IGN reminds readers that the PSP isn't selling as well as the DS

Dont forget the fact that IGN have rated 9 PSP games a 9.0+ in 2006. PSP has had a great year in terms of software.

Also, keep in mind that people are starting to get excited about Final Fantasy VII info (finally) hitting the net. I expect this title to sell a PSP systme or tow.

I own both the PSP and the DS, so I have no real bias here, but I want to point out one thing you guys are forgetting: the fact that software sales on the PSP aren't too great. Sure, the system sells and had some decent numbers in November. Sure, the number of good PSP games matches the number of good DS games. What doesn't seem to match, though, is how many units PSP games sell compared to DS games. Developers are starting to notice this, too, and while there are still good games to come on PSP, EA won't be the last developer to take focus away from the PSP. So, we will still get some good Sony titles like Ratchet and Clank and also nice games like the FFVII game. However, unless Sony does something very drastic I think you will see software development for PSP decline while DS development rises. When that happens, it doesn't matter if the PSP truly is a better system than the DS or whether it has better games or not.

true that,

if i was a microsoft rep i would be telling everybody on a loud speaker on how sucessful the psp was comming in second as the first step into handhelds.

The Grue is right it's about where the money is, and devs want the money. awesome launch but the darth of games in 05 hurt the PSP image i think. people were complaining to me on how they could pick from over 40 umd movies but had no new games to choose from. hopefully a slick redesign will help the PSP get a fresh new start the way one did for the DS.

The Grue is right. DS games are actually being bought rather than being pirated.

dont forget the ds still hasent gotton the new zelda and pokemon games and those will definetly boost sales.(o and also theres a new final fantasy being made for the ds.)

Its not EA that is the only one not including exclusive content for the psp, its almost every single developer. thanks to sony. 1up lastest podcast talks about this!
If sony doesn't change there ways, which it doesn't seem like they will. this will be the end. Sony's Electronic business is getting worst, and the psp really can't do much about it.

"If you'd like to accuse IGN of "the bias," you may want to note how they only mentioned briefly that PSP's performance is better in America."

Actually, they said this: "The battle is a bit closer in the U.S., though Nintendo retains a strong lead month-to-month. In November, likely the busiest sales month of the year, twice as many DS Lites were sold as PSPs." This isnt being brief. They just stated that DS Lite sold twice as well as PPS in November, instead of dishing out two sales numbers which say the same thing.

Andrew Yoon, you failed to mention how, according to the IGN article, PSP has only sold 2.8 million games this year while DS has sold 27 million games. If you will mention how IGN might come off as biased to some, you may want to check your self as well on that front.

Even though the PSP isn't performing as well as the DS, it is the ONLY portable that can compete with Nintendo, period. Every other attempt has been thrawted. There is room for the PSP, but I think it is definitely time for a new design. The DS Lite is the sexiest portable gaming console on the whole damn planet.

I cant stop playing with my psp. I'm the first admitted addict in the whole world.

i own both and i think psp owns the sexy department. ;-)

The PSP software sales are indeed low. There's no way around it, although some titles are breaking into the various Top 10 lists here and there.

For the most part, the DS has won this generation of the handheld war. Can't argue that. More games sold, more units sold, with the margins being strongly in favor of the DS. Descriptives like 'trampling' as IGN used are hard to resist in the context of 3:1 or 4:1 hardware or game sell through.

But as someone pointed out, the PSP is a long way from being 'dead'. Unit sales haven't dropped sharply, nor have they really climbed. In fact, the PSP's installed base at 2 years of age (JP) is larger than any other 2nd or 3rd place console in history (home or handheld), even the Sega Genesis.

Basically, with better games seeing more exposure on top ten lists and such (EB Games lists MGS at #2 right now on their front page and BB had GTA topping the DS titles for one week in November), we're a long way from seeing developers 'fleeing' the platform en masse. As has been noted, this has been an incredible year for quality PSP games.

Still, without a hardware revision, lowered pricing for the older system and at least some new colors (instead of Sony refusing to provide anything but basic black to the USA), I don't see much hope for a revival. Sony needs to jumpstart the PSP scene with internal storage, a slick new look, properly supporting the USA market, better download/media/PSOne support (DO NOT require a frigging PS3) and for the love of GOD, get a decent advertising firm.

The system has enough units sold to make an impact and woo developers and the library has matured nicely. The ball is squarely in Sony's court.

The competition for the psp is not ds but the consoles specifically the ps2. How many of us bought the same psp game which came on the ps2, especially with the notion that the psp game wont be as good as on the ps2. People bought Lumines coz it doesnt comes on the ps2 and vice versa dont really care when it came on the 360. People dont usually bought the same game ever.

I bet what happened to the psp will eventually happened to the ds after the Wii launch. Intead of competing with the psp, it'll be competing with Wii. People choose their game!

I wish I had something that I had sold 2.4 Millon of at $249 a piece. Why are these comparisons always framed such that unless you sell the most, you must be hurting. There is room for more than one portable gaming console in the market, and it seems both respectable and sustainable to be the second-best selling portable gaming system.

I've seen the ds lite where at work, both oynx and white where i work. the ds don't look any nicer when you open it up, only when its close.
The only real portables that are known are the nintendo ds and psp. so yeah, the psp would be the only one to compete with the ds. its powerful and is made by a while known company. And there hasn't been much atempt to compete in the handheld market with the ds. if your thinking of the GP2X, its always been and always will be in there own market(homebrew).

Hello, in Europe, we have a new value pack wich include a 4GB memory stick and sony media manager 2.0 !

look : http://kingplayer.blog.playersrepublic.fr/archive/2006/12/09/pack-4gb-media-manager.html#comments

The whole video game internet press has endured on a battle against Sony. Nowadays bashing Sony has become a trend. Kotaku does it, Joystiq does it, everyone is doing it because Nintendo is now the cool kid on the block and everyone is closing their eyes on reality. I'm a gamer, I love both Nintendo and Sony for what matters, I have both a DS and and PSP. DS has great games but by all means it's not better or sexier or look nicer than the PSP. Nintendo has yet to release another remake of the DS or launch another console to reach the PSP's level.

The PSP has better games than the DS and that's a fact, the point here is that the DS lite sold more due to the fact that was launched close to the release of New Super Mario Bros and this was always Nintendo's strength, it's exclusive titles.

Do you want unbiased news and info? Stop reading videogame sites. Until the Nintendo hype is gone that is...

Personally, I own both as well. I feel that if Sony could make the following "improvements" to the PSP, it would really take off:

1) Lower price
2) Include hard drive (probably be at odds with #1)
3) Include second analog stick
4) Create PC based store to buy and download music, movies, and games.

PSP is the new microsoft like the nintendo is the new apple lol.
Don't wont include hard drive. so you can forget about that! they will be losing money in there other sony department of electronics, they like to make money from there pro duo cards, and they will continue doing so.
psp is like a flash mp3 player. it wont support hard drive. they making a 8gb pro duo, to be release this february , why would they release hard drive support?
Creating a pc store is a big new business where they have to compete with itunes and really, besides itunes, every online music store sucks, and is why u don't here of any doing well. they wont last.
If they make more money off of memory cards, you can expect a price drop in the psp.
2 analog stick will cause the psp to be a bit bigger and will need new accessories.
cj, this should be a wishlist of psp2, not psp. its been out more then a year, sony finish building it!

I'm still not too sure about the PSP's future... I keep having flashbacks to the '90s.

Remember SEGA's Gamegear? It competed well with Nintendo for awhile too. It was vastly superior in hardware capabilities, had better games, and more multimedia functions. Unfortunately, it was only mildly recieved in Japan, was percieved as lacking in developer support, and had issues with short batery life. Sounds frighteningly similar to the PSP's situation today. The Game Gear lasted for a good 5-6 years on the market, but ultimately failed. Today's question isn't so much how is the PSP competing with the DS right now, but how will it be competing in another three years?

The PSP is not the first or the only handheld to give Nintendo mainstream competition. Unfortunately, it is starting to repeat the same patterns of the previous competitors who tried to unseat nintendo and failed. Combine this with the numerous (at least percieved by the public as numerous) issues that SONY has had with the PS3 launch, and we may very well be looking at SEGA all over again.

So what about number of sales in America? You said it greater, but didn't mention any numbers. Or did Videocharts mention it? Nevertheless the number of DS sales is greater than PSP

"Remember SEGA's Gamegear? It competed well with Nintendo for awhile too."

Not really. It never came anywhere NEAR the sales that the PSP has seen, topping off at about 8.65 million TOTAL (compared to 15+ million for the PSP in 2 years or less).

"The PSP is not the first or the only handheld to give Nintendo mainstream competition."

If by 'mainstream' you mean 'significant' competition, you're wrong. PSP has been by far the most competitive system to go against the current N-handheld. It just so happens that the redesigned DS really ignited sales for the platform. It'll likely go down as Nintendo's best selling game device, ever. Up until the DS Lite, the PSP did well - in fact, it outsold the DS for the first few months in Japan, even longer in the USA.

"mildly recieved in Japan, was percieved as lacking in developer support, and had issues with short batery life. Sounds frighteningly similar to the PSP's situation today"

The GG may not have had the 10-12 hour battery life of the non-lighted monochrome Gameboy, but it did manage to eke out 5-6 hours, which was actually not shabby compared to other handhelds like the Turbo Express. Today, the PSP is not as widely criticized for its battery life (except by ignorant fanboys).

As for Game Gear Japanese support, a large portion of the games were FROM Japan, with several never ported to the USA.

the psp isnt selling well because everyone happens to have one already... thats my opinion lol..