Michael Pachter Has Harsh Remarks For PSP
Sony’s latest revision of the PlayStation Portable may sport a more compact, sleek and stylish appearance, however the digital download only PSP Go‘s hefty price tag has turned many consumers away from purchasing one.
Since the PSP Go’s launch this past October, the gaming press and fans alike have criticized Sony’s pricing strategy. Now industry analyst Michael Pachter is adding his opinion of the handheld, mainly regarding the device’s price.
During a recent Pach-Attack episode on GameTrailers
, Michael Pachter believes the PSP doesn’t hold a bright future unless Sony decide to reduce its price tag. Pachter stated:
I think they’re doomed on small market share until they get more competitive on price. The PSPgo is more expensive than most iPod Touch devices and the game library is more expensive that the iPod library. Nintendo’s got a huge cost advantage on the DS … I think Sony is running into a brick wall trying to compete in that sector.
With that said, I don’t think they’re giving up. I think we’re going to have a PSP 4, 5, and 6 thousand, I’m hopeful that they come down in price, and that the games come down in cost and that they can be competitive.
He goes on to gives his opinion about the PSP’s future:
But right now I’d say they’re destined to be second place to Nintendo on the pure game front, and overall in third place with iPod thrown in there. So no, I don’t think the PSP is going to be a huge success in future.
What’s your take on the PSP’s future? Think the price tag it carries can ruin Sony’s handheld’s plans for the future?
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13 Responses to “Michael Pachter Has Harsh Remarks For PSP”
I totally agree. There are to many issues that split its audience. Price point, the digital only aspect, the design…. Its all to much to capture a large audience IMO
Patcher is a tool….but he may actually be right for a change.
I feel as if Sony has given up on the Go altogether. I sold mine last month and I’m glad I did.
In my country there is zero support(no comics or other features work) for it and a very limited selection of games you can buy.
I don’t know why the iPod is even listed as a game device because it isn’t.
Robotron – Exactly… The iPod is NOT a gaming device.its an MP3 player.
the games that it has freakin blow and can compare with the games on the PSP.
I have a Go and I love it. It’d be good if it dropped in price so more people can enjoy it.
What I found particularly negative about the PSP Go was the download-only format; I think that definitely was a cause for its lack of sales, including of course the hefty price tag. Many people still have apprehensions about buying stuff online, and would rather just get it from a store. Yes, a lot of people do buy download stuff online, but that is hardly the majority.
the digital only “revolution” is stupid on a number of levels – as a gamer I love being able to trade games with my friends, or rather, borrow their games and let them borrow mine. I also love taking games to other peoples houses to play, and love being able to sell them off when I’m done with them. Digital only does away with all of that – which is good for the games companies if it still sells, but bad for us. So F them and their digital only crap.
As far as Pachter’s opinion goes – the price tag thing is the same argument people had about the PS3, and look what happened with that. If Sony decides to bring some great games to the PSP in the next year or two, it could have a bright future, despite the high end cost. Considering what they’ve done so far though, I don’t see it happening, but its possible. I still have no respect for Pachter and his opinion though – “gamers don’t like to think” he can eat my ****, it does more thinking on a regular basis than he does.
Why is no one complaining about the comparison to the iPod in regards to “download only?” You have to download everything on the iPod Touch/Phone so why complain about the PSPGo when you don’t have to buy one. I agree 100% with Robotron and Seraphemz.
I do agree with him that the PSPGo is too high, but I would never buy an all digital system anyway. I like being able to sell used games so having to buy every single game without selling any used would limit my game budget extremely. The day everything goes all digital, which I know will come, will be a horrible day in the gaming world. The biggest problem is that I think publishers are pushing for all digital just because it means less cost for them and they think they will sell more new units. I think they will be surprised when the number of new games sold will probably stay about the same because there will be some who are forced into buying new because used won’t be available, but there will also be those who won’t be able to buy as many because they weren’t able to sell their old games….now that I got that all off my chest.
The biggest problem I have with Pachter’s argument though is comparing the PSP with the iPod at all. As if the games are even close to the same…Can an iPod play anything anywhere close to God of War?? Or Killzone?? Basically the only games they have in common are those like the Minis.
I agree with Patcher’s argument on price point. This is why I didn’t pickup the PSPgo until I found the Amazon price on the white psp for $200. This was perfect for me. Before this, I was using my iPhone for portable gaming because of the convenience. I LOVE the digital format! I don’t want to carry around a case with cartridges. I want a single device in my pocket that will do my email, internet and phone. PSPgo is not there yet because of the lack of 3G support and iPod touch/iPhone is lacking on the gaming side (controls, graphics, etc…). Sony may have rushed into this arena and as we saw with the PS3, they still believe themselves to be an elite designer company like Apple that can charge at a premium. I think they have lost a little of that cool factor because of the amount of time the PS3 took to generate a buzz. The current gaming lineup, plus the release of the PS3 slim is definitely turning it around.
I think we will definitely see something new in the portable gaming genre from Sony soon. Whether it be a price drop and updated PSPgo or a whole new PSP device. I think the timing would be good with the new MGS:PW game coming out and Hideo Kojima hyping up the portable gaming platform.
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It should have been called the PSP Doh!
When I heard about the PSP Go, I thought it was going to be a budget model to compete with the less expensive DSi. Then they announced the whopping huge pricetag and I just shook my head. Later we find out that the DL games offer no discount over the physical media, and a gigantic number of UMD titles aren’t available for download.
I don’t know what Sony was thinking on this one. I just hope that when they eventually come out with the PS4, they’ll have learned something from this experience.
I remember I was trying to find a PSPGo for under $150 on craigslist. I came close to getting one, but I called a little too late. I stopped trying afterwards. Maybe I’ll try it again and see if I can score one at that price. I’ll come back in future PSP articles to give my verdit on the device
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