We are a little under two weeks away from what should be a joyous day for gamers on the move when Sony release the PSP Go! Who could argue with the system as a whole? It checks all the boxes for what is essentially another iteration of a platform. It’s brighter, smaller and arguably looks nicer. So why isn’t this re-launch catching everyone’s imagination?
To understand the why we first have to acknowledge the what. What has sparked this very article you are reading currently? It could be that the PSP Go is only the 616th most bought video game related item on Amazon, a shocking stat that will likely never see the ink of a Sony press release. Or it could be the inevitable backlash from retailers, online and physical alike.
The all important mark-up on games is being taken away from the retailers
It started off amidst a cliché-ridden image of windmills in the Netherlands, as Dutch retailer Nedgame have refused to shelf the portable device. Not only are they unhappy with the console’s high barrier to entry pricing model but the digital only distribution model as well. Obviously with the PSP Go being entirely digital, the nearly all-important mark up they make on games is being snatched away from them.
This has been followed up by the thriving European retailer, ShopTo, declaring the console dead before it has arrived. Despite these claims they are continuing to stock the product, albeit with the glaring omission of a marketing push behind the launch. Could this just be a case of retailers just being bitter about being left out in the cold? Or could it be them panicking over the potential future direction of the industry? It could be either of those, or they might have a point, the PSP Go! might not be so appealing as it’s shiny finish suggests.
To date the Playstation Portable has sold a phenomenal fifty six million units making it the most successful handheld system ever, if you forget about anything Nintendo have ever done. So baring that in mind, observe the technical alterations made to the product. The memory cards are different, the battery is sealed and your current library of UMDs would be deemed useless. Now for that aforementioned massive install base, this prospect of essentially starting again probably isn’t an appealing one.
Then there is the elephant in the room, the exaggerated price. Three and a half second-hand original PSPs. That’s what you could get for price of the PSP Go! Or you could opt for a 360 Elite or be just shy off a new Playstation 3 Slim.
With this in mind the PSP Go! might not be as appealing as its shiny finish suggests
Let’s hark back to the retail side of things because there might be a reason for that incredibly looming price. Could it be that Sony are trying to make the system more appealing to retailers, by having an overinflated price that results in a bigger margin for them? It’s an interesting idea and it probably wouldn’t be anything new.
Apple sell iPods at a premium because of clever marketing and design. But, as gaming analyst Michael Pachter pointed out in response to the negative backlash from retailers, most electronic stores don’t sell music through iTunes. So why that premium in price? For Apple put it down to the brand perception and the necessary profit for the retailer. Something the PSP Go is possibly trying to achieve with this price. Although with that said should we take Nedgame’s neglect as a sign of slim profit margins?
Probably. The early signs are pointing towards a sour deal for retailers because there simply isn’t enough money to make from the product to make it worthwhile for them. While it’s a sour deal for existing customers because the list of features don’t justify the price.
So is this why isn’t the PSP Go! catching everyone’s imagination? It’s too early to say but these signs don’t suggest anything promising. The more important question, however, is will this relaunch be a failure? That is definitely a question we’ll have to wait to get an answer on. An inkling of an answer will come through another question though, when was the last time a platform launch was met with hostility from all angles before launch?
No Comments to Two Weeks Until Go!: Why Isn't The PSP Catching Imaginations?
by Matthew Maharaj
On September 23, 2009 at 1:23 pm
when was the last time a platform launch was met with hostility from all angles before launch?
Answer to that question would Game.com (Game com) a hand-held from the mid 90s by Tiger and cancelled end of 1999
random fact for y’all there)
(the first handheld to use touch screen and have internet actually the NDS borrowed many features from this failed console, including 2 cartridges being able to be inserted at the same time and also the ability to go online- Nintendo was not the first
Developer support was non-existent, as was retail support, their marketing was bad but most of all the games press didn’t support it.
End results was death, with a small pannel of 20 games, despite big licences and little push from retailers and games press. How could it survive?
by Stevie H
On September 23, 2009 at 7:23 pm
The lack of any real features that make it a killer ap over the original PSP, the price itself and the fact the downloadable games will cost the same as store games just make the PSP Go not worth it for me.
If they charged £18 for games and the shops sold the UMD version for £25, I’d be more tempted to buy a PSP Go. There’s nothing the PSP Go does IMO that is any better really than the original PSP. The internal memory doesn’t appeal either, it’s so small compared to what I would want.