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Why Nintendo shouldn't be worried about the PSPGo
Some commentators think this might be the year of the PSP. Here's why Nintendo shouldn't be concerned that DS sales will suffer.
Written by Chris Schilling, 06 July 2009
An unusual thing happened the other week. A PSP game was found outside its natural habitat - in other words, it managed to infiltrate the All-Formats Top 40. Rarely has such a shocking sighting been made - yet this unusual turn of events doesn't mean that Sony's ailing console is on the rise.
Why? Well, because the game (Capcom's mega-in-Japan Monster Hunter Freedom Unite) didn't manage to chart higher than number 25 on what was by any standards a fairly quiet week for sales. And given the promotional pounds poured into an extensive marketing campaign - by both Sony and Capcom - that's probably the least it could have expected. Meanwhile, evergreen DS titles like Brain Training and Professor Layton continue to sell in huge numbers on a weekly basis.
It's true that the handheld has a barrage of big-name franchises on the way, but are they really going to change the fortunes of the PSP? Given that the hugely-popular Rock Band barely troubled the charts in its Unplugged form, it's hard to see another couple of biggies making the difference. LittleBigPlanet has a chance of doing decent numbers, as does the portable version of Gran Turismo. But these will likely prove to be short-lived spikes in an otherwise flatlining sales graph.
And the PSPGo? Well, it's not got off to the best of starts, with the majority of consumers and commentators thinking it well overpriced. Couple that with reports that certain stores - albeit independent retailers - won't even be stocking the console on its arrival (small shops they may be, but no preorders at all tells its own story) and it seems unlikely that even the DSi's fairly low-key launch will be beaten by Sony's UMD-free reboot.
It's probably just too little too late for the poor PSP at this stage in its flagging career. With the DS and its slightly slimmer, better-looking cousin the DSi seemingly unable to do any wrong - and Nintendo's marketing machine helping it dominate the charts in a way it's rarely done before on these shores - we can't see the status quo changing any time soon. And with audience-expanding titles like Style Savvy (pictured) on the way, can anyone stop the Nintendominance of the handheld market?
