IGN: Should Sony Abandon the PSP?

[SargeSmash]

Poll needs a "maybe" option.

As an owner of both a PSP and a DS, I can say, at least in my dealings with both systems, that the amount of legitimate game-playing that I do occurs on the DS, simply because the library overall is stronger. There may be a bunch of crappy games, but there are a ton of great ones as well, and those far outnumber what is available on the PSP.

That being said, as a general, multi-purpose device, I use the PSP more. Granted, I've never used it much as a music / video player (I've got an iPhone and an Archos AV500 for that), but the capability is there and quite decent. And while the gaming library isn't quite up to snuff compared to the DS, it's nowhere near the pain of previous non-Nintendo handhelds. There's some truly good stuff there. It's just not enough. And the ability to emulate older systems and PSX (I've got a pretty substantial PSX library) made it worth the purchase. Provided you've got a model capable of going the custom firmware route.

I'm not sure if they should kill it or not. The longer they keep it alive, though, the more it validates my purchase. I'm hoping for at least a mini-revival of the system, enough to make a bit more progress on some of the emulators on the system. But beyond that... it might be more advantageous to move to a new handheld. For both sides. And while they'll never do it, part of the PSP's appeal very much was emulation and homebrew, so Sony should at least consider allowing something along those lines. Perhaps something like Apple's AppStore, but less restrictive, for the next handheld.

 

[Feels Good Man]

Also, if the PSP dies out = no competition for nintendo = the start of the DS' decline

Competition is good.

 

[Canonbeat234]

PSP shouldn't go away, I personally feel it shouldn't be too generic! From what I saw as far as PSP games goes, they don't have a game that stands out. Lumines anyone, oh no wait that wasn't mention here. This is the reason why I feel Sony shot themselves in the foot. Where's a good Spyro or Crash Bandicoot PSP game? Jak and Dexter is on the PSP plus Racket and Clank. They weren't the original underdogs as far as Sony's mascot from the PS1!

Now since I don't really play the PSP nor have any PSP games, I can't argue from solid evidence. What I believe is that the PSP was mainly focus on homebrewing and playing emulators since it has that capability. That actually made the PSP famous to be truthful since a lot of newcomers and Sony fanboys began to use methods of hacking their handhelds just to that desirable setting they were looking for (i.e., the PSP that has LED's which light up when playing music or cutting it on). The PSP games were only good when it came from either a RPG (Persona, Final Fantasy, or some other Japanese rpg) or Fighting (Street Fighter). This when the backlash came in, since PSP games in general can fuck up if you don't take care of the UMD correcly, that's a waste of 30, 40, or 50 dollars from your wallet (Now I don't know if you can send the broken UMD back to sony and they give you a new one; it will be a nice suggestion). Then most times the PSP is usually use for media only since it can play movies and music. The downside isn't coming from the PSP in general but the games and how fragile they can be if you take care of them properly.

That's all I have to type since I'm only referring from my personal belief and not actual facts. In the end if Sony can do one thing and that is. Put classic PSP games on prices around $19.99-$29.99 (People can afford them at this price range)

 

[Bladexdsl]

Bu have you considered the capabilities of the PSP when it comes to graphics?
when are you going to learn graphics don't mean shit.
QUOTEIf you didn't realize, the PSP can play your Videos and Music whether you have CFW or not

so can my ipod your point is?

 

[SargeSmash]

Where's a good Spyro or Crash Bandicoot PSP game? Jak and Dexter is on the PSP plus Racket and Clank. They weren't the original underdogs as far as Sony's mascot from the PS1!

You almost answered your own question there. Given that Naughty Dog doesn't have the rights to Crash Bandicoot anymore, and that Insomniac doesn't have rights to Spyro (I believe both are in the hands of Universal), you're not going to see too many good games in that series. They've moved on to, well, Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank, and even then, the PSP entries have been created by outside development studios.

 

[zuron7]

I think ALL HANDHELDS should be scrapped and new ones should be made FROM SCRATCH.

 

[rockstar99]

Bu have you considered the capabilities of the PSP when it comes to graphics?
when are you going to learn graphics don't mean shit.
QUOTEIf you didn't realize, the PSP can play your Videos and Music whether you have CFW or not

so can my ipod your point is?

1.what do you mean?
2.So what if your ipod can play music/videos the psp can too so whats wrong with it it jusy makes its better because it has that extra feature

 

[Hadrian]

psp has had no worthwhile releases in a very long time. upcoming game list is barren.

Just recently got another PSP and to be honest it has always had a good lot of games and more recently with the likes of LittleBigPlanet, Motorstorm, Badman, Half Minute Hero, Tekken 6, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, LocoRoco Midnight Carnival and some very good PSP Minis games (which beat DSiWare hands down) which I'm enjoying a lot more than the stuff the DS got at the same time.

DS may have a shit load of games released each month but how many of them are actually good? Quality > quantity.

Its ignorant comments like this that get on my nerves, if your a Sony hater then good for you but don't piss on the efforts by some extremely talented game developers. I still prefer the DS library but any REAL gamer must accept that the PSP has a very good library of games, it may not be as big but for me the quality is high.

As for the topic title, no not really the PSP has been extremely successful selling over 50 million consoles. Not exactly a failure and interest in it has increased, if it makes them money then they should keep at it though they really should try harder with the eventual PSP 4000 because the Go was a massive let down.

 

[Law]

lol ign

 

[BlueStar]

The biggest drawback of the PSP is that it's too powerful. Sony were trying to put a home gaming experience in your hand, literally a "portable playstation." That basically led developers to just churn out slightly shitter versions of the same games and same type of games you can already play at home. The DS's limited power and 'gimmicks' (ie touch screen and dual screens) may be a ham fisted afterthought to some developers, but when talented people see the potential there, or are willing to operate within the confines of the device, creating a game that actually works on a small screen, bears in mind the stop-go nature of handheld gaming and uses the DSs unique features well you get a great handheld title you just can't play anywhere else.

Exceptions like Half Minute Hero, a great portable title for the PSP, are often sadly overlooked, because people expect this "home console in your pocket" feeling. But some games are suited to sitting at home and playing, some games work well on a small screen on the bus. Sony's version of Nintendo's shovelware horse games are these titles, Tony Hawks PSP, Tomb Raider PSP, Serious Racing Game PSP, World War Shooter PSP, the lazy shoe-horning of console games that should be left in the home into a litle box with a screen rather than the creating of a truly unique hand-held title.

 

[RupeeClock]

I need to start off by saying IGN sucks, they never have any fucking clue what they're saying.

But about the issue regarding Sony's PSP, well the PSP Go was a huuuuuge mistake, but the whole issue was just that the DS was such a large competitor, and it became so easy to pirate on the PSP.
I don't have a PSP, so I can't really say what went wrong...but Sony seems to have a knack for bad decisions yet being successful later on.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

LolIGN.

The PSP has sold more than the PS3, and in time it'll sell more than the Gameboy Advance, odds are. The PSP Go was a horrific mistake, but the PSP is a sound system that gets decent sales and a great selection of A-list titles.

You're saying that the PS3 is casual now? Yeah, sure. Just because it can play fancy movies and LittleBigPlanet doesn't make it casual. People buy a PS3 to play hardcore PS3 games. It got a spike in the holidays because, thing is, it went from an outrageous price point to something in reach for your average family. Hell, if money wasn't so tight this year I could've even gotten one.

The article should be "Should Sony Abandon the PSP Go?", in which the answer would be yes. It's a crappy system, and when you don't even have big releases like Birth By Sleep coming to it, you know it's a doomed system.

 

[Jamstruth]

The PSP has serious potential still. It just doesn't appeal to the kiddy or casual audiences so much but more to the core games. The PSP's specs are HUGE compared to the DSes and with custom firmware allowing me to easily convert my PS1 games for it I'm gonna be using my PSP a lot. A lot of the time I lose myself focussed in on that screen and feel like I'm playing a home console the graphics are so good in comparison with my DS.

Also there's the problem of price, the DS is £50 cheaper than a PSP-3000 and seems a lot less daunting to the average consumer. A PSP requires a memory stick for any gampelay and if you want to download a lot of games you need a rather large one something which would easily daunt a casual gamer compared to the DS which simply uses cartridges with saves that almost never corrupt (while it is unlikely on an MSProDuo it is more likely than on carts) Dses also seem less fragile due to their lack of any moving parts unlike the UMD run PSP.

Basically: Don't abandon it but encourage it. The PSP needs a few more developers on it than the Sony mainstays of Square and the like.

 

[Deleted_171835]

Rofl.

What the crap?!

 

[Gaisuto]

I don't know a single person, online or in person, who has a PSP that's not modded. They all are.
Though you know what Sony needs to do? Drop the PSP. Just put the PSP games on Playstation Network (Which a bunch already are), and just let you play them on the PS3.

I guarantee almost everyone with a PS3 would buy and download Dissidia if they did that.

 

[Seek01]

This generation IMO is the best for handhelds. The DS and PSP have both wide variety of good game if you LIKE video games. A lot of people don't seem to like video games that much and claim either the DS or PSP don't have a good library, which is false.

The PSP has been holding SCE up for the last 5 years until recently when the PS3 actually became "somewhat" profitable. That console has a good 2 more years into it, saying Sony should abandon it is just trying to start some bickering among fanboys

 

[Ferrariman]

PSP is the harborer of shitty console ports.

 

[Range-TE]

IMO, The PSP shouldnt be abandoned , cause as for this generation of hand held there are 2 , DS and psp.
they are two very different consoles, so if people wants more hard-core games with Great graphics , they could get psp. if they want a more affordable price with a LARGEr library of games , and legend games like mario ,zelda etc they go for DS.

so they balance things out and satisfies all kinds of gamer together

but, maybe the psp library needs a little something to make it go (no PSPgo pun intended) , srsly the DS has games like Miles Edgeworth for us to look forward too.
Emulation (specifically n64 and PSone) on the go

 

[driverzx]

All my mates who had a PSP sold it. That says something: the PSP looks great, but lacks in great games. The ones I'd like to play are LBP and God of War, which are poor ports from PS3 games. And don't forget about the disaster named UMD guys. I wouldn't mind Sony dropping the flopped PSP.

 

[Law]

All my mates who had a PSP sold it. That says something: the PSP looks great, but lacks in great games. The ones I'd like to play are LBP and God of War, which are poor ports from PS3 games. And don't forget about the disaster named UMD guys. I wouldn't mind Sony dropping the flopped PSP.

How is God of War a port of a PS3 game?

edit: I haven't played it yet, but I'm pretty sure LBP PSP isn't a port either.