course, continue to put out great games for them as well as good advertising. That's how your products sell.
    Edited by Loghorn at 14/05/10 @ 11:08

  • Dolly #47 2 years ago

    Argos are selling new PSPgo's for £139.99 + £3.99 delivery according to hotukdeals, if anyone fancies a dabble..

  • FladgeMangle #48 2 years ago

    @Dolly

    Pre-empting an expected E3 price cut announcement or ditching unsellable stock? Unlike Argos to been that well informed so it's probably the latter. A real pity. However, as commentators here have already said, Sony only have themselves to blame.

    The PSPgo is a very nice handheld, but it's not £225's worth of very nice and the PSN support has been disgraceful.

    If there even is a PSP2, it'll have to be something pretty astonishingly awesome and loss-making cheap to have a snowball's chance.

    edit - "be" becomes "been" as it should be
    Edited by FladgeMangle at 14/05/10 @ 16:53

  • Ryze #49 2 years ago

    @Dolly

    No thanks...!

  • ChocNut #50 2 years ago

    Sony created a beautiful device with the first PSP. Unfortunately they generously included a USB port and PC-compatible memory (no physical hacks necessary).

    This destroyed the PSP for developers because they knew that their games would not be bought - they'd easily be pirated.

    For the PSP2 they will need 3g and a a second anaolgue stick. Nintendo will need to have 3g too to combat piracy.

    You may think I'm wrong but Internet connectivity is the future for such devices (and offers some protection from piracy with easy dial-home updates).

    I has spoken.

  • Globalexpress #51 2 years ago

    Nothing new here. The PSP has struggled since the release. The handheld market, is dominated by Nintendo. There's a huge difference in sales between the two. Although I think the PSP is the best handheld device on the market.