Pocket Gamer responds to UK price cut - wants 'Big Idea'
Bennallack puts the current sales figures for the PSP down to people buying into the potential. That it has sold on the virtue of its hardware, not its software library. The PS3 is very similar in that respect, though the PSP is much further along in its lifespan in comparison. Almost two and a half years further, to be precise. While some excellent games exist for the system, Bennallack argues that there are no iconic titles available. He has a point. A lot of the great games are sequels or ports. Games like Loco Roco and Crush have the potential to make the PSP a must-have gadget, as does some decent PSP to PS3 game connectivity. Acting as a rear view mirror for Ridge Racer doesn't count.
What we need most, Bennallack argues, is some sort of focus for our favourite handheld. At the moment it feels as if Sony have introduced as many innovations into the PSP as they could, without letting them communicate. As a result the console feels a bit like a jack-of-all-trades. He goes on to say that if Sony were to show us the 'Big Idea', then it would help increase sales and interest in Sony's tiniest member of the PLAYSTATION family. Exactly what the 'Big Idea' would be, I'm not sure. It could involve some sort of cross-utilisation of all of the PSP's features. Or it could just be an explanation from Sony of what the PSP will have available to it in terms of games, features and inter-connectivity. Either way it'd do a good job of making those of us who own one feel a little more secure in our PSP purchases. It could even inspire a few new people to do the same.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Saigon @ May 5th 2007 8:54PM
I like how psp gets ports and sequels, because some of them are really good. Tekken, R&C, Syphon Filter, SOCOM, and more are some of psp's best games. Seeing as I use my psp more than my home consoles, I prefer to have the handheld versions of ports or multiplatform games.
"As a result the console feels a bit like a jack-of-all-trades."
Why does he make that sound like it's a bad thing? That's exactly why I like it so much.
"He goes on to say that if Sony were to show us the 'Big Idea'..."
They've show us the big idea, it's a portable gaming/multimedia device. What more do you want?
TDA @ May 6th 2007 4:21AM
You guys both make great points. To me, the main reason the PSP has bad publicity is because A.) It's owned and run by Sony, one of the most out-of-touch-with-its-consumers company ever and B.) what little advertisements are out for the PSP are redundant and make little or no sense. The current commercial of two guys on the plane show the one idiotic guy spazzing out more than showing off what the PSP can do.
Alien @ May 6th 2007 6:30AM
The PSP has shown the big idea allready . The fact that I can carry around a portable PS2 with much more functionalitys anywhere is the big idea . Now if Sony would focus a bit more on the online side of things , maybe than the PSP would be the real deal to anybody . Games ... you say it doesnt has games . Well if games like Luminees , Tekken , R&C , Daxter , GoW , SH , DMC , MPO and others arent good game sthan I dont know what is . Also , even if ports arent top notch , they still have a big lead against console versions : I can play it in the toilet , on the bus , or while flyeing upside down on a plain :P
farfisa @ May 6th 2007 11:00AM
Alien wrote: "I can play it in the toilet"
Remind me never to buy a used PSP from Alien.
navsimpson @ May 6th 2007 2:05PM
Yeah, I also love the PSP because it does so much. When I get bored of Lumines II, I can watch a Simpsons episode or listen to some tunes or download a podcast or... I understand why hardcore gamers are a bit upset with it, but as portable devices go, it's almost unmatched.
But anyway - if there's something to the 'beats' rumour and the nudge-nudge, wink-wink hints from Sony, then perhaps the big picture is coming. What I'm hoping is that 'beats' is to the PSP what Home will be the PS3 - the thing that ties the whole gaming/media/social networking dynamic all together into a unified device-service sort of thing (i.e. like the iTunes-iPod combo).
But the 'jack of all trades' point is valid from a marketing perspective - if the message of what the PSP does or who it's for is too diffuse, then that'll obviously hurt sales. If Sony can get a little iPod-esque zeitgeist to go with the PSP through some sort of centralised service, then its market share might grow.
Also - Jem, congratulations on the new gig! (I'm only slightly jealous... ;) )
Kade Storm @ May 6th 2007 3:23PM
Okay, I know most of you love Loco Rocco, and that's cool. However, if that game, is going to define the PSP - iconic title - then I'm going to contemplate self-immolation. It's a nice handheld title; a fun game, for the general audiences. However, I iconic titles to exemplify the boundaries and beyond of the given console.
PSP's niche is its graphical capabilities that match home-consoles, and at the risk of sounding like a graphics whore, I would say that we need iconic titles that conform to this niche.
Now, getting back to the subject of ports - good enough. I don't care. I like good ports. I still want and hope for XenoSaga, just as it was on the PS2 - not some SD-fied version. It's a bit of a natural phenomenon when we talk about something being a jack of all trades, because when you are in such a position, then you're less likely to be the king of any one trade. Now, this isn't a bad thing! You can't have it all - that's superfluous expection, and mighty stupid.
Of course, there is a difference between extremes, and how you'd interpret the console being a jack of all trades. I see it as the console being good at a lot of things. Some might view it as the console being barely okay with most things. Meh.
On the issue of ports: I actually like 'em. I just want the right ports, and I want them done right. I don't care about space and experience; give me my double-disc rpgs. I am still hoping for direct ports of XenoSaga Episodes 2 and 3.
ivo @ May 7th 2007 6:30AM
err, to start with, sony is not even able to get a keyboard out in order to use the internet browser without breaking your fingers. psp has so many great functions but is so locked down by sony, its a shame
Kade Storm @ May 7th 2007 6:56PM
I totally agree, Ivo. We need a PSP keyboard.
Thomas @ May 8th 2007 2:20AM
Either copy the DS, and give the psp a touch screen... or develop some titles that sets it apart from the DS... having a portable ps2 is good, if the psp was a complete ps2... meaning..psp is not a complete portable ps2 because it needs that second set of shoulder buttons, and a second analog stick...
as it stands right now... psp can't beat the DS, for one, because it really doesn't have any games that make it special. Granted it has some good games, but the psp needs great games that give a different experience from DS games, and ps2 games.. (but with ps2 graphical quality) Lumines was a great example... a game that used the psp's greatest feature... the screen - and that's why that game was a system selling game...