PSPgo may not have gone down the storm you'd expect from a new console launch, but the relatively slow launch was all a part of Sony's plan, according to GameStop exec VP of merchandising and marketing Tony Bartel.
"I think that, by Sony's own admission, you can tell by the small marketing that was done for this, that [Sony's] mentality was more of a slow roll than a major launch," said Bartel.
Unboxing PSP Go!
Original production
2:17Don't drop it...
Unboxing PSP Go!
Original production
2:17Don't drop it...
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"So this was clearly different than the way that Nintendo approached the DSi launch, and I think that was by design. I think the story is far from over and being written on the PSPgo," added Bartel.
"I think Sony knew it was going to be more of a slow build as opposed to a right out of the gate huge release. I'm not sure that anyone that spent a lot of time working with Sony on the launch was really surprised by the way that it's gone so far," Bartel told IndustryGamers.
The high price point and inability to play UMD games (its major disadvantage over the cheaper PSP-3000) are likely the key reasons for the PSPgo's slow pick-up.
PR bull crap at it's best. Slow launch was their aim my rear end.......
"Let's make loads of announcements, let's have a massive showcase at E3....we really want this thing to sell as little as possible!"
Meh......
Agreed. I always thought the point of having a profit making company was to make a profit? Also, correct me if I'm worng, but like, the more you sell the more money you make?
The reason it has sold f**k all is because it is too expensive, and does not feature a UMD drive. This isn't rocket science, it's basic economics and having an understanding of the market you are aiming for.
Well digital distribution just started picking up so I'm not really surprised. People are still not really used to it so a handheld build solely around digital distribution isn't going to break any records.
The first one who mentions iphone or ipod will be punched in the face, as those are very different things and none of them is a gaming handheld, just a gaming wanna-be, like Pippin.
The reason it has sold f**k all is because it is too expensive, and does not feature a UMD drive. This isn't rocket science, it's basic economics and having an understanding of the market you are aiming for.
I get the feeling that the PSP go is out to do the same job as the PSX all those years ago.
Where the PSX was used to gauge reaction to a "media hub" console, the go is being used to gauge reaction to a digital only handheld (I would guess in anticipation of a digital only PSP2).
If is the case then not spending so much on marketing wouldn't be entirely crazy.
Personally, I love the idea of digital only games for handhelds, as long as they sort the pricing out (EA and Sega!!) then i'll be happy to embrace it come the PSP2
every pspGO sold bolsters the psp platform. it'd be a 'fail' if it was an entirely different platform with different games. but its not.
it will be a useful, insightful venture into digital distribution for sony. of course it isnt going to sell as well as a normal psp - by cutting a big part of their market out by doing away with UMD, it wasnt all about pure profit in the first place. was it?
the GO is to complment the psp range, nothing else.
UMD is still there. if you prefer that, use it. dont slate something you have no desire for. its silly.
Am I the only one who thinks the reason the go isn't selling is partly to do with the psn having crap-all good games, if you want dd only then step one is making every and I mean every single game available.
Also another reason why the go isn't doing so well is because the 3000 can do everything plus use physical media, also dd isn't definitely the future, as long as there is a large market for physical media then that's how it will stay, personally I think a balance has been reached and that's how I think things will stay, at least until download limits get a lot higher.
The funny thing about the Go is that it's USP isn't even unique. You can just get a PSP 3000 and a memory card and 'enjoy' all the benefits of being able to download games for a higher cost than their UMD equivalent.
Not to mention that you can pick up the 3000/memory card combo for less than a Go on it's own...
Just like they planned to make a massive loss for the first three years on the PS3 and not start to make decent sales until the PS3 Slim came out?
It's all under control eh Sony? Got em just where you want em?
Jesus Christ! I'd at least have a little respect for them if they just admitted they'd buggered things up!
I love my PS3 but seriously, Sony are full of s**t sometimes!
1) Gamestop said this, not Sony. Try reading the article again.
2) Rather than going on the attack right away, why not try to think of if this was Sony's plan. Why would they do this? Clearly slating Sony is becuase you don't work in marketing, let me explain.
The PSP-go is a digital game download system only, so most of the public will need a little bit of time to get used to this idea. As a marketing dept do you blow all of your Ł5,000,000 marketing budget at the start during a point of pubic un-awareness? No you wait until word of mouth as pass around and people start understanding what game digital distrubtion is all about, then once the public has a better understanding of it and what the PSP-go is about, THEN you start spending the big money becuase it is at that point that your marketing is going to have the biggest impact.
I know its hard for a lot of people to understand this, but the PSP-Go is not like any other mainstream system on the market. The way games are brought for it is tottally new to a vast amount of people. You need to wait until people understand what it is before you go and blow your budget, becuase if you do it before that point your marketing is going to have a far less impact on the public.
The way games are brought for it is tottally new to a vast amount of people.
Oh of course it is. I mean it's not like the majority of the public haven't been digitally downloading games on their Mobile Phones/iPod Touches/iPhones/PCs/360s/PS3s/Wiis/DSis amongst other handhelds & devices for at least the last few years
I know it's fashionable to have a pop at Sony these days, but I think you guy's are barking up the wrong tree here.
Anyway, I love my PSPGo. I'm currently trying to complete trial mode on Soul Calibur. It's a great game and not far from the console versions in terms of overall quality.
I'll buy GTA:Chinatown wars soon too, but I'll wait until I have completed Liberty City Stories first.
It's been a while since I could say that I had too many games to try on the PSP! Good stuff.
The way games are brought for it is tottally new to a vast amount of people.
Oh of course it is. I mean it's not like the majority of the public haven't been digitally downloading games on their Mobile Phones/iPod Touches/iPhones/PCs/360s/PS3s/Wiis/DSis amongst other handhelds & devices for at least the last few years
There is very closed minded way of looking at it. Show me that sales figures where the majority of the public have been buying digital games?
PC's/360's/PS3's/Wii's and DSi's ALL have actualt games you can buy from a game shop. Yes you can get digital downloads for them but these the actual sales of these games compaired to disc/cartridge sales are tiny. Mobile phones and ipods are an even worse example, as these are not games machines and playing games is not the primary function of these devices, they are an extra feature. Yes some companys like Popcap do good business selling their digital wares but its still not something lots of people do. I'm 29 and only ever brought 3 games on my phone in my life, and there are lots of people that don't care much for phone games iphone or not.
Sony have just released the first handleheld machine where you can ONLY play digital downloaded games, people are used to going to the shops to buy a game. Your argument saying that digital downloads are already out and so everyone must already be used to buying games that way becuase a small amount of people already do is madness.
Oh of course it is. I mean it's not like the majority of the public haven't been digitally downloading games on their Mobile Phones/iPod Touches/iPhones/PCs/360s/PS3s/Wiis/DSis amongst other handhelds & devices for at least the last few years
I've gone and saved you the time now, so much for your 'majority of the public'. Here are some sales figures for you to look at for digital downloaded games. World Wide sales for Wii ware & Virtual Console - August 2009 http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=5133 Wow! Pokemon sold 18,700 in the whole world! the mayority of the public sure are spending a lot of money on digital downloads!
With sales of digital downloads that low on the biggest selling console in the world, its understandable why Sony have choosen not to blow its whole marketing budget on the PSP-Go just yet!
I think that the guy might be right. A lot of products have had slow launches and gone on to achieve massive success. E3 and GC announcements were aimed only at interested gamers anyway, so they didn't really gear up for a massive launch. I think that the PSP Go will get more attention when more of the PSP back library becomes available for download or when they release a device that allows UMDs to be ripped, and then I can see them as marketing it alongside the PSP2 in a similar way to the PS3 and PS2 relationship now.
every pspGO sold bolsters the psp platform. it'd be a 'fail' if it was an entirely different platform with different games. but its not.
it will be a useful, insightful venture into digital distribution for sony. of course it isnt going to sell as well as a normal psp - by cutting a big part of their market out by doing away with UMD, it wasnt all about pure profit in the first place. was it?
the GO is to complment the psp range, nothing else.
UMD is still there. if you prefer that, use it. dont slate something you have no desire for. its silly.
That coming from you is hilarious!
On-topic, I guess the PSP Go was a low risk venture by Sony, so they probably won't be affected by the slow sales so far.
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