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Sony to double domestic PSP base over holidays

  • By Staff, GameSpot
  • Posted Dec 19, 2005 12:34 pm PT

Electronics giant says it's on pace to move as many PSPs in the last two months of the year as it did in the first six months of the system's release.

After a slightly sluggish April debut and a postlaunch dearth of software, Sony's PSP is on pace to double its US hardware sales in the last two months of the year, Reuters reports.

Sony claimed 3 million units of the multimedia device had sold by November, and Sony Computer Entertainment America president Kaz Hirai told Reuters in October that he intended to double that figure by year's end. According to the news service, a Sony spokeswoman recently confirmed that the company was on pace to achieve that goal.

However, there is some debate about the accuracy of Sony's numbers. Industry sales tracking NPD Funworld has the PSP at 2.5 million units sold at the end of November. Despite recent releases of prominent PSP titles like Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Prince of Persia Revelations, NPD's figures seem to put the 6 million year-end tally well out of reach.

If Sony fails to make its goal, it shoudn't be terribly surprising to most industry watchers. Shortly after the system launched, UBS analyst Mike Wallace projected sales of "4 million or more" PSPs by the end of the calendar year, while American Technology Research's PJ McNealy expected 4.5 million to 5.5 million units sold in North America.

91 Comments

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 10:32 pm GMT

    interesting article....

  • Kenshin100

    Posted Jan 6, 2006 5:03 pm GMT

    somejobo just listen for a sec. Do u know why i bought the psp. Lemme state several reasons. (1) Why does Mario handle so much pipe.
    (2) Why don't they just dump Lugi and change his occupation to janitor
    (3) People talk about inovations but Mario is like 17 YEARS OLD NOW. TALK ABOUT FRESH.
    (4) Can u name the last five NEW Nintendo characters?..............................well iam waiting

  • somejobro

    Posted Jan 2, 2006 4:41 pm GMT

    Nintendo v Sony.DS v PSP.Blah,blah,blah.Nintendo has crushed absolutely everyone who has tried to compete in the handheld market.But Sony seems to be hanging in there.I personally don't have a PSP(I have a DS and love it),and I don't want a PSP.I do think that the two can co-exist with their own unique audiences.For once it looks like someone else will have some staying power against Nintendo in handhelds.Good for Sony.It can only be good for us gamers.Play what you like and screw what someone else thinks.We can all win with this one.

  • nizzynova

    Posted Dec 21, 2005 6:37 am GMT

    Gizmondo is better than PSP LOL

  • nizzynova

    Posted Dec 21, 2005 6:35 am GMT

    You can watch movies on the Ds run homebrew and listen to music too..It doesnt suck. And to what the other guy said about learning to use the Psp. I do know how to use it. But show me the worthy games besides GTA and burnout? Movies are good for one or two showings.then boring how many times can you watch the same movie? I mean come on the homebrew thing is cool but how long till you get sick of playing those ancient games? Feels kind of stupid after a while when you think about it, that a powerful system like psp will not have classic games like those emulated. Plus new purchases have the latest firmware that they cant do nothing with it. But play the lame games watch umd movies and browse in a slow a$$ browser. Wow sounds fun to me..... I think I'll touch my DS right now.

  • rpgfan1781

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 6:47 pm GMT

    I think the PSP is the best, Japan doesn't know **** about how things go in AMERICA, those results do not matter(can't remember who said). The DS can't watch movies, the DS can't play music, the DS can't have a background on it. The PSP has another battery you can buy if the standard one isn't good enough, so stop complaining, the DS sux and thats that.

  • LinkedDS

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 5:17 pm GMT

    Sony's crazy. Like the other poster said, they believe they can run a game on the PS3 at 120 fps, but no TV in existence can actually do it. Sony lives in a dream world.

  • map4000

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 3:28 pm GMT

    LOL,i really enjoy those things sony says,like photo realistic,120fps,most beutiful thing and now they want to make this,the funny thing is they actually believe they can.

  • coolcool23

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 3:27 pm GMT

    Wow, your friend must have a short attention span. Sorry, but thats the only way that that could happen.

    Personally, I don't think Sony will reach this Lofty goal, its a pipe dream at best. Right now they should just focus on getting as many psps out there as they can in order to keep thier lead in the electronics market.

    P.S. I personally only own a PSP and the only two games I have bought for it are Metal Gear Ac!d and ridge Racers. I have had the patience to not waste my money on other games and instead buy the best ones and somehow I havn't gotten "Bored" with my PSP. On the contrary, I am finding cool things to do with it all the time. BTW...SC:chaos theory rocked but not on the DS...

    www.techtalkblog.com

  • Kbs64

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 3:23 pm GMT

    My friend had a PSP when it first came out but as time when on he played it less and less until the point that he hadn't touched it in 3 months and decided to sell it and trade it in for a DS. He said that he got bored of it. Now he had a DS and has tons of games for it and loves it. I played the PSP and loved the look and feel of it but I felt like I played those games before. I can enjoy the PSP but I love my Nintendo DS more.

  • Geek12

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 2:46 pm GMT

    I think three both good, and i want both.

  • tchkd7

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 2:12 pm GMT

    anyone else notice half the new stories get their comment section turned into a flame war

  • ItKevin

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 10:29 am GMT

    I don't know, I totally see the PSP as a better handheld console than the DS. But I can't choose right now, I'm gonna buy either a DS or PSP today too. Yeah, PSP would be good, and it would support Sony too.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 6:43 am GMT

    LOL.....sony over estimate sales by .5 mil??? doesn't supprise me!!! it blows me away that only 2.5 mil have sold so far. krazy ken, you will continue to flop with your mini movie player.

    oh, yeah, kenny - don't plan on selling another 2.5 million by Q2 of '06.

  • ewjim

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 6:25 am GMT

    Keep it up, SONY!!!

  • joe_fuu

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 6:14 am GMT

    If you want the best handheld games, you need both.

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 6:14 am GMT

    I would get one, but $250 just seems a bit much for a handheld (especially when I'm really only going to be using it for its gaming function). So maybe when a "must-have" game releases or theirs a price drop, I'll get one.

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 6:03 am GMT

    Just bought a PSP over the weekend with GTA. The screen is gorgous, just have to get used to playing a handheld now I guess. I agree that DS has more games at the moment, but mostly bad ports from other platforms, as the PSP has original games... You be the judge.

  • gmrgirl68

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 2:07 am GMT

    In my opinion, let me reiterate, opinion because I'm not trying to push it on anyone, both systems are great in their own respects. I am 20 and I own every system and I love them all for different reasons. My 27 year old husband loves to play Castlevania on the DS and we often use the pictochat feature to talk back and forth across the office at work, I love my DS, it's got great games and a loud alarm that gets me up on time for work. On the other hand, it is a bit bulky to carry around and I wish it were a bit smaller. My PSP is a great system as well, I use the browser to get on the internet when my Hubby's hogging the PC, (though it could use some work)
    and I really like the videos I can download and watch from the internet, along with mp3s, The PSP also has alot fewer worthwhile games than the DS ,but some that I really enjoy; like, namco museum, ridge racer, hot shots and GTA.

  • taluss

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 1:20 am GMT

    i dont think the discussion is about wich is better than the other
    you have to look at the age
    no kid will tell you that the psp is better than the Ds
    I have both systems
    but my 10 years old brother plays always the ds
    for some reasons he do not enjoy the psp

  • yayoyayo

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 12:11 am GMT

    yeah

  • yayoyayo

    Posted Dec 20, 2005 12:10 am GMT

    PSP i better than the ds for one reason...its just better..

  • Alunanite

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 9:19 pm GMT

    I am 19 years old and I was forced to sell my PSP after GTA was the only decent game that came out for 6 months, and worse it was a total rehash. I enjoy my DS much more for the better online games and mature titles like Trauma Center, Castlevania DS, and the soon to be released Metriod Hunters and Resident Evil DS. Final Fantasy 3 is coming out with full 3D graphics as well. Its a shame the PSP isn't getting software support, but until Sony can fix that, its the DS all the way. At least when the DS gets new versions of older games they take some serious advantage of its new capabilities and create some great new gameplay. But most of the time its totally original titles that are completely neat and original, like Meteos and Phoenix Wright.

    Its not even a contest anymore. Those who are trying to import home console-style fanboyism to the portable war are saddly behind the times and are only making themselves look retarded. Especially the ones who try to say the DS is for Kids and the PSP is for Adults. Since when is Trauma Center, Resident Evil, Metroid Hunters, and Castlevania for kids?

  • hush404

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 8:03 pm GMT

    Opps, I just read ClassicZelda's Comment and have to post again, lol. I don't care what advantage you have over other markets (I'm refereing to Sony's majority rule over console gaming), if you try to slam into Nintendo in the Handheld market it's going to be one hell of a fight. I personally think Sony's done great slipping into the handheld market! It's not an easy feat to push your way into a market completly controlled by your only competitor. You also have to remember that people thought Sony couldn't hold it's own in the console market back when they first came into the industry, even some Sony Music execs were doubtfull, claiming Nintendo couldn't be messed with, Look at Sony now!

  • hush404

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 7:54 pm GMT

    I don't know... I like both systems... but there's nothing on the DS that compares to playing Burnout Revenge on the PSP, OMG Drool amazing game.

  • classiczelda

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 7:41 pm GMT

    THE DS IS FAR THE BETTER SYSTEM. THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. ALSO YOU GUYS SHOULD REALLY COMPARE THE GAME RATINGS FOR BOTH SYSTEMS... THE DS CLEARLY WINS. REMEMBER GAMEPLAY IS BETTER THAN GRAPHICS.

  • SENoLimit

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 7:37 pm GMT

    Man PSP= Movies, Pictures, Music, and Gaming... Also you can convert movie, Tv shows, Animes into you PSP for free... So the games aren't that great.. but the other funtion makes up for it... Most of you who dislike PSP might not like it becuase you are not using it's full funtions... So stop saying PSP sux... Learn how 2 use it first...

  • nizzynova

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 7:10 pm GMT

    PSP and DS arent in competion ? Phony is not gonna sell that many units by years end unless they drop the price drastically. You guys forgot to mention Castlevania as another reason to have a DS. (This is directed towards the guy who said we buy DS for lack of GCN games.)People are not buying DS for the lack of Game Cube titles. They buy it because of the quality, innovation, and legacy that Nintendo represents. People trust Nintendo they've been there forever and they will not bow out like Sega. Theres some GCN games to buy Classics in fact, that are previously used and cheap to buy.You should purchase a few. I think all their work is focused on the best launch ever for Rev.

  • darkheart73

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 5:54 pm GMT

    I love my PSP and the DS is great and all, but this seems like a sign that the Revolution might kick some @$$ when it doesn't cost developers too much oney and they can create something unique!

    All in all, I believe (and I regret saying this) that the PSP is doomed much like the GBA is almost gone...now, let us all have a moment of silence for our dear friend...

  • joeysantora

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 4:49 pm GMT

    Here we go....The PSP is a good piece of hardware with an outstanding LCD (i.e. georgeous, bright and sharp as a tack) and not so great battery life. The multimedia functions are a moot point for me (I already own an iPod, so MP3 function is pointless. I can't wait to purchase duplicates of all my movies ...thanks Sony for your proprietary UMD format. I expect a similar life cycle as compared to your other proprietary format Betamax.) Now to discuss the games: Not only can I purchase duplicate movies, but now I can purchase duplicates of my PS2 games...I can hardly wait . In all fairness, there are some outstanding titles just coming out and on the horizon that will probably cause me to eat my words. Unfortunately, we won't see a lot of innovation on the PSP due to high production costs for game developers. (Hi-res graphics equates to longer dvelopment cycles, larger development teams on the payroll. If it's not a guaranteed bestseller (i.e. GTA, Madden, urban racing titles, etc.) then the production companies will not fund the developers to bring innovative titles to this console.

    The DS: No one can dispute its' innovative control and overall uniqueness. And its' 3-D capapilities are silky smooth. Unfortunately, the screens leave much to be desired in the way of color sharpness and brightness. Next to the PSP screen it's downright sad. It looks washed out and grainy. I'm not necessarily complaining about the low resolution. The low-res graphics allow for much lower development costs; which in turn promotes innovative titles to get OK'd by the production companies (a relatively small team of developers can bring new DS titles from concept to market in about 9 months). I think that if the DS can get a brighter and slightly larger screen (like the new GBA-SP) and keep the same slim form factor, that Nintendo will continue to dominate the handheld market. And even if they don't make these changes to the DS, they will always have a larger library of fun and innovative titles. Remember, it's the games that make the system.

  • woohooforme

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 4:25 pm GMT

    You know, there was an article in Electronic Gaming Monthly where they tested the durability of the DS and PSP. The DS passed all 3 exams which were, dropping from four feet onto a soft surface, dropping from four feet on a hard surface, and stepping on it with all your weight. The PSP passed the first one, barely got past the second, and broke on the last. How's that for "breaking the handhelds". It's not the durability of the handheld that's at fault, it's the reliability of the person who uses it.

  • Beebo79

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 4:07 pm GMT

    Yes I also thought Odama was going to be for the DS originally. In the original preview it said that you had to yell out commands to your troops to get them to move out of the way, which seemed to scream "DS" to me, that and the graphics do not look exactly GCN quality. So this means I'm going to have to hook up the microphone attachment to play this game? Bleh, it could have been so much better on the DS...

  • sinceps1

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 4:02 pm GMT

    lageasy311- "Maybe if kids stopped playing DS's and breaking them, and then buying new ones, psp and DS would have equal sales haha. Just some food for thought. When i think about it, I don't know one kid my age who wants a DS and OWNS a psp."

    Maybe the console wars would be fair if kids stopped breaking their ps2's

  • woohooforme

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:54 pm GMT

    Erm, the strategy pinball game where you knock down troops is Odama, and it's for the GameCube.

  • bamf03

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:50 pm GMT

    The two aren't in the same league, both handhelds are not competing against each other and are targeting different audiences. Let me explain. A $600 gfx card is way better than a $200 gfx card but the $200 gfx card sells way more to PC owners than the $600 gfx card. The $600 gfx card is targeting the many hardcore PC players who want all the horsepower. The $200 gfx card is more affordable and will sell more units to the average PC gamer and still get some great gfx.
    The PSP are for the gamers who want horsepower and multimedia features as a bonus on their handheld gaming devices as well as games and they will pay for it.
    Sony will keep the same price for the PSP because its selling well at a high price and will not reduce the price to make it more competative because their not in competition with the DS.

    Its not a fair test anyway. If you put the DS the same price as a PSP, (and as the better games are down to a matter of opinion so we'll rule them out) which system do you think is the better handheld?
    But they are at different prices and have different games and for me, I prefere the PSP and the catalogue PSP games and I have over 40 of them which I play allot. If I was given a DS then I would choose Mario Kart DS (which my younger brother has anyway) the strategy game with the pinball to nock down the enemy troops and Metroid Prime. Other than them I would be stuck to buy next as no other DS games suits my tastes. The same will be for DS owners, they would not find many PSP games that suits them.

    Unless I'm wrong and the DS success has come down to Bored Cube owners with no games to play on their cubes. And while PS2 owners are still enjoying endless supply of PS2 games they see there is no need for a PSP at the moment.

    Well it's one of the two.

  • NingaPoo

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:49 pm GMT

    I love both, even though I only own a DS.

    I would pay to see a 9 year old complete Partners in Time.

  • woohooforme

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:33 pm GMT

    The DS is already has a clearly stronger library than the PSP, and it's only going to get better. I've only seen one or two games that interest me for the PSP, and trust me, one or two games is NOT the reason I bought a DS.

  • nizzynova

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:31 pm GMT

    Let that age bullcrap go. Thats getting old. If anything games in general are immature.So much for a handheld ghetto (sony), If it's so much of a ghetto its only cuz of a portable movie player with um.... 1 alright game GTA, and a bunch of firmware updates. Phony has as many firmware updates as New York got pigeons....They are doomed like Game Gear and the many other handhelds before it. At least Microsoft knew better. 360 sucks too!

  • petrnorth18

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:29 pm GMT

    i definitely love my psp, and gta is on my christmas list, so hopefully i'll get it!

  • 4residentevil4

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:18 pm GMT

    Give it some time...when NIntendo DS releases
    Metroid Prime Hunters
    Mario Brothers (the NEW one)
    Pokemon DIAMOND N PEARL
    Final Fantasy DS
    Zelda DS

    how sweet it is.

  • doomed51

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:17 pm GMT

    no games=no money from me......PSP rite now has no games worth getting it for, i mean theres just basically racers and sports...no good RPG's or anything so im not likely getting it but its still a good multimedia device.....and the battery life i hope they can improve that!

  • Poltergeist13

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:13 pm GMT

    The biggest reason to want a DS over PSP is the games. Plus it's like a 100 cheaper than the PSP. I had a PSP but I decided to sell it, at the time no games were coming out worth playing to me. Nothing really struck me as a must play title. Though I would like to play GTA: LCS and the new Jaxter game now that I don't have it anymore. The DS has a lot of great games, innovative stuff, not half done crappy ports of the console versions. The DS does have a few of them. PSP is just swamped with 'em.

  • clank_master9

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:10 pm GMT

    Nintendo rules handheld anyone else who try's to make a handheld will fail it's cursed 9 handhelds have tryed to beat nintendo. 9!!!!!!!!!!

  • GranTurismo_559

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 3:00 pm GMT

    I will be buying both the PSP and DS next year I am saving money to buy the PS3. I thinking both the PSP and DS have strong points and good games, DS just has a larger library of games for right now.

  • Weeoo_86

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 2:57 pm GMT

    The PSP is awesome. But it's too expensive and there aren't that many good games out for it other than Socom and X-Men Legends and stuff like that

  • ElCisne

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 2:57 pm GMT

    seriosly stop calling it kiddy i've seen more adults with DS's than kids
    i've seen more teens with PSP's than adults.

  • UnlivedPhalanx

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 2:48 pm GMT

    PSP has mediocre games, I am selling mine. I think the only reason these things sell is because it sounds good on paper.

  • Joshua250

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 2:18 pm GMT

    The DS has much better games than the PSP. I own both, I had a PSP first and liked it much better for the first few months. After a while the novelty wore off, and now I just use it for homebrew since its games are not worth buying. Most of its games have better versions for the consoles, or are just ports. There isn't anything really that amazing about PSP's games. Homebrew is Godly though. The PSP does look better than the DS (the DS looks pretty ugly, IMO) and the PSP obviously has more features and way better homebrew.

    So basically, DS pwns PSP for games, PSP pwns DS in features, looks and homebrew.

    Oh, and stop whining about "age". Being older and having a certain console (or handheld in PSP and DS' case) doesn't make you or that console better.

  • Cyberwolf1313

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 2:17 pm GMT

    I can't help but feel that reading this is like watching retards debate. Or presidential candidates for that matter. Lot's of insults get thrown out and nothing gets solved. However, as for those who talk about the DS being geared towards kids, let's not forget, the system doesn't determine the audience, the game developers do. So far no one has taken a stab at a mature game for the DS. For all we know that might change when Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is released.

  • Nintendo_Boy1

    Posted Dec 19, 2005 2:15 pm GMT

    Funny how PSP owners use the "AGE" thing to try and put down the DS owners its a sad thing just admit the DS is doing way better and the games are better hell the system is better ...stop trying to justify the psp with the age game ITS OLD....people dont buy the PSP for multimedia functions they buy it for games..which most of the games suck anyway......GET that through your head.....watch all the sony fanboys come and say i bought my PSP so i can go online even though the online mode is HORRIBLE the browser sucks bigtime no java support ...WHAT are u thinking sony......If i want to play video i will get a video Ipod.......anyway stop the age game find new reasons to combat the greatness of the DS................................I am a owner of the PSP but not a proud owner

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