The PSPgo just came out this past Thursday and it is already gaining quite a following behind the sleek little handheld.
Since it was announced by Sony at E3 many gamers have exclaimed that they need a solution for the UMD’s they already own. Sony has stated that currently they do not have a solution for this. There has been much criticism because of not having a viable solution to this problem. This could hurt sales in the long run, but that is for another discussion.
Sony have also stated that it is not intended to replace the current 3000 model that has been on retailers shelves. The target behind this handheld is the older market, the ones that are constantly on the go. That is one huge difference between the Go and the 3000, the Go actually can fit into a gamer’s pockets with ease, and that convenience factor is a huge deal to many people.
Another obvious reason behind the handheld is to go head to head with the iPhone. The iPhone has a huge following of users behind it. Sony wants to tap into this market, they would be foolish not to.
The Product Manager for the PSP in the UK, Claire Backhouse, had a few things regarding the PSPgo.
When asked about the Sony’s decisions to come out with both the PS3 Slim and the PSPgo she had this to say:
“The Slim is actually taking over from the old PS3, whereas with PSP Go we’re not taking over from the PSP 3000, it’s very much a console that’s going to sit alongside the PSP 3000.“
She also stated that though the games are being focused on right now, that will change in the near future.
“In the next couple of months you’ll get other people that are interested in just general entertainment and things like Skyping – you can Skype on the console really easily – and going on the net, checking Facebook, that sort of thing”
Then came the comparisons to the iPhone where Backhouse had this to say:
“At the end of last year we ran a ‘whole world in your hands’ campaign for PSP 3000 and that was very much functionality-led. We told people you can watch movies on it, you can take photos with it, you can store your music on it and everything. And I think PSPgo is even more so because you do want it in consumer’s minds that it can do all those things as well and that makes it even better than an iPhone, I think. So we are pushing all those elements as well.”
While the quality of the games is obviously better on the PSPgo, is it really necessary to constantly compare it to the iPhone? One is a phone and the other is a portable gaming device. In the end it’s up to the consumer to decide.
[Source]
