Analysis: Year of the PSP?

Analysis
Year of the PSP?

My recent opinion-articles have all been based around criticizing SONY for the things they don’t get right–this is not as to say that I have recently begun hating the PSP or dissing on it because SONY won’t release any LocoRoco 2 information; I love my PSP more than any other gaming device I have or I’ve ever wanted. It has been the best piece of entertainment for me on subway rides, road trips, airplane rides, and late nights. This year, 2007, finally seems to be shaping up. There are numerous high-profile releases for the second-half of the year, and games are finally getting the Infrastructure/online gameplay they deserve. Could this be the year of the PSP?

Without a doubt in anyone’s mind, the PSP went through a relatively sluggish 2006. Despite the fact that the last half brought Portable Ops, GTA: Vice City Stories, LocoRoco, and Killzone, it didn’t make up for the year in which the DS doubled the PSP numerous times and the PSP struggled to get back up. Rumors spiraled that SONY was to stop supporting the device (a la “PSP is Dead111!!!!”) in 2007 and build a second PSP; they surprised everyone by ignoring the press and moving ahead with the PSP, promising major changes in the future.

This has recently started with SONY’s interest to bring online gameplay to pretty much every game they produce. Ratchet and Clank had online from the start, and Killzone is in a slow, but optimistic process of receiving a multiplayer patch that will allow for online gameplay. Furthermore, SONY is not giving up on LocoRoco, the critically-acclaimed game that we’ve come to love so much (despite lackluster sales). Moreover, they’re releasing PaRappa the Rapper in July. By recognizing its niche, SONY is finally getting an identity–a part of the equation that was missing in 2006.

Third party support is also finally shaping up. Sure, there’s still some holes to fill, but we’ll see God of War: Chains of Olympus, a sequel to WipEout Pure, numerous Final Fantasy-games, and possibly delayed games like Oblivion Travels and (yes, you may laugh) Gran Turismo Mobile. All of these games have been on consoles, but third-party companies are finally getting it right. Originality will allow a game to sell–just ask companies like Capcom or Konami; they developed original games (Monster Hunter 2 and MGS: Portable Ops) which sold more than most other PSP games and became instant successes.

And SONY is not giving up on the hardware itself. The PSP has received many generous price cuts that finally makes it comparable to the DS. In so many cases, people have complained that the price was too high for purchase (after all, the $249 PSP costs just as much as a Wii, even though the graphics are comparable). Also, SONY announced several attractive colors for the PSP in Japan and even released a Go! Cam peripheral in Europe (after it had made its debut in Japan). Even though many places like North America have no new colors or peripherals, there’s still hope.

The big story is SONY becoming more interested in providing digital content. We’ve already seen it with a slew of retro, unique, and ported games on the Playstation Network for download–including a PSOne emulator that provides games even on the PSP. We’re still hoping that SONY will allow for the underprivileged (aka people who cannot afford the PS3) to get a hold of these downloads in the near future; thankfully, we’re hearing now that a download service is coming in the distant future.

Things are finally shaping up for SONY’s Playstation Portable; by building on its platform, SONY will allow for current and future owners to embrace in its capabilities in numerous, different ways. Kudos!