UK retailer claims PSP Go is destined for failure

by Stevie Smith - Oct 7 2009, 17:30

Despite Sony Computer Entertainment insisting that it’s perfectly happy with opening sales attributed to its revamped PSP Go handheld console, initial grumbles of dissatisfaction from retailers regarding the console’s download-only software design aren’t going away.

Indeed, while leading retail outlets Amazon.co.uk, GAME and HMV have already moved to improve the PSP Go’s appeal in the UK by hacking 25GBP off its original price, the aforementioned retail unrest has actually gained momentum.

Specifically, Don McCabe, the managing director of independent videogame chain Chips has this week said Sony’s redesigned PSP Go is “a no-go” in terms of appeal and it is destined to “fail miserably” at retail.

“I’ve been to a number of presentations to see if there’s anything there [in terms of appeal] and I don’t think it’ll go anywhere to be honest,” commented McCabe in a GamesIndustry.biz report.

“I’m 99.9 per cent sure it’s going to fail miserably, in which case it’s going to put back other potential people coming into that digital space,” he added.

For those unfamiliar with Sony’s recent revamp, the new PSP Go abandons the platform’s established physical UMD drive and instead requires that owners purchase and download their games through the Sony PlayStation Network (PSN).

Many smaller, independent retailers have voiced their displeasure with the PSP Go as it cuts them from the software profit loop on full-price and trade-in purchases. One such retailer in Holland has even gone so far as to refuse to stock the latest iteration of Sony’s portable system.

The Tech Herald: Walk-in retailers unhappy with Sony's new PSP Go

The Tech Herald: Sony happy with PSP Go sales as retailers hack its price

 

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