Sony exec admits PSP more about media than games
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Nov 7th 2006 at 8:15AM }
Dave Karraker, new PR head for Sony, was recently confronted by Gamasutra in a pretty intense interview. While it focuses mostly on the upcoming PLAYSTATION 3, Karraker had a few interesting things to say about the PSP:The PSP is doing incredibly well, and I think that you'll see even more interest behind it now that the PS3 is coming out, because the inner-connectivity between the two, I mean you saw the demo in terms of accessing your PS3 harddrive through your PSP. That's just the tip of the iceberg of what can be done with that... I'm not just talking about games, I'm talking about entertainment content as well. Already the TiVo-to-go option for the PSP is turning into a huge hit for us, as people discover that they can take the shows they've already stored on their TiVo and put it on their PSP and while they're riding the bus to work or to school, they can watch television shows on the PSP, I mean that's huge. You can't do that on anything else. So again, I think when you compare the two products, the Nintendo product versus our product, it's kind of apples and oranges. We're providing more of an entertainment system, and they're focused more on gaming.While the Nintendo fanboys may criticize Sony's approach to creating a media convergence machine, I highly applaud it. I do a lot more things than simply game on my handheld, as I have no desire to carry around a huge laptop to watch movies, listen to music, and use the internet.
Karraker says that the company has to create more games that appeal to the Japanese demographic.
Oh, and two more things:
DK: Oh, absolutely!
[Via DS Fanboy]
Yeah, you have to realize what games work best on the PSP, like action games work really well, sports games work really well...those aren't the most popular games in Japan – it's RPGs. And RPGs don't necessarily lend themselves to the PSP, although I think we've got some really great ones. And it's just a matter of getting the consumer in Japan accustomed to the idea of playing an expansive RPG on a handheld device.I somewhat disagree with Karraker on this point. The PSP has a lot of expansive RPGs, and the Japanese love well-designed, large RPGs on handhelds (Pokemon, anyone?). The PSP has failed to really get a great RPG that uses the PSP's unique features, and cuts down on the load times. Hopefullly, something like Jeanne d'Arc will change that.
Oh, and two more things:
GS: And how do the emulated downloads work for PSP? Have you announced pricing?
DK: Basically you just download them to the PS3, and bounce it to your PSP, and those will all be under $5. And then there will be downloadable content from hotspots.
DK: Oh, absolutely!
[Via DS Fanboy]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
locoroco @ Nov 7th 2006 9:00AM
I agree with you, Andrew! I put podcasts, vodcasts, and videos I rip from DVDs on my PSP. I think the ability to do so much with the PSP makes it a superb device. This is nothing Nintendo can offer. I'm not into the Nintendo bashing, but I do believe that the PSP is all-around the better do-more product. The DS Lite is 150% games (some of them aren't like those weird cooking and brain training games...).
The PSP will not dominate the handheld market. That is true. But, it is a stellar device and it still remains a good seller.
carterman @ Nov 7th 2006 9:16AM
The 5th page had some more goodies:
"GS: And how do the emulated downloads work for PSP? Have you announced pricing?
DK: Basically you just download them to the PS3, and bounce it to your PSP, and those will all be under $5. And then there will be downloadable content from hotspots."
Under $5 for the PS1 games? Nice. Also, they go on to talk about the possibility that other systems could pop up for emulation...
nailerr @ Nov 7th 2006 9:24AM
More and more I wish I bought a DS. I love my PS2, and the PSP is a stunning piece of kit BUT I BOUGHT IT FOR GAMES. Most people did, I'm sure.
I have other, better devices for music and there are other, better devices for video.
The PSP is inconvenient to carry around unless you have big fat guy pockets or tend to tote a bag everywhere, it's battery life is only just on the verge of acceptable so I end up having to take the power adapter everywhere which seriously diminishes my wish to take it anywhere at all. Now it is resident in my work locker where even on empty nights I cant be bothered to start playing my favourite game, Metal Gear AC!D 2 because the game is too involved for a portable device.
I have no intention of telling people what they like is wrong, but the PSP is a jack of all trades and not very good at any of them. I just hope this changes.
Peronthious @ Nov 7th 2006 9:45AM
The PSP is a great PMP device, don't get me wrong, but the big thing that's holding it back is the lack of space. With the current maximum capacity for Memory Stick Duos at 4GB, and those running you up over $120 USD, it really seems like Sony's just saying they meant it as a PMP because it hasn't been doing so well in the games market. If they had really meant the PSP to be a PMP, Sony would've completely cut the UMD drive, slapped on a 10 GB harddrive, and gone with a digital distribution scheme, which has been suggested and which I think would've been awesome.
Hector Martinez @ Nov 7th 2006 9:51AM
Despite Karraker's comments, this is a phenomenal time for PSP games: Lumines 2, Socom 2, KillZone, Vice City, Medal of Honor, Ace Combat, MX vs ATV, Tekken, LocoRoco, Lego Star Wars. BTW, I got my 4GB for about $90.
Player1 @ Nov 7th 2006 11:16AM
I agree with Hector. For a system that's "not primarily about games", we got GTA, Lumines, Every Extend Extra, Gunpey, Burnout, Medal of Honor, SSX, Virtua Tennis, Power Stone Collection, Katamari, Loco Roco, Wipeout, Tekken, Syphon Filter, Def Jam, Metal Gear Portable Ops, etc.
Personally I couldn't be any happier about the games that come out for PSP.
Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas @ Nov 7th 2006 11:16AM
Hector,
how many of those games you mentioned will sell/have sold past the 1 million units mark? To date, worldwide only 3 PSP games have sold passed the 1 million copies mark. PSP(for gaming) hardware sales dont mean a thing if gamers arent buying the games.
Player1 @ Nov 7th 2006 11:38AM
Just because a game doesn't sell a million units, doesn't mean it's not good. Do you just go out and buy whatever music is requested on TRL as well?
The DS sells a hell of a lot of units, but I don't care for the games for it. What good is a game to me when it sells a lot if I don't enjoy it?
pixelator @ Nov 7th 2006 12:10PM
The guy didn't really say that the PSP was 'more a media device than game device'. He said that it was more of an entertainment device than the DS, which is pretty obvious even at first glance. The question is, does that really hurt the games? No.
Honestly, I'm laughing at the doomsaying and bashing of Sony. The PSP library is getting so good that it just doesn't matter if some DS fanboy blog thinks the PSP media functionality is bad or makes it 'less' of a gaming platform. Is the PSP perfect? Of course not. Neither was the DS, hence the Lite revision prefacing its major success.
Sony will launch the revised PSP model(s) and probably have internal storage and such, and we'll be happy for another year or so until the next gen of handhelds rolls around.
SuicideNinja @ Nov 7th 2006 12:00PM
*sigh*
It's chassis is still too big for music, and the screen is too small for movies. 4GB of storage? That's hardly enough for what they're trying to do with it. And for the price of that 4GB...you could buy a DS. They just don't get it.
Let it be a game machine, Sony. It really doesn't shine at anything else, just like the DS. If you want something that will do any of these "media functions" well, you pretty much have to buy a laptop, UMPC, or a decent PDA.
It's still hard for me to waste money on PSP (or DS) games when the money should go towards 360/PS3/Wii/Xbox/PS2/Gamecube games that I can stand to play more than 10 minutes.
Oh well...the PSOne emulation will definitely help.
pixelator @ Nov 7th 2006 12:10PM
"how many of those games you mentioned will sell/have sold past the 1 million units mark?"
And tell us again how that changes the fact that there are plenty of great new PSP games out now and on their way?
Sorry Nintendo boy, it just isn't changing the fact that the PSP has done well and its library has become quite good.
Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas @ Nov 7th 2006 11:55AM
Player1,
I agree with you on that. Game sales and game reviews arent the final word on how good or bad a game is because its all subjective.
Having said that however, I do think a majority of gamers just dont like the PSP game library, which is the reason only 3 PSP games have passed the 1 million copies mark. I also dont think poor game sales should be blamed on marketing. im not denying marketing doesnt impact game sales, but i dont think its a dominating factor in determining whether your game will sell well or not.
Player1 @ Nov 7th 2006 12:05PM
They've been marketing Vice City Stories like crazy and it will probably break 1,000,000. I had a hell of a time finding Every Extend Extra, which most stores didn't have or had never heard of. I certainly haven't seen any marketing for that one aside from stories on pspfanboy. I think a lot of people simply aren't aware of a lot of the good games on PSP, and it doesn't help them take the opportunity to try any when the PSP gets bashed everywhere for things that often extremely exaggerated like short battery life, lack of good games, etc. It's a shame.
Orlandito Torres @ Nov 7th 2006 12:06PM
I find the admission a little obvious for those of us that own a PSP and use it for almost everything a truly portable device should do. I feel that in the coming years PSP will be thought of and create an active cult following just like the Sega Dreamcast. Truly the best system doesn't always get all the fanfare it deserves.
Andrew Yoon @ Nov 7th 2006 12:09PM
A game doesn't need to sell a million units to be good. The Matrix video game sold millions-- does that mean it was excellent? Okami, Ico, Eternal Darkness, etc. also haven't sold a million copies. Does that mean these rare gems of games are bad? I hope not.
Alien @ Nov 7th 2006 12:15PM
Ok , I listen on my PSP to music , I watch videos ( never really use the photo ability except for walpapers ) and of curse play games . I bought my PSP for games mostly , but I admit that I like its other functionalities to . But not good games ... WTF , man Im not boared with my PSP not even a minute , so again WTF ??? :?
pixelator @ Nov 7th 2006 1:33PM
"It's chassis is still too big for music, and the screen is too small for movies."
Then I guess the Archos devices are all too small, too. That's the point of the 'P' in PMP, dude. Portable. Not everyone wants a 9" DVD player screen to lug around. And yet again, a Nintendo fanboy tries to say that since the PSP isn't as tiny as an iPod Nano, it's worthless as an MP3 player. You miss the point behind a multifunction device, entirely. Would you want to game on a screen like the Nano's?
Player1, you hit the nail on the head.
Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas @ Nov 7th 2006 12:36PM
pixelator,
"And tell us again how that changes the fact that there are plenty of great new PSP games out now and on their way?"
like i said before, good or bad games can only be determined by the gamer because its a subjective preference. game sales and game reviews are not the final word.
"Sorry Nintendo boy, it just isn't changing the fact that the PSP has done well and its library has become quite good."
Again, the PSP has only managed to sell 3 games past the 1 million mark. Compare that to the main competition: DS has managed to sell 14 games over the 1 million mark. I think this shows that most gamers dont find the PSP game library to be attractive, relative to the competition. And like i mentioned before, this shouldnt be blamed entirely on bad marketing because marketing isnt the dominating factor in determining successful game sales.
Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas @ Nov 7th 2006 12:52PM
Correction: 4 PSP games have sold past the 1 million mark. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best_selling_computer_and_video_games#Sony_PSP
Hector Martinez @ Nov 7th 2006 12:59PM
The case can also be made that the PSP's library is so huge that it's hard for any one single game to hit 1 million. Either way, I am personally enjoying the most amount of games ever on PSP the past two months. The music/video playback is just an added bonus at this point, and not the focus.
bxbailey @ Nov 7th 2006 1:22PM
Well if you look at the Holiday Buyer's Guide on IGN and compare the titles for the PSP and the DS
http://buyersguide.ign.com/2006/index.html
It's easy to see that the PSP Games are much better titles . At least that's my opinion.
Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas @ Nov 7th 2006 1:33PM
bxbailey,
as long as you admit its your "opinion" and not "fact", i respect you for saying so.
i only disagree with people who claim its a fact that a 9.0 rated game is amazing and anyone who disagrees with the 9.0 rating is an idiot.
pixelator @ Nov 7th 2006 1:58PM
"like i said before, good or bad games can only be determined by the gamer because its a subjective preference. game sales and game reviews are not the final word."
So then according to your 'logic', sales determine how 'good' a game is, not the reviews. There's room in any critique for subjectivity, but it doesn't change the fact that among the game critics, PSP games rank higher on average than DS games. Downplay that as your Nintendo devotion mandates, but don't expect everyone else to agree with you that say, Cooking Mama (meta 66) is 'better' than Every Extend Extra (meta 82).
"I think this shows that most gamers dont find the PSP game library to be attractive, relative to the competition."
No, it shows that those 14 Nintendo DS games have enjoyed better hype and marketing. It also reflects the higher DS system sales.
"marketing isnt the dominating factor in determining successful game sales"
Dude, you have absolutely zero clue as to what you're saying. Were this true, then the endless crappy Pokemon spinoffs and godawful licensed kiddie garbage on the DS like wouldn't sell anywhere near what they do.
Ladsaber @ Nov 7th 2006 2:13PM
I just get it for the media stuff but mainly for MK Unchained.Anything else is just an add on.
I would get a nintendo handheld the day they stop making the screen small.With backwards stuff so i can play elite beat agents!!!.The only ds game that worths it since is a Psone rip off yay!!!!.
Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas @ Nov 7th 2006 2:44PM
pixelator,
Perhaps I should have been clearer. I said, "game sales and game reviews are not the final word."
You responded with, "So then according to your 'logic', sales determine how 'good' a game is, not the reviews."
According to my logic, sales do determine how good a game is to its particular owners. When a game like Nintendogs sells over 8 million copies, I think its safe to assume most Nintendogs owners like the game. However just because 8 million gamers like Nintendogs does not mean every gamer likes Nintendogs as well. I dont like Nintendogs! Perhaps you dont like Nintendogs either! But those 8 million gamers that bought the game love their puppies! That was my point.
Let me try explaining myself a bit further. Just because a particular game got a 5.0 rating out of 10 does not mean the writers opinion on the game is fact. Its a subjective opinion. Perhaps I think the game should be given an 8.0 rating. Perhaps you think the game is worthy of a 7.0 rating. A 30 year old female might enjoy a cooking game more than a FPS game perhaps. Similarly, a 50 year old might enjoy Brain Age more than a wrestling game.
As to your argument about marketing and hype, lets just say we both have different opinions on the matter. Obviously we dont agree with each other on that topic.
pixelator @ Nov 7th 2006 5:23PM
"According to my logic, sales do determine how good a game is to its particular owners."
What logic? There's no logic whatsoever in that statement. Sales and how good a game is to its owner have zero to do with each other - unless that owner's primary sense of a game's quality is SOLELY derived from its unit sales - a preposterous notion.
"When a game like Nintendogs sells over 8 million copies, I think its safe to assume most Nintendogs owners like the game."
It's not 'safe' to assume anything of the sort. This shows that 8 million people BOUGHT INTO THE IDEA of the game and/or the marketing hype. Maybe a few buyers read the (overall good) reviews, but I doubt the main demographic for Nintendogs does much surfing of Gamerankings or Metacritic.
"But those 8 million gamers that bought the game love their puppies! That was my point."
This has nothing to do with saying that the DS library is better simply because it has more games that have sold over 1 million. Ratings aren't the end all, but neither are sales. The only absolute truth here is, the PSP has highly rated games that aren't selling as well as the DS games.
"Just because a particular game got a 5.0 rating out of 10 does not mean the writers opinion on the game is fact. Its a subjective opinion."
And nowhere have I said that the PSP has more highly rated games on ONE PARTICULAR SITE. I always use the Gamerankings or Metacritic comparison. That's not just one subjective opinion of one person, but many - dozens or more. And given these findings, the result is clear - DS games sell better not because they're inherently better, but because the DS system is hot right now, has sold more systems and their marketing/hype is working.
Anyone who works in the games industry will tell you that while not the ONLY factor in a game's success, marketing and hype factor do play a MAJOR role in the ultimate outcome, even with games that aren't rated that highly (like the DS Pokemon games, for example).
Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas @ Nov 7th 2006 5:58PM
pixelator,
you are dumb. plain and simple. i tried to get through to you, but no point in trying to have a constructive discussion anymore. either you are purposely in denial, or you are stupid. i dont go by game ratings, but just to burst your bubble, visit GameSpot and IGN. Compare DS games with PSP games in the 9.0 to 10.0 range. You'll find many more DS games in that range. I'm done with you. Dont expect a reply.
Marco Cano Jr @ Nov 7th 2006 6:09PM
Kudos to "Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas" (why don't people use they're real name?) for being respectful in his writing, Ninty Fanboy or not.
At any case, is it fare to say that most of these best sellers are from japans non games? Last I remembered, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow or Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was never on the top spot. So is it safe to say that the ones that made it to the top spot are non-games, predictable nintendo top selling games, and other predictable games (Final Fantasy)? (I think I argued this with Pix)
I agree with Orlandito, from the looks of it, the PSP will become the next Dreamcast. Its not going to die off like it because this is Sony were talking about but I think it will have its cult following like what Mr (or Mrs!) Torres said.
Marco Cano Jr @ Nov 7th 2006 6:14PM
Yeah pix, what happened? lol. I remembered you used to be better then this. Kind of disappointed.
Pal @ Nov 7th 2006 7:27PM
"GS: This is a bit of a stretch, but I know there’s a very good Saturn emulator for the PSP [the GiriGiri emulator has been officially licensed for PSP, and was used for Atlus' portable version of Princess Crown]…?
Why isn't anyone reporting the Saturn emulator ported to the Saturn?
cyberrtaptor1958 @ Nov 8th 2006 11:02PM
Marco Cano Jr states:
"Kudos to "Wii Wish KAZ a Merry Xmas" (why don't people use they're real name?) for being respectful in his writing, Ninty Fanboy or not."
And Wii stated:
"you are dumb. plain and simple." and "I'm done with you. Dont expect a reply."
Maybe is it just me, but that does not sound respectful, sounds more like name-calling.