Pachter says Sony is 'ripping off' consumers with PSP Go
by Ben Gilbert 
{ Jun 9th 2009 at 6:55PM }
Furthermore, he posits the $250 price of the PSP Go is vastly overinflated considering its contents, claiming it costs Sony less to build and ship the PSP Go than the PSP-3000 model, "The $169 PSP-3000 is a profitable device -- the disc assembly, for a UMD, costs more than 16 gigs of flash does. So this new device doesn't cost them as much as the PSP-3000 and they jack the price up $80?" When Keighley presses Pachter as to whether Sony is "ripping off" the consumer or not, he answers, "They're rippin' off the consumer ... they're making a lot more money on the PSP Go than the PSP-3000."
Gallery: PSP Go
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
WREturns @ Jun 9th 2009 6:58PM
Uh...duh?
charlie b. @ Jun 9th 2009 7:19PM
@Latin_Trident: that made me sad :(
required @ Jun 9th 2009 7:24PM
This site lists widgets that work within the PSP browser (it actually has flash) http://www.psponme.com/list_psp.asp?cat=Tools
Now I'm not saying they best the stuff in the app store, I'm just pointing out that it has access to a lot more than the app store.
Also the PSP has its own store.
required @ Jun 9th 2009 7:33PM
I'd also point out that the PSP (the five year old model) in fact has a lot of features that the ipodtouch still does not have such as user expandable hot swappable memory and location free TV.
Massmass @ Jun 9th 2009 7:40PM
Have you seen all the idiots (people who refuse to understand the TRUTH) and the misguided souls (people who give Sony the benefit of the doubt) arguing the cost of the PSP GO!?
This was needed, however obvious.
TruthBringer @ Jun 9th 2009 7:41PM
I am getting really sick of the Pachter guy, can he ever shut his freaking mouth?
required @ Jun 9th 2009 7:43PM
one more and I'll let it go, promise.
Apple makes you pay for software updates. Sony does not. Over the years Sony has added many features and functions and done so at no charge. Pachter should take this into account as $10 each time around adds up.
Massmass @ Jun 9th 2009 7:49PM
Take back that $10 as it was mostly in Sony's best interest to continually update the firmware to combat piracy. They just added some nice features to make it more enticing.
Look at the PS3, pirate free and not much to say in regard to firmware AND most of the firmware updates for it were to make it work RIGHT, not better.
Chad Vanderbilt (Moptimus in Disguise) @ Jun 9th 2009 7:49PM
Man, just imagine how much you'd have to pay if Sony charged for firmware updates...
Jack Tretton @ Jun 9th 2009 8:00PM
Sony sure likes gamers begging them for price drops.
KeenCommander @ Jun 9th 2009 8:39PM
Sony sure likes losing market share by not offering the products a consumer wants at a price they're willing to pay, with a good selection of games anymore. That's exactly the formula that made the PS2 successful. It has yet to be seen if the PSP Go will meet the first two, but I seriously doubt it, and while progress is definitely being made on the third - it still caters to a relatively specialized audience. If you don't like racers, fighters, RPG's, and GTA - not much to see there.
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Jun 9th 2009 8:53PM
EDIT: Unnecessary.
glitched @ Jun 9th 2009 9:53PM
It's so that they can afford to cut the price of the ps3 this fall :)
james @ Jun 10th 2009 12:01AM
exactly.... well duh.
Isn't sony trying to make a profit? They are a business after all. Sell it for $250, see who buys it, drop it to $99 after 6 months and watch Nintendo cringe.
He's right though: it's little more than a 16gb media player with built-in wifi. They could sell it for $99 and make a profit.
I only hope all... and i do me ALL... the current PSP games are available for download from day 1 of the PSP Go release. Nothing's worse than buying a new console and not having games available to play on it.
MrB @ Jun 10th 2009 1:33PM
Sony and Apple BOTH make rather high priced products compared to competitors, and yet everyone buys them up.
NineT9 @ Jun 11th 2009 6:59AM
I completly agree with the guy in everything, Sony is really ripping off its customers, PSP-Go should retail at the same price as the PSP-3000
Sadly, Ill still get the PSP-Go, and still love Sony... I'll pay anything for their high quality products
SaltyGary @ Jun 9th 2009 7:01PM
The only people that don't feel Sony is ripping the consumer off are the god damn Sony Ponies. They think it's cool to get soaked by a corporation for some reason.
Chad Vanderbilt (Moptimus in Disguise) @ Jun 9th 2009 7:04PM
"Sony Ponies"
I demand an image macro, NOW
Jason Statham (Aka Vegeta) @ Jun 9th 2009 7:09PM
"Sony Ponies"
Well that's definitely something I've never heard of.
Latin_Trident @ Jun 9th 2009 7:13PM
I think the image found below is the closest thing to a Sony Pony. It was crippled by greed.
http://www.guidehorse.org/images/horse_wheelchair2.jpg
Jason Platt @ Jun 9th 2009 7:30PM
I've been using the term "sheep", but "Sony Pony" clearly wins.
Speaking of sheep, the only group who might be surprised by this is the flock that keeps making excuses for Sony.
There will, of course, be a tear-down price analysis of the PSPgo after it gets released. Once it is confirmed that this thing doesn't cost Sony much at all, they will only be quieted until the inevitable price drop (to maybe $199, still too much). Then they will say Sony has come to their rescue and start defending them again.
The sooner the PSPgo flops (hard) the better. Sony CANNOT be allowed to keep ripping people off by releasing mediocre product at unreasonable prices.
J
el serpiente @ Jun 9th 2009 7:34PM
Heh, love it when the bitching comes from a guy with an xbox avatar.
Well, I do think $250 is a lot. I'm not that much of a "sony pony" to argue otherwise.
But, well, 16GB touch is $299. And don't give me this app store stuff, the games for the PSP are on a whole other level than the shovelware that is available for the ipod touch platform.
What kind of margin do you think nintendo is making on the DSi? I bet you it is a hell of a lot more than the pspgo. DSi $170 on amazon and it doesn't have 16GB of flash memory. Prices for 16GB flash cards range from $30 to $50 (for micro).
I think it is overpriced, but I don't think it is THAT overpriced. Plus this is the launch price. And oh, the psp 3000 is still available for the same price as a DSi, so it's not like the go is the only option in the market if you want a psp.
A lot of whining here over nothing, really. Pachter included.
PR0F3TA @ Jun 9th 2009 7:34PM
HAHA oh man... how ironic, did you suddenly forget the $100 Wi Fi Adapters, $100+ hard drives, $50 online fee, the now defunct HD DVD add on.
Sony Ponys may be blind but some MS supporters are downright dumb. ALL companies rip you off... ALL OF THEM. even Nintendo
SaltyGary @ Jun 9th 2009 7:39PM
LOL yea I need to change my Pic if I want to continue making stupid statements like that. Just stoking the fire...
Kdiggy @ Jun 9th 2009 7:43PM
Honestly the Wii and DSi are rip offs. At least the PSP go is a well built system with good games. Keep buying 360's after E74 and RROD you tool!
Massmass @ Jun 9th 2009 7:47PM
Yes, but we need to remind everyone of just how they're being ripped. Too many people just say, WELL! THE OTHER BULLY DOES IT TOO!!!
Instead, how about agreeing? Then point out that hey, here are some other atrocities. The 360 Wi-fi adapter and hard drive prices are probably some of the most offensive mark-ups. What makes the PSP Go more offensive is not so much the mark-up but the fact that $80 would have gone a long way towards a TRUE PSP 2.
Worse yet, even if a new PSP 2 is in the pipeline, a year from now, consumer faith in Sony won't be so hot since who is to say they won't continually update the hardware. They are literally copying Sega's hardware motives, albeit slightly more successfully, and they aren't pissing off retailers yet, like Sega did. Still, if I am going to be whored out I'd rather MAKE money than lose money.
Jack Tretton @ Jun 9th 2009 7:56PM
Sony Ponies. I love it.
/adds to personal blog-commenting lexicon
Brodo @ Jun 9th 2009 7:03PM
Nintendo rips ppl off. Not Sony
Wii remote : 40
Nunchuck : 25
Motion Plus: 20
$85 + Tax = about 93$
charlie b. @ Jun 9th 2009 7:06PM
now, now. take it easy for just one second. they're BOTH ripping us off!
WREturns @ Jun 9th 2009 7:07PM
Same fucking retarded controller for 10 years still costs $60? Who's ripping off who?
R (XBL: Esoteric Lord) @ Jun 9th 2009 7:16PM
And Microsoft charges too much for their periphials. $100 for the wifi device.
Oh Em Gee, companies trying to make a profit. What has this world come to...
Ridgecity @ Jun 9th 2009 7:24PM
Go tell the analyst not us, he's the one bringing it up, probably didn't expect the Sony fanboys he's defending would demand his head. Specially since it's your money and your ass getting reamed.
DangerMouse @ Jun 9th 2009 7:28PM
Except that DS3 allows the player to do everything i need for just about every game, while also letting them use a cheap adapter to hook up old DS2's.
Markez @ Jun 9th 2009 7:39PM
You can get all current gen controllers for the same price if you want to. Any smart consumer knows how to do that, you don't have to buy everything brand new at retail outlets. You can get the same crap brand new online for about all roughly the same prices. If some elitist douche wants to say Wii controllers are ripping you off so be it, everybody knows it's only going to be like less than 5% of games that use the plus anyway for the next few years. THEY'RE ALL SPENDY.
I'm with WRE, it's one of the reasons why I bought a 360 instead of PS3. Grow up and develop a new controller and not retread the same piece of shit Sony has been using since its 1st console. 360 gamepad is my fave of all time, aside from the GameCube controller.
Jeremy White @ Jun 9th 2009 7:39PM
Did someone just call a controller retarded?
You totally burnt that controller.
PR0F3TA @ Jun 9th 2009 7:43PM
@Markez
You're telling someone (even worse, a multi-million dollar company) to grow up and yet the only reason why u chose a system over the other was because of a controller?
i'm sure Sony is reading your comment thinking "zOmG Teh Markez Saiz We Neeeeeed Nu Controlerz"
Hexen @ Jun 9th 2009 7:52PM
@WREturns
They don't change b/c they don't get complains about it and most Playstation loyalist prefer it over any other controller plain and simple.The person that complains is usually some Nintendo fanboy who have Satoru Iwata balls in his mouth and doesn't know how to let go of them;I wonder who fits that description!?
Massmass @ Jun 9th 2009 7:53PM
"And Microsoft charges too much for their periphials. $100 for the wifi device.
Oh Em Gee, companies trying to make a profit. What has this world come to..."
People no longer like paying the the mark-ups they charge. You know, game companies used to make their profits off games first, through licensing fees, hardware and accessories last and later.
Generally, those were happier days for everyone...
Freestyle Farfetchd @ Jun 9th 2009 8:08PM
And I was starting to think I was the only person in the world who thought the PS controller design was an outdated piece of crap. Sure, it's got an awesome dpad which is great for fighting games and... retro games. That's it. The design is seriously not suited to most genres of new games AT ALL. It's still the same old compromise they made more than 10 years ago now to put analogue sticks on the PS1 controller with out fudging up the layout for other games, and the same design they should have dropped the moment the PS2 came around. The controllers are the seriously the main reason I hardly ever played my PS2 back in the day, and why I abandoned it as soon as I got my hands on the eminently lovely Gamecube controller. The DualShock has it's place, but it's run its mile. Keep it as a legacy controller, and let something else take its place, PLEASE.
Jason Platt @ Jun 9th 2009 8:42PM
I am gonna puke if one more person talks about the MS Wi-Fi adapter.
The device is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. Online gaming over a wireless LAN connection is a terrible idea. Even under completely optimal conditions and speeds, wireless connections are at least HALF (yes, that's 50%) as fast as a wired connection. If you are playing a game over a slow connection you will lose, and that's if you are using a wire. At half-speed (all you get from a wireless LAN), you will never be able to compete. You are asking for frustration if you try to play games (that require any kind of accuracy) over a wireless LAN.
I know MANY 360 owners, and none of them have the wireless adapter. The damn thing is useless, so STOP ASSUMING IT IS A MUST-HAVE AND ADDING IT INTO THE COST OF A 360!!
Markez @ Jun 9th 2009 9:04PM
@ PR0F3TA
Dude, I didn't say it was the only reason I chose the 360 over the PS3. It is one of them. The determining factor, at the time, were the games available that I wanted to play. Personally, I feel new entries in each console generation should bring with them a new controller design. I think the GC controller and the 360 contoller are/were masterpieces.
STILL, I should point out, the PS2/3 controller owns all when it comes to piloting a Katamari ball XD
@ massmass & Jason Platt
While I sprung for the wifi adapter, my buddy just pulls the plug from his router and into the 360, actually works better than my setup since mine just conks out of its own accord occasionally :P
sc00by_y00 @ Jun 9th 2009 9:14PM
Platt you do realise you just talked complete bollocks dont you ?
What is the speed of your internet connection ? 8 Mbps by any chance ?
80211.g is 54 Mbps..
there in your argument falls flat on its face.. There is more than just bandwidth that will cause issues, I cant be bothered to go into it, I recommend you pick up a good book that goes into tcp/ip networking and then use that to back up your claims..
jimmygotsmack @ Jun 9th 2009 9:37PM
Why is the motion plus mandatory, while natal and the wand arn't? You think those are going to cost 20$? When did the nunchuck cost 25 dollars?
WREturns @ Jun 9th 2009 10:33PM
@ Hexen,
I'm sorry, but you're just straight up wrong. Any gamer worth his/her salt will tell you that the Wavebird was like having sex with your hands and the 360 pad is a close second (or vice versa). The PS3 controller sucks ass as it's STILL just a glorified SNES controller with hastily added dual analogs. But then again, I bet it's hard to see any valid criticisms while you're tossing Tretton's salad. Let me know when you get done with that, punkin.
KeenCommander @ Jun 10th 2009 1:17AM
Yes, Sony ripped off the SNES controller with the PS/PS2/PS3 controller. So freaking what? The SNES had an awesome controller. I really like my PS2 controllers, I think the design is fantastic. I really like the Wavebird, it's one of the best investments I've made in my Wii. From my limited experience with it - the 360 controller is really nice as well. I'd call it my least favorite of the lot, but that's likely only because I'm still not familiar with the setup. All of these systems have great controllers. As far as Sony using the same one - if it ain't broke, why fix it? IMHO, the original Xbox controller was terrible. I've used some third party ones that worked great, but the original pack in one was terrible. That's why we got such an upgrade with the 360. Sony doesn't need to upgrade. Do you really want to learn another controller set up? Really, do you? If there's no need for it, I'm perfectly content to have things left just as they are.
Now about those PSP controls...
Kenny Powers Fastball (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Jun 10th 2009 1:37AM
It's so funny to see all of you get so worked up over nothing. Why? Because someone thinks the Wii-Mote controller setup is over priced? IT IS! Because people think the DS3 is over priced? IT IS! Because people think ALL the 360 accessories are grossly over priced? THEY ARE!
It's like some dumb ass shit fit going here. I come on from watching the game to this crap. I'm extremely disappointed in all of you. Grow up.
This is all just dumb bickering over nothing. At least argue about something valid instead of lame salad tossing and dick sucking jokes that have never and will never been funny or in good taste. Bunch of dick salad tossing fanboy bitches.
You are all in time out. Keep it up and I will cut everyones water off.
chaos3346 @ Jun 10th 2009 2:28AM
Thank GOD other people hate that POS Playstation controller.
I don't think it's a terrible controller, I don't really. The Duke was a terrible controller. The Dreamcast controller was a pretty bad controller (but I love the DC just the same). The Dualshock wasn't a bad controller. It brought excellent, smooth analog control to the Playstation in an effective, nonintrusive manner, back when most games still used the DPad. Still a comfortable controller for the system.
Fastforward FIFTEEN years, and the same controller? It's typical Sony arrogance, I think, at play here. Something they did was SO GREAT they cannot change it. Here's the change. Ready for this? It's gonna be intense... PUT THE ANALOG STICK WHERE THE DPAD IS.
That's it. Really, that's it. Games don't really use the Dpad anymore, and the ones that do are often played with arcade sticks. The PS controller is no longer functional for its purposes. It was obvious when the DS was released that analog gameplay was going to supersede 2D play in short order, and Sony encouraged that. This was obvious - and when the PS2 was released, I couldn't help but wonder why they kept the same design. The reasons - brand recognition, arrogance, tradition - are just not good enough.
Forget motion sensing, that's the next-gen change Sony needed to make. Microsoft created an excellent controller - the 360 controller is marvelous - and that was their best play of this generation.
Darkdrium777 @ Jun 10th 2009 4:17AM
chaos3346: Not all games are FPS. Using your setup suggestion, my favourite game (WipEout) would become unplayable, because in this case D-Pad>Analog stick.
I also play Motorstorm with D-Pad. So yeah, just because YOU think it's better doesn't mean everyone does. As a racing game fan, I don't think it is.
sc00by_y00 @ Jun 10th 2009 6:29AM
Actually if you remember, Sony did create a new controller for the ps3...
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=161099
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/25/joystiq-readers-redesign-the-ps3-controller/
Nothing to do with Arrogance, all to do with bowing down to public pressure and public opinion, probably the same idiots that caused Sony to revert the design are now saying that Sony is arrogant because its kept to the same design..
I wonder how many people actually tried out the boomerang controller, before they condemned it, I would have loved to try it out...
mcf @ Jun 9th 2009 7:03PM
I had an argument with one of my friends before the week of E3, now my friend is pretty much a man-bimbo when it comes to common sense about anything, were arguing about the price of the PSP-Go. I was convinced that the Go would be priced much less than the current model because, in all honesty, the Go has LESS functionality than the normal PSPs so there was no way Sony was stupid enough to price it at the same level or more.
I'm still in shock that Sony really had the balls to try and 'smoke and mirror' its faithful consumer into justifying this ridiculous price. You are paying more for less, makes no fuckin sense!