Slight chance for PSP price cut; PS2 to stay at $149
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Oct 11th 2005 at 9:30AM }
Sony isn't likely to cut the price of its PlayStation 2 console in an attempt to trip Microsoft's Xbox 360
launch, but there's a "slight chance" that the PSP will drop from $249 to something a bit more reasonable as a result
of slowing PSP sales, according to a research report by Shawn Milne and Todd Greenwald, analysts at Friedman, Billings,
Ramsey & Co., Inc.
They write: "We do not expect a PS2 price cut due to solid sales at $149 and, perhaps, a price umbrella (due to the high price of Xbox 360 hardware and bundles). However, we believe there is a slight chance for a PSP price cut from $249, as sales have slowed somewhat and the Nintendo DS received a shot in the arm with the release of Nintendogs."
[Via analyst report; sorry no external link.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SONY_RULZ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
My Friend Charles told me to buy this PSP ~ THANK YOU! DS suxorz because it doesn't have homebrew! Well, PSP does have it, and it can watch movies. This is why PSP wil pwn DS. DS may have quality games, but PSP has better capabilities - and people buy these things for:
1. Graphics
2. Sound
3. Movies
4. Games
5. Homebrew apps
So, give PSP a price cut and watch Nintendo go back in the cave shivering!
Taavi Taijala @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Warning Fan Boys Alert...
Warning Fan Boys Alert...
skaman @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
http://www.lik-sang.com/news.php?artc=3702
well once this comes out, PSP will be even more attractive.
Sloopydrew @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Yay! If they slice the price by $200.00, I'll even consider buying one. If no game is out for the XBOX, PS2 or DS that's worth buying at the time. The PSP is shiny. That's worth $50.00. No good games, but I hear cleaning the fingerprints off it 3 times a day is fun.
Vagabond Artist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
haha yeah the fingerprints get annoying...
gameboy micro does the fingerprint thing too.
I hope this encourages more people to get one, as it's a great portable.
Usually the people complaining about how much the games suck have never played any of them...
there's a lot of good games to play for PSP.
LaughingTarget @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
There are really only 3 or 4 good games for the PSP. Nothing excellent as Lumines is the best of the bunch, but good. Isn't worth the $300 for a pure gamer or anyone not living in a large metro area that spends a lot of time on a public transit system (which is why the US isn't exactly gobbling the PSP up). Maybe $200.
Zo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Well, if they are really serious in competing in the mobile gaming space (since nobody cares about the movie or music features) they better come down to the $129 to $149 price point to encourage sales to be on par with the DS. Beware of a larger price drop because that means they have a newer PSP in the pipeline. I have played on the PSP and the only game worth the money is Lumines. All the other games I want to play are on the GBA or DS. The price of the media and poor media at that is keeping me out of the PSP space until things improve. And they wonder why their stock is tanking
Kevout @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Cool,, maybe I might possibly show interest in maybe considering buying one now
n8 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Sony really needs to get a bundle out there with a game that supports Internet multiplayer. That would add to the PSP community immeasurably. The least they should do is get a bundle out there with a good multiplayer game. They'll probably pick Wipeout, which isn't such a bad choice. And they need to get rid of the 'value pack.' That was just for early-adopting idiots like me. Sell the barebones for $199, the bundles for $230 and I'm sure the PSP would be right back in the game.
Nothing that Sony has in the next three months is going to sell the system the way that Nintendogs did though. That's just a wierd phenomenon. Sony's best shot of replicating that is probably with Katamari Damacy portable, but only if it's a real good multiplayer. Maybe Zoo keeper or Black & White Creatures might do the trick. Well, and then there's Final Fantasy... But all those are a long way off.
retro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
This must be some kind of record, an anylist report that DOESN'T sound like complete bullshit.
I would totally pick up a PSP if the price was dropped to like $200. I figure, if im going to get one, and probably just do movies/homebrew, I'll have to get a gb memory stick, which is another $80. I could handle $280 probably, not $330. I know it doesnt look like much, but $50 makes a big difference. Sales would totally go up. And this is coming from a die-hard nintendo fan
Buck Q. Fitch @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Aw shit, I just bought a PSP 2 weeks ago. It was worth it though, thanks to homebrew.
burninhell @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
on a non-PSP note, I think that Sony's insistence on holding the $150 price point for PS2 is starting to get a little insulting...the PS2 should have been $100 about a year ago.
Edmund @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Sony's gonna have to do something. The DS is kicking it's @$$ and the iPod Video is set for a sneak attack from behind. The PSP is simply the worst handheld multimedia device I've ever seen. Christ, either wait for the iPod video or save your money and buy an Arkos. I can barely even consider the PSP a gaming device anymore. They need to either drop the price or drop the whole thing together and rerelease it with a sturdier design, longer battery life, A/V out, and a hard drive. Only then will this thing be able to hold it's own with other hand-held multimedia devices on the market. Until the only chance this thing has is a pricedrop or PSP/PS3 connectivity.
Sony had the chance to own this market, being the first to hit the mainstream consumer with this type of device. But they screwed up. It has terrible (laughable) battery life, bad games, an expensive, fragile hard disk format*, support for very few audio and video file formats, cheap construction, no A/V out (inexcusable), a $250 price tag, and ports, pors, ports.
I especially enjoyed what "SONY RULZ" had to say about the situation. People don't buy hand-held gaming devices for quality games? They buy them for useless special features and... homebrew? Wow, what an absolutely ridiculous statement. You're completely pathetic. First off I work at a Gamestop and if I tried telling half (hell, 90%) of my PSP customers what homebrew is they'd have no idea what I was talking about. That whole comment you left is just mind boggling. You're trying so damn hard. Good luck, fanboy.
*Gamestop is selling Ghostbusters on UMD for $25. No special features. FYE is selling Ghost busters and Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II on DVD loaded with special features for $16.99. One I can watch alone on a 4 inch screen. One I can watch anywhere with groups of people on very large screens. You don't even have to use your brain.
n8 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Yeah, Edmund, what's up with the UMD prices? I've noticed that they're going up, not down. I don't understand who it is that's spending $25 per movie - it's certainly not me. For the price of 3 movies you can get a 1 gig stick and start taking your own movies with you instead. Crazy.
Jeff @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Stupid. Sony would be completely stupid not to drop the PS2 to $99 when 360 comes out. It would hurt 360 sales.
As for PSP, a sales drop would be nice, yeah. That + GTA will push a lot of systems.
I hope DS gets a lead on PSP this fall. Price cut + Nintendogs + Nintendogs bundles + 90% likely Mario Kart DS bundle + free online games + the best fall lineup for any system this year, I hope would = huge sales.
Time for Americans to realize what the Japanese have.
OMAC @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
#14, How would a $99 PS2 hurt XBOX 360? I don't use my current PS2 as it is, and many people are eagerly awaiting the 360. No one is going to put off buying a 360 if they see an XBOX 360 sitting on the shelf next to it except maybe the fanboys. And also consider that many places aren't taking preorders for the 360 any more or are not guaranteeing it for launch day. It's a next gen device. The only way Sony can impact 360 sales is when they release the 'It's not a video game console' (Ken Kataguri quote) PS3.
TheGameTrader @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
To the Gamestop worker, it's nice to see you freely admit your biases against Sony's handheld that you "can barely consider a gaming device anymore". Okay, working there, you are probably aware of GTA, Lumines, Final Fantasy (exclusive) UMD. Anyway. Does DS have AV out? hmmmm... oh yeah.. thanks for admitting also that GameStop is a ripoff. That Ghostbusters UMB that's $25 at Gamestop is $14.99 at Amazon, and $12.99 new here at The Game Trader.
How much do they give people for it when they trade it in? My guess is $4.50.
The DS is okay, don't get me wrong, but a teenage boy that doesn't get games like Nintendogs would prefer a PSP for Christmas, and you're going to ruin his Xmas when his mom gives him a DS and Yoshi Touch and Go on your recommendation. Hah!
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I AM SICK OF HEARING ALL OF THIS AGE RANGE BULLSHIT!
Ok! GTA was meant for 18+, yet little kids play it all the fucking time.
Katamari Demacy is one of the most childish games out there. Yet it is played by adults!
Isn't it possible that the DS could be selling so well because people just don't give a fuck anymore?
God damn PSP fanboys. Holy shit!
People want a device that PLAYS GAMES LIKE ITS SUPPOSED TO! Not some meteocre paperweight that plays small movies and hardly any music. O I am sorry, and 1 good game, Lumines.
I hope Sony invents a "better tasting PSP" and all of you PSP fanboys choke on it. Shit.
soupbun @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I'm betting $220 for the holiday season, or a $250 game/movie bundle of your choice offer (from their list of course).
jamal @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I hope Sony does that. Castlevania: DS is now available and selling out. then comes mario kart....then animal crossing...metroid...etc.etc
actually lookin better @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
After checkin Best Buy's website...it seems as though a lot of potentially great games are coming out soon for the PSP...just in time for the holidays...If the price comes down a bit I might spring for it around Christmas time....
Too bad I just spent my money on a motorola smartphone running linux w/3d Java...
Gameboy emulator works too :)
retro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
its kind of too bad, a $99 ps2 really would sell well, I know i would buy one since my old one broke down. a $99 ps2 wouldnt really interfere with the 360, but it would put a damper on any gamecube sales.
dwx @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I am waiting for the PSP to drop to 200 and it would be nice if it was even less. I own a DS myself. Like all the commercial games I have for it so far including some homebrew stuff. I've only played with the PSP for the first time this weekend (Columbus day weekend in the US) and I have to say, at least the PSP game that I played, it was very painful to wait for the loading. I believe it was Untold Legends or something like that. The scrolling was extremely choppy in the game and it was straining my eyes really bad and I am hoping it is just that game in specific. The PSP was great for other things like watching some videos, viewing pictures and the emulators were pretty decent considering how long the PSP has been out for. Over all, I haven't have any real urge to jump out and buy one, other than I think the system looks very nice and has a lot of potential.
Cyberclaws @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
It's a very pretty paperweight.
My best friend HAD one but realized that it isn't what he expected. He now borrows my DS to play games since it doesn't take forever to load games and easier on his eyes. Which I think is funny because the DS has a smaller screen. He also likes Advance Wars DS, Trace Memory, Nintendogs, etc. I will probably never see my DS again when I get Castlevania. When my best friend isn't borrowing it, my girlfriend is because she loves the puzzle games, the sims games (especially Nintendogs). I think this Christmas I will end up buying two DS (around 260 bucks) which is about the same price as one PSP.
I also think PSP is gonna get a swift kick in the arse by the new 'video' iPod due out soon as well.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
"I also think PSP is gonna get a swift kick in the arse by the new 'video' iPod due out soon as well."
Agreed.
Adam @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
psp's problem is aiming at too many other markets and it'll end up having only a small share in each which will end up in a downhill spiral because each respective market will stop surporting it
b @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
"people buy these things for:
1. Graphics
2. Sound
3. Movies
4. Games
5. Homebrew apps"
First I thought it was sarcasm, but judging by your "name", I guess you're just a PSP fanboy. I guess the casual gamers will act like this:
"HOLY SHIT THIS THING IS VERY USEFUL KOZ ITS GOT GRAFIKS AND SOUND! NOW I KAN REBUY MY WHOLE MOVIE KOLEKSHUN BICOZ I HAF NOTHING BETTER TO SPEND ON SO NOW I KAN ENJOY MOOVYS WHILE I DRIVE ON MY WAY TO WRK!! EVEN BETTER COS NOW I CAN HAVE HOMEBREW; WHATEVER THAT MEANS!! NEVERMIND THE FACT THAT IT DOESNT HAVE GREAT GAMES!"
You think?
pspimp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Dmitri's back, and madder than ever!
Again, the PSP has more and better games than the DS. I wont get into the rest.
Bottom line is this, a lower price PSP would KILL the DS.
A video iPod wouldn't make a dent in the PSP market, they are totally different devices.
Oh and Dum-itri, your post #18 is really your best yet. It makes you look like a 13 year old moron. You've really reached an all time low of ignorance and puerile nonsense.
Wee @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I bought a PSP on release day over here in the UK, and to be honest, was and still am extremely disappointed with it. I even tried to return, but with no luck. Extremely over priced peice of kit and is in dire need of a price cut.
rayk @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
What's with all the commotion? I understand that the nintendo fanboys are all getting scared that the nintendo dominated handheld market might change. What's wrong with that? At least it gives people choices.
I've had my psp for nearly 2 months now and was thinking what if I got a DS instead? Does it really have better games? Having a look around at what the DS offers I could only find 4 games at max that would potentially interest me. ONLY 4! Plus I wouldn't be able to listen to music, nor read my manga or let alone watch my anime.
So the conclusion I came to is that, I have no idea why people keep raving about how great the DS is. As far as the PSP goes, I have 3 games right now which I'm loving (wipeout, hotshots, darkstalkers), legend of heroes is coming out soon and I could probably buy 5 more games right now if I was given that money. So doesn't this show that saying “DS has better games” a very biased view? Games I'd have on DS = 4, on PSP = 9. So go figure.
I personally think that cutting the price down a bit on the PSP will help to push more units out. I know many people that want to get one but the price is holding them back. DS is great, but I prefer a more mature game lineup. Thanks to sony I could join the handheld world which previously was closed to me since the nintendo products did not interest me.
mike @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Dmitri's back, and madder than ever!
Again, the PSP has more and better games than the DS. I wont get into the rest.
Bottom line is this, a lower price PSP would KILL the DS.
A video iPod wouldn't make a dent in the PSP market, they are totally different devices.
Oh and Dum-itri, your post #18 is really your best yet. It makes you look like a 13 year old moron. You've really reached an all time low of ignorance and puerile nonsense.
----
Checked the sales figures lately? DS has more games.. it has more top selling games.. it has more numbers, more marketshare, it's cheaper, longer battery life.. better online play coming.. first party titles look amazing.. the pain for Sony is only just beginning...
Um, the iPod not gonna dent the PSP. Let's take a moment to savour the stupidity of that statement.
The PSP sells more $30 movies than games. That's pathetic. The Video iPod (once Apple gets a QT Movie Rental Service up) would kill the PSP portable video market.
tehhunter @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Mike: The PSP sells more $30 movies than games. That's pathetic. The Video iPod (once Apple gets a QT Movie Rental Service up) would kill the PSP portable video market.
Yes, lets uphold the, as you say, "stupidity of that statement". So, tell me champ, since the PSP is a casual machine, how many of the people who own it actually know how to rip dvds and encode them properly? Because, last I checked, I could count on 0 hands of the people I know who own a PSP too (Well over 10 people) who know how to rip a dvd, let alone even get an emulator running. Sorry, your point isn't valid, but rather just moot.
Dmitri: You & the others are really raging against the PSP, hmm? I'm not sure why, you know, seeing as a PSP is an inanimate object that can't really offend you in any way (well, maybe if it had a swastika embroidered on it).
So, my question to you is this: Why do you so hate a multi-functional product? Why do you feel so threatened by it that you were compelled to come in here and write at least 30 lines of flaming rhetoric? Yeah, think that over for a while, chubs.
Oh, and one last thing. I own a PSP, and I love it. I only have a 256mb card, which cost me roughly $20, and I have managed to fit Dave Chappelle's For What It's Worth, and 6 Chappelle's show skits (including 10:00 Black White Supremicist, and 14:00 Rick James), not to mention my 30mb or so of Homebrew games (notepad), emulators (nes/snes/genesis), and games (squarez). Yeah, I'm a real jerk for wanting this in a handheld. My bad, next time I'll consult the internet for the perverted views of lame fanboys.
Seriously, just get out of the thread if you hate it.
P.S. Apple sucks for overpricing and trendwhoring their entire company into, dare I say, the domain of the casuals?
oneijack @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I got my PSP at launch for only $200 with 2 games(its all in who you know)I have played most of the games for it,and I'd have to say I'm not impressed with the games I've played so far.I wish they had not cut corners on a few things (like a second analog stick) but I think it will mature next year and be my second favorite toy after the PS3. I hate the DS and promptly gave mine to my kid. Touch screen gaming is to ghey for me.
yjs @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
"Touch screen gaming is to ghey for me."
Well you are obviously too 'ghey' to be taken seriously; retard.
pspimp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
#31
$30 movies? Name ONE UMD video that costs $30. I was looking at them the other day at lamestop and they were $12-19.99 NEW. So you start your rant with complete crap. Really hurts your credibility.
The rest of what you wrote is incorrect fanboyism also. iPod wouldn't affect PSP sales. Nobody who is in the market for a PSP would compare it to ANY iPod today or ever. Unless Apple has some strange desire to muscle their way into the handheld games market, which if they do, fine, then we'll talk.
I don't need to look at sales numbers, as you state quite clearly why people buy the DS. It is cheaper. Enjoy your cheap DS and I will enjoy my PSP. It's better, get over it.
Save your lunch money and buy one, you'll love it.
TheGameTrader @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
http://www.dsgaming.co.uk/html/modules/news/article.php?storyid=924
The page above gives weekly sales figures for hardware. Notice how close the PSP and DS are selling in Japan each week. p.s. notice how many Xbox's sold for the same week. Pathetic. 70,000 PSP and DS, 100 Xbox. Before you think, next gen is the reason, PS2 sold over 24,000
Senor @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
>#18
I was just about to post what you just did.
I have to commend you. You've got a genius comment there.
Shayne @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I also heard that the ps2 was dropping to $99 after thanksgiving, so thats not true? huh.
Trackstar @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I personally own both systems and have to say I play my PSP WAY more than my DS. Even though theyre both good systems in my opinion, theres just so much more games choices on PSP than the DS. Plus from my experiences, the online play on the PSP is lag free,and it is free -- just like nintendo.