Well the PSP2 has finally been unvieled but one of the biggest things of the announcement has barely been talked about. That is the supposed end to the PlayStation brand in portables, could the NGP be the beginning of the end for the PlayStation brand?

The PlayStation brand launched in the mid 90's to huge fanfare the PSOne sold millions of units. The PS2 went on to sell even more then the PSOne. The PS3 began the downturn of the brand, Sony had said people would get two jobs just to buy the newest PlayStation and they were wrong. The PSP launched alittle while later and failed to defeate Nintendo though it did a very admiral job becoming the most successful Non-Nintendo handheld. The brand itself has been tarnished by the PS3 and less so by the PSP.

Now Sony appears to be changing course with its PlayStation brand. The PSPhone was leaked and talked about everyone thought for sure this was Sony bringing the PlayStation brand to the phone market. However once revealed the PSPhone actually did not carry the PlayStation brand to my knowledge though the device has not launched. The PSP2 also got called something else instead of PSP2 it got the name NGP (Next Gen Portable). Dropping the PlayStation brand from the handheld world pretty much altogether.

Why did Sony drop the PS brand from PSP2 and the PSPhone is unclear. It is also unclear whether Sony will change its mind last minute and include the PlayStation name in the final product. However it is interesting to see Sony drifting away from the PlayStation brand.

If Sony doesn't add the PlayStation branding to the final consoles what does this mean for PS4? Will Sony retain the PlayStation brand for PS4 or will Sony drop the PlayStation name altogether and start fresh. Their are benefits to Sony dropping the PlayStation brand as well as draw backs. The biggest benefit I see is consumers won't all link PlayStation to the new console, so their bad experiances with pricing and such for PS3 won't carry over to PS4. Look at Nintendo's GameCube had the Wii been called GameCube2 would it have sold as well? Probably not due to people having bad memories of the GameCube's brand name.

If Sony is looking to target new audiences a name change could make that way easier. No longer would new consumers compare their newest system to the last one. A whole new product brand could stimulate higher sales. At the same time the new brand could harm sales as non-hardcore gamers might not make the connection between the last console and the new one, though I doubt that will be a problem with the Sony label present on the package.

I know PSN will be used on the PSP2 I also know a PStore will be availible on the PSPhone so the drop would be external not internal. Would the inclusion of the PlayStation brand online defeate the purpose of dropping the PS brand from the product's name? Also the NGP includes the PlayStation brand on the console but it doesn't match up with Sony not calling it PSP2. Will the brand remain on the final product or will Sony launch a new brand?

So what do you think, could a move away from the PlayStation brand benefit Sony in the long run, will it hurt in the short run. Whats your opinion should Sony hang on to the PlayStation brand?

They do use the PlayStation branding though. NPG is a codename and not the official name, and the unit has 'PlayStation' written on it, and while the PSPhone isn't actually a PlayStation phone, it's a phone designed to utilize the PlayStation Suite. In truth, Sony is expanding the PS brand to all Android phones using the PS Suite. So PS isn't going anywhere.

The name is on it, but officially they didn't call it the PSP2, maybe they will call it the PSP Next Gen. The point the thread is making is should Sony drop the PS brand as they have hinted they might (By not naming it PSP2) The PSPhone also did not carry the name. Or will they use a new name and include the PlayStation brand on the phsyical unit.

Sony really has me puzzled with the NGP!

Maybe, but I don't see any indication that the PS brand is going anywhere.

It's written PlayStation right under the screen... 

Besides, you are quite the thread starter lately, aren't you? And they rarely bring something positive or new to the table. 

Couldn't you have put all this NGP trolling in one thread, would have been less of a bother that way.

I tend to create alot of threads when new announcements are made. I also try to create innovative threads that challenge conceptions and idealogies. What I am trying to do is get people thinking, also I don't duplicate threads so I would say they are new to the table. Considering the NGP was just announced its pretty hard not to bring something new to the table.

I've created four threads about the NGP tonight. This one probably being the last. I hope it gets people thinking, What would happen if Sony does indeed drop the PlayStation brand from the handhelds? Could the PSPhone benefit more from official PlayStation branding, would NGP benefit more from PlayStation branding or lack there of.

Just trying to encourage thought

This isn't trolling. I have not set out to get people upset insult a group of people or cause any kind of trouble.  Definition of trolling

"Being a prick on the internet because you can. Typically unleashing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks on an innocent by-stander, because it's the internet"

I am not making any hostile remarks against Sony or its fanbase. I am not baiting the thread to start a flame war or insight trouble. I am simply creating threads to get people thinking, their should always be a balance between negative and positive. Right now most of the threads are positive I am simply showing the negative as well as positive.

This thread in particular was supposed to be nuetral and get people thinking of the PlayStation brand.The title might have been abit provacative but the thread itself was not meant to be.

Okay, "trolling" is probably the wrong chioce of word, I apologise. But you have to admit that all 4 threads you've posted have had some sort of negative connotation. You have a thread titled "Is NGP too big?". Where is the thread titled "Is augmented reality the future of handhelds?"

That would promote the kind of open discussion you are looking for but with a neutral viewpoint.

Its on the gaming board as I was refering to both 3DS and NGP. I was trying to do so with this thread as well, neutral that is. When I write threads I try to always point out positives even if the thread is negative, because I want both parties to feel free to chat in my threads. I try to remain neutral believe it or not, for the most part, but I do slip up from time to time.

But look into my other threads, I write negative and positive threads about all three companies. I usually get flack from fans of all three companies when I write on their perspective boards, though it is not my intent to anger people. Just to create a mature topic where people can freely express their opinions on any given subject.

I hope you like the Augmented reality thread, I wrote it before this one!