Sony Dodges PSPgo Cancellation Report

[Andy Chalk]

Sony Dodges PSPgo Cancellation Report

Sony has issued a statement that neither confirms nor denies the reported demise of the PSPgo, saying only that it will continue to "meet the demand" for the current generation of PSPs.

Andriasang [http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/04/19/psp_go_death/] reported earlier today on a blog post written by a Japanese Sony Shop employee ["or at the very least a super-hardcore Sony fanatic"] claiming that his store had been told that it will receive no more shipments of the PSPgo because Sony has halted production of the device. Furthermore, the link to the PSPgo was removed from the Sony Store page and although the product listing is still available, it's not orderable because no stock is available.

Sony, perhaps not surprisingly, doesn't appear to be in too much of a hurry to clarify the situation. "It is a very exciting time for PlayStation portable devices," the company said in a statement to Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-04-19-sony-halts-pspgo-production-report]. "Before the end of the year we are launching NGP, our next generation portable device, which we believe will revolutionize portable gaming. In the meantime, the current generation of PSPs continue to be in demand, especially since the introduction of our value for money, Essentials range of games and we will continue to meet that demand."

The problem for Sony is that demand for the PSPgo has never been terribly high, thanks in large part to the lack of a UMD drive, a design choice which rendered existing PSP libraries useless. Various giveaway promotions, including an offer for price cut [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/100947-Sony-Offering-10-Free-Games-to-New-PSPgo-Users] in October of last year. If it turns out that this report is correct and that Sony has actually pulled the plug on the PSPgo, I don't think anyone will be terribly surprised.


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[WanderingFool]

Oh yeah... I forgot about those... they're just now stopping production?

 

[Quaidis]

PspGo... Wasn't that the system that you could only put digital games on, that stores across the world refused to stock because it was 'bad for business'?

 

[gigastar]

Really im more surprised Sony stuck with the Go this long.

Actually, the biggest surprise was how Sony thought they could unleash that thing on the world with literally no games. Surely, someone must have thought 'wait, wouldnt no UMD drive mean it will have no games?'

I also took a look at the european PSN website. It only has 2 PSP games I would like to download, except I already own them on UMD.

 

[JDKJ]

"It is a very exciting time for PlayStation portable devices. Before the end of the year we are launching NGP, our next generation portable device, which we believe will revolutionize portable gaming. In the meantime, the current generation of PSPs continue to be in demand, especially since the introduction of our value for money, Essentials range of games and we will continue to meet that demand."

Obama should employ whoever made that statement as his new White House Press Secretary. I've encountered people who were good at putting spin on an issue, but this guy's clearly a master in a class all by himself.

 

[tjs09]

Hey, guys. There was an earthquake over here not too long ago, so we have more important shit on our agenda than answering your mundane questions. Like not dying.
Sincerely, Sony
XD

 

[viranimus]

Well personally I am glad it at least existed. Im glad that it failed, because it is a resounding reminder to the industry that trying to force us into digital distribution is NOT a good idea.

Its like they want to create this to push gaming further into the realm of piracy. Because legally they cant stop resellers or rentals. But they can legally fight against piracy.

I mean really even in the face of piracy, rentals and reselling market, the gaming industry is still insanely profitable. I dont get why people seem to want to jump on the corporate bandwagon to help the company maximize their profits and in the process destroy sub industries and a host of other negative impacts that will only hurt the consumer and the industry.


Seriously its like being threatened at knife point with "I am going to stab you!" and then retorting "Only after you shoot me first" and handing your assailant a gun. Seriously, when the industry stops acting like its some crippled dying animal begging for anyone to save it while it sits on top of a gold heap that would make Scrooge Mcduck envious, then maybe, MAYBE ill consider a Digital distribution only platform that isnt open source.

 

[JDKJ]

Hey, guys. There was an earthquake over here not too long ago, so we have more important shit on our agenda than answering your mundane questions. Like not dying.
Sincerely, Sony
XD

But we're never too preoccupied to shamelessly plug next-gen NPG. That's definitely among the important shit on our agenda. It's the bricks we made and which no one buys anymore that we've got no time to discuss.

Sincerely,

Sony

 

[JDKJ]

Maybe this is an indication of the Boycott Sony Campaign actually working? Maybe EgoHot won out in the end, after all? I'm sure he'll try to take credit, either way.

 

[mysticx]

But at this point isn't "meeting demand" for PSPgo pretty much the same as stopping production altogether?

I never saw the allure in the thing to begin with (PSP3000 being cheaper and more functional), but with NGP coming up...

 

[tjs09]

Hey, guys. There was an earthquake over here not too long ago, so we have more important shit on our agenda than answering your mundane questions. Like not dying.
Sincerely, Sony
XD

But we're never too preoccupied to shamelessly plug next-gen NPG. That's definitely among the important shit on our agenda. It's the bricks we made and which no one buys anymore that we've got no time to discuss.

Sincerely,

Sony

Ha Ha, true. But you said it yourself "bricks we made that no one buys anymore", so are they really worth discussing?

 

[-Dragmire-]

I laughed at the PSPGO from day one. My friends who bought it said it was the next gen psp to which I reply that Sony had to come out with slight upgrades constantly just to keep them relevant while developing the next big step. I also think they were looking very carefully at how hackers and pirates were getting around drm. It's the only reason I can think of for why they would say the PSP3000 was hackproof baiting them to test out newer drm code. I doubt a hacked battery can be used on the NGP, they'll probably be extremely picky on memcards too.

 

[viranimus]

But the problem with the Go wasn't that it was a digital platform only,......

.....My problem is the set prices that digital distribution has - no more bargain bin gaming, I would always have to pay the exorbitant prices that companies would place on the digital distribution. No more searching for used games or discounts or anything, unless the store is as good as Steam which is very, very unlikely.

So are you saying Your problem is with the effects, but your ok with the cause?

Look, the industry has every reason to try to push this digital distribution model. Its more revenue to them. Compare ANY PSX title available for digital download via PSN. Your looking at 5-10$ for a purchase that in most situations is a repeat sale. (How many classic games do you buy that you didnt play back in the day?) Now compare that to the used market. You can pick up those titles for anywhere from 0.01 upwards with most coming in decidedly lower than the 5$ and they too will also run in a PS3. So from a consumer standpoint, if you can pick up a copy of lets say..(not using exact quotes, just speculating here) Bloody Roar for 10$ on PSN. does it make a lot of sense from the standpoint of the consumer to ignore the fact you can get the exact same thing for 3$ on amazon? And beyond that potentially being a repeat purchase if you once bought it and lost it or damaged it.

My complaint really isnt that the industry is trying to push this model. My complaint is that people are letting them even though it IS a bad model for the consumer that only really benefits those who are impatient. Which I think any positive that can be waged for the "instant" factor is far outweighed by the lack of ownership rights associated with digital distributed property.

 

[megs1120]

It's a shame they never put their full weight behind putting UMD games up on PSN, I love my Go, it's crazy portable and I can play Persona 3 anywhere. I pretty much use my old PSP-2000 as a bedside Loveline delivery vector at this point.

 

[mjc0961]

What? This is unbelievable. A store actually managed to sell all its PSP Gos?! Damn.

It's a shame they never put their full weight behind putting UMD games up on PSN, I love my Go

Yeah, okay, joking aside, it was pretty good. But their lack of support ensured it was dead after the lack of a UMD drive and the lack of a way to get free digital copies of games you had on UMD beat the shit out of it and left it bleeding on the ground.