While Sony has acknowledged that the PSPgo hasn’t been the most successful system, the company seemed committed to supporting the flagging platform. In an interview with MCV, SCEE President Andrew House said that the PSPgo was merely a test for a future handheld strategy.
When asked about the relative sales failure of the PSPgo, House mentioned that Sony felt the ‘test’ was successful. “It was introduced in a mature lifecycle to learn more about what the consumer wanted and we’ve definitely learnt a lot. Is that measured by success in sales? I don’t think it is.”
“One of the reasons we launched PSPgo was to understand where that consumer behavior was going. We were getting signals from consumers that this was the kind of device that they wanted,” said House. “But we need to recognize that consumers like their packaged media library.”
4 Comments
June 10, 2010
I believe them WHOLE heartedly, that this was a test, and that this was MEANT as a test from the very start. No, i'm not a Sony fan boy. This is not only a test for Sony, but for Microsoft and Nintendo as well. This is what Sony was boosting that the NEXT playstation may be from a few years ago.
What will happen if you have a system with no resale-able package?
What about ability to sale content right?
What about the ability to rent content?
If I buy a game online is Sony required to allow me to sale it to someone?
What will happen if I have a machine with controlled content, and there was competition with content that can be resold?
How will retailers react to what is a treat to there existence, and a major line of profit?
Did gamestop describe the pspgo down as a piece of restricted crap to the sales men (employees)?
Did gamestop support the pspgo like they did the psp2000, or ds lite, or ps3 slim?
What will happened with PSPgo games that where not AAA?
Did they cause major hurt to publishers?
What savings in security during developement will the publishers achieve?
How close does the actual sales at controlled price (no price drop after launch) offset the decline in overall sales?
What was the attach ratio of a game on pspgo and psp?
What was the total profit difference between the two?
What happen if the price of PSPgo title A was $10 lower or higher than on PSP?
Would the consumer buy a 85% metacritic game well enough when they know there is no way of getting a refund or trade in?
These are major questions.
Microsoft and Nintendo should pay Sony for being the tester. I know Sony is not sharing the data with Microsoft and Nintendo, but I'm sure they can get a lot from the detailed NPD reports and otherwise from partners.
I bet they got a LOT of answers that they did not like. In fact, I HOPE they got a lot of answers they did not like. I want my package too!
June 10, 2010
I personally feel the digital-only aspect of the PSP Go had relatively little to do with its failure. Its price point was absolutely ridiculous. More expensive than a Wii and even an XBox 360, $50 less than a PS3, priced near an iPod Touch yet it has far fewer features. It just seems like someone with a lot of sway in the company made a really bad decision they couldn't go back on.
As far as this whole "test" thing, I don't really believe them (obvious spin is obvious). It's hard to believe all that R&D, pre-launch market analysis, advertising, and hype were all for a test. There's much more at stake as well like the brand reputation of the PSP and its longevity going forward. Sony saw the consistent re-designs of the DS working and thought they could reinvigorate interest in the PSP in the same way. Failure is always a possibility, but I highly doubt they went forward with this thing thinking there would be a high probability of failure.
I own a PSP Go and it's a wonderful machine. It's much more viable as an mp3 player you can put in your pocket than the regular PSP, plays a decent variety of video files, and has access to nearly all (but not all) worthwhile PSP games. Ironically, it's also much more ergonomical for someone like me with big hands, than a regular PSP or DS where your thumbs are curving in on the sides. I would absolutely recommend it if its price was not so unreasonable.
June 10, 2010
They need to consider this test a failure.
September 10, 2010
The PSP Go was definitely not a test or an experiment. It's a failed piece of hardware. There are three main reasons why the PSP Go failed. The first reason is the ridiculous price. The second reason is that I can't play my older games on it. When Sony refused to give us a way to transfer our UMD titles to the PSP Go they doomed that device to failure. The third reason the PSP failed was because of the game library. Why can't I play Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep on the PSP Go?