I think that whole interpretation is just weird.

The PSP was the 3rd best selling system in January, selling just over 50% as many units as the supply constrained Wii and less than 1/3 as many as the (also supply constrained) DS.

The real news is that the PS2 is starting to die the 'last gen' death, but the PS3 is *not* really ramping up.

In other news, no PSP software cracked the Top 10 this month. Not even the vaunted 'PSP saviour' Metal Gear Solid managed ... in fact, the great first week sales were ~half of its' total to date!

I am glad to see the PSP continuing to manage good numbers, but I still see so many non-positive signs, and the lousy 'attach rate' is a major one of them. Regardless of the actual quality of games (and my PSP has required plenty of recharge time recently with some of the cool stuff), the evidence-based reality is that these are just not the games people are looking for.

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In the next few months before summer, I wonder how far the psp will go in terms of good games and firmwares.
I bet it wouldn't be any better then it is now.

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There are a bunch of games for the PSP I'm looking forward to, but when I peruse the sales charts I find I'm buying games that only sell a few thousand copies in total ...

I am very concerned about something I've been very much anticipating - PSOne games. Not the technical ability of the PSP to do it - we've seen that proven plenty. It is Sony's ability to carry it off that worries me.

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That's a faulty way of looking at things. The PSP will be the best selling system when the TOTAL sold exceeds the PS2' TOTAL sales overall. Until then, it's just selling more at the present time, when the PS2 has been out for so many years and is still selling over a hundred-thousand a month.

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the DS and its library, are to put it bluntly, sheer junk, yet it sells well as do its chintzy bile games


why? because it is a system parents buy for their children

the PSP is a great system with great games, however parents don't buy it because it costs more than the DS, plus they are more familiar with the name brand Nintendo (due to gameboy)

the thing is, the PSP is selling well and it is eating away at what Nintendo used to comfortably own (the portable game arena)

and I'm happy

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just release some 1st person shooters for psp and include infustructure instead of ad-hoc.

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@required

What world do you live in? The PSP is eating away at Nintendo's share? Please tell me you're joking.

The DS is Nintendo's fastest selling system. It's sold over 30 million, and it's been out for less than 3 years. The PSP has expanded the mobile arena, but don't go tricking yourself into thinking it is taking away from Nintendo. Nintendo is more comfortable now than they have ever been in the mobile arena. The DS outsold the gamecube already, for christ's sake, and it costs more.

Pass that kool-aid. *cheers*

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The PSP doesnt needs so many soled units you know , because Sony gets more money on a sold PSP than Nintendo on a sold DS :) And whats the problem , isnt 2nd position good enough for you ? :?

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"5.
the DS and its library, are to put it bluntly, sheer junk, yet it sells well as do its chintzy bile games


why? because it is a system parents buy for their children"

but kids and parents represent a very small portion fo the overall market of gaming, and pc games which basically adults strictly buy 9actualyl just males over 30) sell also alot better than psp games, and are pirated as much if not more so. Why?

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"I am glad to see the PSP continuing to manage good numbers, but I still see so many non-positive signs, and the lousy 'attach rate' is a major one of them. Regardless of the actual quality of games (and my PSP has required plenty of recharge time recently with some of the cool stuff), the evidence-based reality is that these are just not the games people are looking for."

than what kinds of games are they looking for? its obviously not 2d platformers ot nintendo ds type games as evidenc eby loco roco and mega man power up sales, so what do people want on it?

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Dolla Dolla,

The PSP sells as do its games. Before the PSP, Nintendo had zero competition, in other words they were the only ones selling portable gaming, they had the whole pie and now they do not.
Is that really so hard for you to understand?

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Strangler said, "but kids and parents represent a very small portion fo the overall market of gaming"


I'm talking portable gaming.

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I think the major reason is price because if both ds and psp were priced the same, the psp sales would take off obviously. The second problem is games, with the majority of them being mature and almost none aimed towards a younger demographic. If psp can get more "kid" games and reduce its price than it could attract the majority of the portable market, which are kids.

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And what part of my post did YOU not understand, required?

You said the PSP was eating into Nintendo's share. That statement is misleading, at best. Like I said, the PSP increased the size of the pie of portable gaming, but they are in no way eating into Nintendo's share. To think otherwise is not to look at the fact of the numbers.

Yes, the PSP sells and its software does, but it is being eclipsed by DS sales. The PSP isn't even geared towards the same people who buy a DS, and you know that.

I'm not hating, I'm pointing out the obvious. I have a PSP, and I love it (many thanks to Dark_Alex's custom firmware). That doesn't make me blind, unlike others who support it regardless of its market perception.

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Dolla Dolla, the pie was (prePSP) all Nintendo's to consume, now (postPSP) they have to share.

You say the pie is bigger so it doesn't matter (non sequitur), it's still a shared pie so it does matter.

My view by the way is that Nintendo is walking on very thin ice and just might miss out on future pie.

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Would you rather have whole 5 inch pizza or half of a 15 inch pizza?

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Pie size is irrelevant here as it's always in flux due to many factor such as population, what is relevant is how many are consuming said pie.

Nintendo would have rather kept eating alone, but now they have to share.

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@SKI - exactly.

@required

Ok, I see what you are saying. It's still an iffy argument though. If the PSP was hurting DS sales, then I would say yes, the PSP is taking from Nintendo's share.

To keep with the whole pie analogy and the current state of the market, I'd say Sony bit off more than it can chew, while Nintendo is struggling to produce more pies. Why does that situation sound familiar ...

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Wow...lots of business ignorant people with opinions (Leaves).

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First off, I don't think that DS or Wii numbers (even 'constrained', ie. just enough supply to sell tons yet still keep lines forming) being high mean that PSP numbers are low or indicative of imminent demise. Software attachment improved in recent months, at least in the USA. Japan, meanwhile, hasn't been terribly PSP friendly since Q1 2005.

Second, it's off topic but I still see the PS3 being top dog in a couple of years. I'm a bit surprised to see it off to as slow a start as it has, but with only really a couple of games to move it, people are clearly waiting to see what happens. The Wii - I just don't see it dominating this gen. Maybe it'll eke out a marginal victory in the first year, but eventually the vast dev support will push the PS3 to the top.

Sony has definitely made several gross miscalculations over the past couple of years. Lack of iTunes-like downloads for PSP, failure to support it properly in the USA with colors and special editions like Nintendo has with the DS and if we don't see a price drop *and* a redesigned model by this Spring, I'm officially going to consider the platform's days numbered... And the PS3 price is high, of course it was a choice they made in going with integrated Blu-Ray.

In short, I think it's still early to be judging the PSP as failure or success. In terms of numbers (even software), I think it has clearly managed better than any other non-Ninty handheld - even many consoles. But in terms of PR, it's a total mess. People like #2 here still make quips about a lack of good games, despite IGN, Gamespot and the meta-sites showing otherwise.

Oh well. I sort of half agree with the guy (Tretton?) the other day at Sony who said that if they'd finished last gen dead last as Nintendo did, people would be rooting for the PS3 instead.

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