PSP looks like it is failing what should be done

With sales down 27 percent compared to the same time last year what should be added done to make the platform a more viable and worthwhile system to own. It has some games like burnout GTA and God of War which are very nice on the platform. What I think the next iteration needs is improved battery life and i am not a fan of having discs in a portable they are pretty loud as they spin also. 

They should let people use homebrew.
They should add a second thumb stick (joystick thing).

I already have a psp but I never use it because i cant run homebrew.

For the PSP to succeed it needs only one thing.... games. I can't think of any PSP game this year that would make me play it this year. 

They should take a year off and focus on making a completely new one.

"They should take a year off and focus on making a completely new one."

What I really don't understand is why people think the PSP is failing. Is it producing less games and sales in comparison to the DS? Certainly, but it is not failing or is dying. People don't seem to understand that the PSP has been the greatest rival to a Nintendo handheld, and is approaching the 40 million mark for handhelds (or already has), an unprecedented feat by a non-Nintendo handheld.

While you didn't come right out and say it is dying, you were poiting towards it. You do make a good point though, it needs more games and thay definitely need to work on a new PSP that is actually worthwhile. I can't think of a good list of 09 PSP games to look forward to. Sales wise, it is doing great, but obviously not in comparison to the DS. It is just a joke to see users on different websites, and even website articles themselves try to downplay the PSP as a failing, or is dying, because they surely haven't seen the games it has produced and the astoudning sales stats, in comparison to non-Nintendo handhelds.

I don't think it can really be saved.  The DS is where the money's at and it's not likely to change until the PSP2, maybe.  Nintendo has never had a bad handheld, unless you really want to count the Virtual Boy.

The problem with the PSP is that it's basically a standard handheld with beefy hardware.  Nowadays, a handheld needs some unique feature, a "gimmick" if you will, but a gimmick that works well.  Touch screen, tilt controls, microphone, something like that.  The next PSP needs something the others don't have.

It's like saying the Zune is dying or failing, just because iPod is doing so well.  It cannot be compared like that, it just does not make sense.

"For the PSP to succeed it needs only one thing.... games. I can't think of any PSP game this year that would make me play it this year. "

To be honest, as much as I love the Playstation brand, I think the PSP is a failure. This year was horrible for the handheld! The only good game out for the system I think are Crisis Core, God of War, Burnout, GTA, Loco Roco, and Lumines. I think Sony should focus more on more original games instead of just PS2 ports or big IP ports.

I just think that Nintendo's franchises and games fit better for handhelds. Usually, when I want to play a handheld, I want to play something that's quck, fun, simple, but deep. Pokemon fits this description well. Laugh all you want, but I still play Pokemon games when they come out, because it's just plain fun, and it's easy to pick up and play. The PSP tries it's best to emulate the feel of a console and I think that's the wrong way to go. If I want to play a console, I'll play a console.

"I just think that Nintendo's franchises and games fit better for handhelds. Usually, when I want to play a handheld, I want to play something that's quck, fun, simple, but deep. Pokemon fits this description well. Laugh all you want, but I still play Pokemon games when they come out, because it's just plain fun, and it's easy to pick up and play. The PSP tries it's best to emulate the feel of a console and I think that's the wrong way to go. If I want to play a console, I'll play a console."

"TheJollyRajah said:

"I just think that Nintendo's franchises and games fit better for handhelds. Usually, when I want to play a handheld, I want to play something that's quck, fun, simple, but deep. Pokemon fits this description well. Laugh all you want, but I still play Pokemon games when they come out, because it's just plain fun, and it's easy to pick up and play. The PSP tries it's best to emulate the feel of a console and I think that's the wrong way to go. If I want to play a console, I'll play a console."

And if I want to play a console and I'm not in a position to play a console, I play my PSP and get the same relative experience in a handheld, which I would not get playing the DS.

The PSP comes at portable gaming with an entirely different perspective on handheld philosophy, and the fact that it has managed to sell ludicrously well in tandem with the popularity of what is arguably Nintendo's most succesful handheld platform ever is something that nobody tends to recognize. Arguments that the system "has no games" continue to be ludicrous and become more so as time passes and more gems are added to the large backlog of quality titles, while new games come out all the time (albeit slowly in NA/Europe). The PSP isn't a failure no matter what perspective you happen to be looking at it from, unless it happens to be in the eyes of most people's completely illogical expectations. Is it a huge threat to the DS? Are Sony and Nintendo neck-and-neck trying to get the leg-up over each other? No. Each handheld knows its place, and the PSP has set a high bar for any other entry-level device to meet for a non-Ninty product, a bar that probably won't be reached by anything else anytime soon."

PSP will have a better 2009 then 2008.

"TheJollyRajah said:

"I just think that Nintendo's franchises and games fit better for handhelds. Usually, when I want to play a handheld, I want to play something that's quck, fun, simple, but deep. Pokemon fits this description well. Laugh all you want, but I still play Pokemon games when they come out, because it's just plain fun, and it's easy to pick up and play. The PSP tries it's best to emulate the feel of a console and I think that's the wrong way to go. If I want to play a console, I'll play a console."

And if I want to play a console and I'm not in a position to play a console, I play my PSP and get the same relative experience in a handheld, which I would not get playing the DS.

The PSP comes at portable gaming with an entirely different perspective on handheld philosophy, and the fact that it has managed to sell ludicrously well in tandem with the popularity of what is arguably Nintendo's most succesful handheld platform ever is something that nobody tends to recognize. Arguments that the system "has no games" continue to be ludicrous and become more so as time passes and more gems are added to the large backlog of quality titles, while new games come out all the time (albeit slowly in NA/Europe). The PSP isn't a failure no matter what perspective you happen to be looking at it from, unless it happens to be in the eyes of most people's completely illogical expectations. Is it a huge threat to the DS? Are Sony and Nintendo neck-and-neck trying to get the leg-up over each other? No. Each handheld knows its place, and the PSP has set a high bar for any other entry-level device to meet for a non-Ninty product, a bar that probably won't be reached by anything else anytime soon."

"What's the number one thing about a handheld that differentiates itself from a console? Isn't it portability? The problem with the PSP is that most of it's games aren't as portable and accessible as the games on the DS. Sure, there are some games on the PSP which are portable, but they're few and far between. Another thing are the load times on the PSP; not as bad as it was when it first came out, but still bad enough where I just don't feel like turning it on. If you're on a long car trip, then yeah, a PSP is nice. But who can afford to take long trips everyday? The DS is more flexible and quick, and it's easy to play for 10 minutes and turn off.

And at home, my PSP is never on, because I can get an experence 20 times better on a console. Yet, the DS has a different approach to games, and it's unlike anything else out there, so once in awhile I will play it at home because you can't get the same experience from a console.

"

It's considered a failure by some because of the juggernaut known as the Nintendo DS. The PSP has sold a good amount of hardware (about 42M units), but the DS is so much more popular (about 95M) that developers would rather make games for it. If you look at GB's PSP nominees, they're really good games, but I guess those are not enough to appease the masses. Sure there are other valid complaints like the lack of two analog nubs and that it doesn't provide as unique an experience as the DS, but if the developer support was there consumers would follow. I mostly use mine as a portable media device and occasionally for homebrew.

"And at home, my PSP is never on, because I can get an experence 20 times better on a console. Yet, the DS has a different approach to games, and it's unlike anything else out there, so once in awhile I will play it at home because you can't get the same experience from a console."

"It's considered a failure by some because of the juggernaut known as the Nintendo DS. The PSP has sold a good amount of hardware (about 42M units), but the DS is so much more popular (about 95M) that developers would rather make games for it. 

Ditch UMD
Ramp up the download service even more so
Second analog stick
better battery life
trophy support
give the PSP a face of it's own. right now it's known as, "that handheld with a spin off of every PS2 exclusive known to man... oh and Locoroco.".

Well personally I don't get the whole thing about the PSP failing, honestly the DS literally has dozens more games on it I want than the PSP but at the same time there is still plenty I want on the PSP.  I just picked up Star Ocean: First Departure over the weekend which is only my 5th UMD based game. There is atleast 10 more PSP games I want.

"What I really don't understand is why people think the PSP is failing. Is it producing less games and sales in comparison to the DS? Certainly, but it is not failing or is dying. People don't seem to understand that the PSP has been the greatest rival to a Nintendo handheld, and is approaching the 40 million mark for handhelds (or already has), an unprecedented feat by a non-Nintendo handheld.

While you didn't come right out and say it is dying, you were poiting towards it. You do make a good point though, it needs more games and thay definitely need to work on a new PSP that is actually worthwhile. I can't think of a good list of 09 PSP games to look forward to. Sales wise, it is doing great, but obviously not in comparison to the DS. It is just a joke to see users on different websites, and even website articles themselves try to downplay the PSP as a failing, or is dying, because they surely haven't seen the games it has produced and the astoudning sales stats, in comparison to non-Nintendo handhelds."