It's "official"-$350 PSP (1 Viewer)

[Chris Bardon]

From Evil Avatar today:



Can't say that I'm surprised. Guess I'm definitely not buying one of these things now...

 

[Marc Bax]

No way, that's insane. Count me out.

 

[Ken Chui]

A little higher than I expected, but I'm not worried. Why? This is the projected MSRP for the Japanese market. I don't know if it's still the case, but Japanese consumers aren't as aversed to paying a premium for being early adopters of technology, when compared with their N. American counterparts. I'm fairly confident that when the PSP is ready for launch in N. America next year, the MSRP will be lower (US$329 is likely, though $299 may not be out of the realm). Everyone knew the price point would be higher than the Nintendo DS, but it does offer more in just about every aspect, i.e. not as one-dimensional as the DS.

I'm hesitant to commit $349 as well, but for < $300, I'll bite (* this is contingent on how it fares sales-wise in Japan, online reviews and whether any features will be permanently dropped for the N. American release. I haven't forgotten the PSX debacle.)

 

[CaseyL]

I'm afraid that's just not gonna happen for me. Too much money for those of us on a budget

 

[Ken Chui]

I'm on a budget (of sorts) as well. I plan to scale back the number of titles for my consoles once this Christmas shopping season passes, so that I'll have the necessary funds set aside for a PSP, some launch titles and maybe an accessory or two. This was the approach I took to prepare for the Dreamcast's launch in '99, as well as the PS2 in '00. My last handheld was an NGPC (rest its soul :frowning: ), so I'm really looking forward to the PSP.

 

[David Williams]

HAHAHAHAHAHA So much for the PSP being the Gameboy Killer. The PSP might do really well, but not well enough to compete against a portable 60% cheaper, features be damned. What are the Sony execs smoking?

 

[Joe Szott]

PSP will die a fiery death at that price.

I could buy a DS and a console at that price, forget it Sony.

 

[JamesCB]

The PSP is basically a portable PS2. Actually a very powerful processor with a high-resolution widescreen display. You are comparing that to Nintendo's 32-bit DS? IMO, not a fair comparison. The price fits the PSP for starting out. Remember, the PSOne was $400.00 when it was introduced. The PSP price will come down within a year.

James

 

[Jeremy Stockwell]

Newbie here...

Will this PSP play DVDs like the PS2?

Is there a portable game console (w/screen) that would serve as a DVD player currently available??

JKS

 

[BrianB]

No & no.

 

[Ken Chui]

I don't think Sony is necessarily targeting the same demographics as the GBA crowd, although I'm sure there will be some overlapping interest.

Handheld consoles still hold a lingering perception that they're designed with a K-12 audience in mind, and the DS, even with its higher price point, serves in reinforcing that notion. Given that the average gamer is now in his/her late twenties with a disposable income, Sony realizes the timing may be right to tap the hearts (and wallets) of its PS2 consumer base with a product that was predominantly reserved by the youth market. Much in the same way that the PS2 and Xbox made ownership of a gaming console socially acceptable among adults, the PSP is designed to transform the upwardly mobile crowd with a product that complements their lifestyle.

I have nothing against Nintendo (after all, I own an SNES and two Gamecubes), but their handhelds have never appealed to me. After the NGPC's untimely death, I didn't think that a future investment in another handheld would ever be repeated. The DS' specs aren't bad, but I thought it was an incremental upgrade over the GBA, at best; the PSP, however, is promising to deliver on my wishes as an adult gamer. Its design and plethora of features, IMO, helps in minimizing the stigma of adults using handhelds in social situations, such as on plane trips or on the subway. Don't want to play games? I now have the option of viewing movies or listening to MP3s.

The bigger question is: how will it fare commercially? Truth is, none of us really knows until it hits the shelves. I don't doubt for a second that many consumers will balk at the $349 tag (I believe the price will be dropped when it reaches N. America), but for gamers such as myself, it's a small ransom to pay for something that some of us have been waiting an eternity for.

 

[Chris Bardon]

What kills me about the price is that this unit could have been just that much more. If, for example, Sony included a hard drive, then it could be positioned to compete with the "portable media centre" devices hitting the market. Given that I paid $299 for my 40 Gb Nomad Jukebox 3, I would have definitely considered say $399 for a portable that not only had huge mp3 storage, but played video and playstation quality games. It'd be like the new Creative PMC, but more. Of course, they've announced support for memory sticks and UMD, but there is no high-capacity writable format that you can use on the psp that I know of.

 

[David Williams]

It's been widely reported on the online gaming sites that Sony originally planned for their PSP to establish a beachhead in the handheld gaming market with obvious plans to dominate. Not to mention that just about every mainstream press article I've read that mentions the PSP mentions the DS in the same breath and vice versa.

At a $349 price point, it's obvious that Sony's plans changed somewhere along the way (either that or they are seriously delusional) and they forgot to tell the public (who now have certain expectations of what their product is gonna be like). Judging from the reactions in this thread alone it's gonna be a tough sell.

 

[Jason M]

any date on when they are going to release it?

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

That's actually a very good point. Targeting a new demographic will help support that higher price. But it will still be a tough sell. I'm surprised at that price. Ultimately we'll have to wait and see once it's released and what titles are shipping for it. They'll be pushing it as a status symbol to own one.

 

[David Galindo]

$200- yes. $250- maybe. $350? No way. Im surprised, but its likely it will be at least $300 here. Still, way too much for a portable system.

 

[ChrisMatson]

There has been no official price announcement for the PSP.
This is all rumor.
http://gc.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=3348



I can't see it going for more than $250.

 

[Ken Chui]

SCEJ is shooting for a December release date in Japan; US and Canada may see it during spring 2005.

 

[Ken Chui]

Not surprising. Seeing as there was no formal announcement by Sony at the recent TGS on the price of the PSP, this was simply another case of an unsubstantiated rumour (presumably a hoax) passing as fact (Dan Rather would be proud ).

It's still entirely possible that the $349 tag will come to fruition, at least in the early going. Only Sony knows how much of a loss will be incurred on the unit's manufacturing process, with the hopes that licensing fees on software and accessories will eventually allow it to break even (much like the PS2). It will be an important product in Sony's lineup, and they'll need to strike a balance between pursuing market share and keeping losses to a minimum.

 

[Ken Chui]

The comparisons between the PSP and DS were inevitable, even though they share very little feature-wise. The media loves pitching head-to-head matchups in an effort to generate ongoing public interest, as well as securing long-term readership.

Sony isn't unlike any other corporation, as it ventures into an untested market with plans to succeed. The handheld market is extremely lucrative; gaining entry isn't the challenge, the ability to persevere is. Too many upstarts have tried and fallen by the wayside for numerous reasons, but Sony is hoping to apply some of the same techniques that made the PS2 successful toward the PSP. IMO, it would have been a mistake to create an almost identical product to rival the DS, as Nintendo's franchises can't be competed with directly. By creating a more upscale product at a higher price point, Sony is taking a financial gamble because the mindset of the greater public is harder to decipher where impulse purchases are concerned (due in part to a steeper price). Will this be the next iPod or the next N-Gage? I think Sony is more realistic with its outlook where the PSP is concerned. Mass acceptance is within the realm of probability, but it will be gradual rather than instantaneous. As long as there's an inkling on interest by a prospective consumer, the sale hasn't been lost; a customer is a customer, even if it takes a little longer to win them over.