PSPgo - Sony's plan for its new handheld

PSP product manager Claire Backhouse discusses the new hardware pre-launch, and Sony's decision to split its audience

Feature by Kath Brice Contributor

Published on Sept. 30, 2009

GamesIndustry.biz The existing PSP has perhaps been a bit of a Swiss army knife - it's done a lot of things, camera, music player, web browser, Skype phone, GPS etc. But - and remote play is probably the best example - a lot of potential consumers, and perhaps even users, didn't seem to be aware of exactly what the console can do. Is that something you hope to change with the PSPgo?

Claire Backhouse

Yes, we've been trying to change that over this year as well. At the end of last year we ran a 'whole world in your hands' campaign for PSP 3000 and that was very much functionality-led. We told people you can watch movies on it, you can take photos with it, you can store your music on it and everything. And I think PSPgo is even more so because you do want it in consumer's minds that it can do all those things as well and that makes it even better than an iPhone, I think. So we are pushing all those elements as well.

GamesIndustry.biz Small games are usually associated with more casual gaming. Presumably the Minis alone could attract a less hardcore audience to PSP. Are you hoping your audience is going to grow to include more casual gamers?

Claire Backhouse

I think we are. I think the iPhone has opened up that sort of market, almost like social gaming on the go. Also I think that people are used to downloading things now - it's becoming the norm, whereas I don't think we could have launched PSPgo a couple of years ago because everyone would have found it far too daunting, the fact that you had to download everything. But now it seems that it's quite normal to download things, and it seems like the perfect time to launch something like this.

GamesIndustry.biz The business model for PSPgo seems very positive for developers - with them receiving a decent percentage from each sale. What are the benefits to that do you think, and what are you hoping to achieve?

Claire Backhouse

I think that one of the criticisms that PSP has had over the last couple of years is that we didn't have the gaming support behind us, which I think has really reversed in the last year and a half because I've been doing marketing deals with lots of third-parties to support big titles like Harry Potter and Monster Hunter with Capcom. But I think in making sure that never happens again, that you don't get that sort of lag and that you get people excited with the new console as well, that it's positive for everyone.

GamesIndustry.biz So what has the general reception to PSPgo been like from the perspective of developers and publishers? What have they been feeding back to you?

Claire Backhouse

They've been really excited about it, especially with the Minis as well I think that some of the smaller development studios are really excited about that. Obviously maybe they couldn't [create games] for it before because they didn't have the resources, but now they can get really excited about it.

GamesIndustry.biz The GBP 225 price tag is a fairly high one some are saying. Although perhaps not so much when you consider a lot of gamers will be getting four free games if they buy at launch. Is it a price you feel you're going to have to work hard at to justify? Do you think it will take a while to build up enough content on the PSN and build up awareness of the console before you will achieve decent sales?

Claire Backhouse

It could be. I think we're quite lucky we're launching two months before Christmas - I think that'll really help boost sales. With the campaign as well that we've gone for it's quite targeted. I think we'll see the early adaptors, the gamers, the technology guys getting into it first and I think it'll sell quite strongly prior to Christmas. Then you always have a bit of a lag in January and maybe you'll see at the start of the new financial year, next year, it pick up again with a wider audience I imagine. That's when we'll start talking about other entertainment functionalities as well.

GamesIndustry.biz The lack of backwards compatibility - it could be a reason for existing PSP owners who perhaps own more than four UMD games not to upgrade. Was there ever a chance that it was going to be possible to offer a UMD to digital exchange?

Claire Backhouse

I'm not really sure because I don't know what the development team was working on. But I know that this is what they've offered us at the moment. I don't know whether there are any plans for the future for them to do it. We'll announce it if something comes about.

Claire Backhouse is PSP product manager for the UK. Interview by Kath Brice.

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