Sony to ramp up PSP production - PSP cellphone too?
by Ben Zackheim 
{ Jan 20th 2005 at 9:33AM }
Sony has read the bones on the floor and decided to increase the production of their hot, new portable gaming
device. The PSP will get pumped out to the tune of one million units per month. If these numbers hold up, Sony will be
very happy by year's end.
Oh yeah, tacked onto the end of the Bloomberg piece is a little mention of a PSP mobile phone function by COO
Kutaragi. No big deal, I guess.
[via Game Gossip]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jazon @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
I smell N-Gage.
Mark Weiser @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Didn't Nintendo sell around 1 million units in the first week?
World-wide the Nintendo has sold much more than a million units. If Sony wants to be serious about gaining market share, they are going to need to ramp up production a WHOLE LOT MORE!
1 million a month means only 333,333 each for Japan, North America and Europe. That's not many at all.
What developer in their right mind would pick a system with low penetration, especially when compared to the DS, an instant phenomenon that sold more in the first month than Sony sold PS2s?
Markus @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Cell-phone capabilities? Either this is the dumbest move ever or it is pure hype.
david @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Actually; this was rumored a year and a half ago and I'm glad to see sony sticking to it. A sony psp with cell phone capability is a sure winner and I'd scoop up cell phone service with whoever will be providing it!
Jules @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
#2: you are right, but i think sony are probably going to win the fight like they did with the consoles.
wol @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
cellphone? i DOUBT there will be any PSP cellphone anytime soon, i believe SONY & SONY ERICSSON has an agreement of not crossing each other border
GTi-VR6 @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
#2 - the article says that they can produce 1 million units a month. (its actually under a million a month, but it equates to about 9 million a year)
You are comparing selling to producing. They only produced 500,000 for the Japan launch, so thats how many they sold.
Nintendo sold a million, in the first week, but we don't know what their production capacity is.
I think its pretty closed-minded to make the statement that no developers would pick the PSP because of low penetration. Both platforms are getting substantial developer support.
Also, I find it funny that you would compare the December sales of DS to the December sales of the PS2 console. The market is already saturated with PS2's, plus they announced that they were having supply issues on the new slimline PS2.
As far as the prospect for cellphone capabilities, I'd have to say "NO THANK YOU!!".
I've used PDA phones before, and they outright suck. The DS would actually be a better prospect for cellphone add-on because it has the touchscreen.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Nintendo said they wanted their peak DS production to be 1.5 million/month, but even that was before they brought the 3rd factory online.
Sony had to increase production, but I don't understand why they haven't started already. They are "going to" raise produtction because of "rising popularity." They had enough "popularity" to sell a million last month. It seems to me that Sony is afraid of something, and I think it is their financial outlook and shareholders.
In the battle between the DS and the PSP, it is Nintendo that is fighting more fiercely. Nintendo was always the company resting on it's laurels, confident that their products would sell themselves. This time is different. Nintendo is pushing the DS with all their might, and Sony is the one biding their time.
Mark Weiser @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
GTi-VR6:
I was comparing the first month of DS sales to the first month of PS2 sales.
Compare the first months od DS sales to anything you want. It has been the best selling system launch ever, even outpacing the GBA!! It is truly a phenomenon!
Any developer who dosen't want a piece of that is downright crazy!
Jerrybean @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
You can compare early DS sales to anything you want, but I don't think it proves what you want it too. All I read into it is that Nintendo had the most units available early on than any of the others. When demand so exceeds production (for both), number of units shipped doesn't exactly translate into demand. I would say wait till production better meets demand before drawing any comparisons. I do expect DS to be ahead, though. Nintendos momentum is termendous.
I would guess sony hasn't ramped production either due to supply issues or yield. If a production line is producing too many bad units, I would think you would want that resolved before ramping, otherwise any loss would be increased.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,119357,00.asp
Quotes Kutaragi, "We will be increasing our capacity from 1 million [units] per month to 2 million [units] per month and in the summer period, for the selling season this year, we will be increasing to some crazy number, about 3 million a month." Looks like this race could get quite interesting by the end of the year. :)
I vote no on PSP cellphone. :P
Ella @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
With Nintendo's "tremendous" lead and production schedule of 1.5+ million a month, it is still impossible to find a Nintendo DS because demand is so crazy high!
Maybe it is just near my house, but I want to get one for my boyfriend and me.
Touching is GOOD!
Naughtybean @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
I don't beleive that quote about ramping up production. I don't believe any hype from Sony any more. If they can prove it, fine. If not, they should shut their damn trap cause they mostly tell lies. :-/