MikeB said:
@ mibuokami
I'm sorry but it's clear that Sony had greater expectation for the UMD format that goes beyond just a medium to distribute games.
Of course, their PR folk would try to be overly positive with regard to the format (it's an effective sales tactic, which payed off pretty well the first couple of years).
And even in 2009 various new UMD movies have been released, so the format isn't only used to distribute games.
and the fact that Sony is now choosing to forgo it's inclusion in the next iteration of the PSP just proves this
I don't agree, UMD made sense for the PSP back in 2004 (far more so than cartridges for a powerful handheld gaming console like the PSP). I think online distribution of portable games and movies make far more sense today for the PSP, so IMO the PSP is merely evolving.
Think about it, big internal flash drives, widespread broadband internet coverage, small screen => small storage capacity movies and games. IMO the time is right to evolve in this direction!
Technically I think it's a lot cleaner, having to worry less about the vulnerable media and moving parts in a handheld portable device (needs to be sturdy and provide long battery life).
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You can hardly called the amount of money spent in developing and endorsing the product a PR stunt! Like you said so yourself, the UMD had a moderately successful first year but began nosediving by the end of the second. Do you consider the Laserdisk a success? It also started out well before being relegated to a niche market. It is widely considered a failed format and the UMD despite not competing for the same market has a very similiar story.
PR stunt sounds extremely weak considering the huge ambitious plans Sony outlined back then don't they? What about Sony's answer to the Istore? Sony has confirmed that they are shelving the service after making some grand promises of its viability when it was first launched, is that a PR stunt too?
What does this tell you? The inferior format used by the DS is still is widely accept while the UMD is being phased out as a cumbersome and noisy technology. Sony created a product that neither aged well nor create enough market space to be considered mainstream. It makes sense to discard the technology that is combersome or obselete.
What I think we have here is the inability to agree on the definition of Failure.
