Remember the PSP Go, Sony’s download-only version of the PSP? The portable landed with a thud when it came to consumers who didn’t like the price compared to the classic PSP, which could play the UMDs on store shelves everywhere. Well Sony’s not forgetting the consoles and has apparently learned from its mistakes with the PlayStation Vita. SCE Worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida told Edge that the market isn’t ready for a download-only console at the moment.
“We believe, for some consumers, the time is [right], but for other consumers, the time is still not [right],” Yoshida said.
“So we believe the time is still not right to go download-only as a platform. Some PS Vita titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, will be close to 4GB in size, which could be too large to download for consumers who do not have a fast broadband connection. Also, some consumers like shopping in retail stores, talking to knowledgeable store clerks, buying and playing games on the spot. We do not want to remove that capability from consumers.”
“There are consumers in parts of the world – this is a global device – where the digital model has not yet fully been embraced,” added SCEE CEO Jim Ryan.
While a download-only future is a nice idea, download caps are still a problem for a number of people, and at 3-4GB a pop, those caps could get maxxed out quickly. The Vita also has no built-in storage, and expensive proprietary memory cards. But if you are a download-lover, Sony has already said that all games will be available on PSN as well as retail.
