^ then if it's not piracy, what is it?

Sorry I'm a bit confused..

mai said: RageBot said: I blame piracy. That's what I've been waiting for =)   @alanshearer Though I'm not sure if "dying" is a right word, but what impur1ty said, all platforms are pirated. My take on this...   There's a common believe that piracy is source of the problem. I believe it's not, not entirely. Piracy is an effect of a bigger problem, not a cause. Usually people are reffering to PSP demography, when speaking about it's piracy. According to John Koller's interview he gave to Wired this year, 40% of PSP demography are teens 13-17 y.o. (he didn't specify the details, but I suppose those're likely males), that's basicaly all info on PSP audience to date from Sony themselves afaik. Some people say this demography is likely to pirate since they have ability and knowledge to pirate and aren't fully independent financially, thus explaining relatively low PSP attach rate btw. That's a reasonable argument (but again some claim at the same time that "hardcore" buy more software - I'm confused)... but if PSP piracy is due to it's demography, therefore this rule also should work with other platforms, but it's not. According to last year's Nielsen research X360 dominant age group are male teens 12-17 y.o. (>30% time spent playing among all age groups), in other words pretty close to what Koller said about PSP demography. And despite being heavily pirated, X360 is an impressive software seller, it's attach rate is considerably higher than PS3 attach rate (and we all know the latter platform has no piracy at all). The problem with PSP is in something else than just demography that's "likely to pirate", X360 is doing well having the same people on board. What're those problems? I don't know. I assume overcrowded console market. Nowadays developers and customers have a wide range of platforms to choose from, like Wii, DS, X360, PS3 etc. PSP is literally like a fifth wheel, last choice of a developer to put a game on it, and last choice of a customer to buy something for it (not the case with Japan, since the most relevant consoles in there are DS and PSP). Other consoles are eating up PSP potential software sales, to be more precise, I reckon, those're X360 and PS3, since their dominant audiences intersect with PSP demography heavily. People are likely to spend their free money on X360/PS3 rather than PSP, while DS, yet another great software seller, unlike PSP, has an ability to differentiate oneself from home consoles with it's best-sellers aimed at wide range of ages and both sexes, unlike PSP once again.

I agree with a lot you say, but imo the PSP fails to make it's niche in the gaming world because it's games are either on other platforms, ports of other games, or low budget games that aren't as popular as DS games. I'm not interested in most PSP games because I have them on my Ps3 or they're games that just look boring. This may lead people to play emulators on the PSP. Not only that but i'm not tech savy at all yet I can manage to pirate games for a PSP. I wouldn't even know where to start for the 360 or even the PS2. Until last year I didn't even know the 360 and PS2 were hackable. Yet almost everyone knows the PSP is pirated, it's a well known fact and it spreads through word of mouth making it seem less risky to break the system or do something stupid because everyone is doing it.

Lack of brand name games that people are willing to invest in unlike DS which has Mario/pokemon etc along can drive people to justify a pirated game as well. They weren't going to buy the game anyway so might as well pirate it.

Atm the handheld market is more crowded then it usually is as well. Not since the gamegear have I remembered 2 well known brands of handhelds on the market. For most people Handhelds are things used by kids on car rides or out with friends. With 2 handhelds 1 is most likely going to be neglected.

To me all these thinigs combined ruined the PSP software sales. Just an opinion but it all starts with piracy and snowballs because of other issues.

bugrimmar said: ^ then if it's not piracy, what is it? Sorry I'm a bit confused..

too many to name. Games too expensive; the introduction of OTHER multi-functional device such as Ipod Touch,

 

I believe the biggest reason is: DS, hard to compete with 20+ years of Monopoly

letsdance said: dobby985 said: The PSP had so much potential but it has all been pissed away because Sony are complete morons and don't know how to make a successful handheld. I was their first attempt... How does that make them morons? It was a very successful attempt. Until now Nintendo had a monopoly for 20 years. Coming in and claiming 30% of the market when before you the closest the competition was less then 5% is a good thing.   Yes the PSP is dying. Its a 5 year old system. But its profitable. Its worth to keep around for a little while longer. I see 2 more years worth of life. Hell, look at Ps2 sales. Its probablly worth it to keep the psp even at those levels.

I just do not see that the "psp" is a dying system

in order for the system to die the sale's of the system would have to completely stop, an support would have to stop cold do you see that happening soon in 2 year's, you sure about that?

the PSPGo was just released, it's sales are not great but yet the support for the PSP continues and the PSP has more software support than it had 2 year's ago. why is that?

just look at the online update's for downloadable software for the PSP its increased not decreased.

there is quite a bit stiff competition in the market place, not only from Nintendo, Sony's own system's, Microsoft's offer's but also apple, now google with android. 

all of these companies are not only trying to get your money but the other most important thing other than money

and that's your Time as a consumer!

"YOUR TIME IS VERY IMPORTANT"

There is only so much time anyone has in a single day, week or month year etc. and the companies all want that 

so little bit of "Free time" that you have

if people are preoccupied with a single device, many will decide I may not need another handheld

that's why just looking at just sale's is a blind narrow factor, yes it's a big factor but so is the Consumer's Free Time

Like I said you do not have to be # 1 in the market place to be a viable product

when you have 50+ million system's in consumer's hands already and the PSP can get game's ,movies and updates through online at a cheap cost to the consumer. 

the one big advantage over previous generation's is these system's are less static. they can get update's online which keep the unit fresh with new software to tryout and play.

 

^ but the PSP has sold 50 million units. the problem is software. since people are buying the hardware, then it is actually competing well with the DS.. right?

but why aren't they buying the software? i mean, it's not like they can buy PSP games on the DS anyway..

bugrimmar said: ^ but the PSP has sold 50 million units. the problem is software. since people are buying the hardware, then it is actually competing well with the DS.. right? but why aren't they buying the software? i mean, it's not like they can buy PSP games on the DS anyway..

looking at just software sale's is also kind of narrow because once again.

"Free Time"

look would you say the market for the 

DS

an

the PSP are

the same market?

yes, but break down the age groups .

now look at the software made for each unit, now break down which main function's of each unit.

the PSP is viewed as more:

multi-media or more of a game machine?

It sells well and it's a sparkle in the Japanese developers eyes. I think it is and will keep doing ok.

More importantly, I'm watching the Matrix 2, and it really is sad that the followed up such an awesome movie with such a crappy and disjointed collection of bad philosophy and poorly cgi's action scenes.

Thoughts?

"Piracy" has nothing to do with the PSP's software sales, nor does it have the effect that the industry would have you believe. If it did, then all of the major record labels and movie studios would be out of business. I mean, for years now it's been ridiculously easy to download artists' entire discographies or a bunch of movies within hours at the most.

The problem with the PSP's software sales is the way that it was marketed from the beginning. Sony marketed it as a PMP first and a gaming device second, and that's how people used it. There are many people out there who only own/play one or two games for it and use it mostly as a portable MP3/video player.

I'll also say that as someone who's been hacking/modifying consoles and electronics for years that it's far easier, cheaper, and more convenient to mod and play downloaded games on a DS than it is on a PSP. With a DS, one needs only a USB device and knowledge of "copy & paste" whereas hacking a PSP requires modding hardware + installing and configuring software.

It won't die, but it certainly isn't performing well, and the Go! is a huge marketing flop, and degrades the brand imo.

Software sales have always been bad for the console though, with a few exceptions.

psp is a handheld for the "cool kids" I guess but usually they wear ear phones... but this is only in my school...