PSP™ General Discussion

[INS1GHTFUL]

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/105/1059483p1.html

I read this article on IGN, trying to justify that Sony should scrap the PSP and focus on the PS3. I don’t normally post on forums much, but I wanted to say something about this article, because I felt annoyed reading it.

I love my PSP. I travel a lot with my job and this is the main gadget I take with me. I’ll use it for playing games (obviously), movies, music and more recently reading comics. I even have my wedding DVD on a memory stick (I had to put it on to get my wife to agree to let me take the PSP on holiday last year!).

This article just sweeps the positive aspects of the PSP under the rug and tries to justify the system as a failure. The PSP has sold over 50 million units world-wide. That doesn’t sound like a failure to me.  Yes, its not as successful as the DS, but the sales show that it has been popular, plus it appeals to a different class of gamers – my 3 yr old and 7 yr old nieces own a DS with lots of games aimed for children. The PSP is aimed at adults and true gamers.

The article says Sony shouldn’t have wasted time making games for the PSP and could have instead released them for the PS3, maybe as PSN titles. Again I strongly disagree. I love that I can play games that are close to PS2 quality on the go. Patapon 2 was one of my favourite games of 2009. If it had come out for the PS3 I probably wouldn’t have bought it as I mainly play shooters or action games on the PS3. The PS2 was one of the most successful consoles ever made and the games were quality, who wouldn’t want to play those kinds of games wherever they want?

I don’t think the PSP is perfect. It desperately needs a second analogue stick. I didn’t buy a PSP GO but I am actually happy with buying only digital games (I do it for my iphone and I don’t have a problem with it, plus it saves me carrying around a pack full of disks). The main issue here though is price. If sony had released the PSP with a lower price and released games cheaper on the PSN it would have sold far better (I did want one, but just couldn’t justify spending £225 on it).

I hope Sony dont release anymore model updates. They should release an entirely new PSP2 (with backward compatibility, two analogue sticks, maintaining the size of the GO, better battery life and possibly four shoulder buttons). The 10 yr system life cycle is all well and good, but they can still release a new PSP and maintain some support for the old one (as theyre doing with the PS2).

The PSP can be improved as can PSN but even the PS3 and 360 have areas for improvement. This kind of biased article is more like an x-box fan rant than a fair, rounded review of the PSP system.

Anyway, sorry for the all of text. rant over.

[Killzone_Kid]

Poor article, really poor, shows that the author has very superficial knowledge and itchy fingers

[ColdRush88]

I really never understood all the hate the PSP gets. When you pause to think about it, you realise it's an amazing piece of kit. You can surf the web, make skype calls, listen to radio on the internet, play music, watch films, read comic books, play games that aren't far off the PS2 in terms of graphics and even attach a camera to it! What more do people want? lol
Sure it has it's share of bad games, But so do all consoles. That's what the internet is for, so you can find out more info about games and make sensible purchases.
So no, Sony should certainly not abandon it. It's the best handheld console available today, and the geniuses at Sony should be congratulated for fitting in all that power in such a small device.

[jcs1984]

i certainly think sony should abandon the original psp but only to bring out a true psp 2.

they need to stop updating the old tech and bring totally new hardware.

[ColdRush88]

What would they gain by abandoning the original PSP? (by that I'm guessing you mean all the models except the Go?). The majority of PSP owners own these older models.
They can focus on producing a new PSP and not have to abandon the older models.

[joff81]

there is no reason why a PSP 2 is needed, there is no more advanced handheld console available yet and the PSP is doing an awesome job of giving a home console experience in a handheld. like was mentioned above it gives great graphics and packs a lot of power in a handheld form factor.

personally 2009 was the best year in the PSP life cycle up to now we had games like Little Big Planet, Gran Turismo, Motorstorm AE as well as multi platform releases like Ghostbusters & F1 2009. this year as been so good for the PSP that i have infact spent more money on games for my PSP than i have on PS3 and Xbox 360 software altogether. Sony did tout at E3 that 2009 was a big year for PSP and the best time ever to get one and you get people who want it to be killed off.

the biggest problem for the PSP is infact it was launched 2 years too early. everyone on launch were saying it was a portable PS2 which in terms of gaming power it was, but the truth is the PSP is closer to being a protable PS3. it uses the XMB, gives you the mulimedia capabilities like the ps3 and look at the line up of recent games, they too are becoming portable versions of PS3 software.

i believe that if the PSP was launched at the same time or just after the PS3 release then we would have seen alot of better games instead of being in the software wilderness we were for 5 years.

i hope Sony keep up the good work with the PSP and continue to support it and keep giving us great games like we got this year and i truly think that 2009 was the rebirth of the PSP brand.

[BAZ1307]

I think this article is a disgrace.

I like the PSP a LOT, infact I like it and have more uses for it than I do with my PS3. The PSP isn't just a games console, it's a multimedia device and a brilliant one at that! In my honest opinion, the PSP is a better music player than the iPod and a better portable console than the DS.

Although TBH the PSPgo is what Sony should focus on, it's just so much better. Digital downloads are definitely the future of portable games consoles as it's far easier to take around with you. The PSP had a great start. Although it has been a bumpy ride for the past few years, Sony are back on track and are offering an amazing line up coupled with the best hardware you can possibly fit in your pocket. It's a perfect combination and I don't see myself enjoying the PSP any less in the future than I am right now.

If anything, the only reason the PSP has not done as well as people expected, is because of the piracy. It's encouraging developers to steer away from the platform as it means they'll get far less sales.

[jcs1984]

@coldrush 88

no I think they should stop updating the psp weather that's the x000 or the go.

I think new hardware is needed not just updates.

[ColdRush88]

joff81 and BAZ1307 I applaud you both for two very good replies, and for giving me hope that not everyone hates the PSP.

[Carmanen]

For me, PSP is like my own child (i don't have any human childs so this is a closest thing to those, lol) I play on PSP a lot... ...mostly PSP games and PSone classics. So no Sony, don't give up on it and instead release more awesome titles for it, especially exclusive titles