No UMD Conversion for PSP Go

[Allyn Gibson]

Honestly, I'm surprised GameStop is even carrying it.

For good PR with Sony, probably. Sony has been known to be vindictive in how they ship product to the retailers. It's in GameStop's interest not to rock the boat any more than they already have, because Sony could stop shipping PS2s, PS3s, and games to GameStop.

This isn't idle speculation. Sony cut off EB Games of PS2 consoles in 2002 when Sony reps saw the Graveyard in West Chester. (The Graveyard was a giant mountain of broken PS2 systems held at the warehouse.) It's not inconceivable that Sony could say, "You want this stuff that you can sell and make money on through used sales later? Well, you're going to have to take this, too." Sony knows that GameStop needs Sony more than Sony needs GameStop.

 

[firehawk12]

Except I don't think Sony is in a position where they can demand anything now. Back in the PS2 days they were the only game in town... now, they'd be happy to sell PS3s to anyone.

I just think that the much higher price point is the compromise. Except that management might even direct stores to point people to the cheaper PSP 3000 in order to generate UMD sales.

 

[Timby]

Well, Sony's management has said that the company made it "worth retailers' while" to stock the PSP Go, which is essentially market-speak for "we gave retailers a very, very nice margin on the system." Ostensibly, this is incentive for retailers who would otherwise be missing out on UMD sales.

 

[dragunzng]

I'm looking forward to this Thursday, almost 150 games added to the store in one fell swoop!

I also heard that the version of Daxter being uploaded will take advantage of the PSP processors full 333mhz clock speed, allowing for a buttery smooth framerate.

I'll be picking up:

Daxter
One of the Buzz games
Either Burnout Dominator or Legends
FIFA 09... but maybe I should wait for 10?
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Mega Man Powered Up
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow

I think that's it/ And yes, I know I'm going to be broke.
Timby, is the name change permanent? Also, curious to know why you changed.

EDIT: Just read some reviews for Ultimate Alliance 2 on PSP. I think I'll avoid.

 

[USS Mariner]

Yeah, but there they can sell used Wii games at least.

It's the same way where Best Buy sells iPods and CDs... but most people who buy iPods would never, ever buy a physical CD... so it almost defeats the purpose.

Those people would never buy CDs because they're too used to listening to over-compressed garbage on expensive, crappy hardware.

 

[firehawk12]

^
Yes well, I think we all know that iPods are shit, but people don't care nowadays.
It's almost as frustrating as full screen movies back in the day.

Well, Sony's management has said that the company made it "worth retailers' while" to stock the PSP Go, which is essentially market-speak for "we gave retailers a very, very nice margin on the system." Ostensibly, this is incentive for retailers who would otherwise be missing out on UMD sales.

Yeah. I mean, I think the base model is 150? The bundles are 200? So there's a pretty big markup on the hardware - especially since the R&D was already done because the shell is based on an old cellphone design. I have to imagine that 50 dollars is meant to make up for the loss of a few game sales.

I think if Sony was really trying to make this a success, they would have eaten the cost themselves - like they do with the PS3. I just think most consumers don't care about the device for a variety of reasons - cost being one of them.

 

[Sephiroth]

Let me tell you something about Sony, I don't give a shit about them, Square-Enix is whats keeping them alive in the gaming department, Sony went from being king of the hill with the PS2 to the bottom of the stack with the PS3;
The overbearing price (which is just now down to market value with it's competitor)
The crappy game catalog (no DLC for Fallout 3 WTF?) and
The lack of any real, worthwhile exclusives
have kept me from even feigning interest.

They HAD something with the PSP and it's capability to play movies via UMD (i have a good catalog of UMD movies, including the entire Cowboy Bebop series, great for when I travel) but most of the games I have seen for it are, well, junk, other than DFF, Crisis core, the FF1 remake, and the Star Ocean remakes,the PSP doesn't have much, you can DL classic games onto it, but it just about takes an entire memory card for just one game, so that adds another $15-20 for the memory card to the cost of the download

 

[Servo]

Let me tell you something about Sony, I don't give a shit about them...

No kidding? You'd never have guessed from your posts.

Square-Enix is whats keeping them alive in the gaming department, Sony went from being king of the hill with the PS2 to the bottom of the stack with the PS3

Hardly. While I agree that they're not the dominant force in the market that they were in the peak of the PS2 years, they're hardly bottom of the barrel today.

The overbearing price (which is just now down to market value with it's competitor)

When you're comparing it in terms of being a games console alongside the 360 and the Wii, then yes, it is a tad expensive. However, what most people tend to conveniently forget when on one of their internet rants against the PS3, is that the PS3 isn't solely a games console. It has one of the best Blu-Ray players installed as standard. It acts as a media centre as well as a gaming unit, and doesn't suffer the same drawbacks as a 360 - it has an internet browser included, built-in bluetooth capability, and built in wireless internet. All that is without even getting into the fact that you can swap the hard drive in it with any other 2.5" HDD, allowing you to upgrade the memory for substantially less than it costs to buy an overpriced 360 HDD.

The crappy game catalog (no DLC for Fallout 3 WTF?)

You just sound like a fanboy with this crap. And the DLC for Fallout 3 actually started being released on PSN last week. Can't blame Sony for being scooped to a timed exclusive by Microsoft. Shit happens. Sometimes Sony scoops Microsoft. Swings and roundabouts.

The lack of any real, worthwhile exclusives

Uncharted? Motorstorm? Killzone? Not to mention the upcoming stuff like Heavy Rain, MAG, or God of War 3.

have kept me from even feigning interest.

I'm sure the Sony Execs cry themselves to sleep at night over the loss of your custom.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Well, Sony's management has said that the company made it "worth retailers' while" to stock the PSP Go, which is essentially market-speak for "we gave retailers a very, very nice margin on the system." Ostensibly, this is incentive for retailers who would otherwise be missing out on UMD sales.

It's possible things have changed in the three years since I left EB/GameStop, but at the time, Sony's margins were the worst. The margin on the PS2 was under 1 percent, for instance.

 

[Galactus]

I don't get why the average Joe would buy a PSP Go over and ipod touch/iphone or even an Zune HD. All the kids I know have a DS and never even think about a PSP. I assume that there must be a new better device over the horizon.

So when they bringing the Gameboy back?

 

[Sephiroth]

Let me tell you something about Sony, I don't give a shit about them...

No kidding? You'd never have guessed from your posts.

the point is that Sony has done nothing to make me CARE for them.

When you're comparing it in terms of being a games console alongside the 360 and the Wii, then yes, it is a tad expensive. However, what most people tend to conveniently forget when on one of their internet rants against the PS3, is that the PS3 isn't solely a games console. It has one of the best Blu-Ray players installed as standard. It acts as a media centre as well as a gaming unit, and doesn't suffer the same drawbacks as a 360 - it has an internet browser included, built-in bluetooth capability, and built in wireless internet. All that is without even getting into the fact that you can swap the hard drive in it with any other 2.5" HDD, allowing you to upgrade the memory for substantially less than it costs to buy an overpriced 360 HDD.

wow...are you a Sony employee? other than the HDD and the bluetooth, the 360 does all that, hell, even the Wii has a net browser, and you don't see the PS3 sold in the computer or video player aisles, do you? no, they are in the gaming areas, as that is the PS3's primary market.

The lack of any real, worthwhile exclusives

Uncharted? Motorstorm? Killzone? Not to mention the upcoming stuff like Heavy Rain, MAG, or God of War 3.

A game no one's heard of, that crappy offroad game that's used as the demo in every gamestop in the country, and a buggy FPS, and of the upcoming 3 exclusives you have mentioned, the only one with any widespread notariety is GOW3, and even that doesn't have enough marketability pull due to it's content rating

 

[firehawk12]

Well, Sony's management has said that the company made it "worth retailers' while" to stock the PSP Go, which is essentially market-speak for "we gave retailers a very, very nice margin on the system." Ostensibly, this is incentive for retailers who would otherwise be missing out on UMD sales.

It's possible things have changed in the three years since I left EB/GameStop, but at the time, Sony's margins were the worst. The margin on the PS2 was under 1 percent, for instance.

In Canada, I know the wholesale price of systems is 5 dollars cheaper than MSRP. PSP Go must be a huge exception.

 

[Servo]

wow...are you a Sony employee?

Yes. Because I'm making a coherant argument against your fanboy ranting, I must obviously be a Sony employee. Fail.

other than the HDD and the bluetooth, the 360 does all that, hell, even the Wii has a net browser, and you don't see the PS3 sold in the computer or video player aisles, do you? no, they are in the gaming areas, as that is the PS3's primary market.

The 360 doesn't have a web browser, and sure, it does accomodate wireless networking... if you buy the network adapter that DOES NOT come with the console. And regardless of where in the store the PS3 is sold, it still has more features than any other gaming unit on the market. Putting your fingers in your ears and shouting "nah, nah ,nah, not listening!" doesn't make it any less true.

A game no one's heard of, that crappy offroad game that's used as the demo in every gamestop in the country, and a buggy FPS, and of the upcoming 3 exclusives you have mentioned, the only one with any widespread notariety is GOW3, and even that doesn't have enough marketability pull due to it's content rating

No-one's heard of Uncharted? Sure mate, whatever you say. That comment alone negates anything else you have to say.

I get it, you don't like Sony. Fine, but at least try not to descend into fanboy ignorance and bullshit when you explain why. It just makes you look like an idiot.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

In Canada, I know the wholesale price of systems is 5 dollars cheaper than MSRP. PSP Go must be a huge exception.

It depended on the manufacturer. The mark-up on a PS2 was two dollars. (Yes, EB paid Sony 197 to sell the system at 199.) The mark-up on the XBox was six. The mark-up on the GameCube was ten. Nintendo offered better margins on their products.

 

[Rii]

On the subject of PS3 vs. X360 exclusives: everything I own and am looking forward to on PS3 is exclusive to the platform, whereas the only X360-exclusive title I'm interested in is a remake of an N64 game.

It's the same way where Best Buy sells iPods and CDs... but most people who buy iPods would never, ever buy a physical CD... so it almost defeats the purpose.

In the long run, once the demographic of musically undiscerning folks who're too old for iPods but too young for vinyl fades to commercial insignificance, vinyl will probably outlive CD, as the kinds of folks who disdain lossy formats in favour of CD are also the kinds of folks who disdain CD in favour of vinyl.

 

[dragunzng]

I don't get why the average Joe would buy a PSP Go over and ipod touch/iphone or even an Zune HD. All the kids I know have a DS and never even think about a PSP. I assume that there must be a new better device over the horizon.

So when they bringing the Gameboy back?

Why would you buy a Zune HD or an ipod (first and foremost music players) if you want a gaming device?

The only real competitor to the PSP is the DS, the iphone and Zune's gaming libraries and capabilities are pretty mediocre in comparison.

 

[Rii]

I don't get why the average Joe would buy a PSP Go over and ipod touch/iphone or even an Zune HD. All the kids I know have a DS and never even think about a PSP. I assume that there must be a new better device over the horizon.

So when they bringing the Gameboy back?

Why would you buy a Zune HD or an ipod (first and foremost music players) if you want a gaming device?

The only real competitor to the PSP is the DS, the iphone and Zune's gaming libraries and capabilities are pretty mediocre in comparison.

People don't want a "gaming device" or a "music device", though. They want a single device that meets all their needs. Convergence is a compelling quality when you're carrying the device(s) around on your person. It's why mobile phones have single-handedly annihilated the practical wristwatch market, and why Apple launched the iPhone once the capabilities of mobile phones began to encroach on iPod's territory.

The DS may be the PSP's only real competitor, but the PSP certainly isn't the DS' only real competitor. In the long run, it or successor devices in the same vein won't even constitute the DS' primary competitor. Frankly, Sony's approach to the PSP as a "portable console", as much as it served to distinguish the PSP from the DS, is not going to work. If I'm looking to kill ten minutes then Bioshock isn't nearly as appealing as Bejeweled, and that is how most folks engage with portable gaming devices most of the time.

The iPod Touch/iPhone isn't there yet, for a variety of reasons, but in the long run it's going to be a very serious competitor to the DS. Nintendo knows it too, hence the DSi revision released recently adding a whole bunch of non-gaming related features to the device.

 

[dragunzng]

People don't want a "gaming device" or a "music device", though. They want a single device that meets all their needs. Convergence is a compelling quality when you're carrying the device(s) around on your person. It's why mobile phones have single-handedly annihilated the practical wristwatch market, and why Apple launched the iPhone once the capabilities of mobile phones began to encroach on iPod's territory.

The DS may be the PSP's only real competitor, but the PSP certainly isn't the DS' only real competitor. In the long run, it or successor devices in the same vein won't even constitute the DS' primary competitor. Frankly, Sony's approach to the PSP as a "portable console", as much as it served to distinguish the PSP from the DS, is not going to work. If I'm looking to kill ten minutes then Bioshock isn't nearly as appealing as Bejeweled, and that is how most folks engage with portable gaming devices most of the time.

The iPod Touch/iPhone isn't there yet, for a variety of reasons, but in the long run it's going to be a very serious competitor to the DS. Nintendo knows it too, hence the DSi revision released recently adding a whole bunch of non-gaming related features to the device.

I understand what you're trying to say, but the fact is that no so-called convergence device does everything well. Most devices that aren't PC's have a singular focus, with the ability to perform multiple additional functions well.

The PSP and DS are primarily gaming devices, multimedia comes in second place for the PSP, followed by internet browsing. The ipod is first and foremost a music and movie player, with gaming being a tertiary capability.

My point is that if you're a gamer who wants to play quality mobile games first and foremost, you're going to get a PSP (or a DS) because you can't get games like Crisis Core, God of War, Gran Turismo etc on an iPod, it's just not a gaming device at its core, and until it gets a redesign that allows the use of buttons, it will never be.

Don't get me wrong, the ipod has some great games, and it's a wonderful platform for casual gamers, but Sony is first and foremost targeting the more hardcore gamer with the PSP. There is some overlap, particularly with the advent of DSi Ware and PSP Minis, but for the a person who is looking to play portable games as a priority, it's kind of a no-brainer.

I'd also like to add that there are a variety of gameplay options available on the PSP, if you want to kill 10 minutes, then games like SuperStardust HD, Buzz! or the upcoming Mini's are where you're going to want to look. A lot of the folks who buy PSP's also use the device in bed or on the plane or on long commutes, when they aren't looking for bite sized gaming.

It's also worth noting that despite the DS undisputed dominance in the marketplace, the PSP has shifted almost 60 million units worldwide, I think it's an unqualified success.

 

[Galactus]

Exactly. The casual person is not looking for a PSP. They want a device that can be their cellphone,MP3, GPS, GPS, camera, computer, and pay the occasional games. It may not be what a serious gamer wants but it is by far what the average consumer wants and is why all the people from Apple to Garmin are trying to get that device built.

 

[Sephiroth]

wow...are you a Sony employee?

Yes. Because I'm making a coherant argument against your fanboy ranting, I must obviously be a Sony employee. Fail.

well, when you rattle off the entire package of the PS3 like you copied and pasted it off the official website, not to menton how defensive you have gotten makes me wonder, and tell me how exactly i have been a fanboy, and a fanboy of what?

other than the HDD and the bluetooth, the 360 does all that, hell, even the Wii has a net browser, and you don't see the PS3 sold in the computer or video player aisles, do you? no, they are in the gaming areas, as that is the PS3's primary market.

The 360 doesn't have a web browser, and sure, it does accomodate wireless networking... if you buy the network adapter that DOES NOT come with the console. And regardless of where in the store the PS3 is sold, it still has more features than any other gaming unit on the market. Putting your fingers in your ears and shouting "nah, nah ,nah, not listening!" doesn't make it any less true.

point on the network adapter, I had forgotten, and the 360 does web browse if you synch it up to a computer

A game no one's heard of, that crappy offroad game that's used as the demo in every gamestop in the country, and a buggy FPS, and of the upcoming 3 exclusives you have mentioned, the only one with any widespread notariety is GOW3, and even that doesn't have enough marketability pull due to it's content rating

No-one's heard of Uncharted? Sure mate, whatever you say. That comment alone negates anything else you have to say.

well excuse me, but when I have to look a game up, it isn't what one would consider well known

I get it, you don't like Sony. Fine, but at least try not to descend into fanboy ignorance and bullshit when you explain why. It just makes you look like an idiot.

once again, what fanboyishness have I been doing? i haven't been touting one system over another, just putting down the poor market practices of a company making poor decisions