With the announcement this week of the PSP getting a price drop for it’s Core Pack one might wonder what is Sony thinking? Alright, alright, we all know it’s sales figure are no where near the Nintendo DS, we know it’s been pricey from the start and that Sony needs good publicity nowadays. It’s price is now at $169.99 and it’s obviously a move to push more systems to the market, but is this a hint that Sony is clearing the inventory to make room for a redesign? If you remember both the PlayStation (PSOne) and the PlayStation 2 (PS2) got a make over that helped lower their price and increase their appeal to customers. As for myself I bought both these systems as soon as they were redesigned and got the price cut. The only real bonus for those redesign are a smaller form factor and a better profit margin for Sony as their equipment is cheaper to manufacture. If the past is any indication of the future, and if you believe everything is bound to happen again then you have good reasons to believe it will happen again.
However, they probably have a large stock of PSPs and the price drop is a minimal appeal, the lack of A+ games is still missing and they don’t have the market the DS has. The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is advertised as a strong gaming device, movie player and music system. In a day and age were MP3 players and cellphones keep getting smaller and video is increasingly appealing a redesign of the PSP would be a great way to promote the platform and include more inter-connection with the PlayStation 3 (PS3). Remember that the DS got a redesign and is loved in it’s new form factor, Sony is planning to make a new distribution service where you will be able to download movies to play on your PSP. A nice addition to a redesign would be included memory, even if Memory Stick are getting much cheaper…
I’m planning to get both a PSP and PS3 someday, when the price is right. I will give it to the end of the year and see if they manage to come with a redesign, I remember buying my PS2 for $179.99 CDN so all things considered the PSP is now a valid option. I predict a redesigned PSP in time for Christmas 2008.
They said very specifically the screen isn’t getting any smaller, and there is no way you can possibly make it any smaller in it’s current layout.
The only way they can possibly design it is to go the way of the ds.
Clamshell, screen on top, curved sides similar to how it is now. d-pad on bottom, trigger buttons near the hinge, more like a widescreen version of that clamshell gameboy.
[...] must get all my due for being right about the PSP redesign, a lot of people said it would come. It has been in the rumor stage for months and was confirmed [...]