Wednesday, April 4, 2007

It's A Sony Price Drop - No, Not The PS3, And No, Not The PS2



Sony has finally listened to the masses, and issued a price drop on one of its video game devices. Unfortunately, it's the one that nobody cares about. No, I don't mean the PS3. It's the PSP, and the core unit - the one that doesn't come with any accessories - is now $169.99.

Rumor has it that the price drop came because big-box retailers couldn't sell the damn thing, and were threatening to pull it from the shelves. So, will the new price point make this the must have portable? No. What, you want an explanation why not? Well, there's practically no decent games, the controls are a pain, the battery life sucks, and it's still $40 more than the DS. But hey, it sure looks good. Too bad gamers are ashamed to be seen in public carrying one of these things.

This is definitely a step in the right direction, but there's still a long way to go if Sony wants to conquer the portable market. And it's the same story as with the PS3 - they need good games. Yes, price is a factor, but people will shell out the cash if they have a compelling reason to. And right now, that's just not there. So while the price is low enough that this could be considered an impulse buy, there's just no reason to go for it at this point.

If you're looking for a good portable gaming system, the DS is still the way to go. Sorry Sony, but looks aren't everything.

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