PSP software sales in the UK dropped dramatically during 2008
by Alan Tsang 
{ Jan 7th 2009 at 3:45PM }
It is hard to say this comes as a surprise to anyone; there just weren't any high-profile releases during the latter half of the year for the PSP. Hopefully, Sony can get third party publishers interested in the platform again in this new year. Incidentally, there are still a few games we are looking forward to in 2009 -- take a look at our picks here.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sony boy @ Jan 7th 2009 4:25PM
that's a shocker/ sarcasm. Sony needs to influence people or pay them to make a good game. i know sony is losing money and has less than microsoft, but still, we need something good both for retail and psn. Like maybe mgs on psn and a resident evil on psp
Greg @ Jan 7th 2009 5:04PM
Hardware/Schmardware... Port some of the current heavy hitter software games to the psp to make them portable. Also, make them so that you can play the same game on ps3 and psp, and make the save file transferable between the two. Then you'd have something! Psp needs something cool like LBP, or Home, too. To make it a more socially interactive system. Just a few suggestions if somebody is listening....
aj @ Jan 7th 2009 5:15PM
In before piracy!
....Also in before comparisons to NDS piracy rates!
Zippon @ Jan 7th 2009 5:22PM
Ah, as informative and relevant as ever, aj....
aj @ Jan 7th 2009 5:15PM
In before piracy blamed!
libertine07 @ Jan 7th 2009 6:15PM
You claim that no high profile games were released in the second half of the year; but yet Loco Roco 2 was released a month before christmas and is included in your list of games to look forward to for next year....
Jeremy @ Jan 8th 2009 1:46AM
Good point. I'm guessing the writer simply forgot Europe got Loco Roco at the end of the year, since we don't get in the US until March (they are US based, I think).
Lars @ Jan 7th 2009 7:43PM
Wow, shocker! Less people buy games when there's less games to buy?! I had no idea!
Sarcasm aside, I actually bought probably the same amount as I did in previous years, but this time half my purchases were off the PS store.
Kade Storm @ Jan 8th 2009 11:20AM
I was expecting more on the piracy topic.
Yeah, it's fun to read these threads and watch the little babies snap their rattles over the piracy debate.
"It's piracy, damn you! So many cool games and sales could've been had without piracy! I mean look at all the high-profile titles like GRAW 2 - we got a million more like these. If only people paid for this second-rate crap that made PSone games look good!"
Sorry, but it's lack of good choice on the PSP. You just don't have as many high-profile titles. Sadly, PSP has many good games, but they're mostly watered-down ports. I'd say these critics would have a valid argument the day the PSP's library would contain at least twenty-plus games that could match the caliber and power of the following:
Syphon Filter
God of War
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Metal Gear Portable Ops (. . .which actually looks and plays weaker than Syphon Filter, but only earns so much respect because of its legacy link to the MGS franchise!)
Socom FTB (But with an improved game engine.)
More non-SD/chibi RPGs that could match the PS2 line-up; let's just start with one - Key of Heaven.
Last but not least: Monster Hunter series - the sales and impact of this game on the PSP proves that PSP titles can and WILL sell if they're made with a certain potential and standard in mind.
As you can see, the choice is rather limited, and the rest of the games--minus a few that I haven't bothered to mention--are very small and watered down enough to work on the GBA and the DS both in terms of content and size.
I mean, just look at the Smackdown vs. Raw games on the PSP; most fans will disagree, but the games were served as a perfect example of terrible, watered down porting! Ugh.
Kade Storm @ Jan 8th 2009 2:43AM
I was expecting more on the piracy topic.
Yeah, it's fun to read these threads and watch the little babies snap their rattles over the piracy debate.
"It's piracy, damn you! So many cool games and sales could've been had without piracy! I mean look at all the high-profile titles like GRAW 2 - we got a million more like these. If only people paid for this second-rate crap that made PSone games look good!"
Sorry, but it's lack of good choice on the PSP. You just don't have as many high-profile titles. Sadly, PSP has many good games, but they're mostly watered-down ports. I'd say these critics would have a valid argument the day the PSP's library would contain at least twenty-plus games that could match the caliber and power of the following:
Syphon Filter
God of War
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Metal Gear Portable Ops (. . .which actually looks and plays weaker than Syphon Filter, but only earns so much respect because of its legacy link to the MGS franchise!)
Socom FTB (But with an improved game engine.)
More non-SD/chibi RPGs that could match the PS2 line-up; let's just start with one - Key of Heaven.
Last but not least: Monster Hunter series - the sales and impact of this game on the PSP proves that PSP titles can and WILL sell if they're made with a certain potential and standard in mind.
As you can see, the choice is rather limited, and the rest of the games--minus a few that I haven't bothered to mention--are very small and watered down enough to work on the GBA and the DS both in terms of content and size.
I mean, just look at the Smackdown vs. Raw games on the PSP; most fans will disagree, but the games were served as a perfect example of terrible, watered down porting! Ugh.
Znupi @ Jan 8th 2009 3:35PM
I think the fact that they made the PSP unhackable actually worked against them. A lot more people would buy the PSP if it was able to run homebrew and I actually think more people would buy games. Many people don't hack their PSPs to run pirated games, they hack them to run just homebrew and still buy original games, either because they're collectors or they're simply moral. Sure, it would increase piracy, but look at the NDS. It's pirated as hell but still has tons more sales than the PSP.
Dan Rabot @ Jan 9th 2009 6:34AM
I only need one game for my PSP - Monster Hunter Freedom 2.
The last 250 hours of my PSP gaming have been solely MHF2.
Bring on Freedom Unite!
Ultima_Thule @ Jan 9th 2009 9:32AM
More good games on the PSP would be welcome. Most of the big games this year seem to have been ports. Gives us more exclusives like God of War:Chains of Olympus or Pata Pon. More retro bundles like Castlevania: Dracula X. Or, if they have to be ports, not sluggish jerky ones like Star Wars - The Force Unleashed and put in more platform exclusive bits to make it worth buying. Like, erm Star Wars - The Force Unleashed.
KRIS_C_123 @ Jan 10th 2009 5:13AM
yeah, sony need to get some amazing games out for this.
the last time i bought a psp game was when tekken dark ressurection came out, and that was a long long time ago
HikariMakozu @ Jan 10th 2009 5:59AM
We got Star Ocean - But almost no marketing and I only found it in one game store - a single copy off the man display and in the same shelf as the 'misc' games.
No wonder other countries think we are a bad market - we don't advertise effectively.