PSP Go – a major Sony failure?

2nd March, 2010 by adina
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In a recent interview, Rob Dyer, SCEA Publisher Relations Senior, has confirmed that Sony has been resisting through great effort since the PSP Go’s release. He said that the company’s decision to make download-only games has partly confused gamers. Dyer has also mentioned that the company will have to improve the communication with the customers, in order to obtain significant adoption. The information is expected mostly through 2010. He has also admitted to IndustryGamers that the pricing of the PSP Go ($250) has been a major problem. Even if Dyer has not explained why, he has made reference to a combination of the price of a standard PSP (about $200) and its user-friendly UMD discs. He is almost convinced that the higher price point hasn’t been a determining factor.

Sony has been threatened by its old rival, Nintendo, but also by the iPod Touch, which was the platform that PSP Go had to combat. The challengers’ devices have significantly lower prices. The iPod Touch has apparently destabilized much of the business model from Sony. Most of the games in the App Store only cost a fraction of the PSP equivalents. The threats from physical retailers, who want to protect their own businesses, have forced the company to charge the same price for an online version of a famous game as in the store, but also suppress PSP mini game features. These measures are intended to prevent the mini games from surpassing regular PSP games in what popularity is concerned.


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