An Experiment Gone Awry

I try and keep up to date on as many tech and gaming sites as I can, and recently, I ran across Sony's partial admission of failure regarding the PSPGo. Before I continue, I'll state flatly that in theory, the PSPGo is a great device and I want one. In execution, however, Sony dropped the ball, and they are owning up to it, if only through PR double-speak.


In saying the device was an experiment, they are telling the truth; the PSPGo was a very brave attempt on Sony's part to test the waters and reception of a download only gaming-centric device. To their merit, the Go has a lot going for it, and I could throw out a laundry list of things I like, but instead, I'd like to point out the ultimate failure of this little experiment; games.

Pricing woes aside--and that's a rant in and of itself anyway--whether through lack of negotiating power or foresight, Sony did not get the publishers to back their slick new portable. Poor title selection, inconsistent release dates, and terrible pricing all play a part in the Go's flaming descent into obscurity. It's a shame, because with the clout Sony has in certain circles, the PSPGo could have had an easy opening run, followed by a decent sustained cycle of releases.

Discovering that consumers like their physical purchases is hardly something to be proud of given this has already been done in another market. If they wanted a success, the easiest way to bridge that gap would be to offer a bundled digital copy of their retail media with each new purchase of the game. You still get your disc, manual, case, and potential pre-order bonuses, but at the same time, you get a retail sale of the LEGAL digital copy (which costs nothing to produce and distribute to the companies anyway). The digital extras for DVDs have been this way for at least four years now, so why not use the approach for games too? It solves the gripes of people wanting a backup of their legally purchased games, offers them their purchasable media, and keeps everyone on both sides happy, plus it could easily be tied to a PSN account to further facilitate the need to redownload again should the need arise.

As it stands, the PSPGo is a failure in the public eye due in part to simple oversights that have already been toyed with in other industries, and begging the question; why isn't the left hand aware of what the right is doing?