In an era of rising game prices, usually games on consoles have sold for close to double in price when compared to the same game being released on a handheld system. Echochrome seems like it has taken a different road upon it’s release on the PSP and PlayStation 3.
Already released in Japan, the PSP’s UMD version of Echochrome costs double the PS3’s downloadable version, but there is some rationale to this marketing strategy. Apparently the title available for the PlayStation 3 is under the title Echochrome: Prelude and is retailing for 1,800 yen ($17). The PSP title is just titled Echochrome and is priced at 3,980 yen ($37) but this version contains 100 puzzles and multiple modes including a variation where you have to avoid walking dark echoes. Although the PSP version may seem like the more complete game, the PS3 version will allow players to get a taste of Echochrome by offering 50 puzzles (half as many as the PSP version) as well as being able to share user-generated content.
Both versions will include the "canvas mode" which allows users to create and upload puzzles on the PS3 through the PlayStation Network or transfer puzzles by the PSP’s Ad-Hoc mode. Although the price difference is a little bit easier to understand once the features are detailed, the PS3 version still has the advantage at a cheaper price point as well as being able to share puzzles with friends while promoting a larger scale community aspect to the game. The ability to share user-generated content on the PS3 certainly devalues the PSP’s extra 50 puzzles that come included on the UMD.
A game such as Echochrome on the PS3 could be the one of the first games to test the PSN’s market for user-generated content and could lead to ideas in implentation and design in other games such as LittleBigPlanet or Home.