Why PSP is failing us......and how Sony can save it

The words 'gathering dust' seem to be synonymous with PSP and this recent ad from US retailer EB offering shoppers the chance to trade in the past (PSP) for the future (DS) pretty much sums up the dwindling enthusiasm for Sony's handheld.

But why is Sony's elegant, versatile and frighteningly powerful handheld failing to excite us? Gamesradar.com look at some of the problems that have seemingly dumped any love for the device in the doldrums and offer some fixes to help PSP get back on the right track.

[specialguest]

There's no killer app and not enough casual pickup-and-play funfactor type of games like Lumines. Also, if downloadable independant games that were meant for the PS3 like flOw were compatiple with the PSP, then that would be a huge plus. I'm sure it could be possible with firmware upgrades.

[Marriot VP]

ohh wow, I forgot about that pic. What a catastrophe that was.

Anyways the reason PSP isn't selling anywhere close to the DS is because people don't want to play complicated graphically wowing games in the car. They want to have juvenial fun, like mariocart and what not.

I don't have a PSP or DS for the record, not one of those mobile tech junkies

[MikeGdaGod]

i must be one of the few people that get a lot of use outta their psp. i think the marketing for it is the reason its behind. sometimes when people see me with mine they ask a lot of questions about what can do and how much it cost. some have never heard of it at all. i use it everyday though. nothing is better than playing Madden at work.

[PureGamer]

but its there gathering dust i got it on launch day here in england and have bought about 5 games for it ill be trading it in for my PS3 gets £100 quid off so why not eh :)

funny thing is i dont like the DS either ive had the boring silver big one traded that in for my PSP then i bought the slim black one but was bored of that aswell so i traded that back in lol I must not like moblie gaming.

[Underlined]

FINAL FANTASY FINAL FANTASY FINAL FANTASY FINAL FANTASY FINAL FANTASY FINAL FANTASY, get the point?

[wolfgang]

YES WE DO YES WE DO YES WE DO YES WE DO YES WE DO YES WE DO , please let go of the caplock.

[wolfgang]

Is it just me or all of sony's disastrous ad campaign were for the PSP ? The graffitis, this racist picture, the "all I want for christmas" web site which turn out to be a bunch of viral marketeer.

[Covenant]

1. Movie downloads instead of UMD. Why Sony, with all of their film assets, hasn't done this is beyond me.

2. Less ports, more original content. "We simply didn't buy a PSP to play second-rate versions of games we already own." Couldn't have said it better myself.

3. Better first-party support.

4. Better ad campaigns. The bad viral campaign, the racist billboards, the incoherent dust motes--who is this supposed to appeal to? DS has thrived by finding something for everyone, and not just 14-25 year old males, which is what the PSP seems to be marketed to.

There's hope for the system, but Sony needs to address the above issues, and a smaller, redesigned system with 2 thumbsticks and more memory wouldn't hurt.

My .02 worth.