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Pachter: "PSP2 will be dead on arrival" [Update 675]

yurinka

Member
MightyKAC said:
If someone invests in Sony and Sony makes profit does it REALLY matter where it came from or who made the investment?
Not for Patcher, he's too US centric.
He even ignores GT5 when talking about best selling games of the year.
He ignores PS3 and PSP sales outside NA.
For him Move is going to be a failure even if it sells more than Kinect worldwide.
He thinks all the game companies have to charge for online play because it would make sense just for a single game (CoD).
He thinks Nintendo fails because they don't release WiiHD even if they don't need it because they have insane profits (less than before, but still insane).
He thinks iPhone/iPod/iPad are dominating both mobile phones and handheld consoles markets even if they are less than a 10% of 2009 worldwide sales of the mobile phone market and their install base are smaller than PSP and specially DS worldwide.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
DaBuddaDa said:
How he is able to make this prediction with nobody knowing anything about what the PSP2 actually is is the big question I have.

My guess is that he has an idea from industry reps of what the PSP actually is.
 
MightyKAC said:
If someone invests in Sony and Sony makes profit does it REALLY matter where it came from or who made the investment?

Yes for Sony, but a lot of the software companies that do gangbusters on PSP in Japan are Japan-only companies; so if they're not traded on the NYSE Pachter has no reason to cover these companies since his clients can't invest in them.
 

MightyKAC

Member
DaBuddaDa said:
Developers are investors too. If the United States market for the PSP2 is weak, then western developers might not want to invest in games for the platform.

Is that any different from whats happening now? Granted I'm sure that Sony wants more western Dev's on board with the PSP2, but last time I checked, the PSP had a damn fine library of games right now (and 2011 is looking pretty good too) without their support.

Now that I think on it, how many big named titles have western devs put out for the DS?
 

DaBuddaDa

Member
I love the endless posts calling out Pachter for being "US centric" and "ignoring Japan" as if he is some sort of western gaming fanboy :lol
 

Tobor

Member
yurinka said:
Wow. Then it changed since I stopped developing iPhone games. I supouse with this size it should have the same amount of content than a PSP or DS game (features, stages, enemies, etc), unlike the "dumbed down" versions of console games I played (Spore, Metal Gear, Street Fighter IV, etc).

In this case now the controls and the monetization (selling less units at a far lower price) would be the main issue for iOS to handle traditional AAA home console like games (in certain genres, of course).

Just look at a game like Galaxy on Fire 2. A fully featured 3D space combat/trading game with great graphics and at least 20 hours of gameplay. It easily could have been a full PSP retail game as is. Now that I think about it, GoF2, at $6.99, has as much content as Darkstar One, a similar game I paid $40 for on 360.
 

DaBuddaDa

Member
MightyKAC said:
Is that any different from whats happening now? Granted I'm sure that Sony wants more western Dev's on board with the PSP2, but last time I checked, the PSP had a damn fine library of games right now (and 2011 is looking pretty good too) without their support.
The PSP already has a large install base in the US though. If the PSP2 doesn't sell well, then all of those awesome Japanese games you've played on the PSP this time around won't even be released in the west period.
 

Doctor_No

Member
yurinka said:
iOS won't handle AAA home-console like games simply because it can't. It doesn't have retail games, so it can't have 1GB+ games like psp1 has. iOS games have size restrictions of a few MB because of 3G bandwith costs, download speed and quality, and internal storage limits (unlike PSP they can't be expanded with memory sticks).

Sony stated they will continue with retail games, even if they are going to remove UMD support. So I supouse they will sell PSP2 games in cards like DS does, in addition to digital games.

I think PSP2 will handle both some home console-like AAA games like PSP did. I think it will be easier than with PSP1 if PSP2 is more powerful and closer to PS3 since they would be able to rehash assets, part of engines, etc.

And obviously PSP2 can handle smaller, simpler and cheaper games, like the ones from iOS, DS, Minis, BC games, etc.

Patcher forgets that PSP1 sold 60+ millions worldwide and still is selling outside US.

The fundamental advantage of a device like the psp2/3ds, as you've described, are basic elements that have stayed with gaming; controls and physical media.

Large games still are difficult to distribute online, especially over a cellular network. Plopping in a 4GB cartridge is easy. And people that pay $30+ for a game doesn't want to play with touch screen buttons. I'm typing this on an iPad incidentally, and it's a compromise to deviate from standard input methods.

That's not to say that DD and touch based games aren't crucial, but in the same respect it's unreasonable to say that there is no market for more core games on handhelds beyond what the iOS offers.
 

FoneBone

Member
MightyKAC said:
Now that I think on it, how many big named titles have western devs put out for the DS?
Chinatown Wars is really the only "big" one. Not to say that there haven't been quality titles here and there, but Western publishers and developers by and large refuse to take handhelds seriously. That's not likely to change with the 3DS or the PSP2.

Doctor_No said:
... in the same respect it's unreasonable to say that there is no market for more core games on handhelds beyond what the iOS offers.
The argument isn't that there's no market now, so much as it is that that market will be either dead or just a niche in a few years. Granted, I don't buy that at all.
 

MightyKAC

Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
Yes for Sony, but a lot of the software companies that do gangbusters on PSP in Japan are Japan-only companies; so if they're not traded on the NYSE Pachter has no reason to cover these companies since his clients can't invest in them.


Ahhhh... now this I was unaware of.

Thanks for clearing that up. (really, no sarcasm, thanks)

BTW: Pachter is still wrong about the state of handheld gaming. :D
 

yurinka

Member
MightyKAC said:
Is that any different from whats happening now? Granted I'm sure that Sony wants more western Dev's on board with the PSP2, but last time I checked, the PSP had a damn fine library of games right now (and 2011 is looking pretty good too) without their support.

Now that I think on it, how many big named titles have western devs put out for the DS?
Well, and also consider even US is the biggest one, it isn't the only western market. There are games focused to EU only.
AAK said:
Hmmm... so you really think it's going to be cheaper than the 3DS?
I say no. I think it's going to have the price of a high-end smartphone. So I assume we may see the infamous $599 again.
Doctor_No said:
The fundamental advantage of a device like the psp2/3ds, as you've described, are basic elements that have stayed with gaming; controls and physical media.

Large games still are difficult to distribute online, especially over a cellular network. Plopping in a 4GB cartridge is easy. And people that pay $30+ for a game doesn't want to play with touch screen buttons. I'm typing this on an iPad incidentally, and it's a compromise to deviate from standard input methods.

That's not to say that DD and touch based games aren't crucial, but in the same respect it's unreasonable to say that there is no market for more core games on handhelds beyond what the iOS offers.
Yep. Mobile phones and DS proved (even before the iOS devices) there is a multi billion market for shorter games with simpler controls (touchscreen, gyroscope), mainly because of who are their users and where and when play. And only pay few bucks for a game.

But there is a hardcore market who wants portables, that sometimes plays this kind of games, but want deeper experiences with more precise controls (buttons) and higher production values, only affordables by developers with higher prices, the ones these hardcore gamers see normal to pay.

PSP and Nintendo portables proved this hardcore handheld market also exists. And if we ignore the 3D, this is the main addition of the 3DS, current main hardcore 3rd party IPs going back to a Nintendo handheld in a non "dumbed down" way, something DS more or less missed and the PSP had.

Nintendo knows it and goes for it. And if they do, I doubt they think PSP has been a failure and the PSP2 is dead on arrival like Patcher says.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
FoneBone said:
Chinatown Wars is really the only "big" one. Not to say that there haven't been quality titles here and there, but Western publishers and developers by and large refuse to take handhelds seriously. That's not likely to change with the 3DS or the PSP2.

Not sure why some people are so worried about PSP2 support so. PSP is performing strong domestically, and PSP2 will probably enjoy strong Japanese pub support on the expectation that a successor will also do well there.

And indeed, it doesn't seem like western pubs are exactly falling over themselves to take 3DS seriously, at least relative to Japanese pubs. Looking at wikipedia's list of 3DS games announced to date, less than a third are coming from western pubs and most of their games are the usual licensed titles etc.
 

MightyKAC

Member
DaBuddaDa said:
The PSP already has a large install base in the US though. If the PSP2 doesn't sell well, then all of those awesome Japanese games you've played on the PSP this time around won't even be released in the west period.

As much as I hate to admit it this IS a true statement, however I doubt the sales of the PSP2 are gonna be SO abysmal in the states that publishers won't even localize the games.

Oh BTW when did the US get a "large" PSP user base? (serious question)
 

DaBuddaDa

Member
MightyKAC said:
Oh BTW when did the US get a "large" PSP user base? (serious question)
The US install base is "large" meaning it has been big enough to support the platform for 6+ years (that's a long time!) and is still being sold in stores now. Pachter's prediction of "dead on arrival" would mean in practice that the PSP2 would be off store shelves within 2 years of launch due to abysmal sales.
 
FoneBone said:
Oh, it's just more "iOS will destroy dedicated handhelds" nonsense.

Considering the rampant (and massive success) of iPad, iPod & Droid game sales? Seriously, do you have any idea of the potential of that market versus the handheld market when it relates to the ability of people to take their phone/handheld game device/mp3 player/movie player with them vs. their handheld gaming device?
 

LCfiner

Member
yurinka said:
Well, and also consider even US is the biggest one, it isn't the only western market. There are games focused to EU only.

I say no. I think it's going to have the price of a high-end smartphone. So I assume we may see the infamous $599 again.

you think they can get away with that?

I think they'll be aiming for $250 max. there might be a "value added" bundle for 300 with some extra crap thrown in. they'll want to price it comparably to the base ipod touch (230) and the 3DS (250-ish?).

getting into (unsubsidized) smartphone pricing would be nuts for a gaming-focused machine. and for Sony to make the mistake of $599 twice in a row would be an unforgivable miscalculation of the market. shareholders would be rightfully pissed.
 
DaBuddaDa said:
The US install base is "large" meaning it has been big enough to support the platform for 6+ years (that's a long time!) and is still being sold in stores now. Pachter's prediction of "dead on arrival" would mean in practice that the PSP2 would be off store shelves within 2 years of launch due to abysmal sales.

Absolutely not, if the quote is correct 'DOA' seems to apply as much to the PSP as the PSP2. Due to this rather wide ranging definition it gives him quite a high chance of his prophecy coming true whatever it sells. They don't call him Pachterdamus for nothing.
 

FoneBone

Member
DiatribeEQ said:
Considering the rampant (and massive success) of iPad, iPod & Droid game sales? Seriously, do you have any idea of the potential of that market versus the handheld market when it relates to the ability of people to take their phone/handheld game device/mp3 player/movie player with them vs. their handheld gaming device?
I'm not blind to the growth in smartphone gaming, no, but the argument that it's actively hurting dedicated gaming handhelds - or will in the near future -- seems to be based on little more than anecdotal evidence, wishful thinking, and denial of the differences between gaming content on the two categories of devices.
 
gofreak said:
Not sure why some people are so worried about PSP2 support so. PSP is performing strong domestically, and PSP2 will probably enjoy strong Japanese pub support on the expectation that a successor will also do well there.

Really? Most of PSP's biggest Japanese exclusives - the MGS titles, Monster Hunter and its clones, nearly everything Square Enix has published for it - were acquired largely by default, because the vastly more successful DS simply wasn't powerful enough for them. It remains to be seen whether PSP2 will be able to retain a similar level of exclusive support, and while making any definitive prediction on that front would be premature, there are several signs that don't bode well for Sony (Level-5 and Capcom's announced 3DS support, SE putting the KH:BbS team on 3DS instead of PSP2).
 

yurinka

Member
LCfiner said:
you think they can get away with that?

I think they'll be aiming for $250 max. there might be a "value added" bundle for 300 with some extra crap thrown in. they'll want to price it comparably to the base ipod touch (230) and the 3DS (250-ish?).

getting into (unsubsidized) smartphone pricing would be nuts for a gaming-focused machine. and for Sony to make the mistake of $599 twice in a row would be an unforgivable miscalculation of the market. shareholders would be rightfully pissed.
The high-end iPhone doesn't cost $230, and the high-end Android phone doesn't cost $250. If you get a free one, without carrier contract, they are around $600.

If they release a single PSP2 and it includes phone, I assume it will be priced like a high-end iPhone or a bit more expensive because it's supposed to be more powerful. Here is where the $599 makes sense.

If they release multiple PSP2 SKUs (without phone, smaller internal storage size), they can have something for $299, if PSP2 is really considerably more powerful than a 3DS and a $230 iPod Touch. Same would happen if there is a single SKU without phone and a small internal storage.
 

magash

Member
gofreak said:
Not sure why some people are so worried about PSP2 support so. PSP is performing strong domestically, and PSP2 will probably enjoy strong Japanese pub support on the expectation that a successor will also do well there.

And indeed, it doesn't seem like western pubs are exactly falling over themselves to take 3DS seriously, at least relative to Japanese pubs. Looking at wikipedia's list of 3DS games announced to date, less a third are coming from western pubs and most of their games are the usual licensed titles etc.

The western devs are just being their regular dumb asses. As for Sony not worrying...well they should be big time because Nintendo has gone for the jugular. Nintendo has courted Capcom,Square enix,Konami,Atlas,Level 5 etc and all these publishers are releasing their best ip's on the 3ds.

The only reason the psp is doing well in Japan right now is because the ds couldnt and can't handle a game of monster hunters complexity and graphics but with the strength of the 3ds it will be possible for us to have a monster hunter for the 3ds

Sony has alot to be worried about and it has nothing to do with lack of western third party support and more to do with them sharing/loosing graphically complex game support in japan
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Father_Brain said:
Really? Most of PSP's biggest Japanese exclusives - the MGS titles, Monster Hunter and its clones, nearly everything Square Enix has published for it - were acquired largely by default, because the vastly more successful DS simply wasn't powerful enough for them. It remains to be seen whether PSP2 will be able to retain a similar level of exclusive support, and while making any definitive prediction on that front would be premature, there are several signs that don't bode well for Sony (Level-5 and Capcom's announced 3DS support, SE putting the KH:BbS team on 3DS instead of PSP2).

Oh there's no doubt that Sony will lose exclusivity on certain types of game that the PSP was able to hold exclusivity of. But I've had the impression from some that Sony would have a hard time getting a look in at all from pubs vs 3DS. I think it's fairly obvious there'll be quite a lot of multiplatform-ism, but I expect Sony won't have too hard a time ensuring games get to their system from these pubs.
 

LCfiner

Member
yurinka said:
The high-end iPhone doesn't cost $230. The high-end Android phone doesn't cost $250. If you get a free one, without carrier contract, they are around $600.

If they release a single PSP2 and it includes phone, I assume it will be priced like a high-end iPhone or a bit more expensive because it's supposed to be more powerful. Here is where the $599 makes sense.

If they release multiple SKUs (without phone, smaller internal storage size), they can have something for $299, if PSP2 is really considerably more powerful than a 3DS and a $230 iPod Touch.

I know how much the unsubsidized phones cost. i said ipod touch very specifically as being 230 bucks.

and who says the psp2 will be a phone?

we know there's a sony android phone with some PSP functionality built in but it's a not a given at all that PSP2 will be a phone. I would say it would limit their market quite a bit by making it a phone. you gotta deal with contracts and data packages, etc.

that's a big reason why the ipod touch is around.

And, going one step further, I don't think Sony, as a company, has the ability to create a kickass phone that's also a kickass gaming device. their departments are too isolated and they have not shown the ability to converge all their separate departments into creating one well put together, multi purpose device.

the PSP2 should try to keep the price reasonable
 
i can dig what he is saying...simply because the ideas of carrying around multiple portable devices and requiring wifi to get online are both starting to look pretty archaic.
 
FoneBone said:
I'm not blind to the growth in smartphone gaming, no, but the argument that it's actively hurting dedicated gaming handhelds - or will in the near future -- seems to be based on little more than anecdotal evidence, wishful thinking, and denial of the differences between gaming content on the two categories of devices.
I agree that the intended audiences are very different, but I think that the notion of competition for pocketshare and free-time-per-day is a valid one to speculate about.
 

yurinka

Member
About dev support, I think first we have to see the final tech specs and controls of PSP2.

I think if they are more or less similar to 3DS, we'll see a lot of PSP2+3DS multiplatform development like happened this gen in home consoles.

Just because their costs are rising for AAA hardcore handheld games and they have to pay it. Before, only the PSP was able to handle it. Now they will have 3DS and PSP2. And for these games, forget the $0.99 iphone price.
 

Vinci

Danish
Well, on this, I have a hard time disagreeing with him. If not 'dead on arrival,' it certainly has a huge uphill battle.
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
PSP2 is only DOA if they're going to sell it at $250 for 5+ years, have terrible digital download support, and no PSP1 BC.

I'll get a PSP2 if the hardware is good, it is PSP1 BC, and has SUPPORT.
 

Tobor

Member
Vinci said:
Well, on this, I have a hard time disagreeing with him. If not 'dead on arrival,' it certainly has a huge uphill battle.

Exactly. 3DS on one side and iOS on the other. It's a bad situation for Sony to be in. I want to see the hardware and price before calling it "DOA", but I assume Pachter has more info than we do.
 

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
Rollo Larson said:
i can dig what he is saying...simply because the ideas of carrying around multiple portable devices and requiring wifi to get online are both starting to look pretty archaic.
Yet the iTouch and iPad are the big successes that will kill the Psp2 (and later the 3ds)...

The iPad wild success alone proves that the convergence devices, AKA the iPhone 4, aren't the end of all. You can't even take pictures with the iPad.
 

FoneBone

Member
Vinci said:
Well, on this, I have a hard time disagreeing with him. If not 'dead on arrival,' it certainly has a huge uphill battle.
I agree with that, but I think Pachter's reasoning is faulty. I think that it has far more to do with 3DS than with smartphones.
 

Vinci

Danish
FoneBone said:
I agree with that, but I think Pachter's reasoning is faulty. I think that it has far more to do with 3DS than with smartphones.

I would say that the 3DS represents the PSP2's greatest adversary, yes. But I don't think discounting mobile phones is reasonable either - at least at this point without more information as to how Sony is going to position the device. I'm with Tobor in feeling that, taken together, the 3DS and mobile devices are going to make Sony's job damn near impossible.
 

Xun

Member
Raistlin said:
spoiler]I think his overall point may be correct though, as much as that sucks. Maybe not DOA, but I'm not expecting impressive sales. SE has the right idea with the Android phone concept, the implementation is just a clusterfuck[/spoiler]
Agreed.
 
FoneBone said:
I agree with that, but I think Pachter's reasoning is faulty. I think that it has far more to do with 3DS than with smartphones.
Yep. In my opinion, basically the one thing that can 'save' the PSP and keep it going along in a somewhat-more-distant second place is the handheld equivalent of the multiplatform PS360 ecosystem, and that's unlikely for an assortment of reasons.

I think there's an argument to be made, though, that mobile-phone gaming has eliminated the possibility of a working 'second place' as the PSP has achieved.
 

Vinci

Danish
Rollo Larson said:
assuming the psp2 and 3ds will be as "dedicated" to gaming as their predecessors, then yes

So your assertion is that dedicated gaming devices are going the way of the Dodo?
 

hyp

Member
i think what's most entertaining about all this is that a lot of people dismissed the iphone and ipod touch to begin with.
 

Vinci

Danish
hyp said:
i think what's most entertaining about all this is that a lot of people dismissed the iphone and ipod touch to begin with.

....

Really? Who? All I recall from the moment of the iPhone's unveiling was a MASSIVE outpouring of interest and enthusiasm. Perhaps you and I were reading different outlets.
 

offshore

Member
Unless the PSP2 is designed to be a functional music player - and designed as such - then it might not be DOA, but it will certainly limit its potential. That seems obvious.

That's why a more refined slide-out design for the PSP2 makes the most sense. When it's closed, it could function as an iPod-type machine with a touch screen and connection to Qriocity/Music Unlimited, and then when it's open it functions as a PSP2. Maybe Sony could also have games/apps that could be played on the touch screen when the device is closed as well.
 

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
Rollo Larson said:
assuming the psp2 and 3ds will be as "dedicated" to gaming as their predecessors, then yes
But you said "simply because the ideas of carrying around multiple portable devices and requiring wifi to get online are both starting to look pretty archaic." Those "advantages" doesn't apply to the iTouch and iPad...
 

see5harp

Member
Vinci said:
....

Really? Who? All I recall from the moment of the iPhone's unveiling was a MASSIVE outpouring of interest and enthusiasm. Perhaps you and I were reading different outlets.

I think maybe he's referring to iOS as a gaming platform. I remember when there wasn't an app store. :)
 
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