Recent news that Sony is streamlining the development process for digital distribution and pushing for lower downloadable game pricing can be taken as a net positive. After all, any expansion of the relatively successful and attractive Playstation Store is a good sign, and I'm all for inviting more developers than those of UMD legacy titles and Playstation 3 PSN games into the fold. A whole new pricing scale invites less expensive and more casual offerings along the lines of Echochrome.
On the other hand, something worries me about this. As many an industry journalist have already noted, Sony is priming the PSP, and particularly the overpriced PSP Go!, to compete with the iPhone. Personally, I'd rather see Sony concentrate on other issues. I'm also not convinced that iPhone gaming, while wildly successful for Apple and its developers, is the best business model for Sony to emulate.
So here are my five reasons why Sony shouldn't continue down the path towards iPhone-dom:
1. Far too many iPhone games are shovelware.
So there's... Rolando 2... and that musical tap game... and Metal Gear Solid... and... Doom? I kid, I kid! Seriously, though, while there's no dearth of games available on the iPhone App Store, the sheer quantity does not indicate a whole lot in the way of quality. If you don't believe me, check out the reviews and tell me which ones get picked as real winners that break away from the cell phone norm. This isn't to dismiss iPhone gaming or people who love their iPhone games; Apple has done a terrific job allowing for easy development and distribution of independent portable titles that would have a hard time finding a significant audience otherwise. There is also plenty of unique software out there on the App Store.
Nonetheless, very few of these games would cut it for the average buyer of a dedicated game system, who may be expecting more polish for his/her buck. Rolando 2 may be fantastic for a platform with only a gyroscope, but put it side by side with the grandeur of a LocoRoco 2 and we'll see which one gamers download. Sure, LocoRoco is more expensive, but even in the digital age there's truth to the addage that you get what you pay for.
And for every Rolando 2 on the App Store, there are ten Mega Man 2 iPhone ports (read: quick and dirty cash-ins). That may cut it for a smart phone that offers loads of useful applications in addition to games, but for a Sony game system?
2. Trying to create another App Store is counterproductive in other ways.
Similarly, from a development perspective, a certain set of expectations go along with releasing a product on the Playstation Network. Relentless Software's Andrew Eades sums it up best:
...the iPhone is everyone's favourite gadget right now - it's amazing and has a huge catalogue of apps and a lot of those apps are games. I'm sure someone at Sony is watching how it's working out as well. One of the disadvantages of the App Store is that the catalogue is so big and it's quite confusing and you may build the best ever app for five quid but there'll be a dozen similar, maybe not as good apps, but they'll be free or selling at a lesser price point and it's very hard to differentiate your product. Over at the PlayStation Store we can be prominent on that much more easily than we could ever be in an iTunes Store.
If Sony turns the Playstation Store into another App Store, they may just ruin the reputation and good will they've developed among their current cadre of loyal studios.
3. It's the wrong market for a pre-existing, four year-old brand.
The PSP's primary competitor is the Nintendo DS, which outsells it regularly by a 2:1 or 3:1 margin. Lifetime sales of the hardware reflect this as well, and while the IPhone and IPod Touch are supposedly catching up to the PSP in overall sales, they compete in entirely different markets (smart phones and mp3 players, respectively).
Take notes from the market leader: You don't see Nintendo looking to compete with Apple. Sure, they've released the DSi Store, but that's more of a product gateway to the superior Wii Store than anything else. Nintendo does games and it does them well. The DS is an uncomplicated product and is marketed as such. Sony, on the other hand, is already looking to create a whole new side of the Playstation Store that promotes productivity applications and other non-gaming tools.
If Sony tries to craft the PSP brand into the ultimate all-in-one platform, a game system that aspires to play in the same leagues as more complicated smart phones and mp3 players, it may run the risk of marginalizing its history of relative success (50 million units sold is nothing to scoff at!) as a game platform in the process.
4. The Mylo was a dud.
By all accounts, the PSP Go! is looking to resemble the ill-fated Sony Mylo Personal Communicator, which I'm sure Sony fancied as a viable competitor to the iPhones of the world when it was first unveiled. Sales of that product alone indicate why going down the same route twice (three times if you count the Mylo COM-2) is a big mistake.
5. It wouldn't go anywhere towards solving the real issues.
Despite the aforementioned solid lifetime sales of the PSP, Sony has had some real problems with its portable sytem recently... problems that have nothing to do with a lack of casual downloadable games or utility applications like Talkman.
For one, the PSP Go! is simply too expensive. If the PSP is hitting the sweet spot at $169.99 (although there are signs of its success fading outside of Monster Hunter-crazed Japan), there is no excuse why a mechanically less complex version of the same machine should retail for almost $100 more. Even worse, that puts it almost $100 above the DSi--the PSP's real competition. Some retailers have already indicated that the excessive price may wound interest in the PSP Go!
Again, Sony would be wise to take a page from Nintendo's playbook: A price of at most $189.99 or $199.99 would have made a lot more sense than $250--the price of a Wii or Xbox 360 Arcade with add-ons.
And while 2009 is already a better year for the PSP than the black hole of high-profile releases that was 2008, Sony could still afford to better pace their release schedule and pluck some heavy hitters away from Nintendo. The remainder of this year will see Gran Turismo PSP, Dissidia Final Fantasy, Soul Calibur Broken Destiny (a port of Soul Calibur 4), a portable version of LittleBigPlanet, an Assassin's Creed remake, and not much else. By comparison, the PS3 has Uncharted 2, Ratchet and Clank Future 2, Fat Princess, and loads of high-profile multi-platform releases such as Modern Warfare 2 and Batman: Arkham Asylum.
What's worse, the above PSP titles combined may not sell as many units as the DS's Dragon Quest IX has moved in its first two days... in Japan. And unlike Monster Hunter, Dragon Quest has appeal outside of Asia. Now THAT'S a heavy hitter!
Finally, Sony still does a poor job marketing its best titles. There are many reasons to be excited about the aforementioned PSP releases, but I'd be surprised to see many advertisements for PSP releases on the air this Holiday aside from the odd Chinatown Wars ad (presumably an inexpensive borrowing of the DS ad courtesy Rockstar, not Sony).
On the other hand, you can rest assured that Sony will market the hell out of the PSP Go! itself. This is a rather counter-intuitive way to run your business when you're #2 on the market. Quality gaming should always lead a mention of quality hardware, not vice-versa. You have to have the games in place that will lead to new customers exploring the hardware and the infrastructure; otherwise, all that costly R&D funding is for naught.
These two are not in the same league whatsoever. Sony is aimed at gamers, their game shelf indicates it. However, with the compact size of the PSP Go I guess people can't help but compare. This stems from PSP fans wish for more than just a console and abit more squeezed out of their hardware.
Posted by: moumou | 07/15/2009 at 06:06 AM
While I believe that the two handhelds are extremely different in what they're marketing, I would definitely consider myself a hardcore gamer. I'm just a gamer on a budget. Your right, there are simply not enough titles to justify the expense. Although, a PSP might be in order just to get LittleBigPlanet without the price tag of a PS3.
Posted by: Deinera | 07/30/2009 at 06:28 PM
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