Developer Makes Bold PSPgo predictions
Since Since the launch of the PSPgo back in October, the contreversial handheld system has been bombarded with nothing but criticism as Sony attempts to make the first truly digital handheld successful. Now the founder of a MAJOR game developer studio has jumped on the hate train.
Jon Burton, founder of Traveller’s Tales games, in an interview with PocketGamer.co.uk, had some strong words to say about Sony’s newest handheld.
“I own a PSPgo but don’t want to buy LittleBigPlanet, for instance, as I can get it 20 per cent cheaper on UMD from Amazon and could resell it once I’m finished with it” said Burton. “But if I download it, I get no discount, and no chance to resell – how annoying is that?”
Jon wasn’t done yet. He thing went on to make a MAJOR prediction for the PSP go.
“I’m betting on Sony making PSPgo games much cheaper than the UMD versions, or the PSPgo will die.”
Ouch. There’s only one huge problem that Sony would be facing if they indeed lowered the prices on digital games. Retailer backlash. Many gaming retails already refused to stock in the PSPgo in UK and if Sony was to undermine retailers and take potential profits, the backlash could be devastating for Sony.
What do you think? I think everyone can agree that the PSPgo needs a price adjustment and Jon makes some good points about the pricing of the games. If you’re not getting a disc, case, booklet, and you can’t resell it, then why shouldn’t it be cheaper?
19 Responses to “Developer Makes Bold PSPgo predictions”
That won’t work either, as “PSPgo downloads” will work perfectly well on the old PSPs too… so far. :-/
I’m not sure I see the “PSPgo problem” though. If you don’t want one, get a PSP3000 instead. It’s not like this is the only PSP that exists. It’s as if everyone is complaining that the product line-up isn’t all identical! No, it isn’t. YMMV.
I LoVe my UMD collection & for that reason alone i dont even eye up a GO but some people hate the clutter of discs etc.. so they LoVe the GO! Sony take another step up the ladder! ALL GOOD I SAY! Reselling games is really a waste anyway! If u want a item you buy it regardless of £$ Do people really buy games thinking “i can get a few quid for this later”? lol (i love them lil discs) LOL
I can understand Sony’s thinking on the subject: If people are willing to spend 50% more for a handheld, why shouldn’t they milk them for all they’re worth on the price of games as well? I mean, they’ve already demonstrated a willingness to pay more for things than they’re worth.
From what I heard Wal-Mart will refuse to sell the Go if Sony undercuts the price. For example if Wal-Mart is selling Phantasy Star Portable 2 for 40, they won’t be happy if people are buying even a PSP 3000 and buying Phantasy Star Portable 2 for 30 or even 20 on the PSN store. I’m sure Wal-Mart is a HUGE part of console sells too. Enough that it’s going to hurt Sony more to take a hit like that than what they’re currently doing.
Even gamestop might stop selling the Go if Sony is releasing games for much cheaper as well.
Here’s the thing though, digital can be fucking awesome. If you have kids, the whole family could have a PSP and up to 5 members can play them on seperate PSPs. So people with kids that can afford to get PSPs for each member, they could all sit there and play games like Patapon 2, Buzz Quiz Portable games, and more, from buying only 1 single copy.
To say digital is pointless, or to say that digital is stupid, or that it’s too expensive, is missing the point entirely. There are benefits. People just say things like what this guy is saying. The PSP Go isn’t competing against the PSP 3000. They are competing against other high cost luxury items. PSP Go is a luxury item. There is 1 feature it has over other PSP versions, and instead it’s smaller making it more portable.
Come on people why don’t they understand how to analyze items and understand “Oh this may not be the item that will fit my needs, choices, and lifestyle”
Caveot Emptor. Buyer beware. That goes for EVERY product.Think before you buy.
If digital distribution is to take off, as so many people seem to expect, then the digital product must be at least the same price as the cheapest store prices.
I say Sony should cut the prices, and say bollocks to the retailers. There will always be somewhere to buy hardware, simply because if one refuses to sell it, there’s more money for someone else to make from selling it. If GAME refused to sell it, it would just mean that more people would buy from Tesco.
Specialist games stores are frequently undercut by online stores like Amazon, and in many cases, even supermarkets. I rarely buy my games from specialist high-street chains like GAME, unless they have an exceptionally good deal or a decent special offer. Usually you’d do well to get a standard PS3 title for less than £39.99 from GAME online, and often £49.99 in-store, whereas the likes of Amazon and ShopTo are often as low as £32.
Add to that the money places like GAME are taking out of the industry with their pre-owned schemes, and it’s only a matter of time before they’re cut out of the loop anyway. Yes, in the short term, cheap pre-owned games are good for the gamer… but in the long run, the money it takes away from the industry is bad for us. Perhaps if these places offered to give a slice of their pre-owned profits to the industry, the industry wouldn’t be so keen to move to digital distribution.
I feel retailers are being unduly bitchy about the whole PSPgo/digital distribution thing, and I don’t see their problem. A few years ago many retailers whinged long and hard about sites like CD WOW selling CDs for £7.99, but it was popular with the buying public, and now they’re all doing it.
If Sony drop the price of digital PSP software, hopefully it’ll have a similar effect on retail game prices. It won’t affect industry profits, because gaming is huge, and for every retailer who says “I’m not stocking that”, there’ll be plenty of others eager to take those sales. The market is there, and any retailer refusing to stock items is cutting off their nose to spite their face.
I think it’s all a bluff from most of the complaining retailers, anyway. I mean, we can all buy albums cheap on iTunes, but do you see HMV refusing to sell CDs because of it?
I strongly agree with Jon. I’m that guy who buys his games used on e-bay and resells them on ebay. After I’m finished with a game and resell it, I’ve usually spent a total of $20 for my experience. However, Jon and I aren’t everybody and some people don’t want to resell their games. But it sounds like Sony will need to discount the price of their games just to be competitive.
@Hardcore1981:
I’m one of those people who buy games new for $60 and never sells them. I just hate the feeling of getting less then what I paid just because it has no shrink wrap. It’s like a car, even if you never drove it, as long as you payed for it, you will get less than half of what you bought it for. I went to Gamestop shortly after Uncharted 1 came out and asked the guy how much I could get for my new copy that just had the shrink wrap off. He said if I was lucky, around $40.
I own a Go and I agree with him. Digital Distro is a complete screw job. The prices are the same (or higher) than physical media with no chance to resell and no manual or case. Also I know people personally who have RRoD 360s and have lost all the content they have paid for because of an MS screw up. The ability of a company to STEAL what you have paid for is disgusting. The whole pricing and licensing is screwed up on DD and the people who think it’s the future are major techno geeks who haven’t been out in the real world in years.
That said I do like my Go but the price needs to drop and we need some free goddamn games in NA ok Sony!
I think the reason that we don’t get the free games that the UK does is because sales of the Go are not a factor in the U.S. Since we are tech junkies and tend to adopt the latest and greatest at the drop of a byte. Just look at the sales figures at even the “High” price of $249. Sony don’t need to give us games to sell the system.
A cheapo readercard slot that connected usb wise to your pc for copying game to the PSPgo would have shut some fools up. For me, I’ll get this bad boy when I have the money and when I feel that timing is right as far as the apps go. The mini and huge ass library really is adding to the decision but not so much a deal breaker. I’m just happy with me 3000 for now and waiting for the PSPgo features that arent available for the 3000.
BLAH BLAH BLAH.
*The first PSP was overpriced and declared dead. The price dropped. It’s still alive. That was 6 years ago.
*The PS3 was overpriced and called dead. The price dropped, and IT’S still alive. That was 3 years ago.
*The PSPgo (along with digital downloads) is overpriced…
I think the major thing people are missing is that apparently Travelers Tails is a major developer? The only thing they have done for the past, what, 8 years, have been lego games. Its the same crappy camera, same game different skins.
@Odium_Generis I’m glad someone else remembers that. PSP 1000 was 250 with a headset and 2gb mem card . Atleast with the go you get a 16gd hdd and bluetooth.. it’s priced right . the game companies sets the price for downloads go look at the xbox games on demand
The fact that theres a PSP3000 & a PSPGo means all this talk is Bo***x! Sony have given you a choice MAKE 1! lololol Just because the Go is all new some people feel the need to buy 1!? If u dont wanna buy digi distro then dont bloody buy 1!? LOL
I’d have to agree they need a price drop on digital games after they’ve been out awhile, not a week long sale, a real price drop.
I work electronics retail @ Target and UMD is the way to go, you can easily buy PSP games at 50 or 75% off when they go clearance, we always have them. When you can buy good games for 6 bucks on UMD or pay 29.99 on the PSN store its a no brainer.
It seems only right that there should be a difference on the prices.
downloads should be cheaper to buy, because there is no physical media or case or instruction manuals ect so those costs aren’t there, and of course no shipping or import costs. the only cost is the server upkeep and anything to do with that
sonyforlife
32 mb mem card
lemmy
I’ve never seen anyone censor the word boll*x before, kudos!
as for the subject- Sony is the first to really try this, arn’t they? All eyes on them.
(ok minus the music industry, which we should all be looking towards for examples.)
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