PSP Go to have 16,000 pieces of downloadable content at launch (including old stuff)
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Sep 27th 2009 at 6:00PM } 
Sony broke this number down, claiming that the Store will house 225 full downloadable games (including PSP titles, PSN-exclusives, UMD Legacy titles and PSP Minis), 2,300 movies and 13,300 television episodes by October 1. Sony highlighted Gran Turismo PSP, God of War: Chains of Olympus and Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny as a few notable day-one downloadables. Those who rely on visits to their nearest gaming retailer for social interaction can purchase download codes for a number of other titles, including Daxter and Secret Agent Clank.
See, retailers? The folks at Sony hasn't left you completely out in the cold. You can stop giving them the stink-eye now.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 27th 2009 6:03PM
i will keep giving sony the stink eye, and i will enjoy it. $50 less than a PS3? nuh uh. nooooooo.
Deadpool @ Sep 27th 2009 6:24PM
Yeah, I was thinking about getting one and then I thought "For $50 dollars more I could get a Ps3 Slim". So I decided to stick with my old Darth Vader PsP.
But for $299, I did feel like getting another Ps3. But I can't abandon my good old 60 Gig.
Markez @ Sep 27th 2009 6:26PM
So that's over 80% of the available content being TV episodes, but 225 games seems like a lot? Right?
Markez @ Sep 27th 2009 6:29PM
While being tongue in cheek, I was being serious as well. 225 does seem like a lot of games I guess.
Markez @ Sep 27th 2009 6:32PM
oh christ nevermind
acefondu @ Sep 27th 2009 9:11PM
225 games and only about 13 of them will fit on the system....wonderful...
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 27th 2009 10:49PM
well not all psp games are over 1 GB of space. On any type of portable media player (iPhone, Zune, iPod etc) data management is a crucial part of the experience. I think 16 GB's of space is adequate but not optimal. I think a dedicated 32 GB's of onboard memory along with the expansion slot would have been a better deal considering the asking price of $250. I love the look of the GO and the idea behind it but my only complaint would be the launch price. I don't even have an issue with the 16 GB's which for me would be plenty of space for game, minis, music, comics and video content for at least a few weeks at a time. I want to get one really bad but I have a 3000 that has an 8GB memory stick and the fact that Sony even changed the memory format from the GO means that I would also need to upgrade to another memory stick if I wanted expanded storage.
I've got the 16 GB iPhone and I haven't run into any storage issues so I don't think 16 GB's is an issue even for a dedicated gaming device. Again, my issue is the pricing structure. I'll get one eventually but if they want me to buy it for $250 I'm going to need more space and/or more incentives.
skyzbig @ Sep 27th 2009 6:15PM
That's great 'n all Sony...you wanna think about sorting out the price next?
solarshadows074 @ Sep 27th 2009 7:31PM
THIS IS MADNESS!
Lionbacker @ Sep 27th 2009 7:34PM
THIS
stormtrooper190 (IcelandTerrorist) @ Sep 27th 2009 8:09PM
IS
stormtrooper190 (IcelandTerrorist) @ Sep 27th 2009 8:09PM
SPATRTA!!!
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 27th 2009 8:15PM
if you're going to finish it for yourself, spell it right. thanks.
Skaz @ Sep 28th 2009 12:20AM
Spatrta gets no respect I tell ya
IcelandTerrorist (stormtrooper190) @ Oct 3rd 2009 5:54PM
i think this is the first time i need an edit button
Omega_King @ Sep 27th 2009 6:21PM
i still would like a physical copy of the game not some dam digital download, being that the games are going into the new psp gos m2 card why not sell a single game in m2 card that is protected my code so we can buy it without download, thats why DS is kicking psps ass, because you can actually buy the games in store.
And i agree with Sly, feaken extra $100 for something that costs them less to produce, and does away with the expensive umd.
the psp go should be $150 and going down in price.
LeChuck @ Sep 27th 2009 7:01PM
thats why DS is kicking psps ass, because you can actually buy the games in store.
That doesn't make much sense considering that up until now (and still) almost every PSP game could be bought in store. Aside from a few PSN exclusives and the PSP Minis, most games will still be released on UMD as well as download.
AvA (ice~) @ Sep 27th 2009 6:21PM
this whole PSP Go thing is going to fail miserably, I'm sorry. But at the end of the day, I want to know that I will always have my game. having a digital copy is so limited, if you ever lose the file, you have to have the key, and you have to hope that the company is still around or still offers the ability to redownload it. you can't resell it. can't import games and whatnot. it's all a really bad idea. It would also definitely make a dent in the economy if all games go digital.
add this with the pricing of this thing, and sorry Sony, no thanks. like sly above me said, $50 less than a PS3? Suck my nuts I'd rather buy an extra PS3
PSN ID: J-Berg @ Sep 27th 2009 7:04PM
While I cannot defend Sony's pricing structure, the idea of digital media is far from a failure. People made the same complaint 5-10 years ago about going from CD's to mp3 files. Once people realized the convenience of being able to leave all their physical media at home for the ability to switch from one title to the next instantly without swapping anything we never looked back, and the same will go for games. The only way that I could see you losing your games throughout the course of time would be if for some reason Sony went completely under, and no one picked up their utilities, and for some reason you deleted your data off your PSP and your backup copies on your computer.. and even then, come on.
Also your proposal of an all digitally distributed console cycle is generations away, and I'm sure the economy has dealt with worse blows to the market. That coupled with the fact that digital distribution, at least on the consoles, is a huge detriment to piracy, which right now is hurting these companies more than whatever proposed "dent" you are thinking of. As times change industries adjust, and if certain sectors, perhaps one day the physical media manufacturers, are not necessary, then yes - they may go away. But again, that won't be for quite some time.
Reselling games also hurts the industry, and if Sony has any sense at all (arguable) they will implement that rental service they hinted at a few weeks ago. This way you can try a game before you buy it, which should all but eliminate the purchases of bad/good but short games that would later warrant a resell. Importing may be an issue, but I have an account for all three territories of the PSN, allowing me to pick up any title released online. Additionally having games online will also help to eliminate rare titles that skyrocket in price, if it was ever on the store - it always will be.
I have an old PSP and the first time I bought a game off the PSN I never wanted to go back to carrying around all my UMD's, and since the announcement of the go I put off buying all new titles in hopes to see them available online in the near future. Having a digital library is a godsend for a handheld platform.
PN04 @ Sep 27th 2009 7:30PM
The argument of "CDs to MP3s" fails because the convenience of MP3s is more that you can get then freely and distribute them to anyone you like. The complete opposite of a Digitally downloaded DRMed-out-the-ass game. If I can download an entire CD without ever paying a dime OF COURSE I'm going to snatch up a MP3 player, or better yet I can copy all my existing CDs to MP3 without much hassle. None of these things are possible with PSPgo.
Even if you discount the piracy aspect for the sake of a legal argument, If I buy a MP3 I've only spent what maybe2 bucks at most per song as opposed to 20 bucks per game and frankly I can still BUY a CD and copy it to my harddrive. If I end up hating that CD or cant stand listening to it any more I can trade or sell it to someone else. This cant be done with a digital download game. You cannot recoup the cost of a product you no longer use by trading to someone else. I bought Soldner X for PS3, I hated that game, I have no way of getting my money back for it despite the fact that I played it for a day and realized how shitty it is, So I'm trapped owning garbage. If that's not a firm argument against Digital Download I dont know what is.
Just because technology makes it possible doesnt mean you HAVE to do it. Otherwise we'd be hip deep in clones.
Sadistic Freek @ Sep 27th 2009 7:49PM
@J-Berg, the problem I have with the analogy with the CDs and going to mp3s is that you have multiple venues for getting said mp3s, including non-legal ones. There are many music services out there to compete, and prices will vary from venue to venue. And you also have the option of buying the cd, then ripping it to your mp3 player. The problem with digital distribution as a whole (not attacking Sony), is that there is no competition, there is no dropping prices to clear shelf space for new products. An example is that I can get Sonic (crappy 3d one) on Xbox Live for $20, but I could go to a store and pick it up for $10 new. And there's other games on the marketplace where I can grab a physical copy for $10 cheaper. Gone is the competition and shelf space dilemma. I'm also a sucker for box sets, like atlus does for some games. Like the recent Persona remake for the PSP, which you can't get if you wait for it to come out on PSN.
PSN ID: J-Berg @ Sep 27th 2009 8:45PM
I totally agree with the failing in that analogy, though if we are going to consider "grey areas" of the law, then technically Sony has that 5 console registration deal. So if I happen to be a kid in high school with PSP's, we could all go in on PSN cards and split games. That would be a heck of a deal.
Though really my entire comment was fueled more by my frustration with people who don't seem to see the appealing part of this way of distribution. I wouldn't buy a full priced console game online for the same reasons stated above, but to me since a handheld game is cheaper and is a rarer buy, and is portable, I don't mind so much.
leo2178 @ Sep 27th 2009 9:09PM
@J-berg
People didn't complain about the switch to MP3. It was the music companies that had the issue since their market was changing and they had nothing to do with it. Don't forget at fist most people burned their MP3s back to CDs.
I have a question for you. Why is gaming the only industry hurt by resale. You never here car companies or anyone else for that matter complain about their products being sold used. The easiest answer for this is they are over pricing their product. What seems to make it worse is that they then go and set their download price the same as if it were a physical copy.
Lastly, I don't like the fact that the consumer loses all power in the current digital download game market. First no more competitive pricing. (just look at how the 360 Games on Demand are ridiculously over priced, and the Arcade games keep going up in price.)
Then when the console maker moves on to the next generation what guarantees do you have that the servers hosting these games will stay available.
Crashwithuhk @ Sep 27th 2009 9:34PM
I don't understand how people are arguing over the possibility of digital distribution failing or succeeding. Look around.It's already here and alive.
Xbox Live Arcade. PSN. Steam. Direct 2 Drive. It's only a matter of how slowly or quickly it'll become the norm that's debatable. Digital distribution is here to stay. The only thing really hampering it's major growth is the bullying of major retailers who are afraid of being cut out of the loop but even that tactic will only buy them so much time.
The retailers have got the publishers convinced that they're essential to selling the games and use that to bully them into silly ideas like download cards for sale in a store but sooner or later the publishers will realize it's the other way around, it's the retailers who need to publishers to have something to sell. Hopefully sooner rather than later the publishers will realize they have the internet as means of distribution and will cut off the retailers.
IslandLife @ Sep 27th 2009 9:55PM
You guys are all thinking about this from a U.S. perspective, and understandably so, but...
Even though I am not in the least bit interested in the PSP Go, I hope that digital downloads for full games continues to become an option on the PS3, a la Burnout. The reason is that I live outside the U.S., and purchasing games where I live (The Bahamas) is ridiculously expensive. Some PS2 games sell above $100 (keep in mind that the Bahamian dollar is equal to the American dollar) Even though I usually purchase games from Amazon in order to save money, I still have to pay, stamp tax, duty etc. If I had the choice to purchase full games that usually only sell at retail, online, then I could save a heck of a lot of money, not to mention time. I'm pretty sure that many of my West Indian/Caribbean brethren that also use the U.S. PSN store also feel the same way.
PSN ID: J-Berg @ Sep 27th 2009 10:21PM
** I meant to say "if a kid in high school and his friends had PSP's they could.." in my comment earlier.
I agree that pricing is a problem, and that is why gamers in general are more hesitant to spend $60 on a game that may be no good. But I for one and willing to gamble on a PSP mini or even a $20-$30 game that I researched and have a good idea of what I am getting into. Sales do happen on PSN, more often than you think, ( though their service is still in its infancy, maybe they will adapt a model like Steams, where major price cuts spike sales), but I know where the extra money is going. I am paying for the convinience, I can browse the store and be playing a full title in minutes while laying in bed, and anywhere I go, I will have it.
It's all an option, and it's here to stay. If you don't want to adopt this new technique then don't. People who buy a PSP go know what they are getting into, and still they - like me - can't wait to be walking around with a PSP go.
Peels87 @ Sep 27th 2009 10:30PM
The problem is competition, since they're basically cutting out all of the retailers. I know they mentioned something about retailers selling download vouchers when the Go was first announced but I haven't heard much on that since. I'm surprised the retailers haven't gotten more proactive in pushing download vouchers, including it in a packet with a manual and maybe some postcard sized concept art or something. Or selling collections of games on CD which you could put on your computer and transfer to the PSP.
But I fully expect in about five years time to be able to download a Best Buy or Gamestop app to a system and download games and movies from there which would provide some healthy competition.
mahouneko @ Sep 28th 2009 4:07AM
@PN04:
Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core is 1.7 GB and retailed at ~40 dollars.
Assuming that the MP3s you purchased online are encoded at 320 kbits and average 10 MB for a 4 minute song, you have:
1700 divided by 10 = 170 songs that you can put for that much space.
Also remember, you said that you pay a dollar per song... Congratulations, you've spent $170 for that much space.
Also, most UMD games are around 500-800 MB. I still think that you're spending a lot more on your iTunes songs than a PSN game.
Just my $0.02
mahouneko @ Sep 28th 2009 4:19AM
@leo:
You mentioned the issue of resale of cars and the auto industry. Well, there's something that might not have noticed but the auto industry also makes money from producing a ton of spare parts and selling those spare parts to car repair shops and whatnot. Problem is, the auto industry's leadership (GM, Ford, etc) have been sticking their heads in the sand for a pretty long time whereas Toyota and Honda have essentially massacred them with their hybrids and family sedans.
Other factors such as MPG ratings, reliability of the model vs its service age, and cost of repairs vs cost of buying the piece of junk get factored in as well. Unlike gaming consoles, cars are NEEDED and there's a noticeable trend of people buying newer cars as opposed to buying used cars that are 5+ years old.
Remember the Cash For Clunkers program? Yeah, people ditched their old cars to buy the newer Focus and Prius models.
brettjr @ Sep 27th 2009 6:21PM
Out of the entire 16000 only 225 are games? I think Sony has its priorities mixed up a bit for the system. But then again the Go as being advertised as a go anywhere media device so I guess a lot of movies would be useful I guess. But I'm just saying I would rather have more of all the PSP games on the store cause with only 225 a lot of the older games and ones I still enjoy like Metal Gear Ac!d will probably be getting the brush off. But I guess it doesn't matter to me cause I'm not getting one because I can't get my previous 26 titles onto the system without repaying over $200...oops I mean 27 games, I just bought Star Ocean: First Departure new from Best Buy today for only $9.99 because of a sale, hurray for PERFECT COMPETITION!!
LeChuck @ Sep 27th 2009 7:08PM
A majority of those movies and tv shows are already on the PSN. It's easier for Sony to put up lots of media because anything that Sony Pictures is handling the home distribution for they can throw on there no problem but with third party games they have to strike up new profit sharing deals with the publishers. That's why they've announced that all first party games will be UMD and PSN but they can't make that same promise with third party.
Archon (PSN: Archonik, XBL: DarkARHN) @ Sep 27th 2009 6:22PM
"at least there will be plenty of purchasing options for those who still decide to make the switch"
There will be as many for those who don't.
commen-cents @ Sep 27th 2009 6:29PM
i have to say thats a lot of content... itll be interesting to see how the go does, if you can keep your whole history on the psn like the ps3 does to redownload anything anytime then this should have some success. ill probably wait until the price comes down and the memory is larger but i am interested... you just have to wonder if the download prices are going to be cheaper to offset the cost of normal games, if so the $250 makes more sense but its still high for this crap economy we have right now.
brettjr @ Sep 27th 2009 6:34PM
Check one page back:
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/23/sony-to-maintain-pricing-parity-for-downloadable-psp-games/
No the download prices WONT be cheaper if anything they will be more expensive and price will drop less on the PSN.
commen-cents @ Sep 27th 2009 6:52PM
well ill definitely be waiting around then... i still dont know why this has no touchscreen either, or second nub.
PN04 @ Sep 27th 2009 7:35PM
For the millionth time a second nub would be useless for the thousands of games that already exist for the PSP and were designed not to use it. Adding a second nub for new games means they still have to design the games to work for the 50 million PSPs that already exist and DONT HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADD A SECOND NUB.
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Sep 27th 2009 9:30PM
"Adding a second nub for new games means they still have to design the games to work for the 50 million PSPs that already exist and DONT HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADD A SECOND NUB."
then make developers have 2 control schemes. it's not that hard to figure out. heck, most games that would be better with a second analog stick already have multiple control schemes, so it's not hard at all.
johnnynumber5 @ Sep 27th 2009 10:59PM
How is "pricing parity" more expensive? The word "parity" implies the same pricing structure.
commen-cents @ Sep 27th 2009 11:06PM
@PN04 your logic is ridiculous... a second nub wouldn't impede your ability to play older psp games, and what difference would it make if the newer games had one? people dont complain about newer control schemes for new systems (a lot of people love the 360 controller, i dont hear them upset about the original xbox controller changing) the fact of the matter is, a second nub would be an improvement, and the go even looks like it should have had one where the start/select buttons sit... if your upgrading, upgrading to newer games that implement a second nub might be worth the money... upgrading for a smaller more portable system is less of an incentive. Nobody is going to upgrade their $300 dollar 360/PS3 to a 720/PS4 for hundreds more just to play the same games, new games come with new systems which the pspgo is whether they like it or not. they didnt innovate enough...
more memory, touchscreen, 2nd nub...
do that maybe ill pay your $250, hell i may pay more then that as long as i think im getting my moneys worth.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 27th 2009 6:32PM
t so they didn't include PSOne titles in that?? or is that part of the PSN Exclusives??
Eiterh way I wont be getting a Go anytime soon if ever....need at LEAST 32GBs for $200 64GBs for $250....as well as weekly sales on PSN Content...
Bri @ Sep 27th 2009 6:39PM
so let's get this straight...
you pay more for a lesser system... check.
games prices? my bet is that they will stay relatively the same... check.
ok, so now we're on the same level as PSP Non-Go, except for this... we now have to buy memory cards in order to store out downloaded games on.
so not only is the system itself more expensive(i dont like the design so i wont buy it anyway), but we have to fork over more cash in order to have medium to play the games on. people will argue that "you can put more than one or 2 games on one a lot of times!" but that's still bullshit.
We're paying more and more money for something that's less. and for some things that arent even tangible.
maybe with that high price tag they coulda put a 200gb harddrive inside. right, but then it's not as.. slim.
they're stealing peoples money more and more.
i love my psp and my ps3, but we keep getting ripped off now. we pay for a ps3 game that cant even keep up with the 360s version of the same game sometimes, and now people have to pay out their butts for all of this. -.-
Markez @ Sep 27th 2009 6:41PM
"they're stealing peoples money more and more.
i love my psp and my ps3, but we keep getting ripped off now. we pay for a ps3 game that cant even keep up with the 360s version of the same game sometimes, and now people have to pay out their butts for all of this. -.-"
I don't know the right way to insult what you're saying, but I know that it's horribly stupid. Nobody forces your hand when it comes to how you spend your leisure money.
Bri @ Sep 27th 2009 6:54PM
no, it's not "forced." my point wasn't about peoples choices, but about the theory regarding all the pricing and lack of tangibility.
obviously, no one forces anyone's hands in this, but if people want to continue playing these games, they have to pay more and more, for less and less. it's capitalism in it's finest, and borderline thievery.
i didn't think i would have to spell everything out on here, but apparently i need to.
PN04 @ Sep 27th 2009 7:42PM
I applaud your effort in bashing the 'go but you forget that it has a built in HD (32gb I believe) So while yes, they will ask you to buy new memory cards for it, you can do a lot without cards.
Still you are right. It lacks media choice, it doesnt have a longer battery life, it costs almost as much as a full sized console despite being like 5 year old tech, the screen is physically smaller and it kills puppies and kittens (that last part is an exaggeration) The few things that it offers over the 2000 or 3000 is offset by the things that it takes away. This is not a device for people who own a PSP already and enjoy using it. It's a device for the iphone addiced types that dont mind burning out their credit cards by indiscriminately buying virtual property.
abelpc @ Sep 27th 2009 9:17PM
it has 16gigs built in memory and uses Sony's HG Micro memory cards which are smaller than Pro Duos
Durden @ Sep 27th 2009 6:41PM
I would rather buy a Zune HD.
aaronharmon_04 @ Sep 27th 2009 8:12PM
I did buy a Zune HD and love it so far.
Durden @ Sep 27th 2009 8:56PM
Any complaints with it?
abelpc @ Sep 27th 2009 9:11PM
I wish there were more apps and the browser is So So.. but everything else is great.
Ashitaka @ Sep 27th 2009 9:13PM
You'd rather not play games, you mean.