PSP outsells DS for the week
by Ben Zackheim 
{ Jan 25th 2005 at 9:58AM }
Uber-duper tipster, striegs, keeps the stuff coming. It looks like things are staying interesting in the PSP vs. DS
world. Sony is off to a strong start, but it'll take a lot of sales to catch up to DS. Yes, things are more complicated
than just following the horse-race, but we all love numbers. Ultimately, the better they both do, the better off we
are. Striegs has an interesting take on it all:
Spong is reporting that the PSP has surpassed the Nintendo DS in terms of hardware sales (for this week only, I
presume), stating that the PSP moved 64,600 units, while the DS moved 53,500 units. And that's not counting exports.
However, all is not bleak for Nintendo's resilient little handheld, as WarioWare DS and Mario 64 DS respectively hold
the fourth and seventh spots on the Japanese sales charts, while Everybody's Golf Portable and Dynasty Warriors for the
PSP ranked eighth and tenth. The fact that so many people have already bought the DS might explain the hardware
discrepancy, and the fact that the PSP is so young might account for the software discrepancy. However, it is notable
that a golf game and a Dynasty Warriors game garnered a place on the software charts over Ridge Racer and Lumines, the
as-of-yet most acclaimed PSP titles out. Could it be because everyone with a PSP already owns both games?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
striegs @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Actually, I don't know what I was thinking when I said "the fact that the PSP is so young might account for the software discrepancy." I apparently forgot that the DS was released in Japan only a week or two before the PSP was. Still, Sony hasn't been able to provide as many PSPs as Nintendo has DSs, on account of their attention devoted to that whole PS2 shortage fiasco.
Ed @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Any word on if Sony has fixed the problems with the PSP? I imagine that they still have lots of manufacturing issues if they are trying to push more out of the door, and Sony's quality hasn't been great for any of their console stuff.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
If you look at what Ken Kutaragi says in this article:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/01/24/news_6116985.html
You might get some idea how Sony views potential problems with their system. Summary: Our PSP design is flawless and any problems you may have with it is not our fault and a personal attack.
At any rate it looks like neither system is selling out their shipments, unless Sony is shipping less than 100,000 a week now.
Edge @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
This guy is a jackass. I love the whole attidude of, "Yeah, our product has design issues, but those were FEATURES! What?! You aren't pushing the buttons properly, FOOL!"
Shouldn't the product work the way people do instead of adapting people to the product?
I want to find this #^(*er and kick his ass. This is a prime example of form over function.
When was the last time you picked up a controller and didn't have the buttons work the way you expect?
What a shitty design. What a shitty attitude.
megatron @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Why would you want to buy a system from a company that KNOWINGLY sells broken products and tells you to deal with it?
About 4,800 Japanese PSPs have been returned to Sony due to problems with the handheld's square button.
Sony acknowledged that the button is less responsive than the others, in part because it's so close to the PSP's 480x272 screen, sometimes causing it to stick.
Sony was unapologetic about the issue: "This is the design that we came up with. There may be people that complain about its usability, but that's something which users and game software developers will have to adapt to."
So, basically, this is a poor design, but everyone has to deal with it?
I cry BULLSHIT! Didn't Sony just come around and say they changed their ways? This is screwing over the consumer. I don't want a poorly designed PSP, I want one that kicks ass!
Who wants stuff from a company that only half-asses things and can't design a primary face button that JUST WORKS!