Oliver's Blogs

PSP Go. Or not.

The PSP Go is official and has drawn mixed opinions from gamers and critics alike. I am going to outline the reasons why I see it as a failure before it even reaches the masses. I know this isn't the first blog about the PSP Go on here, but hopefully I'll be bringing up some new points worth noting in your gaming shopping lists next to a crossed out 'PSP Go'.

At first I thought the design of the 'Go' was terrible. This was probably due to the fact that the first pictures I saw of it was blurry leaked images. However, the more I saw of the thing, the more I began to like the design, but that's about as deep as my respect for it goes. The PSP Go is like the hot blonde who you later find out is an a***ole.

^{Blonde b*tch}

The first let down is going to be the price. If you look at the US price of a Nintendo DSi, and then compare it to the New Zealand price, you would be shocked. At US$170, the DSi should retail at about NZ$270 at current exchange rates. The actual price of the DSi in New Zealand is $400. The PSP Go is set to come out at US$250 in the States so just on exchange rates, that's already $400. Sony aren't likely to be different to Nintendo, so expect the PSP Go's New Zealand price to be over $500, a $200 mark up on the PSP 3000. That's the first huge drawback... It's going to hit your wallet about as hard as the original PSP did back at release, and with what technology?

...Well, less actually. Over the 3000, basically they've stripped out the UMD drive and added in some internal memory. Some experts are saying that the PSP Go costs less for Sony to manufacture than the 3000 did. So what are we paying for? Having the latest model and that's about it. Sony are extortionists, but I think we all knew that already.

The lack of UMD drive kills the second hand PSP game market completely. With the PSP Go there is now no way to sell your games onto someone else (or EB games) when you're done. Effectively this is a stupid move by Sony, because it cuts their profits too. If people can't trade their old games, then because of the lack of money from trades, they will buy less new games and Sony will recieve less income. Sony possibly don't realise that second hand games actually do help drive their business.

Also, if you buy a game and download it only to find that it's pretty awful, then you can't return it either. You just got duped. You can delete it by all means, but Sony isn't going to give your money back. That means that extensive research will need to go into game purchases beforehand to avoid making mistakes. This will probably end up being too much effort for many people, and as so often happened for the PSP 1000, 2000 and 3000, the handheld will probably end up in the cupboard.

Sure, Sony has announced that they are looking to offer some kind of UMD swap program, where you give them your UMD and they give you a digital copy of the game. But at what cost? Do people really want to pay even more for a game they already purchased? Will Sony even have a digital copy of the games we want in digital? The only way I see that working is if they do it free (potentially costing Sony a lot of money and time), and if they have every single game ever released on UMD. And every movie, I'm sure some people still have those somewhere.

^{"Oh my god! You killed UMD! You bastards!"}

This brings me to the drawbacks for retail outlets. With the PSP Go's online store, there will no longer ever be a need to go to your local games store and buy a game. Everything will be done over your home WiFi connection, assuming you have one. This means that places like EB Games are likely to make very little profit from the PSP Go, if they even sell them (I wouldn't if I were them). This kind of ruins current PSP owners' sh*t. Places are likely to cut their PSP UMD game stock to next to nothing, or discontinue PSP support completely. Good move Sony you wankers.

So assuming you have a PSP Go and you've got a bunch of games you play and have purchased online. Then all of a sudden it's gone. Somebody could have stolen it, your memory card may have been corrupted, you lost it, you deleted a game to make room for another... all these things are easy to do. Well its easy to just go download it again for free right? Oh sh*t, you forgot your username and password. Bye bye games, buy them again. Sure it's pretty easy to lose your UMDs too if you're careless, but having a physical copy means that you never need to download them again, and there's no risk of forgetting your details. Also, physical copies come wih some pretty sweet cover art, and your friends can borrow them!

I have a game on UMD called OutRun 2006 Coast to Coast. I'm kind of proud I have this game cause it was one of about 10 copies of the game ever sold in Christchurch. It is by all means not a popular game, but it's a good one that I go back to from time to time. Is Sony going to have this semi-obscure title in its line-up for the PSP Go? I very much doubt it. And if anyone wants to play an older PSP game that saw a UMD release but wasn't that big, well it's quite likely they can't on the PSP Go. If you had a PSP with a UMD drive, you'd be playing that game right now son, but you opted for the more expensive one. The better one right? Right?

^{Wrong. Original PSPs taste way better.}

What I fail to understand is why you would buy a PSP Go for it's downloadable game abilities when as far as I can tell, the online store is available on a UMD PSP too. If you went out and bought a bigger memory stick, then (assuming you want them) you could have all the downloadable games you want AND you could play your UMD titles.

With your UMDs you could throw them in your bag and have as many as you want with you. With the PSP Go, that 16GB memory isn't going to hold all the games in the world. You're going to have an extra cost every few games you buy (assuming you don't want to delete), and that's going to be memory sticks. For reference, a 16GB memory stick at Sony's current prices is $250.

What other drawbacks does the latest and greatest from Sony have? Well, apparently the battery life is slightly worse than previous models. Apparently it's not so comfortable to hold, though I'm sure you could get used to it. And, oh yeah... Sliders break. Anyone that has had a few slider mobile phones can attest to this. Sliders weaken over time and if they don't break they wobble like sh*t. I can imagine Sony is going to have quite a few returns on this baby.

^{Try holding your thumbs like that and telling me it's comfortable!}

You know, I thought Sony were in debt. And if I'm wrong about that, then I know for sure that they've recorded losses for the last few quarters/years. Why the hell are they spending money on useless updates? The amount of money poured into this new PSP must be huge, and even their UMD swap program is going to cost them mega $$$$$. With all these drawbacks I've listed here, I can't see this thing selling in large amounts. I can't see Sony's gaming division recording any profits for at least the next year or two.

It's a shame cause there's some nice games coming out on PSP soon.

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On 17 June 2009, 11:22PM Posted by kiwi161

I think It's a bit early to judge yet. However I have to say, if I was going to buy a PSP, I would buy a 3000.IMO the only benefit with the GO is that it looks better, and that's not enough to warrant the price tag.

 

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On 17 June 2009, 11:27PM Posted by Srassy

Yeah, I wouldn't be buying one for $500. I'm not like the idea of not having a UMD drive but the one on my PSP has been acting somewhat unreliable. I don't think an optical format is that good for a handheld.

 

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On 17 June 2009, 11:33PM Posted by Ruptunex

Meh. I'm getting one.

 

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On 17 June 2009, 11:52PM Posted by Oliver

Reply to Srassy17 June 2009, 11:27PM
Yeah, I wouldn't be buying one for $500. I'm not like the idea of not having a UMD drive but the one on my PSP has been acting somewhat unreliable. I don't think an optical format is that good for a handheld.

The 4 PSPs that myself and my brother have had have never had any problems with the UMD drive. I just don't see what's wrong with having the option to play a UMD or a downloaded game. Surely its better to have choice. For me the 3000 is a much better option.

I managed to write a several paragraphed blog here just on the drawbacks. I don't see how somebody can say "meh" to that. There's a sh*tload of stuff wrong with the PSP Go concept.

 

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On 18 June 2009, 12:18AM Posted by ChatterboxZombie

Reply to Ruptunex17 June 2009, 11:33PM
Meh. I'm getting one.

Hahahahha

get me a balms elixer while you're at it heh

 

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On 18 June 2009, 10:40AM Posted by chinaman71

well the $500 thing.... im sure itll be slightly less than that nintendos more expensive because they don't have a NZ distributor unlike sony. I wont buy one unless Dark_alex (oh my hero) releases a CFW for it then i don't give a f**k you can already backup PSN purchases for the PSP (dont ask me how) purely for the memory and Bluetooth though cause i use my 1000 as an ipod (2x16gb MS's) also i think itll be like the PS3 your account can be activated on 5 PSP consoles meaning 5ppl can DL your games as much as they want which is a win i say and if you forget your PSWD just get sent the email reminder lol

but yea good blog black looks sh*t go for white ;)

 

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On 18 June 2009, 12:47PM Posted by Ron

Easily the best looking blog of recent times, don't agree totally with the points raised, but 5/5 for the layout and backing up your points well.

 

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On 18 June 2009, 03:49PM Posted by Gazza22

Im with you on this one. In my mind I can easily seeing the GO! fall flat on its face. But then again I thought the same fate would happen with the Wii. And you don't need me to tell you what happened there.

 

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On 18 June 2009, 04:22PM Posted by jub-jub

Sony is trying to kill the scond hand market for games via UMD which they don't clip the ticket on but EB Games for example does. Removing the UMD makes the product much less customer focused as you can't share or swap with friends as easily. Sony needs to get into the second hand market not try kill it. And Sony, bring back UMD movies, great for on the plane.....

 

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On 18 June 2009, 04:47PM Posted by The Host of Chaos

Nicely done. A bit negative maybe but still some very good points made.

 

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On 18 June 2009, 05:18PM Posted by rebolta

I'll have a dSi. I had a psp but got over the lack of good games. Then I sold it on trade me. Like you care.

 

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On 18 June 2009, 05:56PM Posted by Oliver

Reply to jub-jub18 June 2009, 04:22PM
Sony is trying to kill the scond hand market for games via UMD which they don't clip the ticket on but EB Games for example does. Removing the UMD makes the product much less customer focused as you can't share or swap with friends as easily. Sony needs to get into the second hand market not try kill it. And Sony, bring back UMD movies, great for on the plane.....

Yeah and I made a few points about second hand games working in Sony's favour too, but they're killing it off. Second hand games may even draw some people away from hacking.

I know my blog was a bit negative, but I felt it was the best way to get my points across. Cheers for the comments guys.

 

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On 18 June 2009, 08:02PM Posted by twisterjamz

Good blog, yeah its stupid how all of the new handhelds are getting priced up at console prices eg wii prices, Hopefully the psp go will not go over $500 but it probably will

 

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On 18 June 2009, 09:17PM Posted by Oliver

Reply to twisterjamz18 June 2009, 08:02PM
Good blog, yeah its stupid how all of the new handhelds are getting priced up at console prices eg wii prices, Hopefully the psp go will not go over $500 but it probably will

I think if it doesn't go over $500, it will be $499. Haha. What's the bet.

 

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On 18 June 2009, 10:12PM Posted by iddy

you say it's going to cost $200 more than the 3000, then raise the point that it has $250 worth of extras, which are more usuful (music, pictures, maybe even a movie or two for the train) umd maybe worth $50 nowdays, not that i use mine for anything but spaceinvaders and patapon. the rest of my games are downloaded.

For (the majority it seems) umd is stay, but for the few like me, digital seems the way to go. You say the deleting them and you're screwed? Media Go allows you to back it all up on your pc, and stores your password too ;)

I see your reasoning, and it's all valid for the majority. However, I think you've been very harsh, there's still tonnes of time for announcements.
It is kinda redundant, (current psps will do it all too) but for someone like myself it is smaller, and does all i would ask of it. Sure the screen is a worry, but i'm willing to take that risk :)
Thank you for providing an argument in opposition, it helps me make an informed decision. dno whether i'll stick with my slim, but i'll wait to see whatelse it has in store

 

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On 19 June 2009, 01:00AM Posted by joshklaz

Good blog. I'm still keen to see how they make the whole no UMD thing work though.

 

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On 20 June 2009, 10:39AM Posted by bahamut_zero

Despite being a sony wh**e I still enjoyed reading this blog. I'm definitely still gonna get the PSP go but you do make some good points..

 

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On 20 June 2009, 02:58PM Posted by simcharles

That b*tch licking the PSP is hot!
no not the blonde b*tch... lol

 

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On 20 June 2009, 03:55PM Posted by ShadowKnightFTW

Reply to simcharles20 June 2009, 02:58PM
That b*tch licking the PSP is hot! no not the blonde b*tch... lol

Blonde?

 

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On 20 June 2009, 03:56PM Posted by ShadowKnightFTW

Reply to ShadowKnightFTW20 June 2009, 03:55PM
Blonde?

Hmm the dog still no edit button.

 

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On 22 June 2009, 09:13PM Posted by Oliver

Reply to ShadowKnightFTW20 June 2009, 03:56PM
Hmm the dog still no edit button.

I don't think there will ever be an edit button in the comments section. That probably suits the NZGamer points wh**es just fine!

 

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On 23 June 2009, 08:30PM Posted by dman

Reply to ShadowKnightFTW20 June 2009, 03:55PM
Blonde?

thats jessica Shobot she works for IGN

 

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On 23 June 2009, 11:48PM Posted by Oliver

Reply to dman23 June 2009, 08:30PM
thats jessica Shobot she works for IGN

Yeah but I think they were confused between her and the dog. :)

 

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On 25 June 2009, 10:26AM Posted by simcharles

Reply to Oliver23 June 2009, 11:48PM
Yeah but I think they were confused between her and the dog. :)

Yes yes I was trying to be funny.

Haha but the blonde girl licking the PSP is pretty!

AND that dog is mighty ugly!!

 

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On 25 June 2009, 10:28AM Posted by simcharles

Ohhhhh! I found her!
I googled her.
I think I'll just stick to the image of the PSP. Not as good elsewhere.
Although I did see her licking what looked likea MacBook on Google... She likes licking things...

 

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On 27 June 2009, 02:15AM Posted by Oliver

Reply to simcharles25 June 2009, 10:28AM
Ohhhhh! I found her! I googled her. I think I'll just stick to the image of the PSP. Not as good elsewhere. Although I did see her licking what looked likea MacBook on Google... She likes licking things...

Lol I'm glad my blog inspired someone. Nut yeah, she does look pretty heavily made-up. Must be hiding something. Like ugliness.

 

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On 27 June 2009, 02:16AM Posted by Oliver

Haha I said "nut"!

I meant "but". Hehe, but.

 

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On 30 June 2009, 06:57PM Posted by Axel

Great blog!
I totally agree with you.

 

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On 30 July 2009, 01:16AM Posted by Oliver

Thought I might add that I've somewhat eased up on the idea of the Go now. I might blog about it again.

 

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On 23 August 2009, 11:32PM Posted by Oliver

Reply to Oliver30 July 2009, 01:16AM
Thought I might add that I've somewhat eased up on the idea of the Go now. I might blog about it again.

...Until I saw the what the price will probably be (see my next blog).

 

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On 25 August 2009, 02:23PM Posted by stungaf

Reply to Oliver27 June 2009, 02:15AM
Lol I'm glad my blog inspired someone. Nut yeah, she does look pretty heavily made-up. Must be hiding something. Like ugliness.

god bless google:

http://babesmedia.entertainment.ign.com/babes/image/article/622/622426/babe-interview-jessica-horn-20050606083215085.jpg

http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/729/729724/bozon-ign-blog-pics--20070706070625115.jpg

 

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On 25 August 2009, 02:26PM Posted by Oliver

Reply to stungaf25 August 2009, 02:23PM
god bless google: http://babesmedia.entertainment.ign.com/babes/image/article/622/622426/babe-interview-jessica-horn-20050606083215085.jpg http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/729/729724/bozon-ign-blog-pics--20070706070625115.jpg

Haha yeah I think she does IGN's daily fix videos or whatever they called.

 

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On 26 November 2009, 10:09PM Posted by ryanrayx2

I completely agree with you.