Pages on why Playstation Portable is not dead
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Jul 20th 2006 at 8:42AM }
You may remember chubigans as the compiler of the great Flash Arcade collection. After reading more on the death of PSP, he couldn't take the incredible fanboy flaming that took ablaze on the internet. chubigan's latest blog entry will most likely only fan the fires, but in support of our handheld darling. He makes note of how the PSP has been selling neck-and-neck with the DS (before the introduction of the DS Lite) and how the media capabilities of the PSP make it quite a value-added system. In fact, he uses his Excel skillz to demonstrate the similarities between a PSP and a 360.
The dearth of console ports, the lack of a singular title that every PSP owner must buy (except maybe Grand Theft Auto?), and journalistic pessimism fueled by Sony's arrogance, are all helping to shape PSP's currently negative image. But "to declare the PSP dead, when sales, developers and sometimes even the website's own review scores declare otherwise...well, it's f-in ridiculous."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MAL @ Jul 20th 2006 10:20AM
Stop kicking a dead horse, PSP is dead, live with it.
What is going to finish it is it's lack of new exclusives not just old ports.
multitap @ Jul 20th 2006 10:46AM
The sales figure and the review scores say it all. This was a pathetic attempt by GWN (whoever the hell they are) to garner page hits. This nonsense is just repressed Nintendo fanboys striking out with smugness following the success of the DS Lite. Not a very mature attitude, but kind of expected.
Player1 @ Jul 20th 2006 11:29AM
Nintendo fanboys need affirmation since they've been rejected for being geeks for so long.
Erik @ Jul 20th 2006 12:22PM
To be perfectly honest...BOTH HANDHELD SUCK RIGHT NOW!!!
Quit the "Fanboy" fingerpointing and face the damn truth. Neither system has brought out a quality title in months. Just play your home consoles! If you have time to post your fanboy crap on the internet (like I do, so don't try to turn this around) then you have time to enjoy better games on ALL of the home consoles.
SuicideNinja @ Jul 20th 2006 12:47PM
I'm sorry...but that chart is no good. Was there a point in comparing a console to a portable by non-gaming features?
Yes, the PSP has a web browser. No, it is not very useful, and yes it is extremely annoying. It runs out of memory too quickly. Text entry sucks, and the navigation is questionable.
Sure the PSP has media functions...but why does that matter? It's too big for a portable music player. Converting video or movies to the memory stick is an annoying task. UMD movies are overpriced, underframed, and underfeatured.
RSS feeds? Come on. The problem is that this is a portable gaming console, it just doesn't feel like one.
The PSP to me feels like a device that has potential that will never be realized. It leaves me waiting for bargin bin games because I don't want to waste too much money on a rarely used portable when I have full-experience consoles to be played.
It's not so "dead" yet as it is "fading quickly".
pixelator @ Jul 20th 2006 1:35PM
SuicideNinja, you do nothing here but bash the PSP, so how you figure anyone's going to listen to a single thing you say on the subject is a mystery.
Anyone who wants to know what you think (cough) need only click on your name and see the most foaming at the mouth Sony-hating blog on the planet. Just make your boring PSP/PS3/PS2 bashing mantra into a macro or something and stop trying to fool us into thinking that you have anything new to say, OK?
Too big as an MP3 player? Yeah, that's because it's not a dedicated MP3 player.
Web browser sucks? Well, it's better than the tiny screen, flashless, downloadless, audioless, PDFless wonder you DS fanboys are going to pay $33 to Opera for.
pixelator @ Jul 20th 2006 1:59PM
5, do you really think anyone here cares about your repetitive hating on the PSP and Sony? Seriously, one need only click on your name to see the psychotic foaming-at-mouth rage you have for the PS2, PS3, PSP, Sony, etc. It'd be funny if it wasn't a little sad.
Dude, just make yourself a PSP bashing macro or something and save us the inconvenience of having to read your diatribe. That way we won't be fooled into thinking your latest post has anything new to say.
As for your points:
PSP web browser sucks? I'll take it over the overpriced Opera DS browser incapable of basic functionality like audio, downloads, streaming, PDF, etc.
Converting video isn't necessary with many online media sites like Guba. If you want to rip your own, you'd have to do that with any PmP, so your whining is pointless.
PSP is too big as an MP3 player? Maybe that's because it's not just an MP3 player?
Typical fanboy basher. High on bias and hyperbole, lacking on factuality. Here's MY theory: Fanboy hate sites and blog posts like yours are DEAD. Nobody cares. Time to move on.
Martin @ Jul 20th 2006 2:49PM
6, Since when does basic functionality of web browsing include "audio, downloads, streaming, PDFs..." I always thought that these were extended features and not really neccessary (especially for portable web browsing). Basic functionaly for me includes checking e-mail, catching up on news or maybe reading interesting news blog comments. I also agree with Suicideninja's opinion on its capabilities, but he never said it sucks. It just could be better. Who knows who good the Opera will be on DS?
I have both a PSP and DS and both are great. So no fanboy bashing from me *****ator. Oops, there was a dead pixel in your name... :)
Erik @ Jul 20th 2006 3:08PM
pixelator, its hard to call someone biased when all of your posts reflect your blind devotion to sony. We have had this arguement before. You need not be so defensive or you become the fanboy you are trying to disprove. If you apreciate what sony is doing, then cheers to you. I find the PSP a questionable system, but it doesn't stop me from owning one and hoping for more in the future. There is always room for improvement or the words "Next Gen" would never have become part of our vocabulary.
pixelator @ Jul 20th 2006 4:58PM
7., I consider audio and downloads pretty basic functions of browsing. Flash is arguable, but on the PSP the browser is also free and doesn't take up cart ports or require you to store like a game when not in use. And yeah, SN did use the word 'sucks' in reference to the browser text entry, as well as it being annoying and 'not very useful'.
8., I think my posts speak for themselves. As for being a 'blind Sony fanboy', here's what I currently have: XBOX 360, PS2, GCN, N64, Virtual Boy, PortaFami portable FC/NES, Graphite GBA SP+, Graphite DS Phat (JP), White DS Lite, PSP, Gamepark GP32, SuperFamicom (JP), Sega Megadrive (JP) and a cabaret (mini) original arcade Wizard of Wor. You tell me, am I just a SONY fanboy? What you call 'defensive' I call 'debunking'. I don't like people spouting off crap that isn't true about stuff they often times don't even own.
That said, I agree the PSP is imperfect, could be better and yes, it MAY go down in history as a failed attempt to usurp Nintendo's handheld dominance. So far, however, I think it's done OK overall as a system. Shades of gray like yours and mine aren't in the vocab of most fanboys, and therein lies the discrepancy that sparks the debate.
OK?
Loban @ Jul 20th 2006 5:14PM
"He makes note of how the PSP has been selling neck-and-neck with the DS (before the introduction of the DS Lite)"
This is my favorite sentence, especially the "before the introduction of the DS Lite" part. The DS has always been outselling the PSP worldwide, and since the introduction of the DS Lite it has been getting it's arse kicked 10 times over. The PSP isn't dead, but it's on life support and it's begging to pull the plug.
I know lots of people with a PSP so they're definitely selling, at least in this country. But I don't know many people who actually use it, at least for gaming.
Tiago @ Jul 20th 2006 7:30PM
Time will tell if the PSP is dead or not...
pixelator @ Jul 20th 2006 11:01PM
"The DS has always been outselling the PSP worldwide"
This is flat out wrong. The PSP even outsold the DS for the first few months of 2005... IN JAPAN. After that, the DS slowly climbed up and they traded weeks until Nintendo finally unleashed some Mario named titles and took over.
In the USA, the PSP outsold the DS more often than not until the launch of the DS Lite. The PSP has GAINED GROUND overall since the first huge head start advantage of the DS, worldwide.
Nintendo fanboys simply can't be bothered with truth at this self-proclaimed moment of 'triumph' over the PSP. Gotta piss on Sony users, gotta proclaim the PSP dead so they can stroke their egos and 'get back' at all those years of Sony dominance... Ye Gods, that is sad.
Nothing like platform wars and people emotionally invested in their inanimate objects to paint a dismal picture of what's wrong in the world. It's no wonder folks are dying over religious zealotry, look how far our own pampered brats will go over a game machine!