250°

Sony NGP (PSP2) Price NOT too High, Says Sony

Sony told tech news sites earlier during an interview that they’ve learned a valuable lesson with their last gaming console release, the PS3 that the price of the hardware during launch can spell success or failure of the product. They’ve hinted earlier that the Sony NGP or PSP2 won’t be priced as high as the failed PSPGo.

During the Sony NGP or PSP2 development, Sony decided not to put all the features that they were planning to keep the cost of the handheld down.

LOGICWINS4839d ago (Edited 4839d ago )

Hmm...the price certaintly isn't too high for what your getting. In fact, I'd say its a good deal.

Heres the problem...not everyone can take advantage of a good deal

For example, in 2006, the PS3 launched at $600. This was a great deal considering Blu-ray players ALONE sold for $600-$1,000 at this time. Still, $600 was too steep for a home console for MOST consumers.

Another example, a Lamborghini that originally costs $1,000,000 drops to $250,000. Thats a 75% price drop. Most would say that its a great deal....but how many people have $250,000 laying around for a new car?

$300 for a portable console(even as technologically brilliant as the PSP2) is a tough sell considering you can buy a next gen console or 6-7 games for the same price.

golsilva4839d ago

yeah but the comparison will definitely help it. If the ngp is really $300 then it would only cost $50 more than the 3ds. Now in terms of hardware features, you get so much more value with the extra $50 spent that will make the ngp more attractive.

DragonKnight4839d ago

Only to those who know the features. To the soccer moms who buy handhelds for their kids, $250 is better than $300. Which is very unfortunate.

Pixel_Enemy4839d ago

unfortunate for those kids. Not for me as I am smart enough to get the one I want.

Spitfire_Riggz4839d ago

Didnt they say its going to be cheaper than the GO. wasnt the GO 250? If its under that ill bust a nut.

TheLastGuardian4839d ago

As long as the 3G model is less than $400 I'll be buying a PSP2 launch day.

thats_just_prime4838d ago

I bet when you go to buy one at your loacl gamestop, bestbuy, wal mart or where ever. When the scan the bar code instead of a price it will read bend over

xAlmostPro4838d ago

@DragonKnight i see what your saying, but at the same time people are getting into gaming younger these days.. im pretty sure the kid of the soccermom will know about the devices and which one he want's after his friends decide they do or do not want one :P

still it's also a very appealing device for hardcore gamers aswell.

P.S to the guy that said "if its $300 why wouldn't people just buy a next generation home console" because you can't play them wherever you go :) that's the point in this device and the psp.

Ju4838d ago (Edited 4838d ago )

Since when shell parents out $250 like that for a toy for their kids? Boy, when I first looked into the DS it was in the range of $149. Eventually I payed $179 or something. People complain about the Go being $249 but the 3DS is cheap at the same price? Why?

That said, in that region it doesn't really matter if it is $250 or $299. I would guess Sony will be aggressive, and will price it even closer to the 3DS. What if they do? How does the price argument count then?

People who spend >= $249 know exactly what's in the little thing and if not they will call a clerk over. $249 is no impulse buy any more.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4838d ago
Sarcasm4839d ago

I agree, doesn't matter if something's a good deal or not, if it exceeds what the consumers are willing to pay, then it won't sell.

Nintendo is testing this theory with the 3DS. They priced it at $249.

Not $299, not $199, but $249. If it doesn't sell like gangbusters, then they can drop it to $199. If it DOES sell like gangbusters anyway, their next Nintendo product will be priced higher.

Masterchef20074838d ago

I read somewhere that the 3DS probably costs 100€ to make. Nintendo is pricing their handheld so high because of the sucess they had with the DS. They know that people will buy their handheld no matter what based on brand name alone. Obviously Nintendo isnt going to charge a crazy ammount but 250€ is steep considering that the DS lauched at 150€

Ju4838d ago

Am I the only one who thinks 3DS @ 249 will fail? We'll see...

pain777pas4839d ago

If this thing is like $229 or something. WOW just WOW! Sony might win this war. PS1 and PS2.....

Ju4838d ago (Edited 4838d ago )

If you compare this with some cell phones, remove some features there, but push those into faster chips (e.g. shorter battery live, faster, but less mobile features) and compare this with WiFi only devices I think Sony is on the right track here. The NGP does not need to be optimized for things cell phones are - that is mostly size and battery time - well, optimized but for different needs. This could allow them to save costs and bring the price down. $200 can buy you nice shiny smart phones - unlocked these days (at least the new wave coming).

rezzah4839d ago

The price of the PSP1 was the same and it sold well.

The same for the PSP2 is a deal.

Jockamo4839d ago

Price not TOO high (but pretty damn high).

PRICE not too high (sub fees?).

Price not too HIGH (but I for damn well am right now).

PRICE NOT TOO HIGH (...come back...).

HolyOrangeCows4838d ago

"They’ve hinted earlier that the Sony NGP or PSP2 won’t be priced as high as the failed PSPGo"

Saaaaay whaaaaat? Show me a quote or GTFO. A sub-$250 NGP? That would be awesome, but I have trouble believing it.

visualb4838d ago

Sony: "Price not TOO high"

everyone else: "WOW!...thats expensive"

=P

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4838d ago
Raven_Nomad4839d ago

Uhhh, didn't they say the same thing about the PS3?

DragonKnight4839d ago

Yeah, but they DIDN'T say "we learned our lesson from the PS2" now did they.

Stealth20k4839d ago (Edited 4839d ago )

300 for the low end model is still way higher than the 3ds.......... and its going to be high in europe

@ below
300 isnt the set price it could be 350 for the low end, 400 for the high end

who knows

DragonKnight4839d ago (Edited 4839d ago )

$50 is way higher?

EDIT: @ above: so then why would you say it's still way higher when the rumored price is only $50 higher than the 3DS and you don't know if it will be any higher than that?

DragonKnight4839d ago

LOL @ disagreeing with a question.

nevin14839d ago

Good points from Logicwins, golsilva and Raven_Nomad.

Can't wait untill E3.

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150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers21d ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken20d ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g21d ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing21d ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H921d ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola21d ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn66921d ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle21d ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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130°

Sony Could Increase Your Game's Difficulty If It Sees You Complain About It

Sony has recently published a new patent that wants to dynamically handle the games' difficulty and gameplay based on the player's emotions.

jznrpg22d ago

This is something I might use. Sometimes I play some good games but they don’t have difficulty option and are a little too easy.

Profchaos22d ago

Souls games will be like that players struggling make it harder

PassNextquestion21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

I think if used correctly it could work well

jambola21d ago

cool idea
cool idea for horror games especially
the way it's explained here sounds like it could never be forced hopefully, so that's ok with me

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280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
ChasterMies42d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken42d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga42d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken42d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6442d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long41d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197241d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic41d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 41d ago
DivineHand12542d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91342d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer42d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit42d ago (Edited 42d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91341d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit41d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 41d ago
Christopher42d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6941d ago (Edited 41d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit41d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal42d ago (Edited 42d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher42d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken42d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197241d ago (Edited 41d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic41d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2342d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218342d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit41d ago (Edited 41d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder42d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts42d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

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