Dutch retailer boycotts PSPgo
Dutch retail chain Nedgame is apparently boycotting the PSPgo over the inflated price and lack of UMD support.
According to Eurogamer, Nedgames has two main issues with the PSPgo as a games platform - the price and the lack of UMD support. Nor is it alone, as a few other retailers in Holland and Spain are rumoured to be boycotting the device too.
Price is the most immediate factor apparently, with Nedgame unconvinced that the platform will sell all that well if it stays at the ludicrously high price of €249.99 - which is a whopping €80 more than the PSP-3000. In America is will cost around $249, in Japan 26,8000 Yen and in the UK around £215.
Not only does Nedgame not think the price is realistic, but it also thinks it is disproportionate to what's actually offer since the PSPgo has a smaller screen and no UMD drive.
The lack of the UMD drive is the more long-term problem though as it prevents retailers from being able to make money selling games for the platform. The PSPgo will be an entirely digital platform, with an AppStore of it's own selling 'minis' and users having to visit Sony booths to transfer their UMD games into digital formats. Digital games are then directly tied to your PSN account, meaning that second hand sales will dry up too.
Nedgame has also claimed it is uncomfortable about the monopoly being created by Sony about who can sell PSPgo games.
Earlier this year several UK retailers voiced similar concerns about the PSPgo, claiming they saw no justification for stocking it - though no boycott was formally announced.
Do you plan on picking up a PSPgo? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums Replycan see the poster now: The Sony Cartman: "Screw you guys, I'm going home" (can't help it, everytime I see a photo of the GO I can't help seeing Cartman :D) and (as far as shopkeepers are concerned) it seems appropriate
Its a bit of a problem really for traditional retailers as ultimately all consoles are looking to go this way as are most mobile devices that people make games on, so what are they going to do, boycotting one is only stalling the inevitable.
I would have got a PSPGo is I knew that Publishers weren't going to rape me over games online, still can't get over Tiger woods 10 being 31.99 on PSN when I can pick it up in Tesco for £15, downloads should always be cheaper than retail!
Oh also wouldn't get one because most retailser are asking £250 for a PSPGo when RRP is £224.99.
The PSPGo doesn't look that comfy to use either.
If you can manage an DS or iPhone a PSPGo will be fine, millions of people get by just fine with a DS, are they all 5?
With retailers you get competition with direct download you don't, they can charge whatever the hell they like cause they think people would rather get it quicker by downloading than going to a shop and getting it a lot cheaper, look at steam, only good buys are the old games and the games on offer =\
"UMD stands for Universal Media Disc. UMD is an optical disc format developed by Sony for its portable game console, PSP "
also, looks like europe got screwed on the price .. not that i think it's a bargain anywhere else either though
The DS allows your hands to be at the sides of the portable, rather than crunched together at the bottom. The iPhone I've only ever used in a store, but as it's a phone I'd argue that it is predominantly designed for use with one hand except in specific scenarios.
Doesn't change the fact that the PSPGo looks a bloody uncomfortable way to hold a portable. I'd have to try it to be certain, but I'm not spending the money to find out. ;)
I'm quite happy with my PSP-1000, to be honest. It does what I need it to, which is play rereleases of old JRPGs. :D
??? What are you talking about?
Microsoft have indeed started doing that, but with two very important caveats; they're all old games and also priced highly as to not undercut retailers.
Microsoft is very much testing the waters, so-to speak, with digital downloads. On one hand selling games directly to the public is a no-brainer from a profit point of view (and gamers love it, just look at Steam for example), on the other they really don't want to piss of retailers while in the middle of a console war with Sony.
From what I understand, massive chains like GAME make £5-10 per console sale, which is peanuts if you consider the logistics of transporting, stocking and moving consoles. If retailers cannot carve out a profit from selling games, then the amount of shelf space dedicated to the console will suffer. Remember, it's the massive chains that are responsible for selling the majority of the console hardware.
Bill Gates said a few years ago that he believes the next generation of consoles will not use any form of disk, opting instead for pure digital distribution. While I think his estimate is 1 or 2 console generations off, his point still, ultimately, stands.
With the costs of producing current gen games rising astronomically and bandwidth costs becoming (relatively) trivial, digital distribution allows more money to go to the right people while at the same time cutting down on casual piracy and second hand games. I bet publishers cannot wait.
Sorry game retailers, we have some fond memories and shared some good times together but your goose is cooked.
Digital consoles for next generation, IMHO - purely because this generation is going on so much longer than anyone expected thanks to the recession and Wii.
Should retailers boycott the Iphone because they cant make money on any games or apps as they are all download only. Shoudl retailers boycott Microsoft products because digital distribution has been their aim for the last couple of years. Sony will fail with the PSP go becuase of the price point, its too expensive and the downloads cost more than retail UMD. So if you buy a Go your loosing alot of money.
I think people are also forgetting that its got 16GB internal memory. 16GB Duo/M2 cards are £60 alone so taking that off make the PSP-Go £140+. The PSP-Go is not much more tha a £200 16GB Ipod Touch which is its competition.
I wouldnt say people are moaning about it, more pointing out that what initially looked to be a claver business plan has become a rather daft one.
There are only 2 retailers of the iPhone; Apple, who make money long term off the digital downloads and O2 who make money long term off the contracts (this is of course ignoring the likes of carphone warehouse who are essentially O2 distributors. Sony on the other hand have a large number of retailers who have no long term income per console sold. For every xbox sold the retailers (between them all) can expect at least 5 game sales, for every PSPgo they can expect nothing more than a few accessories. For them once the initial profit from the console has been taken thats it for that customer, it wont interest stores at all.
and they will have to deal with it