When Sony released the PlayStation Portable in 2005, it seemed like it could do no wrong. In a market that had been dominated by Nintendo for over a decade, the PSP seemed poised to topple the big N for good. With endless hype, superior graphics, tremendous 3rd party support, and the ubiquitous PlayStation brand, everything was coming up roses for Sony and their portable powerhouse. Fast-forward 5 years and the market tells a very different story. The once-beloved PSP has not only come in a very distant 2nd to the Nintendo DS, but has become barely relevant in today's industry. It begs the question: how did this happen?
1. Price
The PSP launched at $250, which was not only more than almost any previous handheld, but more than the PlayStation 2 itself. The price was understandable given the system's impressive list of features, and the first few shipments sold out quickly. However, once the early-adopters had their fill, sales quickly slowed as the price was just too high. People instead played the waiting game, choosing to hold out for a price drop or something else entirely.
2. Constant Redesigns
Not long after the system's launch, a number of the PSP's shortcomings had become very apparent. Because of this, Sony released several revisions of the hardware, both confusing and frustrating the consumer. In the 5 years the platform has been on the market it has seen 4 iterations. This made the prospect of purchasing the PSP seem more like a risk, as the buyer never knew when their system would become obsolete. This practice became especially baffling when Sony released the PSP Go. Touting a bevy of features nobody asked for as well as a higher price tag, the PSP market became pitted against itself with two versions of the same system that were completely incompatible with one another. Those who wanted to upgrade their existing PSP's to the Go soon discovered that, not only did none of their old games work, but even basic accessories like memory cards and power cords weren't cross compatible. The PSP's previous iteration, the PSP 3000, continues to outsell the Go to this day.
3. Fragility
When purchasing a handheld device, one of the most important features to look for is its durability. Unfortunately, the PSP failed on this front in more ways than one. The system's screen was a sight to behold. One of the most beautiful portable screens in existence at the time, its one major drawback was how easily it showed normal wear and tear. With no screen protection included upon purchase, every fingerprint and tiny scratch was almost absurdly visible. On a more serious note, the complicated inner workings of the hardware were extremely susceptible to impact. If the system was dropped from more than 3 feet, there was a good chance it would stop working for good. With a large portion of the handheld market funded by parents buying for their children, this was the ultimate red flag.
4. UMD's
In order to achieve the level of quality they wanted for their games, Sony decided to go with a disc based format instead of cartridges. The result was the UMD or Universal Media Disc. Each one consisted of a very small CD encased in clear plastic with a metal rotator in the center. While this seemed like a good idea in theory, it proved to have some serious drawbacks. Alone, CD's are more fragile than cartridges, but UMDs somehow made matters worse. The plastic housing was very poorly assembled, often times splitting at the seams, rendering the game useless. There were even some customers who thought the plastic case was just more packaging, ripping the disc out from inside without realizing they had just destroyed their new game. Finally, by nature, discs require loading time. The convenience of quickly getting in and out of a game is paramount to a handheld, and the UMD format made that impossible. With loading times frequently lasting upwards of 10-15 seconds, commuters wishing to play between bus stops found themselves spending more time on the title screen than actually playing the game.
5. Movies
Having movies on the PSP was a great idea. Having them cost as much as standard DVDs while offering lower visual quality, poor sound, and fewer features, was not. Customers quickly stopped buying and it wasn't long before movie studios discontinued support.
6. Battery Life
For all its technical prowess, the PSP's battery life was criminally short. With the original design's longevity clocking in under a measly 2 hours on a fully charged battery, long travel times became the PSP's worst enemy. Eventual redesigns did a lot to correct the issue, but as far as public perception was concerned, the damage was done.
7. 3rd Party Developers
In the beginning, this was one of the PSP's biggest strengths. However, as time went on it became obvious that sales just weren't enough to offset the platform's expensive development. Studios took notice that designing for the Nintendo DS not only cost less, but would frequently yield more profit, even with lower sales numbers. A small development team could create 2 DS games in the same time it would take a larger studio to make just one. The math didn't add up, and 3rd parties moved on to greener pastures.
8. Games
When it came to games, the PSP found itself in a strange predicament. It had created a market where full-sized games were touted as the platform's biggest selling points. However, when titles like Syphon Filter and God of War were released, they garnered complaints from gamers who would rather play them on their TV's. This vicious cycle continued as customers simultaneously demanded large scale games for their handhelds and complained about those very games for being just that. This mentality also put a huge dent in sales of more portable friendly titles. As a result, brilliant games like Patapon, LocoRoco, and N+ received favorable review scores, but very low sales.
9. Controls
Let's face facts here. The PSP's "analog nub" is one of the worst control interfaces in the history of gaming. It's poorly placed, easily broken, and feels downright awkward to use. The system's D-pad did little to offset this by being very sharp around the corners, and simply not functioning with the level of precision required for most games. TItles like Street Fighter Alpha 3: MAX, which required complex control inputs, became downright unplayable. It was the first-person shooter genre, however, that was most affected by the system's poor interface. With FPS games becoming more and more popular, the PSP found itself completely incapable of translating a dual analog control scheme. The resulting experiences were truly disappointing, as the graphics were typically wonderful, but the games themselves were nearly impossible to play.
10. Nintendo DS
None of the problems listed above would have been deal breakers if the Nintendo DS didn't exist. It sat silently with a very slow start while Sony enjoyed the incredibly successful launch of their new portable darling. However, once the PSP's problems started to manifest themselves, the DS was there to pick up the slack with solutions to nearly every one of the PSP's flaws, and a classy new design to boot. The sleek looking DS Lite was a very durable system, featuring long battery life, a good price point, low development costs, and a game library focused on a very broad audience. What once seemed like a bizarre experiment at its launch, quickly became an enticing new option for developers and consumers that felt burned by Sony's PSP. Nobody saw it coming, and not only has the Nintendo DS become one of the bestselling systems this generation, but of all time.
Now, how can Sony fix this?
The PSP, as it stands, will never overcome Nintendo's success. The situation however, isn't quite as dire as I've made it sound. The PSP has found its market, however small, and with it has enjoyed several successful launches with games like God of War: Chains of Olympus, and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Instead of trying to overtake the DS, Sony will let this generation run its course and prepare for round 2. The Nintendo 3DS has gathered a ton of hype with its incredible features and 3rd party support. The one major thing standing in its way it the price. With rumors of the 3DS running customers up to $300 at launch, Sony has an excellent opportunity to position itself as the economical option. If they can come out of the gate swinging with a competitive price and flashy new tech of its own, the next generation will wind up as a much tighter race.
The other major card Sony can play to their advantage is the sports genre. Sports games are hands-down better on the PSP. Titles like Madden NFL and FiFA soccer have boasted very impressive numbers, while their DS counterparts barely register as blips on the radar. In particular, their MLB franchise, MLB: The Show, is huge for them. Even if Nintendo can eventually manage to catch up in quality, Sony can gather enough of a lead in this department so that it won't really matter. Remember, sports games are what almost cost Nintendo's Super NES the war against the Sega Genesis during the 16-bit era. Madden NFL alone accounts for a considerable chunk of the video game market each year, and in a close battle, that could be just what Sony needs to tip the scales in their favor.
If this feature proves anything, its that the video game industry is hard to predict. By most logic, the PSP would have dethroned the Game Boy while Nintendo DS went the way of the Virtual Boy. Yet, here we are, with a decidedly different outcome. The one thing that is for certain, is that whatever Sony has up its sleeve for the PSP2 will be something special. Will it be enough to take down the house that Mario built for good? Only time will tell.
What do you think? Do you agree that the PSP has failed, or is it simply misunderstood? Let us know in the comments.
