The problem: Sony is competing against the handheld master
We admit that when we first saw PSP we thought Nintendo's reign as handheld master was over. How wrong we were. Now, when choosing whether to take out our PSP or DS, it's nearly always Nintendo's dual-screened beauty that we reach for. A perusal of game forums reveals that we're not alone. So why are we choosing DS over PSP?
In addition to obvious factors like there simply being more games that appeal to us on DS, it also comes down to the PSP itself. We find that it's not entirely compatible with portable gaming - namely that it's too hefty to carry around in a back pocket, the battery life is too brief and we hate enduring painful load times on a ten minute commute. None of these issues apply to DS.
But at least we've forked out cash for a PSP. How can Sony convince newcustomers - potentially first time gamers - to choose its handheld over Nintendo's? With titles like Nintendogs and Brain Training, the appeal of DS reaches far beyond conventional gamer pigeonholes. Right now, the PSP, despite its superior specs, is languishing in the shadow of DS.
Above: Far from being a fading handheld super power, Nintendo is on fire and sitting pretty
The fix: Acknowledge and exploit what people are actually using PSP for
If we knew how to make Sony more successful than Nintendo at selling handheld wares, we'd be super-rich business boys, not Ramen-guzzling games journalists. However, as observers we can note that as irresistibly attractive as PSP first seemed, being able to reproduce near PS2 quality games on a handheld evidently isn't the way to rainon Nintendo's parade.
We also recognize that in the absence of a drastic redesign/overhaul of the device, Sony has to challenge Nintendo with its existing PSP model, so the PlayStation maker has to work smarter if it's going to steal the limelight away from DS and that means playing to the machine's strengths, such as its popularity as an emulation tool.
One way Sony should be able to achieve this is with a little help from PS3. The various connectivity functions between the two machines must be exploited to its fullest. Downloadable PlayStation games for portable play is a great start and if Sony can expand on the retro titles (and maybe even offer some homebrew efforts?) made available through the PlayStation Store, it should offer some kind of remedy to PSP apathy in the face of such fierce DS dominance.
