We'd like to think that there's nothing wrong with our beloved handheld. However, the truth is that many people, misinformed or not, do not believe in Sony's platform.
Gamasutra asked a number of industry professionals about what they think is wrong about PSP, if there is anything at all.
- David Cole from DFC Intelligence points out that the price drop is a good step, but that's not enough. "I think a new form factor is needed more than a price cut."
- Ed Barton from Screen Digest is frustrated at the constant comparisons to Nintendo DS: "We forecast that the global installed base of PSP users will be around 29 million at the end of 2007, generating $1.9 billion in software sales. Lifetime software sales at the end of 2007 will be around $4.5 billion. If this is 'failing,' then failure just got a huge brand makeover."
- Mike Wolf from ABI Research thinks that anti-Sony fanboyism runs wild due to high expectations placed on Sony ... due to their ambitious claims. "I believe the device's perceived 'failure' by some is due to the device struggling to live up to Sony's own marketing of the product, much like what the PS3 is going through today."
I completely agree with many of the things these professionals have to say about PSP. It's true that PSP is certainly not a failure, but it could've been far more successful as well. Sony has made a ton of mistakes this life cycle, but as they've been recently showing, things can easily change with a refocused effort.
Here's another analyst story for you to chew on. Screen Digest is predicting that Sony will sell 67 million PSP systems by 2011. Certainly, that's an impressive figure. It's dwarfed by DS's predicted sales of 112 million, but certainly 67 million consoles is nothing to scoff at. In fact, if Sony's able to sell as many systems as predicted, it will have sold more systems in its lifetime than the industry-defining NES (62 million), SNES, N64, Genesis, Xbox, Gamecube, Dreamcast and Saturn. Certainly, that's a remarkable achievement for Sony's first entry into the handheld arena.
