Sony has attempted to play down the retail issues facing the PSPGo by claiming that the the launch tomorrow is actually going to go a lot smoother than expected.
Talking to GI.biz, Sony's PSP manager, Claire Backhouse, said that the reaction from retailers has actually been a lot more muted than Sony expected and that Sony was always aware that there would be problems.
The comment comes in reply to the announcement that some chains in the UK and Netherlands will be boycotting the handheld console on the basis that it prices itself out of the market and that retailers can't recoup costs by selling games. The PSPgo goes on sale tomorrow in the UK for £215 and is a digital-only console that only lets users buy games from the PlayStation Store.
Sony has also faced criticism from gamers for abandoning plans to let PSPgo owners transfer their old UMD games to the new digital format.
Sony claims that the PSPgo is intended to strengthen the PSP range as a whole though and that the response from retailers hasn't been as big as some people think.
"We were very aware of concerns when we went into it and I actually expected a lot more negative responses than we actually got," she explained. "They were really quite fine with it."
"If you bring out a new product, people aspire to that but they might not buy it, they might buy the PSP 3000 instead. Especially if they're part of a family - dad might buy the PSPgo but the kids might get PSP 3000s. I think that works quite well for us."
Let us know what you think of the PSPgo and whether you'll be picking one up this week, in the forums.
Talking to GI.biz, Sony's PSP manager, Claire Backhouse, said that the reaction from retailers has actually been a lot more muted than Sony expected and that Sony was always aware that there would be problems.
The comment comes in reply to the announcement that some chains in the UK and Netherlands will be boycotting the handheld console on the basis that it prices itself out of the market and that retailers can't recoup costs by selling games. The PSPgo goes on sale tomorrow in the UK for £215 and is a digital-only console that only lets users buy games from the PlayStation Store.
Sony has also faced criticism from gamers for abandoning plans to let PSPgo owners transfer their old UMD games to the new digital format.
Sony claims that the PSPgo is intended to strengthen the PSP range as a whole though and that the response from retailers hasn't been as big as some people think.
"We were very aware of concerns when we went into it and I actually expected a lot more negative responses than we actually got," she explained. "They were really quite fine with it."
"If you bring out a new product, people aspire to that but they might not buy it, they might buy the PSP 3000 instead. Especially if they're part of a family - dad might buy the PSPgo but the kids might get PSP 3000s. I think that works quite well for us."
Let us know what you think of the PSPgo and whether you'll be picking one up this week, in the forums.
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
Want to comment? Please log in.