We're all fully aware of the PSP's situation in Japan, but I think many people don't know how well the PSP sells in North America. Well, NPD has just released the October hardware numbers, and I have some good news and some bad news for you PSP Fanboys.Bad news - in October, there were 130,000 PSPs sold compared to the DS' 360,000 units.
Good news - the deficit between the DS and PSP is a lot smaller than it is in Japan.
While it still seems like a large gap, the DS, at times, outsold the PSP by that margin in a week's time in Japan. Plus, the PSP is now selling better in America than it is in Japan by an average of 50,000 units.
However, with Peter Dille's recent comments, do these numbers really matter anymore since Sony is targeting a different audience? Or do you think Sony's just telling us and themselves that to make them feel better?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-10-2006 @ 1:22PM
Domingo said...
To a certain extent we do assume that the games found on DS are geared towards a younger crowd, but we can't assume that they are the sole reason they are buying it, I'm sure there are parental influences involved here [wanting their kid to play 'kiddie' games vs the more adult themed GTA].
Could SONY be shooting itself in the foot by appealing to this 'more grown-up' crowd without having their support in the first place?
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11-10-2006 @ 1:28PM
Tree Stoner said...
The psp IS a media device. The DS is not. Therefore, I think the psp compares to the ipod better than the DS. The $75 rice difference is another major factor why they cannot be easily compared.
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11-10-2006 @ 2:45PM
Don said...
"However, with Peter Dille's recent comments, do these numbers really matter anymore since Sony is targeting a different audience? Or do you think Sony's just telling us and themselves that to make them feel better?"
I think they're telling us that to make us feel better. They need to put out some serious content to reverse the downward slide that's acumulated here... get something going with developers that will have people want to start buying PSPs like when it first launched.
Talk is cheap. Content is king.
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11-10-2006 @ 6:02PM
pixelator said...
Again, NPD is not total sales. It's a good indicator of the sales ratio, but they don't account for online sales.
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11-11-2006 @ 3:25PM
Alien said...
Ok , this is not bad , lets dont forget , that the PSP will gain some more sails when the PS3 will come out , and it will luckyly be more stable afther the holidays , and afther games like MGS , FF , R&C and of course the highly awaited PSone emulator comes out :)
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11-11-2006 @ 10:36PM
kelly said...
hopefully psp will make a come back this Xmas
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11-11-2006 @ 10:50PM
kelly said...
"The psp IS a media device. The DS is not. Therefore, I think the psp compares to the ipod better than the DS. The $75 rice difference is another major factor why they cannot be easily compared."...yeah ok
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11-12-2006 @ 5:10AM
KAZ Smokes Some "WiiD"S said...
Guys, the GBA is consistently outselling the PSP in the US as well. You can check the current and previous NPD numbers to confirm this. The DS Lite is consistently outselling every game system on the market, including the PS2, in both Japan and the US. At least the PSP is outselling the GBA in Japan though.
As for Powell's question, I think its a bit of both: PSP's target audience isn’t exactly the same as DS Lite's and Sony is somewhat in denial after claiming the PSP will be the walkman of the 21st century and it will take portable gaming out of the ghetto.
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11-12-2006 @ 5:02PM
Paula Garwood said...
I have both a PSP and DS Lite.......they are just different, both have their good points. They shouldn't really be compared though because PSP really does a lot more "stuff" and the graphics and screen resolution is just so much better. Still sometimes I just want to play DS and the DS was cheaper, which clearly motivates the purchasers. If I could only have one I would have a PSP, but luckily I can have both. What a great time to live.
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