Is the PSP dying?

[mibuokami]

Xponent said:

FrostyTop said:
The R4 carts and similar clones used for playing backups on the DS....

True its piss easy to do, but getting the cart isn't *that* easy. They are all made in china so have to be imported and generally aren't on sale that prominently on USEU sites. Although easy enough to get if you want one.

The thing with the PSP is that you don't actually need anything at all to keep it hacked once done.

Much like the Xbox 360, no modchip or anything. If you've got the bits you can do it yourself.

 

Well that point is debatable. It's not hard to get your hands on one in my region of the globe anyway.

As for the PSP, the step involving the 'pandora's battery' sounds complicated, and difficult if you don't know someone with a hacked PSP. Furthermore, brand new PSP's can't be hacked I gather. (Much like the DSi apparently).

But I wouldn't know which is easier really, because I've never hacked a PSP. And I don't pirate DS games either. I like having physical copies, and instruction manuals. A friend of mine does own a flashcart however, and through him I can try games out first before I purchase them. Does that mean I support piracy, in an indirect way? I don't think so. At least I buy my games. My friend on the other hand, has never bought a DS game in his life.

 

The issue here is demography. What is the largest audience for the PSP? Teens and young adult? And what self respecting teen or yound adult would NOT attempt to hack their PSP when its oh-so-simple? Most of them would consider it mandatory point of honour, even if they never pirate a damn game or even play the system. The DS has a much more broader demography that include women and young children who generally either don't have the knowledge or the incentive to hack it.

Don't get me wrong, the DS is the undisputed king of the handheld and no amount of argument about PSP's piracy argument would change that, but the situation of the 2 handheld are very different.