Support NeoGAF

[Mook1e]

What...? PSP has a GTA game and you say it hasn't got a system seller!? Sorry, but are you crazy or sth. like that?

Is GTA selling systems? Not really.

Ok, now that's not only BS, but it's in fact HUGE BS.

Average PSP hardware sales per week:

April: 87,750
May: 62,500
Juni: 58,800
July: 50,500
August: 41,750
September: 29,200
October: 33,000
November: 88358,50

It's not THAT hard to see that sales declined every month from April till September (and then picked up a bit in October as afaik sales overall pick up a bit in Oct. and of course cause of GTA).

March and april were launch. Then PSP slowed down slightly until the major drought, but never went under 100,000 units a month until the holidays. DS sold ~400K in Nov 04, ~700K in Dec 04, then dropped to ~100K in January and worse from Jan to Jul (avg around 10-15K a week) Yeah, PSP sold pretty consistenly over 100,000 units a month outside of launch and holiday shopping increases

I didn't say sales didn't decline. I said they were consistent.

 

[Frankfurter]

I haven't seen that post before and I just have to quote it. It's worth a billion dollars :lol

People are bitter because of what sony has done to nintendo with playstation. Sony didnt do it, nintendo did with their crappy tech in their system. When will people learn nintendo craps on fans with horrible tech and high prices. ds is worth 130. nor was gba. and yet idiots buy it knowing they paid too much raving ds is teh good! psp will sell regardless because if it doesn't sell games it will as a portable movie player and mp3 player. ds can't live off of animal crossing and nintendog forever and pokemon isnt what it was.

Wow, just wow

Especially the point with Pokemon is just downward amazing :lol

@Mook1e

I didn't say sales didn't decline. I said they were consistent.

Two different translation machines tell me that consistent means as much as "didn't change" and that's just wrong, simply as that.

 

[pixelbox]

In all seriousness, 6 million is very unrealistic. we'll see in january i guess.

 

[LM4sure]

I was just caught up in all the hate. What is frustating is the rabid nintendo fans posting everytime they see a psp thread.

You're so angry! I love it! :lol

 

[DCharlie]

"pokemon isnt what it was"

you are right, it's even bigger now.

 

[tetsuoxb]

.

 

[Mook1e]

@Mook1e

Two different translation machines tell me that consistent means as much as "didn't change" and that's just wrong, simply as that.

Nov/04 DS = 479,695
Dec/04 DS = 745,899
Jan/05 DS = 152,091
Feb/05 DS = 143,210
Mar/05 DS = 130,000 PSP = 618,530
Apr/05 DS = 70,000 PSP = 351,000
May/05 DS = 57,000 PSP = 250,000
June/05 DS= 112,000 PSP = 294,000
July/05 DS = 81,000 PSP = 202,000
Aug/05 DS = 102,000 PSP = 167,000
Sept/05 DS = 168,000 PSP = 146,000

Like i said, I never said PSP sales didn't change.
They just didn't drop drastically like DS sales did after launch due to each of their game droughts.

 

[pixelbox]

you are right, it's even bigger now.

for real!?

 

[Frankfurter]

Nov/04 DS = 479,695
Dec/04 DS = 745,899
Jan/05 DS = 152,091
Feb/05 DS = 143,210
Mar/05 DS = 130,000 PSP = 618,530
Apr/05 DS = 70,000 PSP = 351,000
May/05 DS = 57,000 PSP = 250,000
June/05 DS= 112,000 PSP = 294,000
July/05 DS = 81,000 PSP = 202,000
Aug/05 DS = 102,000 PSP = 167,000
Sept/05 DS = 168,000 PSP = 146,000

Like i said, I never said PSP sales didn't change.
They just didn't drop drastically like DS sales did after launch due to each of their game droughts.

Please reread my post, total sales for a month don't give us the full picture, as NPD's calendar has months with four and five weeks.
Btw. the comparison to the DS is really ... interesting ... as you are comparing two handhelds that were launched in completely different seasons. Of course DS' sales dropped much more than PSP as DS was launched right before christmas!

PSP sales dropped drastically, there is no way of discussing that, it's a fact. If you sell 3 times the amount in month X than you sell five months later, than your sales have dropped drastically, that's out of discussion.

 

[Mook1e]

Please reread my post, total sales for a month don't give us the full picture, as NPD's calendar has months with four and five weeks.
Btw. the comparison to the DS is really ... interesting ... as you are comparing two handhelds that were launched in completely different seasons. Of course DS' sales dropped much more than PSP as DS was launched right before christmas!

PSP sales dropped drastically, there is no way of discussing that, it's a fact. If you sell 3 times the amount in month X than you sell five months later, than your sales have dropped drastically, that's out of discussion.

Selling 1/5th your highest month compared to selling 1/12th your highest month.
PSP sales dropped because they weren't launch sale anymore.
They didn't drop anywhere near as horribly as DS sales did.
57,000 units in a month.
70,000?
80,000?

PSP hasn't come close to that bad.

 

[jarrod]

Wow... so Sony's got Namco forecasting for them now?

 

[DCharlie]

"for real!?"

i got off my lazy ass and went to a pokemon rally and to two pokemon centers a few weeks back.

What is absolutely amazing about the pokemon juggernaut in Japan is that they are recapturing the kid market again and again with every release. It's been over 10 years since the first Pokemon, yet there are kids getting into it massively with the new versions.

It's going to take something big to kill Pokemon off, it's just so massive and popular and the spin off products are just so a) good b) everywhere.

"BTW: Ferry Corsten in 2 weeks! You going?'

ooo - where is he playing? please mail my works address!
Mylo play Ebisu soon as well, so might check that out.

 

[clearacell]

No, i work in retail and mostly mothers buy it for their kids just because it's cheap, not because it's a better system which it isn't. they just want to shut their kids up for cheap. they dont know what the hell it is. They see a dog on a box and be like "oh that's cute, lisa will love it". yall nintendo lovers need to get over it because it's sad and your age is showing. enjoy your gifts from your parents for now, 13 yr olds. this wont last long. mark the words.

 

[Frankfurter]

Selling 1/5th your highest month compared to selling 1/12th your highest month.
PSP sales dropped because they weren't launch sale anymore.
They didn't drop anywhere near as horribly as DS sales did.
57,000 units in a month.
70,000?
80,000?

PSP hasn't come close to that bad.

That's not the point. PSP sales HAVE dropped drastically, that's everything. It was your point that they didn't, I said that that's wrong and know you are coming up with some kind of comparison to the DS, although this comparison is completely fucking silly (5 weeks of December vs. ~9 days in March, a system that had a fucking huge drought, especially during April and May, where sales are slow overall vs. a system that just launched shortly before these slow months).

 

[Mook1e]

That's not the point. PSP sales HAVE dropped drastically, that's everything. It was your point that they didn't, I said that that's wrong and know you are coming up with some kind of comparison to the DS, although this comparison is completely fucking silly (5 weeks of December vs. ~9 days in March, a system that had a fucking huge drought, especially during April and May, where sales are slow overall vs. a system that just launched shortly before these slow months).

That is the point.
PSP sales didn't drop drastically.

 

[jarrod]

That is the point.
PSP sales didn't drop drastically.

Yep, it's been a steady gradual decline... which is traditional for PlayStations really, they tend to perform more reliably than Nintendo platforms (which tend to get sharper spikes around the holidays or thanks to specific "killer apps").

 

[Andy787]

hay guys

stfu

 

[Frankfurter]

That is the point.
PSP sales didn't drop drastically.

Oh man, that is a really stupid discussion.

You are saying that PSP sales didn't drop drastically, I say the opposite. Okay, fuck it.

PS2/GCN/GBA/DS sales haven't dropped drastically compared to last November, hell with that definition of 'drastically' we could even say that Xbox sales haven't dropped drastically compared to last November (74% down is nearly nothing, isn't it) :lol

 

[sonycowboy]

That's not the point. PSP sales HAVE dropped drastically, that's everything. It was your point that they didn't, I said that that's wrong and know you are coming up with some kind of comparison to the DS, although this comparison is completely fucking silly (5 weeks of December vs. ~9 days in March, a system that had a fucking huge drought, especially during April and May, where sales are slow overall vs. a system that just launched shortly before these slow months).

OK, Time for a reality check for the reality challenged Nintendo folks. The shits really getting high here.

I have been amazed at the DS' success and somewhat disappointed in the PSP's. I honestly thought there was absolutely no chance that the PSP would stay @ $249, but Sony did it. Plus, the quality of the Nintendo DS games has clearly helped their cause.

That being said, I think it's time to put some DS fans in their place.

1) The PSP is only ~200k behind the DS in the US, despite coming out ~ 4 months later, and despite the DS having over 1.2M units sold in holiday 2004. What does that mean, it means that despite not being available until late March, the PSP has outsold the DS by almost 1M units in the US in 2005.

2) The PSP costs $249, vs the DS @ $149 and then $129. The software costs $49 vs $39 (or $39 vs $29, whichever you prefer). So, if you look at how much money people are willing to spend, over 4 times more money was spent on PSP games and hardware vs DS games and hardware.

3) The DS was dead as a fucking doornail for most of 2005 until Nintendogs / Free Mario 64 / Price Drop / new DS colors hit. Nintendo HAD to drop the price, and Sony hasn't yet (although they should have). I applaud Nintendo for doing the right thing and spurring DS sales, but the truth is they absolutely had to.

4) DS 3rd party sales are absolutely abysmal outside of launch of last year with Spider-Man and Madden. As usual, Nintendo hardware is all about Nintendo software. Sonic Rush, which was supposed to be a relatively big title, didn't make much of an impact.

5) The DS has only slightly outsold the PSP the past several months and yet, DS fans want to crow about a DS victory? During the holidays, at essentially half the price, I would have expected the DS to have done better by a good bit more of a margin.

I understand that the anti-DS hype was pretty crazy around here and that many folks decried that the DS would be absolutely demolished by the PSP. So, I understand the need to get some lumps in and deservedly so, but many of the DS fans are seeing MUCH, MUCH more of a victory than what is there.

And, the folks that are crying about the PSP declining each and every month? DID YOU FUCKING LOOK AT THE DS HITTING 57k, 65k, 82k? Or have you forgotten that? I honestly can't believe that any of you with a straight face could call out PSP HW sales, when the DS nosedived below 100k 6 months after launch and stayed their for quite a while.

To the point of this article, I understand that it's fun to bag on Sony for these ludicrous projections. Which really makes me wonder? WTF are they talking about? They aren't stupid folk. Really, they aren't. So, that begs the question, what were they trying to say / do with the "doubling the userbase" projection? In October, when they made the statement, it was clear as a freaking bell, that even with a price drop to $199, there was little to no hope of selling another 2.5M units in October/November/December in NA.

The PSP has had ALOT of buzz and promotion this holiday season with it being considered one of the "hot" items of the holiday season along with iPods, & the Xbox 360 by a ton of retailers and media and that has been backed up by the various search engines showing it to be insanely high in the rankings. Obviously that hasn't translated into sales, and I think we'll see Sony play it off by giving shipment numbers as usual. I'm just wondering if they felt a need to get out another PR to boost interest because of the resurgence of the DS and the insane hype both the iPods (sold out at most retailers, expected to have sold tens of millions of units) and the 360. It actually smelled of "Don't forget me" PR.

 

[Mook1e]

Oh man, that is a really stupid discussion.

You are saying that PSP sales didn't drop drastically, I say the opposite. Okay, fuck it.

PS2/GCN/GBA/DS sales haven't dropped drastically compared to last November, hell with that definition of 'drastically' we could even say that Xbox sales haven't dropped drastically compared to last November (74% down is nearly nothing, isn't it) :lol

Ok. Say whatever you want.

 

[Frankfurter]

Uhm Sonycowboy, are you on crack or sth.?

This discussion wasn't about DS and PSP, but it was about Mook1es post that PSP sales 'have been consistent' - nothing else. I wasn't saying that DS sold better, worse, on par, that DS is TEH winner or sth. else, I absolutely didn't say anything about DS vs. PSP (except to the comparison between the higest and lowest sales).

5) The DS has only slightly outsold the PSP the past several months and yet, DS fans want to crow about a DS victory?

Perhaps ... you should actually read my posts, cause this has nothing to do with my posts.

 

[sonycowboy]

Uhm Sonycowboy, are you on crack or sth.?

This discussion wasn't about DS and PSP, but it was about Mook1es post that PSP sales 'have been consistent' - nothing else. I wasn't saying that DS sold better, worse, on par, that DS is TEH winner or sth. else, I absolutely didn't say anything about DS vs. PSP (except to the comparison between the higest and lowest sales).



Perhaps ... you should actually read my posts, cause this has nothing to do with my posts.

I'm responding to alot of different posts and not just yours, but I would say you're completely off about the PSP HW sales dropping "dramatically". Especially, when you choose to ignore how the DS HW sales performed over similar time frames. You also seemed to make quite a few excuses for the DS's poor performance earlier in the yearand yet, give none of that kind of benefit to the PSP.

Again, I wasn't bashing you or attacking your posts, because they weren't the thrust of the responses I was going against, just the one I happened to actually quote. Don't take it personally, I was more going against the tone of some of the completely one-sided arguments I've seen in this thread.

 

[Mook1e]

Uhm Sonycowboy, are you on crack or sth.?

This discussion wasn't about DS and PSP, but it was about Mook1es post that PSP sales 'have been consistent' - nothing else. I wasn't saying that DS sold better, worse, on par, that DS is TEH winner or sth. else, I absolutely didn't say anything about DS vs. PSP (except to the comparison between the higest and lowest sales).



Perhaps ... you should actually read my posts, cause this has nothing to do with my posts.

PSP sales have been consistent.
System sales decrease after launch. PSP sales decreased after launch.
They didn't nose dive, and they didn't stay steady.
They declined consistent with the launches of just about every other system in the past decade or so.

 

[elostyle]

3) The DS was dead as a fucking doornail for most of 2005 until Nintendogs / Free Mario 64 / Price Drop / new DS colors hit. Nintendo HAD to drop the price, and Sony hasn't yet (although they should have). I applaud Nintendo for doing the right thing and spurring DS sales, but the truth is they absolutely had to.

This is an important point, if anything I am amzazed that the DS managed to come back after being down by 200k units a month. That's the weird thing. I would have called the DS dead if it weren't for the japanese sales at the time.

 

[Beowvlf]

The biggest thing that surprises me about this DS vs. PSP bruhaha that runs rampant on this forum is how little the price difference between the two machines is brought up. I mean, when Sony took the console space from Nintendo against the N64, they dropped the PSone price to match Nintendo's $199 at E3 1996; they started off on even footing. This handheld war has been much different, and IMO it'll truly get exciting when Sony drops the price of the PSP to $199/$149 levels.

How will Nintendo combat the inevitable price drop? That to me is the most interesting discussion right now on this topic.

 

[marc^o^]

Sony's arrogance is at fault here. These ludicrous PR statements used to create some hype/buzz around the PSP are the reason why we are seeing such reactions.

This year proved that the walkman of the 21st century is the ipod, not the PSP. When you make claims like that, you expose yourself to mockery, don't you think?

 

[Frankfurter]

Again, I wasn't bashing you or attacking your posts, because they weren't the thrust of the responses I was going against, just the one I happened to actually quote. Don't take it personally, I was more going against the tone of some of the completely one-sided arguments I've seen in this thread.

Oh okay, that explains some things Guess I missread the first sentence and was to focused that you quoted me.

I'm responding to alot of different posts and not just yours, but I would say you're completely off about the PSP HW sales dropping "dramatically".

Drastically

Especially, when you choose to ignore how the DS HW sales performed over similar time frames. You also seemed to make quite a few excuses for the DS's poor performance earlier in the yearand yet, give none of that kind of benefit to the PSP.

Well, my point is that PSP sales have dropped drastically and that it isn't possible to just compare them with a system that dropped much more and then say 'well, PSP's sales didn't drop...'.
It's not about the DS sales, I could say the same about the drop there (but I was only responding to his post and nothing else), although they dropped much more and to a really unhealthy level.
To be fair, yeah I have made quite a few excuses (I don't exactly remember what I exactly said, but most of it was probably bogus ) about the DS' performance and I was really, really surprised how deep and fast it fell, but imho it's not exactly the same situation as the PSP has. And of course the point that remains is that I didn't want to make a deep analysis of the PSP's situation, but just tell Mook1e that PSP's sales haven't been consistent since launch - it wasn't about why sales could have dropped, but it was about THAT they dropped (launch or not, as he said directly refered to [post] launch sales and the sales after that).

 

[marc^o^]

How will Nintendo combat the inevitable price drop? That to me is the most interesting discussion right now on this topic.

How about a DS/Super Mario Bros bundle? a DS/Metroïd Prime bundle? or a DS/Brain Training bundle? At its price range, the DS brings so much value to the table that Nintendo will hardly suffer from any Sony move.

 

[sonycowboy]

The biggest thing that surprises me about this DS vs. PSP bruhaha that runs rampant on this forum is how little the price difference between the two machines is brought up. I mean, when Sony took the console space from Nintendo against the N64, they dropped the PSone price to match Nintendo's $199 at E3 1996; they started off on even footing. This handheld war has been much different, and IMO it'll truly get exciting when Sony drops the price of the PSP to $199/$149 levels.

How will Nintendo combat the inevitable price drop? That to me is the most interesting discussion right now on this topic.

IMO,

A higher price naturally means the strategic ability to use price drops to spur sales over the course of a few years, which could also translate into a longer life cycle. The DS went from $149->$129 this year and looks to have two major price points left to drop the price. $99 (they might do a $109, but it should have a blended effect of a pure $99) and $79. Obviously, $99 is a magic price point, but it's not like the PSP won't hit that eventually. And, truthfully, the longer it takes to hit that price point, the better for the lifecycle of the system. Just look at the PS2 (or you could argue look at the GBA for the inverse).

Sony appears to be willing to concede some market share to control the losts associated with the platform, but they could recoup some units upon the first price drop and more dramatically after then second (or whenever the PSP hits $149).

In the end, it appears as if both systems are going to be around for quite awhile and there will be no death blow by either (in the US/Europe at least), despite what some fans on both sides want. I do hope this forum comes to accept this, because the constant DS/PSP battles are becoming tiresome, insofar as they seem to try to declare that one side is doomed.

 

[jarrod]

The biggest thing that surprises me about this DS vs. PSP bruhaha that runs rampant on this forum is how little the price difference between the two machines is brought up.

Probably because it's a fairly transparent argument that goes both ways. Price is definitely a planned advantage on DS' end, but then chipset specs sort of balance that out. Sure PSP would be selling better if it was comparably priced to DS... but would it be selling better if it was also comparably made? It's hard to seperate these two, price and performance work hand and hand here. You can attribute the DS success only to it's lower pricepoint, but that makes about as much sense as attributing any PSP success soley to it's high end display/chipset.

How will Nintendo combat the inevitable price drop? That to me is the most interesting discussion right now on this topic.

Easy. More frequent hardware cycles, with lower end hardware and a massmarket price. Basically the same thing they've been doing all along... once the PSP hits $99 in 2007 you'll likely see a new Nintendo handheld with similar specs and capablities for the same price.

 

[Mook1e]

In the end, it appears as if both systems are going to be around for quite awhile and there will be no death blow by either (in the US/Europe at least), despite what some fans on both sides want. I do hope this forum comes to accept this, because the constant DS/PSP battles are becoming tiresome, insofar as they seem to try to declare that one side is doomed.

This sounds so familiar

Has any system ever launched not slowed down after launch?
PSP won't be "fine" but DS will? This makes not sense. DS sales dropped off considerably after last Holiday season (almost to 1/10th the sales).
Both systems will see significant sales decreases.
Both systems will be "fine"...................

It's a combination of all of these games and more that will keep the PSP selling in addition to who-knows-what functionality in firmware updates to come.
Both systems will be fine. Yeah..................

Saying the handheld wars are over is premature and extremely fanboyish.
Sony has obviously expanded the handheld games market as well and Nintendo.
It can honestly be said that the PSP and DS will easily both survive and flourish in their market(s).

 

[jarrod]

Post launch decline is natural... that decline continuing into fall however is not. September is when sales should be ramping up again, not continuing even lower. And a barely modest increase the month your AAA kill app hits market isn't too encouraging either. PSP's not doing too horribly, but things aren't exactly "fine" at the moment either.

 

[Beowvlf]

How about a DS/Super Mario Bros bundle? a DS/Metroïd Prime bundle? or a DS/Brain Training bundle? At its price range, the DS brings so much value to the table that Nintendo will hardly suffer from any Sony move.

This is a very competent strategy, but it has a few flaws in the long run. Bundles are designed to allow hardware to maintain the same price, but the software attached must be compelling enough to drive sales. Do I doubt Nintendo's ability to continue coming up with these types of hits? No way, but it is risky, and it further leads the platform down a path of first party reliance. It's not rocket science to assume that many third parties will have an extremely difficult time selling more titles to all those (supposed) Nintendogs-bundle purchasers, if they even buy any new games again in the first place.

IMO,

A higher price naturally means the strategic ability to use price drops to spur sales over the course of a few years, which could also translate into a longer life cycle. The DS went from $149->$129 this year and looks to have two major price points left to drop the price. $99 (they might do a $109, but it should have a blended effect of a pure $99) and $79. Obviously, $99 is a magic price point, but it's not like the PSP won't hit that eventually. And, truthfully, the longer it takes to hit that price point, the better for the lifecycle of the system. Just look at the PS2 (or you could argue look at the GBA for the inverse).

Sony appears to be willing to concede some market share to control the losts associated with the platform, but they could recoup some units upon the first price drop and more dramatically after then second (or whenever the PSP hits $149).

In the end, it appears as if both systems are going to be around for quite awhile and there will be no death blow by either (in the US/Europe at least), despite what some fans on both sides want. I do hope this forum comes to accept this, because the constant DS/PSP battles are becoming tiresome, insofar as they seem to try to declare that one side is doomed.

Good points all around here. It definitely seems Sony's strategy is to gain market share not all in one fell swoop, but more in the same vein as with the PSone; over the course of 3-5 years.

Sony is going with an uphill sales-to-lifecycle strategy, in that more and more are sold as it gets older and prices drop, whereas Nintendo is going with a more downhill strategy (don't read into that too much!), whereas the majority of sales are frontloaded in the systems' first couple years, due to the lack of movement available in its price points.

The question then is, when the PSP hits DS level pricing (likely within the next 18-24 months), will Nintendo counter with stronger DS support, more aggressive third party relations and a redesigned DS, or with an entirely new system?

The first is the much better option IMO, but a redesigned DS will be much harder to sell than the SP was. The GBA desperately needed a backlight, and the system was selling to consumers that had absolutely no other handheld to buy. Pushing a DS SP with moderate revisions that only match (if that) some of the capabilities of a competing machine at a comparable price will be much more difficult.

And if Nintendo chooses to push a new system, beit GBA2 or whathaveyou, I think they'll risk alienating third parties to an irrecoverable degree. At best the system will simply match the PSP's capabilities and price, but will provide little reason to move onto yet another new platform. TP's only got 3 and a half years out of the GBA, and their games are struggling to sell on the DS already compared to the PSP, so yet another Nintendo change might be tough for them to swallow.

Probably because it's a fairly transparent argument that goes both ways. Price is definitely a planned advantage on DS' end, but then chipset specs sort of balance that out. Sure PSP would be selling better if it was comparably priced to DS... but would it be selling better if it was also comparably made? It's hard to seperate these two, price and performance work hand and hand here. You can attribute the DS success only to it's lower pricepoint, but that makes about as much sense as attributing any PSP success soley to it's high end display/chipset.

Easy. More frequent hardware cycles, with lower end hardware and a massmarket price. Basically the same thing they've been doing all along... once the PSP hits $99 in 2007 you'll likely see a new Nintendo handheld with similar specs and capablities for the same price.

Your first point is only referencing how the differences in price affect the market now, not over the next 3-5 years. And as a mentioned above, your solutions are not as fail proof as many Nintendo fans would assume they be. Hence why I think more discussion would be great on what Nintendo could/should/be forced to do when the PSP inevitably encroaches on it's sweet pricing bracket.

 

[jarrod]

Your first point is only referencing how the differences in price affect the market now, not over the next 3-5 years. And as a mentioned above, your solutions are not as fail proof as many Nintendo fans would assume they be. Hence why I think more discussion would be great on what Nintendo could/should/be forced to do when the PSP inevitably encroaches on it's sweet pricing bracket.

No solutions are ever fool-proof... but Nintendo's current handheld market strategy does have a decade long track record to help back it up.

Again, the idea that PSP will inevitably wear away Nintendo's handheld pricing advantages means little in the long run as at the same time new technologies will progressively wear away PSP's technology advantages. Co-opting the "high-end" razor/blades console model into the low-end, notoriously disposable, handheld space and hoping for technology to trump price (while counting on your technology not to be outdone as you whittle that price down) is hardly a "fool-proof" strategy itself. DS will have a nice little 3 year lifespan, like the past 2 Nintendo handheld formats, then we'll have another generational leap in the next Nintendo handheld at a massmarket price.

Unlike Sony, Nintendo's not the sort of company who'd manufacture basically a $300 handheld Dreamcast in 2004. They'd prefer to wait and manufacture a $100 handheld Dreamcast in 2007.

 

[Beowvlf]

No solutions are ever fool-proof... but Nintendo's current handheld market strategy does have a decade long track record to help back it up.

Again, the idea that PSP will inevitably wear away Nintendo's handheld pricing advantages means little in the long run as at the same time new technologies will progressively wear away PSP's technology advantages. DS will have a nice little 3 year lifespan, like the past 2 Nintendo handheld formats, then we'll have another generational leap in the next Nintendo handheld at a massmarket price.

Unlike Sony, Nintendo's not the sort of company who'd manufacture basically a $300 handheld Dreamcast in 2004. They'd prefer to wait and manufacture a $100 handheld Dreamcast in 2007.

Yet you just completely disregarded what I said here:

And if Nintendo chooses to push a new system, beit GBA2 or whathaveyou, I think they'll risk alienating third parties to an irrecoverable degree. At best the system will simply match the PSP's capabilities and price, but will provide little reason to move onto yet another new platform. TP's only got 3 and a half years out of the GBA, and their games are struggling to sell on the DS already compared to the PSP, so yet another Nintendo change might be tough for them to swallow.

I really don't think a new system is the right strategy.

 

[elostyle]

Why would a PSP priced closer to the DS suddenly be much more appealing to gamers than the DS? It sounds like you assume it to be inheritably better than the DS and the only thing that makes the DS worthwile is its price.

This was the case when the DS games were really unattractive but I think it is pretty clear that it can stand on much more than just its lower price now.

Many people buying the DS simply have no interest in PSP games and vice versa.

 

[marc^o^]

Sony is stuck with the PSP for a looong time. They just can't release a PSP2 with PS3 graphics and PSP almost has PS2 gfx already . When Nintendo releases its next handheld with superior graphic capabilities and touchscreen control, Sony will be in an awkward situation. Nintendo's next handheld will benefit from GC and Revolution development tools. Their "one step at a time" strategy will certainly pay off again with their next handheld, don't you think they have the best roadmap?

 

[elostyle]

They'd prefer to wait and manufacture a $100 handheld Dreamcast in 2009.

Fixed

 

[LM4sure]

PSP sales have been consistent.
System sales decrease after launch. PSP sales decreased after launch.
They didn't nose dive, and they didn't stay steady.
They declined consistent with the launches of just about every other system in the past decade or so.

You're right. Sales have been consistent...consistently going DOWN every month!

 

[Beowvlf]

Why would a PSP priced closer to the DS suddenly be much more appealing to gamers than the DS? It sounds like you assume it to be inheritably better than the DS and the only thing that makes the DS worthwile is its price.

This was the case when the DS games were really unattractive but I think it is pretty clear that it can stand on much more than just its lower price now.

Many people buying the DS simply have no interest in PSP games and vice versa.

No no no elo, that's not what I'm implying at all. All I'm stating is that PSP sales will continue to spike with price drops and various software, whereas DS will rely moreso on various software, because it doesn't have as much room in the pricing avenue. The two different pricing strategies have one selling less initially and slowly building with price drops, and one selling more initially and slowly falling due to it's stagnant pricing.

My point is that when the PSP and DS are much closer in price to each other, what should Nintendo do to combat the obvious technological and feature-rich advantage of the PSP, and keep demand for the DS high?

Many Nintendo fans seem to think a GBA 2 is the answer, whereas I think that strategy will backfire.

 

[jarrod]

Yet you just completely disregarded what I said here:


I really don't think a new system is the right strategy.

Well, what you said had little merit.... it deserved disregarding. 3 year lifespans are well established for Nintendo handhelds, the 3rd party community likely expects as much at this point. I don't see any tangible threat of alienation from any angle here. And you're rather off base on your software sales comment, particularly in Japan where PSP software can't even match what GameCube is moving, much less DS.

Which brings up a worrying point that I find brought up surprisngly little here at GAF. What happens to PSP's software portfilio once we start seeing 2nd/3rd generation Japanese PSP games greenlighted based on actual sales performance, rather than expected performance like up to this point? What if that Japanese effort dries up, like it did rather quickly for GameCube after a strong early commitment, and moves wholesale to the established market leader? PlayStation's dominace is built on the backs of top sopftware support from all regions bringing unequaled variety, so what happens if we get a PlayStation that is essentially an Xbox in terms of software portfolio?

 

[capslock]

Using the price logic the GC should have comfortably outsold the PS2 and XBox.

 

[NetMapel]

Nintendo can always fall back on a REAL Pokemon MMORPG... BYE BYE PSP, PS2, PS3, GC, XBOX, XBOX360 :O 'tis the ONE GAME TO RULE THEM ALL~

 

[Beowvlf]

Sony is stuck with the PSP for a looong time. They just can't release a PSP2 with PS3 graphics and PSP almost has PS2 gfx already . When Nintendo releases its next handheld with superior graphic capabilities and touchscreen control, Sony will be in an awkward situation. Nintendo's next handheld will benefit from GC and Revolution development tools. Their "one step at a time" strategy will certainly pay off again with their next handheld, don't you think they have the best roadmap?

If Nintendo hopes to maintain the margins they have today, they won't be able to release a handheld with superior graphical power than the PSP until 2009/2010 or so.

 

[LM4sure]

My point is that when the PSP and DS are much closer in price to each other, what should Nintendo do to combat the obvious technological and feature-rich advantage of the PSP, and keep demand for the DS high?

Nintendo will continue to release high quality software; something that PSP developers have had a hard time doing thus far.

 

[jarrod]

If Nintendo hopes to maintain the margins they have today, they won't be able to release a handheld with superior graphical power than the PSP until 2009/2010 or so.

Er... I'd like to see some hard documentation that could back that up. Would you also say it'll take Sony until 2009/2010 or so to get PSP manufacturing costs at near $100?

 

[Beowvlf]

3 year lifespans are well established for Nintendo handhelds...

WHAT?! The GBA has been the only handheld to be cut short that dramatically, and had it not been for the PSP, I'd be willing to bet Nintendo would have been more than content to let the GBA stay strong until the next decade.

 

[elostyle]

No no no elo, that's not what I'm implying at all. All I'm stating is that PSP sales will continue to spike with price drops and various software, whereas DS will rely moreso on various software, because it doesn't have as much room in the pricing avenue. The two different pricing strategies have one selling less initially and slowly building with price drops, and one selling more initially and slowly falling due to it's stagnant pricing.

My point is that when the PSP and DS are much closer in price to each other, what should Nintendo do to combat the obvious technological and feature-rich advantage of the PSP, and keep demand for the DS high?

It's true that they don't have the room to match price drops but there is still a lot of room between them to begin with. My point was that the technological differences are not going to be as important even when the prices are closer together. I mean, the demographics are much more different than the similar form factor and the fact that both are portable suggests IMO. I said earlier that I think the PSP competes more with the PS2 in reality than the DS but I got severely flamed for that so maybe I'm wrong. Time will tell.

For the record, I don't think a GBA2 similar to the PSP is going to happen now that the DS has proven to be a success. The next nintendo portable might not have 2 screens but it will most definately have a touchscreen. Now that they have carts that are cheap to manufacture, I wouldn't even expect it to have an optical drive.

 

[NWO]

GAF beginning of 2005:

The DS is the next Virtual Boy and will be DOA.
The PSP will sell EVERY single one that is produced and force Nintendo to go out of business.
Nintendo was stupid to appeal to kids with a cheap pricepoint.
Sony was smart to appeal to adults with a more expensive pricepoint.

GAF middle of 2005:

The DS is only selling to the quirky Japanese it won't survive anywhere else.
The PSP owns America and it will outsell the DS on day one in Sonyland and the rest of Europe.
Once WE PSP comes out in Japan the DS is doomed there as well.

GAF after the PSP launches in Europe:

The PSP wasn't expected to outsell the DS right away in Europe but once GTA comes out its OVER for the DS.
Nintendogs isn't having a positive impact on US sales.
Who cares about Japan its the other two markets FTW.
Madden is going to carry the PSP to victory in America.

GAF a couple months ago:

The only reason why the PSP isn't outselling the DS in Europe is because of shortages. Severe shortages.
Nobody thought Madden would be a system seller in America.
GTA PSP will own the DS this holiday season.
Well maybe the DS is outselling the PSP in Japan sales but who's making the most in revenue?

GAF now:

The reason why the PSP isn't selling is because its too expensive. When it gets a price drop watch out though.
Its not fair that the DS is cheaper than the PSP. Nintendo cheated and tricked 13 year old girls into buying the system. That's not fair. Wah wah.
Who would have thought that handhelds are more of a kids market and not adults? Nobody saw that one coming.
Well maybe a few people made some semi bold predictions about the PSP doing well and the DS doing poorly but that was isolated and in the past. We need to talk about the present and future which means more of PSP dominance and more DS failing.
I heard the PSP was still winning in Canada and Korea.
Its inevitable that Christmas and beyond will belong to the PSP and anybody who can't see that is wearing Nintendo dual screened goggles.

GAF in the future:

Who knows but if its half as funny as some of these other quotes then its going to be a lot of :lol in 2006.

 

[TAS]

Ahh..typical Sony. Posting BS numbers and forecasts in an effort to save face after they got their asses handed to them. Just goes to show that the giant is neither invincible or unbeatable.

Duke: You cut him! You hurt him! You see..he's not a machine..he's a man!