you're talking about 10 years of cumulative sales. but that was then and this is now. gaming paradigms shift every decade to a new generation of both hardware and game concepts. it's over for the DSI and PSP. their sales are dropping like a rock. the next era of much lower priced touchscreen and "social" games is taking over rapidly. kids nowadays are growing up on these, not buttons/toggles.
sure, there will always be some hard core addicted "gamers" that have to play with their control thingees. but otherwise ....
dude (and Sony), it's over.
Try five years not ten. ie just two years longer than the iPhone.
"Proper" non-casual gaming is bigger than ever. Sales of Modren Warfare 2 were over a billion dollars - rough the same as the Avatar box office. Touch screens can never offer the gaming experience of real buttons and analog sticks. Social / Facebook might get a lot of press but don't for one second think that the video games market is over. Ten years ago video games became bigger than music and these days it dwarfs the Hollywood box office.
Try five years not ten. ie just two years longer than the iPhone.
"Proper" non-casual gaming is bigger than ever. Sales of Modren Warfare 2 were over a billion dollars - rough the same as the Avatar box office. Touch screens can never offer the gaming experience of real buttons and analog sticks. Social / Facebook might get a lot of press but don't for one second think that the video games market is over. Ten years ago video games became bigger than music and these days it dwarfs the Hollywood box office.
ok, 2004 for PSP and 2008 for DSI. same point tho, their decade is over.
yes, hard core game sales still amount to billions. we're talking addiction - just like crack. but no, they do not "dwarf" movie revenues. and do you ever notice both always report $ sales instead of units sales? (both movies and games). because price inflation makes it look like they are more popular than ever. when in fact the actual unit/ticket sales totals are declining.
no one argues these games will disappear entirely. the point is instead, they are now a permanent "niche" and the hardware sales for those prior generation portable devices will never again be anywhere near as much as in their heyday. case in point: the iPod touch alone is now outselling the DSI and PSP combined. end of story.
If it can run full PSP games, it is a big deal. Even now, a PSP phone would have instant recognition and be viewed by many as a superior gaming phone.
I'm sure Sony will mess it up though. First of all, when is the PSP2 going to show up?
Maybe this *is* the PSP2. We've only heard about standard smartphone hardware so far, but there could be additional chips inside for advanced graphics. Then Sony can position PSP2 as: an iPhone-class smartphone + extremely powerful graphics + convenient, real gaming controls. A good proposition. Perhaps the best one they can do at the moment.
The Ericsson logo messing this up? Sony could buy out Ericsson's part of the phone business, turning this into PlayPhone. PlayStation, PlayPad, PlayPhone ? that would be a nice model line-up. Hope Sony is ready to do that. Competition is always good. Will force Apple think about how to compensate for the touch feeling.
As a former PSP fan, this phone has already failed.
Gluing those ridiculous console buttons & D-pad to a phone was tried and has never taken off. Does anyone remember this atrocity:
I hope this is a sign of desperation on Sony's part, because the alternative--that they think this is a good idea--is a sign that SCE is in steep decline.
niche market? Have you got any idea just how big the handheld gaming market is?
The size of the handheld gaming market is irrelevant, this device is still for a niche market (gamers or even just hardcore gamers). It's not going to be a "mainstream" consumer or business product.
PSP sales are about 4% of the smartphone market and <1% of the total phone market. The phone market is growing, as is the smart phone segment. PSP sales are not.
So even if we assume all PSP purchases go towards the PSP Phone it's only going to account for a 4% market share shift (of the current market) toward Android. That would be great for Sony, but hardly enough to make Apple worry.
For a real impact on the smartphone market Sony needed to make their PSP store available for all Android phones (or at least ones that met certain hardware criteria).
They could have had touch only games for devices without buttons and PSP games for devices with buttons, and the entire thing could have tied into the PSN.
The N-Gage was a terrible phone and a terrible gaming device. It failed on all fronts.
Remember this?
Assuming Sony can actually make this work like a PSP GO and an Android phone at the same time without taking away from either phone or gaming experience then it should be and OK device (unlike the N-Gage).
Looking at PSP sales they might be able to sell a million a quarter. Not much of an impact on the overall mobile or smartphone market, but a good product for Sony (remember they make money from the games, not the device itself).
The size of the handheld gaming market is irrelevant, this device is still for a niche market (gamers or even just hardcore gamers). It's not going to be a "mainstream" consumer or business product.
Something like AppleTV is a niche market. Gaming is very much a mainstream pursuit.
Maybe this *is* the PSP2. We've only heard about standard smartphone hardware so far, but there could be additional chips inside for advanced graphics. Then Sony can position PSP2 as: an iPhone-class smartphone + extremely powerful graphics + convenient, real gaming controls. A good proposition. Perhaps the best one they can do at the moment.
I have wondered that too.
I know for a fact that PSP2 is on the way. It's specifications reflect a high-end mobile GPU.
And I mean high-end. PSP2 games will certainly not run on generic Android handsets.
But if this *IS* the PSP2, does that mean every parent wanting to buy their kid a handheld games machine has to pay for a mobile phone contract too? And without a contract, is this going to cost $400? $500?
Because speaking as a parent, that would be a deal killer to end all deal killers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yakovlev
The Ericsson logo messing this up… Sony could buy out Ericsson's part of the phone business, turning this into PlayPhone. PlayStation, PlayPad, PlayPhone – that would be a nice model line-up. Hope Sony is ready to do that. Competition is always good. Will force Apple think about how to compensate for the touch feeling.
Yes. No PSP branding. No Playstation branding. Yet very visible Sony Ericsson branding. My understanding was the Playstation team would rather punch themselves in the face than let this happen.
Let's face it. Eventually Apple will probably have to come out with their own remote.
Not that they have to do it to follow the pack. But there are a lot of people that will continue wanting-needing a physical remote.
Also, with them going heavy on games. And knowing that more and more complicated games will start appearing for the ATV HD TVs, they will basically become arcade type playing machines.
Sure there will always be those iPhone, Touch type games that will be typical to what they have now. But more and more. as they go into more precise controls, they will need a little different something. Or better yet, customers will continue to ask for them.
Plus it would not hurt to have a physical remote to serve the masses accustomed to that type as the ATV starts doing more and more stuff.
(P.S.; Just make sure to put a locator chip on it. I keep loosing my remotes.)
Slightly off topic, but iPad related. I do not know if you saw the news, but a few days ago, RIM showed a working model of the Playbook, and they released the SDK. The reviews were quite positive, and RIM's stock is WAY up. Looks like the Playbook is not a 9-12 months off.
Yeah! They should have showed all that at their event!
I downloaded all the SDK bits (I think), but haven't had a chance to play with it -- The Giants on their way to winning the World Series, and all.
it's over for the DSI and PSP. their sales are dropping like a rock ...
you seem to be privy to actual sales figures. where are the numbers to support such hyperbole? both Nintendo and Sony have been in the console / portable gaming market for years and will respond to conditions accordingly. they know more about that segment of the consumer market than anyone else on this forum.
As long as it is available without any kind of contract, and sold as a game console I still think it will sell well.
Now if you have to get a contract, then yes, it will hit bottom, and do so with enough force to show-up on the Richter scale as a small earthquake somewhere in the world.
If that track-pad is an actual track-pad then what we have here is the missing thumb-sticks the PSP has always been missing. Hoping it has some kind of analog triggers L & R behind that display, then we could all play FP Shooters and an iPhone could not "touch" that functionality.
We speculate this being DOA. If Sony proceeds with their old 'proprietary everything' tricks, it will be. Given the right OS and Apps/Features/Connectivity, this thing could really rock.
Given the right OS and Apps/Features/Connectivity, this thing could really rock.
I am still confused.
As a game system - adding a phone is going to make it much more expensive than a stand-alone hand-held console. The market is just not ready to buy a game system and then buy a contract with data plan.
And as a phone it's a pretty inelegant looking device.
There *is* going to be a PSP2. But if this is it, I think it could sell even less well than the first PSP.
As a game system - adding a phone is going to make it much more expensive than a stand-alone hand-held console. The market is just not ready to buy a game system and then buy a contract with data plan.
And as a phone it's a pretty inelegant looking device.
There *is* going to be a PSP2. But if this is it, I think it could sell even less well than the first PSP.
C.
The original didn't sell well because it wasn't a true Playstation portable, but a Playstation "gimped" without those analog thumb sticks, and the proprietary UMD bs.
An iPhone is a phone and a game system. This prototype looks like a game system and a phone. Instead of a QWERTY key pad it has some buttons and a track pad. Nothing out of the ordinary. If they put this out as an iPod competitor, (no phone)I would be first in line to get one - providing that it plays more than just sony media formats and no Sony memory sticks.
If they put this out as an iPod competitor, (no phone)I would be first in line to get one - providing that it plays more than just sony media formats and no Sony memory sticks.
But this *is* a phone. It's a Sony Ericsson device.
Which means it needs a contract. And would probably by $500 without a contract.
Comments
you're talking about 10 years of cumulative sales. but that was then and this is now. gaming paradigms shift every decade to a new generation of both hardware and game concepts. it's over for the DSI and PSP. their sales are dropping like a rock. the next era of much lower priced touchscreen and "social" games is taking over rapidly. kids nowadays are growing up on these, not buttons/toggles.
sure, there will always be some hard core addicted "gamers" that have to play with their control thingees. but otherwise ....
dude (and Sony), it's over.
Try five years not ten. ie just two years longer than the iPhone.
"Proper" non-casual gaming is bigger than ever. Sales of Modren Warfare 2 were over a billion dollars - rough the same as the Avatar box office. Touch screens can never offer the gaming experience of real buttons and analog sticks. Social / Facebook might get a lot of press but don't for one second think that the video games market is over. Ten years ago video games became bigger than music and these days it dwarfs the Hollywood box office.
Try five years not ten. ie just two years longer than the iPhone.
"Proper" non-casual gaming is bigger than ever. Sales of Modren Warfare 2 were over a billion dollars - rough the same as the Avatar box office. Touch screens can never offer the gaming experience of real buttons and analog sticks. Social / Facebook might get a lot of press but don't for one second think that the video games market is over. Ten years ago video games became bigger than music and these days it dwarfs the Hollywood box office.
ok, 2004 for PSP and 2008 for DSI. same point tho, their decade is over.
yes, hard core game sales still amount to billions. we're talking addiction - just like crack. but no, they do not "dwarf" movie revenues. and do you ever notice both always report $ sales instead of units sales? (both movies and games). because price inflation makes it look like they are more popular than ever. when in fact the actual unit/ticket sales totals are declining.
no one argues these games will disappear entirely. the point is instead, they are now a permanent "niche" and the hardware sales for those prior generation portable devices will never again be anywhere near as much as in their heyday. case in point: the iPod touch alone is now outselling the DSI and PSP combined. end of story.
If it can run full PSP games, it is a big deal. Even now, a PSP phone would have instant recognition and be viewed by many as a superior gaming phone.
I'm sure Sony will mess it up though. First of all, when is the PSP2 going to show up?
Maybe this *is* the PSP2. We've only heard about standard smartphone hardware so far, but there could be additional chips inside for advanced graphics. Then Sony can position PSP2 as: an iPhone-class smartphone + extremely powerful graphics + convenient, real gaming controls. A good proposition. Perhaps the best one they can do at the moment.
The Ericsson logo messing this up? Sony could buy out Ericsson's part of the phone business, turning this into PlayPhone. PlayStation, PlayPad, PlayPhone ? that would be a nice model line-up. Hope Sony is ready to do that. Competition is always good. Will force Apple think about how to compensate for the touch feeling.
Gluing those ridiculous console buttons & D-pad to a phone was tried and has never taken off. Does anyone remember this atrocity:
I hope this is a sign of desperation on Sony's part, because the alternative--that they think this is a good idea--is a sign that SCE is in steep decline.
niche market? Have you got any idea just how big the handheld gaming market is?
The size of the handheld gaming market is irrelevant, this device is still for a niche market (gamers or even just hardcore gamers). It's not going to be a "mainstream" consumer or business product.
PSP sales are about 4% of the smartphone market and <1% of the total phone market. The phone market is growing, as is the smart phone segment. PSP sales are not.
So even if we assume all PSP purchases go towards the PSP Phone it's only going to account for a 4% market share shift (of the current market) toward Android. That would be great for Sony, but hardly enough to make Apple worry.
For a real impact on the smartphone market Sony needed to make their PSP store available for all Android phones (or at least ones that met certain hardware criteria).
They could have had touch only games for devices without buttons and PSP games for devices with buttons, and the entire thing could have tied into the PSN.
Does anyone remember this atrocity...
The N-Gage was a terrible phone and a terrible gaming device. It failed on all fronts.
Remember this?
Assuming Sony can actually make this work like a PSP GO and an Android phone at the same time without taking away from either phone or gaming experience then it should be and OK device (unlike the N-Gage).
Looking at PSP sales they might be able to sell a million a quarter. Not much of an impact on the overall mobile or smartphone market, but a good product for Sony (remember they make money from the games, not the device itself).
The size of the handheld gaming market is irrelevant, this device is still for a niche market (gamers or even just hardcore gamers). It's not going to be a "mainstream" consumer or business product.
Something like AppleTV is a niche market. Gaming is very much a mainstream pursuit.
They'll sell a THOUSAND of 'em! WAHOO!!!
I think you are being extremely optimistic here!
Maybe this *is* the PSP2. We've only heard about standard smartphone hardware so far, but there could be additional chips inside for advanced graphics. Then Sony can position PSP2 as: an iPhone-class smartphone + extremely powerful graphics + convenient, real gaming controls. A good proposition. Perhaps the best one they can do at the moment.
I have wondered that too.
I know for a fact that PSP2 is on the way. It's specifications reflect a high-end mobile GPU.
And I mean high-end. PSP2 games will certainly not run on generic Android handsets.
But if this *IS* the PSP2, does that mean every parent wanting to buy their kid a handheld games machine has to pay for a mobile phone contract too? And without a contract, is this going to cost $400? $500?
Because speaking as a parent, that would be a deal killer to end all deal killers.
The Ericsson logo messing this up… Sony could buy out Ericsson's part of the phone business, turning this into PlayPhone. PlayStation, PlayPad, PlayPhone – that would be a nice model line-up. Hope Sony is ready to do that. Competition is always good. Will force Apple think about how to compensate for the touch feeling.
Yes. No PSP branding. No Playstation branding. Yet very visible Sony Ericsson branding. My understanding was the Playstation team would rather punch themselves in the face than let this happen.
Very puzzled.
C.
Not that they have to do it to follow the pack. But there are a lot of people that will continue wanting-needing a physical remote.
Also, with them going heavy on games. And knowing that more and more complicated games will start appearing for the ATV HD TVs, they will basically become arcade type playing machines.
Sure there will always be those iPhone, Touch type games that will be typical to what they have now. But more and more. as they go into more precise controls, they will need a little different something. Or better yet, customers will continue to ask for them.
Plus it would not hurt to have a physical remote to serve the masses accustomed to that type as the ATV starts doing more and more stuff.
(P.S.; Just make sure to put a locator chip on it. I keep loosing my remotes.)
A trackpad on a smart phone?
Does it feature rotary dial too?
It's the hand crank to ring the central exchange operator -- that gets me....
.
Slightly off topic, but iPad related. I do not know if you saw the news, but a few days ago, RIM showed a working model of the Playbook, and they released the SDK. The reviews were quite positive, and RIM's stock is WAY up. Looks like the Playbook is not a 9-12 months off.
Yeah! They should have showed all that at their event!
I downloaded all the SDK bits (I think), but haven't had a chance to play with it -- The Giants on their way to winning the World Series, and all.
.
it's over for the DSI and PSP. their sales are dropping like a rock ...
you seem to be privy to actual sales figures. where are the numbers to support such hyperbole? both Nintendo and Sony have been in the console / portable gaming market for years and will respond to conditions accordingly. they know more about that segment of the consumer market than anyone else on this forum.
As long as it is available without any kind of contract, and sold as a game console I still think it will sell well.
Now if you have to get a contract, then yes, it will hit bottom, and do so with enough force to show-up on the Richter scale as a small earthquake somewhere in the world.
Skip
We speculate this being DOA. If Sony proceeds with their old 'proprietary everything' tricks, it will be. Given the right OS and Apps/Features/Connectivity, this thing could really rock.
Signed,
Perpetual Kid-At_Heart
Given the right OS and Apps/Features/Connectivity, this thing could really rock.
I am still confused.
As a game system - adding a phone is going to make it much more expensive than a stand-alone hand-held console. The market is just not ready to buy a game system and then buy a contract with data plan.
And as a phone it's a pretty inelegant looking device.
There *is* going to be a PSP2. But if this is it, I think it could sell even less well than the first PSP.
C.
I am still confused.
As a game system - adding a phone is going to make it much more expensive than a stand-alone hand-held console. The market is just not ready to buy a game system and then buy a contract with data plan.
And as a phone it's a pretty inelegant looking device.
There *is* going to be a PSP2. But if this is it, I think it could sell even less well than the first PSP.
C.
The original didn't sell well because it wasn't a true Playstation portable, but a Playstation "gimped" without those analog thumb sticks, and the proprietary UMD bs.
An iPhone is a phone and a game system. This prototype looks like a game system and a phone. Instead of a QWERTY key pad it has some buttons and a track pad. Nothing out of the ordinary. If they put this out as an iPod competitor, (no phone)I would be first in line to get one - providing that it plays more than just sony media formats and no Sony memory sticks.
If they put this out as an iPod competitor, (no phone)I would be first in line to get one - providing that it plays more than just sony media formats and no Sony memory sticks.
But this *is* a phone. It's a Sony Ericsson device.
Which means it needs a contract. And would probably by $500 without a contract.
C.