Sony Coy on PSP Pricing Shuffle

Eh? The Neo-Geo was released in Europe as the full cartridge taking wallet swallowing device, not just the CD.

I seem to remember "comparisons are irrelevant" type quotes coming from Sony.

In fact, here's a news story all about it.


Sounds pretty much like Sony talking down the opposition there. That's our man Phil Harrison, by the way.

Lets see if he says similar things about the Wii!

Hang on, the Xbox took five years to get to a market share similar to what the PSP has achieved in one year and the PSP is doing badly in comparison?

PSP is not doing badly, please actually read some of the info I spent an hour dragging together to educate you. The PSP is outselling everything but DS Lite combined in Japan!


Take a look at the UK software sales figures I quoted, the PSP is currently outselling the GBA, Xbox 360 and the Gamecube. At the moment it's out selling the Xbox too. And that's in software sales based only on last weeks sales.

These are the top-selling full-price PSP games in the UK that are still in the PSP charts.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Need For Speed: Most Wanted
FIFA 06
Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition
WWE Smackdown! Vs Raw 2006

That's what is selling, and selling pretty well too.

That is a retarded statement. "The PSP is outselling everything combined except the DS Lite". Well 10 bucks says the DS Lite is outselling everything combined except the PSP.

They are really the two newest pieces of hardware, who wouldn't expect them to be outselling everything else.

I wonder if Sony still thinks the DS is a gimmick. Because the gimmick appears to be smearing s**t into the PSP's face.

the dslite has boosted the ds's sales, but as far as i know its still being beaten. maybe whupped was a little strong to be applied to the dslites current standing :D

Yeah I know, but my computer brain can't access that info right now. Come on dude, I'm good but not perfect.

I'm I really expected to remember ever games industry detail? I think not.

Fanboys are funny.

I don't really consider the 360 to be a piece of hardware in Japan. But hey, thats just me.

Sony didn't anticipate to have such trouble with an inferior portable device from Nintendo. Sony tried to take the market. I give them credit for grabbing so much in such short time, but I hand it to Nintendo for sticking to their guns.

I stand by what I say. Aside from quirky Europe, the DS is still outselling the PSP... although I could be completely wrong, in which case correct me.

David vs Goliath.

For the week ending 23rd July in Japan the PSP sold 35,938, while the DS Lite (not counting the original DS) sold 262,453. For the week ending 30th July the PSP sold 42,604 while the DS Lite sold 176,853. That means that over these two weeks the DS has outsold the PSP by 5.59 : 1

Consider that these figures don't include original DS sales and also that the DS has been out longer than the PSP and these figures look pretty impressive for Nintendo.

Incidently the XBox 360 has sold 3,718 during these two weeks.

If you read back, Tyrion said



Indicating that DS (both flavours) have outsold PSP by 3:1 in Japan, over the life of both consoles.

It's impressive - but not quite the (almost) 6:1 you are indicating - which is largely related to the launch of "New Super Mario Bros". That game game itself sold twice as many
copies last month as the number two selling game.

I was quoting sales figures for the two weeks mentioned, during which time the DS Lite has outsold the PSP by over 5:1

Well this page http://www.videogamecharts.com/page3.html that Tyrion referred to earlier shows that DS sold 1.2 million before PSP was released in the USA. But by Christmas, they were neck and neck.

This year, in the USA, the PSP has outsold DS every month except for the most recent one, which is probably attributable to Lite and New Mario launches...

So, it's far from a clear case of DS outselling PSP, especially if sales are amortised over their release periods.

Yeah, you were taking two weeks that supported your position out of context. Two weeks which were not at all representative due to a massive title release.

Why did you not, instead, quote the two weeks commencing January 17 2005? In those weeks, PSP outsold DS by 7:4 ?

I'm sure you'll argue that those weeks were not typical, but neither were the two you cited.

What are you gibbering on about? I assume by this you meant Nintendo was 'David' and Sony 'Goliath'. Which is an entirely idiotic comment in itself. Nintendo is surely the 'Goliath' in the handheld market, and although you're right in that DS is outselling the PSP, your actual arguments are flawed. You can't hide behind an actual fact to cover up your lack of knowledge.


Wait, hang on. First of all, as tyrion supported, Sony weren't exactly fanning the flames of Nintendo's death here. They were bullish, yes, but that's what's called 'marketing'. Without it, your product will die. Without faith in your product, it will die. Which Nintendo has found many times in the West with the N64 and now Gamecube just for being careless and/or apathetic.

Second of all, if Nintendo were to tackle Sony head on people like you would be saying how it's justice and how it will help competition and improve games in general. As soon as Sony or Microsoft try to make a break into a monopoly Nintendo owns, it's seen as trying to take over the market. That might well be the case with Microsoft initially (and is probably still a closet plan, what with Windows integration and all that s**te coming up) but in terms of games and competition it's done nothing but good.

Face it, were it not for PSP I doubt Nintendo would have been likely to have gotten its arse in gear with Touch Generations or anything else. After all, they've been quite happy sitting on their thumbs for the last several years constantly re-releasing NES games. Just because a monopoly is owned by Nintendo doesn't change anything, yet to you it somehow does.

Note that I'm anything but a Sony praiser or Nintendo basher (matter of fact, if anything I'm a SEGA fanboy. ;)), but hypocrisy of Nintendo fanboys really pulls my pint, if you know what I mean.

So yes, DS is outselling PSP. But Nintendo has in no way, shape or form been the one struggling here, nor have they done anything remarkable by staying on top in the handheld market. I mean, if the PS3 didn't have so many PR blunders, there would be no way on earth the Wii or 360 would take Sony's crown as home console king. People stick to the trusted brand. The trusted brand in handhelds in predominantly Nintendo.

I admire you standing by your cooments Svend, but the DS was trashing the PSP long before the Lite version arrived. Ugly fugly the original may be, but we know this ain't no damn miss world contest, its about the games. Stop trying to dress it up as one.

Now for PSP I can't say its the games that are really selling it in europe, I think the high euro sales are a result of Sony's marketing the PSP but not really the lack of killer games for it. Add the media abilities of PSP and that's the seller for some people.

Due to PSP not offering much you can't get on PS2, many people buy on to have those regular PS2 games in their pocket, example Fifa, Pro Evo etc.

Here's another point, everyday I see ads for DS games on tv, but where are the PSP game ads? I haven't seen any except for those in magazines. Can you remember the last PSP game ad you saw on tv and when it was? Something is going on at Sony and they are worried as hell. The tables have turned out side of japan. Christmas is gonna hurt Sony more I feel.

In japan I know about the PSP doing well there and fair play to that because there are plenty of games etc. When I compared it to Xbox it (in life purchase timescale) obviously wasn't for the japanese region, just outside of it.

I do love my PSP,, especially the import scene, it will give me lot of fun like the rest of my consoles. However Sony are laps behind with PSP and that is not going to change after two years of it being out.
Sony don't have the in house software backing Nintendo have and that is already enough to seal their doom.

After year one the same thing was said. I bet in three and four years some of you'll still be singing the PSP song.

Like Fat Bastard from Austin Powers, The PSP yells ''I'm sexxxy'', while rubbing its shiny widescreen provacatively. Next it'll start singing ''I'm too sexy for my games, too sexy for my games, there's so few, what a shame''.

Is this why you purchased your PSP, to look good playing it? It seems so for some but I can only speak for me, for which its not the case. Gaming is gaming, I care not how I look when I play DDR. Its a fun business, where such confines should be shed when you play. Like dancing you can only enjoy it when you free your mind upon a sea of open nothingness.

Anyways, drop that PSP to £100 and things might turn around. Not gonna happen though is it? Not today, not tomorrow, but sometime when it maybe to late. Titanic, Hindenburg, call it what you will, for they are just names to get my point across.

By the way, if PSP is doing so well how is it Spong are giving away PS2s, which is soon on its way out, over PSPs (recent PSP comp exception obviously) which really need the audience? Are there not enough good games to do more PSP comps with? I would have thought Sony of all people, would want to shift more PSPs than PS2 right now. Comps or sales.

Lol...straw clutching maybe, but I do have a point here.

thanks for reading