SCEE: PSP sell-in hits 50 million worldwide

Um, Sony has flat out said they count sales to consumers, not retailers. They even did so multiple times in one interview cause the asshole interviewer kept trying to imply they counted sales to retailers

Um, Sony has flat out said they count sales to consumers, not retailers. They even did so multiple times in one interview cause the asshole interviewer kept trying to imply they counted sales to retailers

The one you are looking to reply to is in another castle.

Same Sony trick everyone uses. Nobody has the infastructure to count as sold to customers. Even Nintendo's legendarily expansive network has roughly a 10% of retailers hole in it. But invoices are accurate every time.

Why? Well, no stores would order another batch of PSPs if the old ones are sitting on a shelf, would they?

They said sell-in. It is CLEAR what they are talking about. Sell-in leaves no ambiguity.

Unlike many other companies in the CE space and their loose use of the word 'sold'.

elmer

The PSP is NOT a console. It is a handheld. Calling the PSP a console is like calling a Macbook a Desktop PC.




Kspraydad

Yes, they used "sell-in". Technically though, "sell-in" isn't even shipped. It's any PSP that Sony has taken an order for, including the ones still sitting in their own warehouse.

@Sheppy

Yeah, and Microsot never stuffed the channel over Winter 2006/07. Retailers would NEVER buy stock they don't immediately sell huh? Never mind that the economy tanked less than expectedly and many retailers (and Sony) would be caught off guard with less sales than ordered shipments. Never mind that they'd be optimistic over the winter period and any over supply would be inflated compared to the rest of the year. Sure everyone else says the same thing, but in Nintendo's case the numbers are much closer because they've been selling practically at supply almost since launch. Increases over the holidays are accounted for by faster air shipments, leaving a hole in January/February shipments (as we're seeing now).

@AkaMagi

Fine, game system. I was giving it extra dibs because it's beaten out the Xbox, N64, Genesis, and Master system (to name but a few) and not just the Neo Geo Pocket and the Game Gear and all the other craptastic handheld wannabes.

Also, as for the Sell-in vs shipped argument, as far as I remember (but I can't track down the thread) Sony used to account by orders taken regardless of delivery to retailers, and so many people cried foul that they revised their statement policy. I don't know what their policy is now. To me, Sell-in or Sell-through implies sold to consumer, which is almost certainly wrong.

Pedantic semantic shemantics.

If its not total B.S., which Sony has been known for in the past...

They have a super computer in Berkley trying to discover a number high enough to represent that answer.

Seriously though, why does that matter? DS won, plain and simple. But Sony broke in and made the largest dent any competitor has. Isn't that success enough?

I read that something like 96 million DS's were sold between Dec 04 and Dec 08; pretty damn inpressive...
But I don't own a DS; I own a PSP, and I love it! By far a better device for me, being an adult, I play games on it, browse the web, listen to music, it really is a Godsend when I travel!

Let's just put it this way, the PSP has about a 30% of the handheld marketshare.

oh, and before Nando comes, even with piracy, the PSP has been able to sell about 150 million games

http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatapspsoft_sale_e.html

Putting it in perspective, the Nintendo 64 only sold 33 million consoles, and the Game Cube only sold 22 million.

The concensus (especially here at Joystiq and other blogs like Kotaku) was the opposite - many if not most game industry pundits were highly skeptical and then almost immediately declaring it HAD failed 'against all expectations', even though early sales put it in a dead heat (or ahead of) the DS. In fact, it wasn't until the DS Lite that Nintendo really pulled away, and even then in Japan the PSP still competes well - taking several months of top hardware sales in 2008.

There was - and still is - loads of FUD swirling around the PSP in discussion forums and blogs like these. It's as polarizing an issue as vanilla vs. chocolate or Mac vs. Windows. The DS represented a casual approach. Less depth, more quirky, kid-oriented and licensed properties. Simpler, cheaper and wider in appeal. Lots of remakes of classic games like Mario Kart and others. The PSP was more 'serious' and hardcore gamer and tech geek oriented, aimed at teen to adult males for the most part. Lots of ports and remakes of dark, violent PS2 and PS1 games. A few lighter, less somber successes like Lumines, Daxter, Patapon and Loco Roco, but for the most part, the PSP was a portable most notable for good renditions of games like GTA and God of War, EA Sports titles and racing games.

With such opposites, it's no wonder lots of people mistrusted the intent of the PSP with its higher price, UMD movies, non-gaming functions and lofty console-level ambitions. But I think, despite Sony having since all but walked away from the USA market, the PSP has succeeded rather well, all things considered. Certainly better than any other non-Nintendo handheld to date.

Silly question I'm sure, why can't you get your own email account?

I was still in high school when my current (2nd) joystiq account was founded, according to my profile page on January 25th, 2007. Still living at home as i did, it was more of a family e-mail account, given that we only had one PC for the house at the time. Now i'm in college and have two accounts of my own, but if i switched to one of them, my 6800+ post count would go down the tubes

So long as that e-mail account exists (or joystiq sticks with this comment system), i'll hold on to it

Personally, despite now owning a 2000 series, I still like the 1000 series the best.

I agree with Noshino. I have both a 1000 and a 2000 Series and I still like better the 1000 it's a classic ^_~

I just went through returning a few to the store to find one that was flashable. 3000s are not hackable yet. Newer 2000s are not hackable either (which is all my store had in the black ones).

If you're looking to get a new-in-box one, I would recommend the God of War bundle. Every store I went to had them, and 99% (maybe 100%) have the older 2000 motherboard.

Thanks guys!

If you've sold a PSP because you're not playing it, that's good news for the system - means that unit's gone to somebody who's more likely to play it.

More Ludwig hate for the PSP, as it has been from the beginning from this guy. No wonder he refers to his 2004 attitude as 'his doubting self'. Sony has, as others have commented, made it clear these aren't shelf sales but sell-through.

It's a bit of a bummer that now, when I type in 'pspfanboy' I get Ludwig spouting 'Oh isn't it wonderful Sony says they've sold so many units (snicker)' with an entirely unsubtle byline of 'Get it? I'm being ironic. Because Sony sucks!'

If you have something to get off your chest, Ludwig, let's have it. Sony is guilty of many things (as many of us PSP owners have lamented), but fabricating their sales figures isn't one of them. Yet you seem to ignore their true failings such as blaming slumping sales on rampant piracy and scaring off all their developers - and utterly abandoning the system in the USA. In fact, I think the 50 million figure is amazing, all things considered.

I suggest sticking to facts about what Sony really has and hasn't failed at. Otherwise you just look like a brand basher with a chip on your shoulder rather than someone with something relevant to say.

'DS's are for kids and girls'

lol. what next, you're not going to let us in your treehouse if we have a DS?

Ahh, goal-post moving. It's a beautiful thing

As a male adult I have no interest in a DS, so in my opinion it's for kids and girls.

The posts are in the wrong place in the first place, one is a pretty pastel coloured games console, a new gen game boy, the PSP, like i say, is a portable multimedia device. I mean compare it to the Ipod touch, or any of the generic media devices. it can't really be compared to the DS, it's a different animal.

Oh god no, just stop Dan.

He's more or less right though, it is for kids and girls. Even nintendo thinks it is, as every commercial for it is some kiddy game or a bunch of girls sitting around playing animal crossing or nintendogs.

EXACTLY! Nintendogs! Animal Crossing! It's designed for and aimed at kids and Girls.

No-one says that is a bad thing, it's selling by the million, to kids and girls and making Nintendo a pile of cash. Even if you're not a kid or a girl and you play a DS no-one thinks any less of you, although by the negative votes i assume some of you are pretty insecure about your DS playing image.

It just shouldn't be compared to the PSP, which to be honest, I doubt a kid or a girl would get the full benefit from. The PSP is for executives, business men who like their games, to play at lunch or on the train, doubles as an MP3 player, plays bloody MOVIES! - How can such a machine be compared to, like I say, a new gen gameboy? For anyone 4+ to play bloody nintendogs for christ sake?

i think the DS is cool as fuck and would buy my kids them, I mean they're cheap, robust, drop proof, perfect for kids, but myself, I'll stick with my PSP.

And that explains why so many have sold, people own multiple DSs. So if we take your example as assume everyone owns 3, then divide DS's 96 million by 3 and that means there are only 32 million unique DS owners.

Bragging about owning multiple copies of a thing you really only should have one of is more sad than impressive. I wish people on the internet would learn that already.

What happened to that guy who claimed to own six PSPs?