PSP is 'gateway drug' to other Sony hardware

"For us, the PSP is a very high growth, high margin business and something that is a very good product for us," said SCEA senior marketing manager, John Koller, speaking at today's 6th annual Wedbush Morgan Securities Management Access Conference in New York City. As conveyed by GamesIndustry.Biz, Koller's message was all about the fortunes of the PlayStation Portable, set loose in a world where handheld gaming has grown beyond its smaller screen size, both commercially and socially.

"In the past, it was a small screen experience. It was something that was very difficult to have from a social perspective," Koller explained. "Those things have changed." And with change comes, well, a lot more change. The kind that rattles in your pocket. Says Koller: "For us, the PSP is a very high growth, high margin business and something that is a very good product for us." He allegedly likened it to a "gateway drug," with first-time gamers (users?) eventually following their noses to Sony's PlayStation 3. The images there are like, so vivid, man.

Reader Comments (66)

But from the way your going on, anyone would believe thats already happened to you, no point pretending it doesn't happen, guys who have unfortunatly unwillingly experienced it in prison have been scarred for life, expressing anger towards everyone and acting tough.

Thats what you're doing ¬_¬ In every article you post in...suspicious...

LOL, as if Microsoft doesn't either Kujel, don't fucking kid yourself. Oh and I like MS and Sony both actually.

I play my psp every now and then...some snk greatest hits right now...sadly i got bored of crisis core and patapon..but they are still there when i want to go back to them...on topic I think when they fix multi platform problems with most ps3 games and the price comes down I will be in line with resistance and heavenly sword.

Rockstar should make a new location in GTA for PSP, London or something, why not take the opportunity?

... More proof that Sony PR is ON SOMETHING!

We do need to see more PSP-PS3 connectivity. Before my PS3 sadly died, I rather did enjoy using Remote Play on it, really cool concept.

i like my PSP a lot. when ever my roommate is playing a game on his 360(and i cant use my ps3 since its hooked to the same tv) i bust out my PSP. ill use it do remote play, listen to some music or watch some of videos offmy ps3 hdd, or ill play Echochrome, socom or MLB the show. and if i am a way, at a wifi hotspot, i can use the eyetoy and see whats going on in my living room.

I don't know about "gateway drug", but I'm sure Sony execs are praying the PS3 sells as much as the PSP has.

For them, the PSP *better* be a gateway to the PS3, or their ass is toast--which would complete their plummet to the bottom in the console wars (which, ironically enough, started with the PSP).

Gateway drug my arse.

I like my PSP. A nice little system. A few days back I got Monster Hunter Freedom 1 (thought it'd be a good a place as any to start on the series). I fucking love it. So much that I went looking for info on new games. Ah there we go... MH3 is coming out on the Wii. The first game that might have made me want a PS3. Oh well.

So back to waxing lyrical the PSP. It's good. Not great. Lots of RPGs, lots of watered down console ports, fantastic for PS1 emulation. But would it make me buy a PS3, a Sony Bravia or even a PS2? No. Because like all the other Sony hardware I've ever bought it's got problems. Dead pixels, loose battery and drive cover. That's why I buy more expensive and better brands, not just expensive brands.

Oh and all these games I'm supposed to like are crap. Patapon, yea so wheres the gameplay hiding? GTA is near impossible to play with the PSPs ghosting (even on Slim). God of Repetitive Gameplay. Crisis Core not being that deep (are we sure Square made this?). Wipeout reminding me that it isn't as good as F-Zero.
Maybe I'm too used to the ghost-free, brighter, pixel perfect (Nintendo replace for 1 dead pixel) DS Lite screen. God help every other console maker if they release a better screen and console at E3.

"God of Repetitive"

I'm going to steal that.

PSP: the second best portable console; the second best console on the market. There are a great deal of quality games on the PSP. A number which increases with each and every week. It really is a great sight when innovative, engaging games like Hot Shots Golf enter our arena. It truly shows what the console is all about.

But is it a gateway to the PS3? I'm not sure. I'm don't feel any great urge to purchase PS3 because of my PSP. The integration of the two machines seem a little superfluous to me, and in no real way a dealbreaker, just filler. But I can see the angle where this suit is coming from.

What are they talking about? The PSP was what made me STOP using Sony game consoles! It's not a "gateway drug" but more like a 12-step program to get you OFF PlayStation.

Step 1 - Realize the library is small.
Step 2 - Realize the library sucks.
Step 3 - Get cramps playing a sucky game.
Step 4 - Lament the lack of decent controls.
Step 5 - Realize that Sony won't listen to your pleas for better controls.
Step 6 - Realize that Sony will actually make the controls WORSE.
Step 7 - Lament the loss of functionality as UMD dies out.
Step 8 - Realize you're losing money on Sony Memory Sticks.
Step 9 - Realize Sony Memory Sticks cost twice as much as other flash cards.
Step 10 - Realize that you use it for movies more than games.
Step 11 - Accept that it's bulky with all the accessories attached.
Step 12 - Give up and just get an iPhone instead.

wow it must be uncomfortable under that rock. the PSP has more critically acclaimed and higher rated games than the DS and it has as many if not more games in general than the DS. In other words the library is not small nor does it suck.

Required obviously had a bump on the head and got the DS/PSP game ratings the other way around.

Seriously why did you even say that Required? Do you assume the original poster can't use Metacritic or Gamerankings? I love all the DS games over 90%, are there any PSP games pushing 90%+ yet?

PSP is 'gateway drug' to other Sony hardware

Reader Comments (66)

Posted: May 23rd 2008 8:31PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: May 23rd 2008 8:48PM RKN said

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Posted: May 23rd 2008 8:39PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said

Posted: May 23rd 2008 9:01PM solomonrex said

Posted: May 23rd 2008 9:08PM RKN said

Posted: May 23rd 2008 10:42PM T Crespo said

Posted: May 24th 2008 2:36AM JRMG said

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Posted: May 24th 2008 12:52PM ZeroCorpse said

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Posted: May 24th 2008 1:04PM (Unverified) said

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