Nintendo DS is a hit. PSP? Not so much…
From http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20060217/tc_cmp/180203138
At the current fiscal year started last April, Nintendo projected that global sales of NintendoDS would be 12 million. But at the end of December, Nintendo had already sold 14.4 million units globally—5.7 million in Japan, 4.63 million in North America and 4.1 million in other areas.
14.4 million units sounds pretty good to me for a launch year.
The upcoming DS Lite has a much better form factor than the current DS, and should make the DS an even bigger hit. It’s 39% smaller and 21% lighter than the current DS.
According to this other article (which puts DS sales at 13 million through early January), Sony PSP sales are only 7 million. Most sources indicate that while the PSP launched strong, it’s sales soon lagged due to it’s high price and lack of games. If it’s losing the sales war now, even with hardware that is much sleeker than the current, clunky DS, then things will only get worse when the DS gets it’s new, iPod-esque form factor.
The PSP needs better software and a lower price fast, or Sony will be faced with it’s first ever loss in the video game wars. Foreshadowing of PS3 vs XBox 360? We’ll see…
February 19th, 2006 at 8:59 am
You’re right, the PSP does need good games fast. Sadly, the release schedule looks a little thin:
http://eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=62455
February 19th, 2006 at 11:09 am
The pieces of the PS3 puzzle are starting to arrive, unfortunately, in the form of rumors: developers finding in dismay code which runs faster on Cell’s central processor (PPE) that it did on the PS2’s MIPS processor, Merill Lynch estimations that the bill of materials goes up to $900 for the first year, retailers putting off the European launch to spring 2007, journalists witnessing hands-on games that look comparable, not better than 360 titles… I follow closely the entire rumor mill, and haven’t heard anything positive for maybe two months. It ain’t gonna be pretty.
February 19th, 2006 at 5:12 pm
As soon as the DS Lite comes out, I’ll get one. Quirky games, plus a turn-based Age of Empires have sold me on it. The PSP’s library is just a little too similar to what I have on my PS2 already. But I’ll probably pick one up if they can come out with more interesting titles and a lower price. We’ll see.
February 22nd, 2006 at 1:14 am
Foreshadowing of PS3 vs 360? I sure hope so, but who knows.
A repeat of Gameboy vs Gamegear is more like it (Gamegear had better tech, higher price). Gameboy had lower price and better games).
February 22nd, 2006 at 2:23 am
I think the sad thing is that there while are actually some really great games on the PSP – that are different to what one would find on the PS2 – it’s the flashy ports that get all the attention and shelf space. Who looks at Mercury, Gripshift and Exit when the next iteration of GTA is taking up ten times as much prominant retail space?
My expectation of this mobile ‘generation’ was exactly what has happened: Nintendo keeping their lead, but with Sony making a serious dent in their market share. The DS may have double the sales of the PSP, but 7 million units (a third of the total share of this generation) is nothing to sniff at. There is more than enough room in the market for two devices.
August 24th, 2006 at 11:13 am
I’ve had both, but now I only have the DS Lite. I sold my PSP and 7 games to my friend for a hundred bucks because, quite frankly, I got bored of it. I then used that hundred bucks to get New Super Mario Bros. and Sonic Rush. 🙂
Nintendo still owns the portable gaming world, despite the fact that so many low teenage kids get the PSP just because it has more M-rated games. I’m sorry, but that is such a pathetic reason. The PSP wins in graphics and memory, true, but for what? Redundant racing game ports, GTA and Tekken (although Tekken had me glued to that thing for awhile). I agree that this looks like the Game Boy/Game Gear race all over again, but Sony’s just a little more up on their feet than Sega was. PSP won’t go away, and maybe Sony will fix a lot of problems with their PSP 2 (rumored to come with a dual screen. cheaters.) But still, Nintendo’s variety of games and ideas is what hooks me, and I’ll take Mario and Star Fox over mindless gore anyday, even though killing things at random can be quite pleasurable.