Sony PSP is getting us all hot and bothered
by Ben Zackheim 
{ May 27th 2005 at 9:27AM }
If you don't own a PSP, you probably want one. That is, if Parks Associates' "Mobile Entertainment Platforms and
Services" study is accurate. The consumer study asked around 2,000 U.S. Internet users what portable device they wanted
to buy, and 49% answered "PSP." The second most desired hardware was the Nintendo DS/GBA (they were grouped together)
at 33% and the N-Gage at 4%.
You can take it with a grain of salt if you want, but it's hard to deny that the PSP is appealing to a mainstream
audience with its sleek looks, and multimedia abilities.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Buck Q. Fitch @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
I'd naturally want anything prohibitively expensive.
Art @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Was no portable device an option? Actually, that Nokia 770 looks like it might be interesting.
Zachary @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
I still want one, and as soon as I get working again :) I will have one.
Myria @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
"The consumer study asked around 2,000 U.S. Internet users [...]"
Sounds suspiciously like yet another utterly meaningless self-selected sample. I suppose it's remotely possible they got a random sample and discarded any non-Internet users (Though, honestly, who under the age of eighty is going to say they're not an Internet user?), but frankly I highly doubt it.
Lies. Damn lies. Statistics.
"[...] but it’s hard to deny that the PSP is appealing to a mainstream audience [...]"
Depends on your definition of "mainstream", I suppose.
Rhythm @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
I agree with 2 - Nokia 770's grabbed my attention bigtime!
GamerHeaven @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Well said Myria.
Utterly meaningless news and study.
Rocket Punch @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
This study proves that 1 in 80 people works for Nokia.
WizarDru @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
With no way to know how they selected their sample and what the margine of error was (I'll bet it was 5% or more), we have no way to quantify this survey.
Even if it was done well (and I think we all suspect otherwise), it's not terribly relevant to much. Nintendo's already sold 5.2 million DS units...how many prospective customers are left to begin with? I'd like a PSP and plan to get one eventually, too...but I've already bought a DS. All this study shows is that someone managed to conduct a questionable survey. I think their results are probably representative of a general trend, but I wouldn't trust specific numbers.
I mean, let's be honest, 4% for the N-gage? Kinda generous. =)
Mattack @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
If the results showed the DS as number 1, i'm sure a few of you (you know who you are) would be singing a different tune. I rarely, if ever, trust studies, but the results can sometimes be useful, and the ones that generally paint at least a semi-accurate picture are ones like this, that show percentages. Unless the people who ran this study are largely biased, which I would think is not the case, the results tell us something. It's not meaningless. It MEANS that the PSP, among about 2,000 people was the most desired portable device. It may be pointless information to some of us, but to others, it's possibly a reason to be proud, or in some (ahemm) cases, a reason to be jealous.
WizarDru @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
It's not terribly meaningful, though, since we don't know what they asked or how they asked it. Did they only give them a few choices? Did they ask leading questions? Was this to include all devices? Was a price range listed?
For example, was the iPod included in this list of devices? Was this limited to game devices, or phones too? What about the Gizmondo, for example, and where were these people located? Did they already have a device, or none at all? I'd ask the same questions if it said the DS was the hot property. It doesn't tell us anything without relevant data to back it up. That isn't to say I doubt that Parks Associates did a misleading survey...I don't doubt their data is correct for what it is; what I doubt is how you can interpert the data. Remember, they claim to create "Research Capital" for companies.
tbone @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
"It may be pointless information to some of us, but to others, it's possibly a reason to be proud, or in some (ahemm) cases, a reason to be jealous."
Ugh. I bought a PSP for gaming, period - not as a virtual penis-extender. Anyone who bases even a fraction of their self-worth on whether or not they own a trendy handheld gaming device really needs to get out of the house more.
Blue Balloon @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
People want Playstation Portable but can't afford. :(
People want Nintendo DualScreen and CAN afford! :)
Timmy Cheung @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
The PSP is hot!!!!!!!!!!!
boxmyth @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
I have a PSP and can safely say that people who see you using one on a plane, on a train, or in an auto (not while driving if you please), WANT one. It is hot. It isn't seen as a "child's toy" like the DS. And the screen makes your mom cry.
And NEVER say that a cell phone is anything close to a gaming machine. I'd do without my cell before I'd do without my PSP.
duerra @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
A Treo 650...
Patrick @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
#8: "I mean, let's be honest, 4% for the N-gage? Kinda generous. =)"
Wait a tic... didn't you just say there was likely a 5% margin of error on the survey? =)
Hehehe... wait a tic... I have an N-Gage QD!! It's aight... Cheap Series 60 smartphone, Bluetooth, syncs with my Mac, plays the occassional game of Pathway to Glory.
VAStateOfMind @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
boxmyth and Ben Hack-zeim fall into that increasingly popular category of PSP fanboys who play with their fashionable gadget in public A) to get noticed, and B) convince themselves that that everyone wants THEIR shiny, new toy.
I'll let you guys down easy -- I do NOT want your PSP. I don't even want one of the thousands of PSPs still lingering on store shelves across the country, at least not right now. The PSP is okay, but for me, there aren't enough compelling games to plunk down $250 for it.
Finally, I don't give a CRAP who observes me playing the DS on the train, at the doctor's office, or anywhere else I've pulled it out -- I just play the damn thing. I don't care if people think it's a kid's toy (and I'm 39). I play the DS to enjoy some of the most interesting and compelling games to hit a handheld in a long time...
Rocketboy @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Only in the world of stastitics, can you head be baking in an oven, and your feet be freezing in a freezer, can consider your temperature as 'average'.