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Editor’s note: Sony’s the first console maker to really hold its own in the handheld fight against Nintendo. But can the PSP survive the bad will incurred during the Go’s launch, and will Sony continue to make the PSP a strong competitor to the DS? Bitmobbers Alex Cronk-Young, J. Cosmo Cohen, and Nicholas Michetti tackle the questions around PSP’s present and future. -Jason
In December 2004 in Japan and March 2005 in the U.S., Sony entered the handheld console market with their first handheld, the PlayStation Portable (PSP). They not only entered a new market but a new console war — against Nintendo, who created the handheld market and has never lost a handheld console war.
All of Nintendo’s previous competitors left the handheld market, and none had the brand power of PlayStation at their disposal. The PSP has had three remodels, and Sony has sold 55.9 million units worldwide. But how has the PSP really fared as competition in the handheld market?
With the fifth anniversary of the PSP’s U.S. launch coming this March, fellow Bitmobbers Alex R. Cronk-Young and J. Cosmo Cohen joined me for a roundtable discussion evaluating the current PSP’s performance thus far and what might (or might not be) in the cards for its successor.
What’s your opinion of Sony’s performance with the PSP thus far?
Alex R. Cronk-Young: I’ve sort of gone back-and-forth with my PSP. I bought it upon release and snatched up any game that looked mildly interesting. Eventually, I slowed down and went through a long lull. Then, when I discovered PlayStation Network downloads straight to my PSP, I loved it again. I got hundreds of hours out of Suikoden, Wild Arms, and Final Fantasy 7. Now, with the release of the PSP Go, I’ve got even more games to choose from.
I almost bought a Go, but as someone with probably 30 or so UMD games, it just wasn’t worth it. Instead, I bought a 16 GB memory stick from Amazon and plan to enjoy all the PSN releases with my old PSP-1000.
J. Cosmo Cohen: I’m fairly new to the PSP scene, but so far, I see Sony doing really well. They continue to bring games that are creative and new to the table, instead of resting on big name franchises — of which they have more than a few.
Nicholas Michetti: Things started out slow, but Sony has really turned around the PSP. The PSP has a good library that has plenty of variety in it, from handheld versions of console games to classic PS1 releases to new titles like Lumines and LocoRoco. A good library is one of the most important factors for judging any game console’s performance, and judging by the PSP’s, Sony’s performing fairly well.
What do you think is Sony’s greatest strength in the handheld war? What do you think is their greatest weakness?
ACY: I almost said their greatest strength over the DS was all of the PSP’s other features, but then I stopped and thought about it. Since I bought an iPod, I haven’t really used any of the music or video features. I do use the Internet browser pretty frequently when I’m bored and someone else is on the computer, but that’s about it. I guess their greatest strength is this new focus on downloadable games, and their greatest weakness is that it took them this stinking long to for Sony to figure that out.
JCC: I remember when I connected my Game Boy Advance to my GameCube to play Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and thought, “What a great idea! I hope I see more of this.” Although Sony doesn’t do this exact thing, I feel that one of the best things going for them is the PSP and PS3 connectivity. Downloading games to your PS3 and then transferring them to your PSP is a breeze. Plus, when I want to continue playing Final Fantasy 7 while my wife watches The Biggest Loser, I can.
As far as what Sony’s doing wrong, they could definitely step-up support of the platform a bit more. They have a fantastic piece of hardware, and I don’t think they’re pushing it as well as they could.
NM: I don’t know if it’s their greatest strength, but one of Sony’s pluses has been bringing the PlayStation experience to PSP. They have handheld versions of some of PlayStation’s biggest third-party franchises, including Metal Gear, Grand Theft Auto, and Final Fantasy. They also brought over handheld iterations of games from their first- and second-party studios, such as Resistance, Ratchet & Clank, Syphon Filter, SOCOM, Jak & Daxter, God of War, and LittleBigPlanet. They really have made the PSP feel like a portable PlayStation.
As far as their greatest weakness, it’s been lack of steady flow of software. The PSP’s library is certainly much bigger and better now than it was in the year or so after launch. However, that seems to have been addressed with the increase in support for PSP from third party developers and the rising number of notable releases. With a new Kingdom Hearts title and a new Metal Gear coming out next year, the PSP really looks like it could be back on track.
Sony claimed that the PSP would be a “Walkman of the 21st century” due to its multimedia support. Now that the console’s turning 5 in March, how much of an effect do you think that multimedia support has had on the PSP? Do you think multimedia support is something that Sony should focus on having more of or less of in the PSP’s next generation?
ACY: I think there was a very small amount of time when that was a great feature for the PSP. I am usually a late adapter to new things, and when I bought the PSP a few weeks after launch, I still didn’t have an iPod. I would load that thing up with music every night and listen to it at work in the morning, mopping floors and such at Arby’s. It was nice, as when the other person in the store was busy, I could sneak in some Daxter or something.
Still, a year or two after release, when I was officially the last person to get an iPod, it became irrelevant. I guess it doesn’t hurt to have those features, but it’s hardly increasing their sales at this point. They might as well keep the stuff, but it’s not really a great marketing tool or selling point.
JCC: Sony has always been about having one device do a bunch of things. I use my PSP to play games. It’s definitely a nice option for people that want to bring their music and photographs with them wherever they go, but I think it’s completely unnecessary.
NM: I think the PSP’s multimedia options are nice to have, but to most, the PSP is a handheld video game console first and everything else second. The PSP never really transitioned into the “Walkman of the 21st century” because it was easier to use your MP3 player of choice for that.
Multimedia support is by no means necessary for the next PSP, but if Sony’s going to bring it back, they should make it easier to utilize. Expanding file-type support, including the PSP Media Manager, with Mac support, with the console and including an hard drive with enough space for multimedia files and game data could go a long way toward making sure that the next PSP’s multimedia abilities stand out. Also, custom soundtrack support would be a nice feature to have as well.
The PSP Go, Sony’s first digital-distribution handheld, hasn’t sold very well so far. Now analysts are predicting that Sony will create a new model of the existing PSP that will once again have a UMD drive. Do you think that a next-generation PSP will support digital distribution, a physical medium like UMD, or both?
ACY: Oh, jeez, I hadn’t heard about those analyst predictions. Look, I love the idea of the PSP Go. I would have bought one in a second, but Sony gave me every reason in the world not to. Sony completely fumbling the Go resulted in the poor sales. If they go back on it now, it’ll just make things worse. Sony needs to buckle down and support the hell out of the Go — so much so that the UMD-capable PSPs will become irrelevant.
JCC: As it stands, my current PSP-1000 can do both — I can download games onto my Memory Stick Duo or pop in a UMD. The obvious upgrade is to include a hard drive directly in the system while still allowing UMD usage.
NM: I’m thinking a combination of both. Sony could release digital versions of PSP games the same date as their UMD versions, which would give consumers options and still make significant progress for digital distribution. Also, adding a good-sized hard drive and retaining Memory Stick functionality for storage would help consumers interested in digital purchases while still being great features for anyone who wants to pick up a PSP.
Speaking of digital distribution, the iPhone has introduced the concept of applications and smaller games available for download. The Nintendo DSi has followed this trend with DSiWare. Sony has just started investigating smaller games with PSP Minis. Do you think that smaller games like PSP Minis will be integral for a next-generation PSP’s success? How big — or small — of a role do you think applications will play with the next generation of handheld consoles?
ACY: If Sony took the time to carve out a place for this sort of thing, then it could be wildly successful. But they already seem to be going about it in the completely wrong way. They need to set a price structure for companies to abide by, and they need to filter out the crap. These are exactly the things the Apple doesn’t do with their app store. Yet available in PSP Minis right now are a $10 version of Tetris and a bunch of ported Gameloft cellphone games. Come on Sony! You can do better.
JCC: Does anyone really download DSiWare applications? I mean, besides FlipNote Studio, of course. PSP Minis seem no different than a PSN game to me, so I really see no point. But if Sony started making iPhone-like applications (GPS, tip calculator, etc.), then I could see the benefit.
NM: Looking at the success of the iPhone’s App Store and Sony’s increased focus on digital offerings, I think we’ll see a good number of PSP Minis for the next-gen PSP, but full and classic game releases on the PlayStation Store will likely outnumber them. As for applications, the only apps that would really benefit the next PSP would be ones that add functionality for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, although out-of-the-box integration with those sites would be a really nice selling point.
Sony has dramatically upgraded the PlayStation Network since its debut. Do you see online multiplayer being a major part of the focus for a next-generation PSP? If so, do you think that it will become as big a focus for handheld games as it has become for console games?
ACY: I really hope so. Two of the games that I bought in my fury of PSP game purchasing were Infected and Field Commander. Both had online components, and I would play the hell out of those at community college, using the school’s Wi-Fi. I believe that the first SOCOM game for PSP had a headset, didn’t it?
That’s one of the things I wonder about handheld online gaming. I’d love to have games like Fat Princess come out simultaneously on PS3 and PSP and be capable of cross-platform gaming, but I’m not sure if a handheld could keep up with all of the features.
Still, the right game, made with the PSP in mind, could easily set handheld online gaming ablaze. They just need to concentrate on that more.
JCC: I hope not, but let’s be realistic — Sony is going to do what makes brings in the most money. Right now, everything is online multiplayer, so I imagine that they will incorporate more of an online component for their next-gen PSP. If Monster Hunter is any indication, online handheld games will be big.
NM: I don’t know if online play is going to be as big a focus for handhelds as it is for consoles, but its presence will probably increase significantly. The positive reactions to titles like Mario Kart DS having online play probably means an increased emphasis for big name handheld titles in genres that thrive with online play — shooters, racing games, fighting games, etc. I doubt that online play will become a major selling point to the extent that it is on consoles, though.
If you were creating the next-generation PSP, what three changes — additions, subtractions, or overhauls — would you make to it?
ACY: The first change I would make is to find some way to get my UMD games into digital form. Second, I want to be able to do multiple things on it at once. It might make the ability to play music a lot more useful if I could start playing it and then switch over to a game to play along to it. Or I could be playing a game and have gotten stuck, so I switch over to the Internet browser and look up how to beat it. Multitasking. Third, I’d like for games on the Japan and U.S. PlayStation Stores to be released simultaneously. Why the hell do they have Final Fantasy 8 and Xenogears and a bunch of other stuff that we don’t?
JCC: This is a tough question. I know that most people want to add a second analog nub, so I’m going with that, for one. Also, just for the record, I don’t think it’s Sony’s fault that their system doesn’t work for shooters that require a second stick; I blame the developers trying to make a console game on a handheld. Anyway, my second addition would be to make the screen resolution even better. It’s already great, but can you imagine if they bumped it up? Finally, I would add the ability to share games with other PSPs, similar to how DS users can share their games for multiplayer.
NM: I would add a second analog stick, add a hard drive — while keeping Memory Stick functionality for extra storage — and overhaul the PSP’s shoulder buttons to be more like the L1/R1 buttons on the DualShock controller.
Do you think Sony has a long-term future in the handheld market, or will they end up exiting the market like some of Nintendo’s other competitors?
ACY: They definitely have the chance for a long-term future if they play their cards right. Despite all the hate it got, I think the PSP Go was a huge step in the right direction. Sure, they completely botched all hope of current PSP owners wanting to make the switch, but I think it’s a great device to help bring in new people. If Sony markets it well, they could have a great future. The ads they’ve been putting out for the PS3 Slim have been amazing, so why haven’t we seen stuff like that for the Go? They need to get crackin’ before they miss their golden opportunity.
JCC: From the look of things, Sony is in it for the long haul. They have great console connectivity and some really original games you can’t find anywhere else, so I really think they have a secure place in the handheld market. The only thing they need to ensure their place in the market is to really listen to what gamers are saying. After all, they aren’t just gamers but consumers as well.
NM: I can’t see Sony exiting the market any time soon. They’ve built a successful presence in the handheld market on their first try, which can be easier said than done when competing against Nintendo. They’ve got a good-sized consumer base with the existing PSP, with over 55.9 million units sold worldwide. Also, they’ve been able to build a good library for PSP that spans classics, new titles, and familiar PlayStation brands. Sony’s got what they’ve need to continue moving forward with the PSP brand, and I think they’re going to stay in the handheld market for some time.