Sony: Nintendo DSi will not expand DS demographic
- Posted October 7th, 2008 at 06:16 EDT by
- 3,676 views
- 15 Comments
When Nintendo unveiled its latest DS model, the DSi, last week, our first thought was that the Kyoto giant was putting some moves on Sony's PlayStation Portable fanbase. The DSi is, after all, much more of a multimedia device than the DS Lite: like the PSP, it features a built-in music player (albeit one restricted to crummy MP3s) and Internet browser.
How would Sony respond to this fresh assault on its territory? With becoming mildness, it turns out. Speaking to Gizmodo, Sony's Director of Hardware MSoarketing John Koller was ambivalent on Nintendo's 'baby-steps' product strategy.
"Nintendo has kind of a history of these [moderate] kinds of updates," he said, "and even with DS Lite, there was a lot of discussion, 'Is that enough?' And they seemed to do pretty well there."
Koller admitted that the DSi would probably live up to its heritage sales-wise: "I can see the DSi being successful. The DS lite was obviously very successful." But he questioned the validity of the update from a consumer perspective. "Will DSi do well with [the DS's] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I'm not sure."
I'm not sure either. I've used my DS precisely once in the past two months, and that was because I'd run out of drink coasters. Anybody under 12 here care to comment?
Comments
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Odium_Generis_Humani
- 6:45am BST - October 7th, 2008
- 1
Though I'm one of the people in Sony's targeted demographic (hardcore gamer over 25 years old with disposable income), even I can see they made a mistake by not targeting casual gamers that don't wish to spend a lot. I thought it was strange when people thought the PSP was so expensive back in 2004, and again when people didn't get the value of the PS3 in 2006 (although it's very understandable if someone thought taking a chance on Blu-ray was risky back then). Now it seems Sony can't turn back. They can't make things less expensive. And they have lost tons of market share to the other two companies that they had no business losing. The PSP should be dirt cheap by now at almost 5 years old, and the PS3? Well, do I even have to say it?
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Staticneuron |
Staticneuron- 8:06am BST - October 7th, 2008
- 4
I am sorry versus. But I have played Final Fantasy IV before and it is just not the game within that series that deserves multiple playthroughs. So that appeal for the nostalgic, or just plain inexperienced, might appeal to the casual audience but as a real gamer, the PSP has hands down beat the DS in real enteraining games. Graphics, storyline, and gameplay all around.
You also might not know that your opinion is in the ranks of the few because on sites such as gamerankings and metacritic PSP games score higher on average than DS games.
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Paranoimia |
Paranoimia- 8:11am BST - October 7th, 2008
- 5
My mum recently got a DS Lite, and I quite like the machine. I thought about getting one myself, and had a look through the software available. Sadly there was nothing at all to tempt me.
I don't like RPG's, and there's little else besides endless recreations of Mario and Pokemon games. The only titles of interest were things like Sim City - but they're going to be be so cut down on a DS that they're not worth it.
I've got a PSP, and there has been a dearth of games for it lately, but that looks like it's about to pick up. I'm especially looking forward to Resistance Retribution.
With the PSP only £30 more expensive than the current DS, and capable of much more, I don't see that there's a place in the market for the DSi. But then again, if the mindless drones just go out and buy yet another DS 'just because', then Nintendo can't lose.
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IONIXX |
IONIXX- 8:24am BST - October 7th, 2008
- 6
staticneuron go easy on versus, their just a kid, as for me though ,the games either one has isnt any of my bissuness, i only use my PSP to play music, and remote play, and watch video's ( btw the other day for the first time ever i played a video on my psp via memory stick, no video i copied to it worked but mirrors edge teaser trailer FTW! the music in that trailer is amazing, liike from when faiths running over tha red pipe and she looks down and you see the police cars, to when she jumps off the ramp and it goes into slow-mo...amazing music......) lol i havent watched a UMD movie on my psp since somtime in 07, so goes for PSP's T5DR, i just cant stand to play somthing that has such good graphics and all,(ps3) then go play somthing thats games just......suck.......so.......
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Alpha2
- 8:33am BST - October 7th, 2008
- 7
Um... I have an R4 and havent bought a DS game in like a YEAR, and yet I've still not really turned it on much at all. The DSi is a mistake on Nintendo's part. They had a chance to actually improve the product, make the graphics better and target it as a NEW product instead of just another lame money grab by trying to force people to buy yet another copy of something they already have.
Screw you Nintendo, I'm not buying ANOTHER freaking DS.
There's nothing wrong with my PSP either, So I dont have any reason to buy a 3000, When are these companies going to realize that maybe they need to create a trade in service so people can UPGRADE without having to blow 180 bucks and have a useless extra device sitting around that they can't sell off to anyone but gamestop who'll just rip you off anyway.
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Anim3Fr33K |
Anim3Fr33K- 9:23am BST - October 7th, 2008
- 8
Ohsnap. But yes while FFIV came out this month for DS, and i have been playing it a good bit, i have definatly played my PSP a lot more.
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Staticneuron |
Staticneuron- 12:33pm BST - October 7th, 2008
- 9
The ONLY reason I am contemplating the PSP 3000 is for daytime playing. I always hated the fact that the lighting needed to be better before you can enjoy the game. If when it is released, gets good reports of how the screen looks in the sunlight then I will get one.
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dj_sup3r1or |
sup3r1or- 1:36pm BST - October 7th, 2008
- 10
ITs time for sony to put of PSP2 cuz this is getting lame and old
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dirigiblebill
- 5:19pm BST - October 7th, 2008
- 12
Because it refers to a comment made by the head of PlayStation hardware marketing, which is relevant to a PlayStation console?
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D3seeker
- 9:54pm BST - October 7th, 2008
- 13
Their small steps have worked, been working and we can't really expect other wise till the reviews prove ur wrong. In the PSP's case if we really want Sony to roll out the next big thing we should all spread the word and get people to stop buying PSP for a while. Sony will see the lower numbers and get to work.
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GrugNorg0606 |
L1QU1D_F0X (The I's are ones & the O is a zero)- 12:04am BST - October 8th, 2008
- 14
FF6 needs a remake on psp. Lets face it. Would ff4 have looked better on psp? yes so lets stop kidding around and release it. psp has pleanty of life left. Just dont try and mod one unless u know what your doing.
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