Quote: 

I'm very happy we didn't get into it, because launching a handheld platform is like launching another Xbox 360. You have to be fully committed, as an organisation, from a resource standpoint, to doing that. Frankly we've got a lot on our plate with Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. We don't have any experience in that space. Our content assets don't naturally lend themselves to driving success in that particular market.

 SHANE KIM

Fixed.

 Microsoft's PR deparment is award winning.

 LOL

They should be. Getting fucked over by the greatest handheld ever and then getting re-fucked over by another strong handheld would have hurt.

They may be able to survive in the console market but they would have been absolutely raped in the handheld market in my opinion.

Not only would they not appeal to the handheld crowd as Nintendo has they would also have been less likely to make a multimedia device like Sony has. I actually think that if they had tried they would have essentially made a PSP (basically a last generation console turned portable) without the things that make the PSP attractive (multimedia, homebrew, emulation).

This guy is pretty much spot on "Our content assets don't naturally lend themselves to driving success in that particular market."

What he should have said :P

smbu2000 said: Oh so Sony did that on purpose then? allowing the homebrew and emulation. Can you get that using an official firmware??? I'm confused because the PSP I bought for my girlfriend can't do homebrew and emulation. She has the official Sony firmware on there too. Please explain to me why Sony would allow all of this illegal game copying on their handheld to improve it for the company???

 Where did I claim Sony did it on purpose? They didn't want it to happen, it killed their software sales. However it has happened and it is one of the main draw cards of the PSP.

I agree with Rath. I'm thinking of buying one myself just so I can play some of my favourite N64 games which are unlikely to ever grace the VC - Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark etc. In terms of emulation, it's pretty hard to beat.

I think Homebrew is both the saving grace and the demise of the PSP , on one side the PSP would probably have 33-50% less install base without homebrew on the other praticaly every I know that bought a PSP 2 years after it's launched bought it for the sole purpose of running unauthroised code on it.

So it's really a matter of longevitiy vs profiability .I think Sony could still make alot of money of PSP's if they can reduce the Price Per unit and support it with more software.

Maybe he's throwing us a curveball...

Maybe the X-Mote is their handheld system?