The most recent handheld battle has been won for a long time but there might be another, far more fierce and interesting one just around the corner.
Outside of its native Japan, the PSP has had uninspiring hardware sales and very poor software sales. Repeated, tweaked iterations leading up to the near-disaster that was the PSPGo haven’t helped it gain much more traction in the West. Even in Japan, the ‘Go is often embarrassed in sales charts by its forebears as much as its competitors.
Piracy has been a big problem on older models and the inconsistently priced and under supported (by third parties, at least) digital distribution model enforced by the latest hardware have all had a detrimental affect on the image of Sony’s powerful little console.
The Nintendo console has been another story. Similar piracy problems have not made the same impact on its software sales (although it has sometimes been a struggle) with slow burning flagship titles that maintain their retail price for many months, even years, longer than the industry norm. The relatively inexpensive manufacturing costs of the DS range mean that Nintendo have been making a profit on the machine since the very early days and it has long been the market leader in terms of total unit sales.
But that’s all history. The handheld race is hotting up again, with Apple making big grabs for the casual mobile gaming market in the West and a new breed of dedicated handhelds in the news.
[drop]It’s probably fair to say that the Nintendo 3DS has had a lukewarm reception. Critics have cynically moaned about a lack of strong first party titles in the launch line up and, despite all noises to the contrary, sales don’t seem to have been as strong as expected. At least, the ‘sell out’ we were told to expect seems a long way from happening. It’s still making money, of course, with recent reckonings that the production costs were under $105.The hugely over-stated crashing issue has also been a slight mark on the launch. While it’s almost certainly not as big a problem as some would seem to want to imply, it is bad press around a console launch and that’s never good.
But the 3DS does so many things right that, now the ageing PSP has lost its graphical superiority (one or two titles aside, what I’ve seen on the 3DS is at least equal to the PSP standards) it’s difficult to see any life left in that old dog.
The headline gimmick is, of course, the 3D support. It is impressive when it’s just right and it will probably see some very interesting and imaginative use in the future. I don’t think it’s the killer feature though. For me, the 3DS’ bump in power, solid construction and that fantastic analogue controller (the Circle Pad) all form a solid base which gives the console a familiar and firm footing.
I think the augmented reality functions are going to be a much more interesting and important feature set in the future. AR gaming is just starting to take off with Apple’s iPhone another serious platform for its use and Kinect, Move (Start the Party, EyePet, etc.) and even the PSP (Invizimals) pushing it into the spotlight. I’m certainly no industry analyst but I think there’s more of a future for AR than there is for 3D and the Nintendo 3DS is the first handheld, even the first dedicated console, to ship with that functionality at launch.
The biggest thing the 3DS does though, for me at least, is embrace a connected lifestyle. The new system of adding friends is still not perfect but it is a huge step in the right direction. Connected ways to play with friends are all there for developers to make the best of, right out of the box. The SpotPass and StreetPass functions have the potential to make the handheld a social media device (admittedly, in a limited way) and play to the modern desire for on demand or pushed media. These are all things that are either decent improvements on older standards or new implementations which it would be unwise to ignore.
Now, the PSP is in the Autumn of its life. Successes (at least critically) for the platform’s take on the Metal Gear Solid and God of War franchises feel very much like isolated instances rather than a sustained barrage of quality software. With the release of the 3DS facing off the PSP’s longstanding graphical advantage and the ever increasing seriousness with which the iOS devices are targeting the more casual end of the market, it becomes difficult to see where the PSP can score a victory.
[drop2]Of course, this all leads us to the next generation of Sony handhelds. It would seem that the tough battle fought by the powerful PSP against the gimmicky value of the DS has not taught Sony any lessons. The NGP looks like a beast, in terms of power and features. Once again it will go to market competing against a significantly less powerful, gimmicky, machine. But this time it can be different.Sony will doubtless be investing heavily in security to prevent piracy. While nothing is ever going to guarantee them a pirate-free future, they should be able to buy themselves a decent head start on the hackers. Their return to physical media seems to indicate that they at least learned the lessons taught by the PSPGo’s lack of success and flash memory rather than expensive, battery-draining proprietary disc formats is a complete no-brainer. Two big hurdles jumped, then.
The multiple input options (buttons, touch, gyro, rear touch, etc.) have the potential to become overused and messy but they also allow developers a huge range of freedom to experiment and make much more immersive experiences. While they might be crammed in to every game just because they’re available, they could be used imaginatively to enhance the interface between game and gamer. The important thing is that the option is there in the hardware.
The NGP also looks set to feature similar, possibly more powerful (thanks to 3G), connectivity to the 3DS. With WiFi hotspots becoming more common and 3G signals ubiquitous in most major cities, the NGP has the potential to be constantly connected, continuously updating and evolving, while it sits in your pocket.
But that’s the future. Today, the handheld battle that was largely already won by the DS has been decisively concluded by a new player. The future of the market looks interesting, if Sony can firm up their plans and refine their manufacturing process for the NGP. So, it’s safe to say that while this battle was won by Nintendo, the war is still ongoing and Sony have a new tank in development.
As for the PSP? Well, I think it’s time for a nice quiet retirement while the new generation takes up arms.
forevercloud3000
I always find it baffling that people discount the PSP as having no games. I cannot remember the last time I saw a GOOD game come out for DS. Yes, it gets new games by the truck load every month it seems but the quality of said games makes many gamer’s eyes glaze over.
Meanwhile, the PSP has been consistantly been releasing stellar games. God of War 1&2, Persona, P3, Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker,Patapon 1 and 2, Dissidia, Birth By Sleep,Crimson Gem Saga, etc, etc. In the Last 2 Weeks Duodecim, The 3rd Birthday, God Eater Burst, and Legend of Heroes VI:Trails in the Sky released.
colossalblue
I think that perhaps the issue lies in the kind of games released. The PSP does quite well for (J)RPGs (I bought the limited edition of Persona!) but it hasn’t delivered too well on action games or shooters. Sure, Peace Walker was exceptional (I think I reviewed it and scored it 9/10) and the God of War games were very good but elsewhere it has been a bit of a let down.
I don’t really know (which is why I wrote this article – to explore), it just feels like the PSP hasn’t really reached its potential and has now been cut adrift. It’s certainly not supported at retail in my local shops. I know several specialist games retailers that don’t even sell new PSP games anymore and even where they are sold, shelf space is hardly plentiful or premium.
As for developer support, many have hinted that they won’t bother with the PSP anymore because sales are so low and games fail to impact the market. Square do still seem to support it with quality but even Sony haven’t had much on the horizon to get excited about since GTPSP, LBP, ModNation and GoW. It really feels (to me) like it was being wound-down and retired in time for the NGP’s arrival.
MornelitheVT
It’s pretty much fanboy rubbish Colossalblue, and no, I’m not calling you a fanboy. It’s simply what we hear the most regarding Sony’s machines, they have no games. Unfortunately, the people saying it are mouthbreather’s, who’ll do anything to smack talk the competition.
But, it’s undeniable that after hearing a thing just so many times, you start to believe it. And that’s pretty much been the main thought process of every fanboy out there.
zanderman
the biggest problem with the PSP was marketing.
EVERY person I talked to had no idea the PSP could play PS1 games. Regarding PSP games, the PSP has had alot of very high quality games released in every genre, its just that they are overclouded by the mass of JRPG’s., I could reel of a list of 30 must haves on the PSP, I can list two average games on the DS, thats as good as it got before the torrent of ‘project walkway’. But then again, if you dont know about games, how can you buy them?
Mad world is a stunningly brilliant game for the Wii but, sales wise didn’t make the cut, because noone knew of it.
A lesson I’ve learned in 20 years of gaming is; check out EVERYTHING. Because the media wont tell you everything. I feel sorry for fanboys who dismiss something out of hand because its not got the right badge they are missing out on so much.
I’m not being a fanboy here, but, once I bought a PSP I wondered why I spent so much on DS’s. That sounds like I’m being a fanboy, its not, all I’m saying is the DS didn’t offer what I was looking for and the media favoured the DS so I got one, but for me it was rubbish and the PSP was brilliant: this gen… who knows?
zanderman
sorry for double posting.
@CollosalBlue, I heard that Sony were keeping the PSP going alongside the 3DS to pick up gamers dissatisfied or tired with Nintendo as a cheaper alternative, as 3DS to PSP the graphics are very similiar but offer two completely different experiences with very little outlay from Sony. Leaving the NGP to capture a completely different demographic to both, hardcore gamers looking for the REAL console gaming experience in a handheld
Watchful
@zanderman “Mad world is a stunningly brilliant game for the Wii but, sales wise didn’t make the cut, because noone knew of it.”
It’s certainly not the case that no one knew of it. Sega put a great deal of effort into its marketing. Beyond the games press it had several dedicated websites, a viral campaign and TV ads. It even got plenty of tabloid mentions because of its marketing, which the usual suspects deemed offensive.
Sega tried to give the ‘hardcore’ gamers what they kept saying they wanted, a ‘proper’ game on the Wii, and those gamers responded by not buying it droves. It failed simply because it was on the Wii, not through a lack of marketing.
Mossychops
I feel people will see the 3DS as just a new DS, So Nintendo will have to bring out a new hand held console in two to three years time.
So yes the 3DS is competing with the PSP not the NGP.
Watchful
The 3DS has given the NGP a massive helping hand in one area though; battery life. If the 3DS boasted similar battery life (10-12 hours and up) to the other members of the DS family the NGP would be in trouble as the expectation with handheld devices is that they’ll last all day.
The 3DS is reversing the trend and lowering those expectations. So if Sony can get the battery life up into the 3-5 hours range they will be on a par with the 3DS and what could have been a significant criticism of the NGP will have evaporated.
There must have been some huge sighs of relief in Sony’s engineering and marketing teams when the 3DS’ battery life was confirmed.
Dange
PSP killer? I don’t think so, PSP2 will be the PSP killer.
Dange
Why don’t the devs jut convert the 3DS games across to the PSP, fair enough they wont be in 3D but the graphics will be up to scratch. PSP is still decent.