Sony's new WiFi-free PSP is targeting teens

by Ben Gilbert on Sep 5th 2011 1:30PM

Watch out, teenagers of Europe -- Sony's new, less costly PlayStation Portable is coming for you! So says Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe head Jim Ryan in an interview with MCV, pointing to the lower price barrier as aimed at a "younger" crowd.

"It's all for the audience. If we are going to take PSP very young -- teens and much younger -- they are happy to just play the game," he explains. "If taking Wi-Fi out is the price to pay, we're happy to." Ryan also believes that the price point will give the console a much-needed sales bump, especially during the upcoming holiday season. "At €99/£89 it will make a great Christmas gift."

The latest iteration of Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld console, dubbed the E-1000, was unveiled last month in Germany at Gamescom 2011. It should be arriving exclusively in Europe "this fall."

Source: MCV

Tags: jim-ryan, playstation, psp, sony, teens

Reader Comments (63)

I thought that was the target audience of PSPs already...

And I also thought teens these days were obsessed with the internet...

@Gooblechev
The general library for the PSP is a bit on the "older teen" side. Many fames I certainly wouldn't give to an eight-yr-old.

@Gooblechev
Oops ha *games

@pluupy Hmmm... That could explain why I couldn't find much in the library I wanted to play.

I must have juvenile taste in video games. :D

@pluupy When was 8 a teen? It starts at 13 it's the TEEN bit in the word.

@byaboy
I didn't say 8 was teen.

Considering getting one of these to replace my old, fat one. It's seen better days, I couldn't care less about the online functionality and I still need something to play my UMDs. I've got Tactics Ogre and Dissidia that still need finishing.

Exclusively in Europe? I didn't realize we weren't getting this....

@Hoops

At this point in the game, I figured everyone that wanted a PSP had one already. With the Vita coming up, i hope you aren't too upset about it, are you?

i have PSP from launch (of course changed my fat to 3000 model) and i never even turned on the wifi on it. i just happy to play umds on it.

@stiqlol True, but consider that a) gaming over WiFi with the PSP never really took off outside of Japan that much (I personally always used AdHoc whenever I played with friends) b) internetting via the PSP took off even less and c) most teenagers already have access to the internet through their phones and then Sony's decision makes more sense than it initially seems

Yeah, most teens (including me) love Wifi. I thought it would be for adults who don't care about the Wifi.

Just what Sony needs, a sales bump for a dead handheld on the eve of launching their new handheld.

Facepalm with rockets attached to the wrist.

I think it's dumb but I guess I'll let the sales do the talking.

If this was coming to the US, I might get it because my UMD drive's busted. Oh well, I guess I'll just wait for the vita.

That's great because teens hate playing games against other people and downloading games they buy online.

@Rain
AFAIK teens also hate stereo sound (it has 1 speaker)

@Rain
If you want stereo use headphones :) But yes its an aging system and having more features removed makes the PSV look that much better.

@DV8ing1
They should have removed all speakers from the PSPE.

"hey look at the Vita it has SOUND OUTPUT"

Happy Birthday to Freddy Mercury and R.I.P.

I don't know why they're doing this, they have one psp that you have to download games and another that you can't download games. The original one was fine. I think they just hate gamestop employees by making them explain yet a 5th iteration to customers.
Also, how are you supposed to get dlc and patches?

@SuperWoody64
Um...via internet I guess...you know, with this little thing called USB?

@TopGunZ
That seems way more convenient than doing it wirelessly via a built in device that costs like a dollar wholesale.

all the games I've bought in the last year for PSP have been through PSN.

I was a teenager when I bought my PSP-3000. I'm eighteen now and even if I didn't have a PSP already I'd still opt for the Wi Fi enabled model.

What kind of a teenager doesn't want Wi Fi? I mean I can understand if Sony is targeting pre teens and such, but I can't really expect a sixteen year old to choose this over the other PSP models.

Unless they have to choose between this and a Go.

I thought it was targeting the CAVEMAN.

Sony clearly doesn't understand their market if they not only think that teenagers who want a PSP don't want Wi-Fi... but also if they think that the current market of PSP owners isn't primarily dominated by teenagers already.

@Huey2k2 What?! Sony not understanding a market?! This is a first.

I've had WiFi longer than I've had kids (and one starts High School tomorrow) and my kids take online for granted and will be confused and bewildered my being off-net.
Unlike my iPad or my DS, I'm wary of letting them use my PSP-3000 unless I've taken any UMD out first - I'd rather give them a PSP-GO than a PSP-Stop, because of the moving parts.

Teens use more intenet then everyone
.....being a teen I can confirm this -.-
Kids are gunna' be pissed at their grandma's when christmas comes and they get this

- no wi-fi
- mono speakers
.
.
.
- the psp-3000 is still the best psp

hm. looks like another failure for sony like the psp go...lol

if sony took the psp-3000, put on a matte finish to match the ps3 slim, i'd so get another psp...call it psp-4000...heck they're probably already planning one just to rofl at the idiots who buy this crappy version of the psp...hahahah

@xxnike629xx

At least the GO did make some since & provided something new. It was smaller, it fit in your pocket better. It was more portable & set the stage for downloading games. You lost UMDs, but you didn't need them if you could download games. It wasn't handled properly, but it did bring something interesting to the table.

With this, you are just getting less machine.

@Im No Hero

oops, "sense".

@xxnike629xx
I'd say the PSP-2k is the best model. I like the screen more than the 3k's, but that's just me...

@stiqlol I don't own a Psp but as i understand it the web browser is crap online is hacked and you can easily download the games from media go

@sonyforlife and this version is cheaper with access to lots of great games

I don't know any teen that deserves this.

Next story: "Teens dive out of Sony's PSP path and grab an iPod"

I'm 14 years old, and this new PSP model really appeals to me.

Problem?

@The Mentlegen

You may be 14, but you're also saying this on a video game blog. I think that counts you more as a gamer demographic rather than average teen.

This is the most dead-end lame-brained console that has ever been sold.

Sony: Hey, you. Yeah you, teenager dude. Whats that thing you use ALL THE TIME... The... I-Inter... Inter...

Teenager: The Internet?

Sony: YEAH! The Internet. How about. Check this... For 99 Euros we sell you THIS PSP but it doesnt have that Internet thing you speak of?? Thats a great deal, no??

Teenager: Yeah sure... Of course thats 99 Euros which could be better spent on the Vita a few months later.

Sony: ....

@Lucky48 No, they ask their parents, what else do teenagers do?

Is it worth getting a dumbed down model that looks super cheap for only $30 less than the 3000? Don't a lot of kids play online? Seems like a lame move.

How will updates be managed? I'm guessing exclusively through your computer or game discs. Seems dumb to strip out WiFi.

So, they're still selling that thing, are they ?

I know that I should wait for the Vita, but I still would buy one of these if they released it in NA. I sold my original PSP awhile ago, but now some more games have come out for it that I wanna play.

@Lucky48 well it's sorta does for people looking to buy cheap handheld and cheap way in to console games, especially ones who want to play J-RPGs . €99 is great price for handheld with big library of games. not everyone is early adopters and certainly not everyone want to pay 250€ for handheld. PSP is a good starter in console world in fact my first console ever was a psp.

No Wi Fi? Maybe they should try targeting the pre-adolescent crowd in that case.

But Sony, teens love wifi! D:

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Sony's new WiFi-free PSP is targeting teens

Reader Comments (63)

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:34PM Gooblechev said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:38PM pluupy said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:39PM pluupy said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:54PM Gooblechev said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 4:44PM byaboy said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 9:17PM pluupy said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:37PM Richard El Britannia said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:39PM Hoops said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:09PM dez said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:39PM DokiDokiBawanga said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:41PM lSpam said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:43PM Rolandvz said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:43PM Dick Socrates said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:43PM mcnichoj said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:48PM KirbyCommando said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:48PM Rain said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:49PM Rain said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:52PM DV8ing1 said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:36PM Rain said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 1:56PM Angel Mass said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:00PM SuperWoody64 said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 3:25PM TopGunZ said

Posted: Sep 6th 2011 1:48AM SuperWoody64 said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:10PM dez said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:18PM APCMice said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:23PM Martin C said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:24PM Huey2k2 said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:45PM AFATALERR0R said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:29PM NormanCod said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:30PM arucious said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:37PM xxnike629xx said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:46PM Im No Hero said

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Posted: Sep 5th 2011 3:58PM BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:38PM sonyforlife said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:40PM sonyforlife said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:40PM Raffi256 said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 2:44PM AFATALERR0R said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 3:02PM The Mentlegen said

Posted: Sep 5th 2011 3:53PM TraceurRyuk Part III said

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