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PSPGo Common Complaints and Concerns

Physical Media versus Direct Downloads

There is a time and place for everything. In the beginning of this generation I remember quotes saying, “Blu-Ray isn’t needed and everything is going Digital.” This sounded crazy then and now those same people wouldn’t even repeat those words without shame. Physical media is necessary to deliver a High Level HD Video and Audio experience when it comes to Games and Movies. Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD have proven that.

In terms of Gaming The PS3 has pushed the envelope with titles such as Metal Gear Solid 4, MLB The Show, Uncharted 1 & 2, Resistance 1 & 2, and Killzone 2 to name a few. Unfortunately Internet download speeds are not fast enough or widely available to warrant a mass adoption of Direct Download of all types of media, High Definition Video and Audio in particular. Direct Download/Digital Distribution is ideal for Handheld Devices and impulse media, when you’re not looking for the complete AV experience, and you’re just looking to get the content. IPods have shown that when you are on the go, you don’t want to carry a portion of your library of media with physical discs, instead you want to take just the device and your media should be already on it and ready to go.

Digital Downloads aren’t good for Retailers

My Concern is not for retailers especially with regards to used game sales, since gamers get the short end of the stick as well as developers and publishers. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. The only thing that the used games market has created is a stronger push for digital downloads, because game companies want to avoid getting shut out or losing money by the success of the used game market.

• Gamer trades in used game and gets less than 50% what he paid for it!
• Used Game is then sold for 5% less than a new copy!

I don’t see how anyone can see this as a benefit for anyone other than that game store. Gamers might save $5 bucks but you’re losing $30 or more of what you initially paid. People always complain about innovation in games and they wonder why so many development studios go under, one large factor is the Used Games Market.

Retailers seem to be fine with IPods, what makes the Go Different?
If retailers have issues with the PSPGo, why are there no issues with the IPod since it’s exactly the same product type? Retailers sell the hardware and only have accessories to sell with it or iTunes cards. Retailers have put themselves into this situation, the original PSP wasn’t getting pushed and even before the Go it was hidden at retail. Now Retail isn’t needed to push PSP games for the original PSPs and the PSPGo, and they’re only option is to push people back on Physical Media like the PSP models that use UMD. If you can sell IPods then you can sell the PSPGo, there is absolutely no difference, retailers have made their bed and you know the rest. Digital Distribution devices are already here and it’s only getting bigger, Steam, iTunes, and even GameStop has a Direct Download service.

Digital Distribution and legacy game archives

I recently heard one podcast concerned about not being able to get a copy of game years down the road if it’s all digital, but it seems that getting a digital copy is always going to be much easier than finding a physical copy later down the line. Good examples of this would be older PC titles, which have shown up on Steam and for a greatly reduced price. On the PSN we already have Final Fantasy 7 on the PSN and prior to that it was already extremely hard to find a physical copy. Now for a much lower price it’s in the hands of well over 100,000 gamers years later. Also it’s much easier to backup a Digital Download, than it is a Copyrighted piece of physical media Legally for the most part.

Price Point versus Functionality

When the DSi came out it was $40 more than the DSlite and removed the GBA slot, obviously you could still play your DS cartridges. DSLite owners who wanted to upgrade had the same dilemma as Large UMD library owners myself included.
I think the only positive to come out of the $249 price tag was the outlook of the PSP in general, people are reporting about how impressive the PSP. This was something you heard the exact opposite of prior to the launch of the PSPGo. The main quote, “ My PSP is collecting Dust” but I guess they feel differently now that a new Version of the PSP is out he? Either way the PSPGo is $50 dollars more than a basic PSP Bundle, which includes a greatest hits game, a 2GB memory Card and a download voucher. The PSP Base Model is $80 less than the PSPGo and doesn’t come with anything, not even a memory card. So for comparison sake let’s compare the Base Model, you’re not going to get Bluetooth or a small form factor and you’ll need at least $60 to get a 16Gb memory Stick Pro Duo. So the difference between the 2 devices is $20 bucks if you’re not looking for portability or the Bluetooth features. In addition you’ll be unable to connect a PS3 controller to your PSP without using a PS3 and you don’t have the option of pausing your games and accessing the XMB or upgrading to greater than 16 or 32GB. The only drawback is the loss of UMD, which when the PSP was getting ridiculed initially, the main complaint was, “Get Rid of UMD!”

Short Term Memory of the Media with regards to UMD

Remember when:
PSP phone mod ain’t pretty, but it rings
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/08/psp-phone-mod-aint-pretty-but-it-rings/

“In a striking departure from the initial blueprint, the world’s first “PSP Phone” has killed two birds with one stone:
• Added a working phone feature (Check!)
• Got rid of that blasted UMD drive (Check!)
We’re not sure which is more preposterous: Quadrupling the size of your cell phone (and in turn, clutching a PSP to your ear), or cutting a hole in your PSP and gluing a cell phone in there? Sony, please take this as a sign that folks are getting mighty desperate for the real thing.”

PSP phone mod is really exactly what we were waiting for
http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/08/psp-phone-mod-is-really-exactly-what-we-were-waiting-for/

Call it off Sony, no need to throw any precious man hours into making your perennially #2 handheld into some sort of amazing featurephone hybrid, some hacker has already done it for you. Through the amazing wonders of modern thinphone technology, soldering irons and probably a bit of glue, some hacker has managed the slap a Haier touchscreen phone onto the back of his PSP — killing the UMD drive in the process, but we’d say it was well worth it.

Rumored new, UMD-free PSP model very plausible
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/04/rumors-indicate-new-psp-design-with-no-umd-multiple-skus.ars

Without any way of playing older games on UMD, the rumor states that Sony will be releasing 100 games on the online store so you can download a library from day one, and of course Patapon 2 is a “test case” for releasing retail games in a download-only format. Put the big hits on the online store, release games as downloads moving forward, and you’ve all but erased the need for the UMD drive. There is also buzz that Gran Turismo Mobile may be the killer app for the new batch of downloadable content, which would make many gamers feel very friendly towards the system. Without UMDs, the battery life goes up, the cost of production may go down, and everyone wins.

David Perry: Sony Needs to Ditch UMD Format
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2007/09/david-perry-son/

They really need to bring out the PSP 3.0 and start again and try to get a lot of units out by reducing the manufacturing costs, by taking out all the motors and drives and stuff they have in there. That will make it even more sexy-looking, because it will be thinner again when they get all that junk out. Then, hopefully, the platform will actually get enough interest so that people will make a game specifically for it.
I think it’s funny how people change their tune so quickly, especially those in the media who put the information out there on the web.

Rewards Programs are nice but are Gamers entitled to it?
With all that being said this generation is mostly about people complaining about one thing or another, or something that’s not fair. It just seems strange to me that all these people feel they are entitled to an incentive to buying the latest version of hardware. There’s no incentive to buy new iPods or iphones when they upgrade every year, and you sure can’t trade them in towards a new purchase if you wanted to. So what makes people think this is something that should be expected? Madden, Call of Duty and all those annual games offer nothing for upgrading to the latest version, although it’s software it can be argued that it’s similar. In terms of gamers I wish there was a nice solution similar to what they’re offering in the UK. Although in terms of the gaming media how did they build this huge UMD library when just a month ago they were saying, “PSP Has no Games!”. Long end of the story is portable gaming has become even more exciting by the release of the PSPGo and I’m loving every minute of it!