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Game Forum / Nintendo / Game Boy / August 2006PSP price cut might be imminent
http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/11/commentary/column_gaming/ Analysts believe Sony is preparing to cut PlayStation handheld gaming system prices in coming months. Game Over is a weekly column by Chris Morris August 11 2006: 2:07 PM EDT NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- While the price of the PlayStation 3 may prove to be too high for some this holiday season, it's looking more and more likely that Sony will try to tempt consumers with the less expensive handheld gaming system. As it prepares to launch its next generation machine, Sony is apparently stockpiling finished gaming hardware, which analysts believe to be the PSP (PlayStation Portable). That, they believe, is a signal that the company plans to reduce the price of the PSP as the holidays get closer. Sony is expected to cut the price of its PSP handheld gaming system this holiday season. "There is a price cut coming in the second half of the year," said P.J.McNealy of American Technology Research. "[The PSP] has lost momentum. Nintendo has had a great run since it launched the DS Lite and Sony needs to regain some ground." McNealy said he expects Sony (Charts) to drop the PSP's price by $50 to $149. It's possible the company will also bundle the cheaper system with a game or two as well, though not certain. The timing's about right for a PSP price cut. (You could argue that Sony has yet to lower PSP prices, although it'd be a pretty weak argument.) When the system first went on sale in early 2005, it was only available via a $250 bundle, which included headphones, a carrying case and other accessories. This March, the company dissolved the bundle, selling just the system for $199. PSP sales have been solid so far, with 20 million units shipped worldwide (with over 8 million of those to the U.S.). That's essentially a tie with the Nintendo DS, which has sold over 21 million units - but the numbers don't tell the whole story. While the DS has been on the upswing, thanks to commercially and critically successful games such as "Brain Age" (which has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide), "Nintendogs" and "New Super Mario Brothers," the PSP has not had a game truly capture the gaming world's attention since the release of "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories" (published by Take Two Interactive (Charts)) last October. This holiday, in addition to the expected price cuts, the PSP will see the release of "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories," which should help boost sales. And waiting in the wings is an online Sony store that will allow PSP owners to buy, download and play classic games from the original PlayStation system. A $149 price point would put the PSP in the same range as the DS, which currently sells for $129. Nintendo is less likely to reduce its price as it continues to have problems meeting demand for the machine worldwide. That could give Sony an advantage - as the PSP can also double as a portable video player. While many studios and retailers have abandoned the system's UMD discs for movies, Sony has struck deals allowing people to transfer content from their Tivos and Web videos. As for Sony's other big system - the PlayStation 2 - things are likely to remain unchanged for now. While a price cut to $99 is certainly coming eventually, it likely won't happen until next year, say analysts. The installed base of video game machine owners is considerably larger than it was five years ago, making it less critical to get systems in people's hands. "PS2 sales are still pretty solid, so why would Sony bother cutting their prices if the flow through retail is still pretty good?," asked Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets. "Also, Sony still talks about a 10-year life cycle for the PS2. They've typically been doling out these price cuts every couple of years [and they lowered prices earlier this spring]." > http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/11/commentary/column_gaming/ > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > and more likely that Sony will try to tempt consumers with the less > expensive handheld gaming system. Makes sense as the DS lite has kicked it's a.s the past two months. Sony is definitely unhappy with PSP sales and is aware of the DS threat. I took a survey for them a few months ago and basically they wanted to know what they needed to do to drive PSP sales. One of the selections was a $50 price drop, so I bet it will happen. Sony also asked what aspects of the PSP I did not like, such as controller, UMD, MS, no hard drive, lack of good games, etc. So Sony is well aware that their are kinks in the PSP armor... TheGame <n0n0n0n0n0@excite.com> spake thusly: > Sony also > asked what aspects of the PSP I did not like, such as controller, UMD, > MS, no hard drive, lack of good games, etc. So Sony is well aware that > their are kinks in the PSP armor... The single biggest flaw in the PSP design, IMO, is lack of a second analog stick. They've basically crated a handheld PS2 and taken away the control scheme that's been around since the PS1. -Z- > TheGame <n0n0n0n0n0@excite.com> spake thusly: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > stick. They've basically crated a handheld PS2 and taken away the control > scheme that's been around since the PS1. Well, the PS1 originally had 0 analog sticks. :^) - Jordan >TheGame <n0n0n0n0n0@excite.com> spake thusly: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >stick. They've basically crated a handheld PS2 and taken away the control >scheme that's been around since the PS1. no, the biggest flaw is that the one analogue stick that is there, is in a bloody stupid position so you end up getting knackered hands if you try and use it for more than 10 minutes ata time!  Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk > >TheGame <n0n0n0n0n0@excite.com> spake thusly: > > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > in a bloody stupid position so you end up getting knackered hands if > you try and use it for more than 10 minutes ata time! They should consider doing another design, like Nintendo did with DS Lite. Better controls placement, better battery life (would be a huge boon), higher clock speed. But still, at $149, that would be a great bargain if there are games you can get into. Maybe the promised integration with the PS3 might help. Maybe if the PS3 acts as a LocationFree server right out of the box with a PSP. > > >TheGame <n0n0n0n0n0@excite.com> spake thusly: > > > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Better controls placement, better battery life (would be a huge boon), > higher clock speed. Spend $10 and buy one of those charger grip deals. While I wouldn't say they double the life, they do add a couple more hours and with a little duct tape, it's pretty much just like using a regular gamepad. > They should consider doing another design, like Nintendo did with DS > Lite. I'd buy one in a shot if they did something about the horrible motion blurry display. Choobs SignatureSir Chewbury Gubbins <chewbury.gubbins@nelefa.org> "Streaming through the starlit sky, travelling by telephone" - Syd Barret 1946-2006 http://www.nelefa.org - Game Diary, Fiction, and Ramblings > Sony is definitely unhappy with PSP sales and is aware of the DS > threat. I took a survey for them a few months ago and basically they [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > MS, no hard drive, lack of good games, etc. So Sony is well aware that > their are kinks in the PSP armor... I personally don't think the price is the major issue with the PSP at the moment. The PSP does way more than a DS can ever wish to do and the image quality is just in another league all together. I think Sony's current issue with the PSP is unique content. At the moment, we have a re-hash of currently released PS2 games simply ported to the PSP. I think that is a huge mistake. I not really interested in purchasing a game on the PS2 then paying for the almost same exact game on the PSP again. I think if Sony could push more unique games on the PSP, they would see a spike in sales. Regards, SK > I think Sony's current issue with the PSP is unique content. At the > moment, we have a re-hash of currently released PS2 games simply ported > to the PSP. That's the conventional wisdom, but it's not exactly correct. Loooking at a nearby stack of PSP games I just happen to have sitting around... Ys - Ark of the Napishtim - PS2 port Legend of Heroes II - Unique to PSP PIQ - Practical Intelligence Quotient - Unique to PSP Astonishia Story - Unique to PSP Me and My Katamari - Kind of a port of We Love Katamari on PS2 Monster Hunter Freedom - Port of a Japanese game that was never released stateside Untold Legends: Warriors Code - Uniqe to PSP Wipeout Pure - PSP version of a PS1 and PS2 franchise, unique to PSP Going to the stack of games I've already finished... Archer Maclean's Mercury - Unique to PSP Coded Arms - Unique to PSP Death Jr. - Unique to PSP Kingdom of Paradise - Unique to PSP Legend of Heroes - Unique to PSP Lumines - Unique to PSP Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel - Unique to PSP (although it's a repeat of the MGS1 story) Pursuit Force (demo) Twisted Metal Head On (apply directly to forehead) - PSP version of a PS1 and PS2 franchise, unique to PSP Untold Legends - Unique to PSP X-Men Legends II - Multiplatform port I think the confusion comes from when established franchises like Wipeout or Twisted Metal get a PSP version. These games aren't ports of existing Wipeout or Twisted Metal titles, they are designed for the PSP and exist nowhere else. Then you have the added confusion of PSP titles getting ported to other platforms, such as GTA Liberty City Stories being turned into a PS2 title or Lumines being sent to Xbox Live Arcade. - Jordan > image quality is just in another league all together. Indeed - blurry and slow. Choobs SignatureSir Chewbury Gubbins <chewbury.gubbins@nelefa.org> "Streaming through the starlit sky, travelling by telephone" - Syd Barret 1946-2006 http://www.nelefa.org - Game Diary, Fiction, and Ramblings > > image quality is just in another league all together. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > http://www.nelefa.org - Game Diary, Fiction, and Ramblings Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. >> > image quality is just in another league all together. >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. having owned both, he has a point with some games, and especially umd movies, which had pretty bad motion blur. a lot of games are alright though, but there is a fair bit of blurring (Loco Roco is a bit like that, you don't notice it unless you're looking for it though) GTA was pretty bad for it, and i remember rockstar saying it wasn't an intentional effect, just a factor of the display. how much of that is true, i don't know, as games like Daxter have very little blur and are quite sharp on the whole. Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk Current eBay auctions: http://tinyurl.com/hutcb >>> > image quality is just in another league all together. >>> [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > true, i don't know, as games like Daxter have very little blur and are > quite sharp on the whole. There is no comparison between PSP and DS graphically (image quality) and that was the point he responded to. Look at any game that is available on both. >>>> > image quality is just in another league all together. >>>> [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >that was the point he responded to. Look at any game that is available on >both. no one said the DS had better graphics, just that it doesn't have the same amount of motion blur as a lot of PSP games suffer from. i think you're confusing graphical complexity with hardware quality. it never bothered me a great deal, but a lot of people, like chewbury, found the motion blur very distracting on PSP. Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk Current eBay auctions: http://tinyurl.com/hutcb > it never bothered me a great deal, but a lot of people, like chewbury, > found the motion blur very distracting on PSP. *nods* I remember being extremely disappointed because the PSP was intended (the second one, anyway) as a way to watch videos on the bus but the motion blur was just too much - ended up making me travel sick. It's a great shame. I think (and I might be completely wrong here) that the blur only exists because the PSP was clocked down at the last minute to try and counteract the abuse Sony were getting about battery life and that the display is therefore running slower than intended. Choobs SignatureSir Chewbury Gubbins <chewbury.gubbins@nelefa.org> "Streaming through the starlit sky, travelling by telephone" - Syd Barret 1946-2006 http://www.nelefa.org - Game Diary, Fiction, and Ramblings "Sir Chewbury Gubbins" <chewbury.gubbins@nelefa.org> wrote in > It's a great shame. I think (and I might be completely wrong here) that > the blur only exists because the PSP was clocked down at the last minute > to try and counteract the abuse Sony were getting about battery life and > that the display is therefore running slower than intended. I don't think it's blurring you are seeing, but ghosting from the LCD. >"Sir Chewbury Gubbins" <chewbury.gubbins@nelefa.org> wrote in >> It's a great shame. I think (and I might be completely wrong here) that [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >I don't think it's blurring you are seeing, but ghosting from the LCD. Yes, definitely. I was rather disappointed. The DS ghosts as well, but you have to look hard for it - it only really shows up in cartoon-style scrollies. On the PSP it's hard to miss, unfortunately. Borrowing one for a week stopped me buying my own, which is a rare thing! It's the sort of niggle that gets fixed with a hardware point revision, or even with the next shipment of higher-speed TFTs as manufacturing improves. Fingers crossed. I want one, but I can wait. Cheers - Jaimie Signature"Jesus died for our sins. Let us not cheapen his sacrifice by failing to commit any of them." > There is no comparison between PSP and DS graphically (image quality) and > that was the point he responded to. Look at any game that is available on > both. A little presumptious of you to decide what I meant ;-) In what way is "speed of update and lack of blur" not related to "image quality"? Choobs SignatureSir Chewbury Gubbins <chewbury.gubbins@nelefa.org> "Streaming through the starlit sky, travelling by telephone" - Syd Barret 1946-2006 http://www.nelefa.org - Game Diary, Fiction, and Ramblings >> > image quality is just in another league all together. >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. Spoken like someone who has owned *two* PSPs and sold both of them because of the blurry display, you mean. Choobs SignatureSir Chewbury Gubbins <chewbury.gubbins@nelefa.org> "Streaming through the starlit sky, travelling by telephone" - Syd Barret 1946-2006 http://www.nelefa.org - Game Diary, Fiction, and Ramblings >>> > image quality is just in another league all together. >>> [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Spoken like someone who has owned *two* PSPs and sold both of them > because of the blurry display, you mean. I own *two* PSPs still. But the fact of the matter is, you just confirmed that my comment was true. >>> Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. >> >> Spoken like someone who has owned *two* PSPs and sold both of them >> because of the blurry display, you mean. > >I own *two* PSPs still. what do you want a badge or something? > But the fact of the matter is, you just confirmed >that my comment was true. so because he no longer owns a PSP he can't have an opinion on it? give it a break, kutaragi's arsehole is getting a bit raw from all the brown-nosing. Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk Current eBay auctions: http://tinyurl.com/hutcb >>>> Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. >>> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > what do you want a badge or something? Well let's see, dumb a.s. Where was your response to the exact same quote that I responded to? Oh I know, its because you share his view so you can only utilize your hypocritical sarcasm with those who SHARE your views. >> But the fact of the matter is, you just confirmed >>that my comment was true. >> > so because he no longer owns a PSP he can't have an opinion on it? No Matlock, did I say he couldn't have an opinion? But I am pretty sure he doesn't own Tekken, Monster Hunter, Daxter, Syphon Filter or Race Driver. Its a simple matter of the level of validity of an opinion of someone who doesn't own/still play a console versus someone who does. > give it a break, kutaragi's arsehole is getting a bit raw from all the > brown-nosing. You give it a f.cking break and save that fanboy bullshit for Merk or Brendan. I own every console from the last 12 years EXCEPT for a PS2 and PS1 so don't speak on what you don't know about my gaming habits. >>>>> Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. >>>> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >that I responded to? Oh I know, its because you share his view so you can >only utilize your hypocritical sarcasm with those who SHARE your views. what, the one where i actually said the amount of blur varies from game to game and that some of them have very little, if not none at all? that post? the one where i didn't agree with what he said completely? the fact you felt the need to declare your ownership of two PSP's is baffling, but obviously you see that as meaning you are more worthy of voicing an opinion on them. >>> But the fact of the matter is, you just confirmed >>>that my comment was true. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Its a simple matter of the level of validity of an opinion of someone who >doesn't own/still play a console versus someone who does. rubbish. he has owned a PSP, he has played games on a PSP. admittedly, he obviously hasn't played any of the ones which do not suffer from bad blurring/ghosting, as the games he did have put him off the machine enough for him to sell it. the fact he no longer owns one is irrelevant, his opinion is as valid as yours. >> give it a break, kutaragi's arsehole is getting a bit raw from all the >> brown-nosing. > >You give it a f.cking break and save that fanboy bullshit for Merk or >Brendan. I own every console from the last 12 years EXCEPT for a PS2 and >PS1 so don't speak on what you don't know about my gaming habits. EXCEPT you are being as rabidly pro-PSP as you are criticising him for being anti-PSP. i couldn't give a flying toss about your gaming habits, frankly. Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk Current eBay auctions: http://tinyurl.com/hutcb >>>>>> Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > >that post? the one where i didn't agree with what he said completely? ah, it would seem that was in a different thread, however my first reply to you was in much the same tone. Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk Current eBay auctions: http://tinyurl.com/hutcb >>>>>>> Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. >>>>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > ah, it would seem that was in a different thread, however my first > reply to you was in much the same tone. But it wasn't what you thought it was, was it? >>>>>>>> Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. >>>>>>> [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > >But it wasn't what you thought it was, was it? to quote: having owned both, he has a point with some games, and especially umd movies, which had pretty bad motion blur. a lot of games are alright though, but there is a fair bit of blurring (Loco Roco is a bit like that, you don't notice it unless you're looking for it though) GTA was pretty bad for it, and i remember rockstar saying it wasn't an intentional effect, just a factor of the display. how much of that is true, i don't know, as games like Daxter have very little blur and are quite sharp on the whole. endquote. i think thats a pretty bloody fair comment to have made, don't you? and it hardly shows that i share the same viewpoint as he does, does it? if i did, i wouldn't say that it isn't the case with all games, would i? do i unilaterally slag off the PSP there, no do i bollocks, i state that the blurring ghosting is a problem/flaw with some games, which understandably can put people off the system. i'm not advocating either system, both have their bad and good points and both have some great games. the fact i prefer the DS does not mean that my opinion on the PSP is suddenly invalid, or inferior. you, on the other hand seem determined to defend the PSP to the death no matter what, which is why i made the comment about you brown-nosing kutaragi. it us completely undeniable that some games suffer from pretty bad ghosting/blurring on the PSP, it isn't the perfect games machine you seem determined to portray it as. Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk Current eBay auctions: http://tinyurl.com/hutcb > i >state that the blurring ghosting is a problem/flaw with some games, >which understandably can put people off the system. Sounds like I was unlucky in what I had to play, then - I was certainly put off. GTA _really_ looks like slow TFT refresh though. I'll have to have another go. Cheers - Jaimie SignatureA: Think about it. Come on, you can figure it out. A:>> When half the group posts top and the other half posts bottom. Q:>>> What's even more annoying than topposting? Q:> Why would that be annoying? >>>>>>>>> Spoken like someone who only owns a DS. >>>>>>>> [quoted text clipped - 59 lines] > ghosting/blurring on the PSP, it isn't the perfect games machine you > seem determined to portray it as. And when did I portray it in that light? You definitely have me confused with someone else because I have never claimed the PSP was anywhere close to perfect. A simple perusal of google groups will show you that I not only own 2 PSP's but a DS as well. You won't see me bashing the DS either. What you will see is me responding to moronic posts that praise the DS as being superior to the PSP in every way. Anyone who claims that all PSP games are just PS2 ports, is a moron. Anyone who claims that the PSP doesn't have quality exclusives, is a moron. Even with the blurring affects that are mentioned in this group, I still stand by what I say. The DS may have superiority to the PSP in some aspects but anyone who claims that it is "graphically" superior to the PSP, is a moron. Those are the only things you will ever see me respond to in this regard. As for your comment about an opinion being invalid or inferior, that absolutely can be the case. If I haven't played my DS in 6 months, how can my commentary about its strengths and weaknesses be as valid as someone who plays it religiously and has an exponentially greater library. It doesn't mean my opinion would be meaningless but I would sound pretty stupid arguing with someone who has invested quite a bit more time than I. Ex., you play Oblivion for 3 hours and love it. I play it for 28 hours and find it flawed. I can't say that your 3 hours worth of opinion is wrong but I would feel I know quite a bit more than you about the game and rightfully so. That is not discrediting your time with the game but you can't seriously think we would be able to argue the same points > But I am pretty sure he > doesn't own Tekken, Monster Hunter, Daxter, Syphon Filter or Race Driver. What's Race Driver like in your opinion? I didn't like driving cars in GTA:LCS because of that analog nub but does RD control better? >> But I am pretty sure he >> doesn't own Tekken, Monster Hunter, Daxter, Syphon Filter or Race Driver. > >What's Race Driver like in your opinion? I didn't like driving cars in >GTA:LCS because of that analog nub but does RD control better? i think ridgeracers had the best control for racing games on the PSP, it seemed to work just fine with the digital controls. the analogue nub is just awful imo, i never could get on with it. Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk Current eBay auctions: http://tinyurl.com/hutcb >>> But I am pretty sure he >>> doesn't own Tekken, Monster Hunter, Daxter, Syphon Filter or Race [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > the analogue nub is just awful imo, i never could get on with it. Nope, I thought so too but if you guys like Toca, this is by far the most fun. >>>> But I am pretty sure he >>>> doesn't own Tekken, Monster Hunter, Daxter, Syphon Filter or Race [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >Nope, I thought so too but if you guys like Toca, this is by far the most >fun. i wasn't a fan of it on PSP, probably because i was so used to playing it on PS2/xbox. the lack of analogue acceleration/braking ruined it for me. not saying it's a bad racer on PSP, because it's still a good racing game (even if it does have some horrendous slowdown at times), i just enjoyed ridge racer more. Signaturegamertag: Chrisflynnuk http://live.xbox.com/member/Chrisflynnuk Current eBay auctions: http://tinyurl.com/hutcb > >>>> But I am pretty sure he > >>>> doesn't own Tekken, Monster Hunter, Daxter, Syphon Filter or Race [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > enjoyed ridge racer more. > -- I meant, in terms of racing enjoyment, I find it to be a superior game to Ridge Racer. I was trying to say that the controls still allowed me to enjoy it where as in other games, they detracted greatly from the PSP experience. > McNealy said he expects Sony (Charts) to drop the PSP's price by $50 to > $149. It's possible the company will also bundle the cheaper system > with a game or two as well, though not certain. If they released a white one at $149 I'd buy a 2nd PSP. That way I could downgrade one to 1.5 for all the emulation and homebrew stuff and keep the 2nd one current for games. - Jordan > http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/11/commentary/column_gaming/ > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > that the company plans to reduce the price of the PSP as the holidays > get closer. Great, now if this had something to do with GBA it would fit into this NG. > Sony is expected to cut the price of its PSP handheld gaming system > this holiday season. [quoted text clipped - 56 lines] > out these price cuts every couple of years [and they lowered prices > earlier this spring]." |
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