Trust Sony to mess up a good things going…it slacked on PSP when it was doing well, and it pushed hard on PS3 and we all know where that went. It got Wiied. Now Sony Computer Entertainment is poised to announce deals with software companies and online players to try to reverse the dismal performance of PSP, this story says. It is expected to reveal a package of PSP online services in mid-March, with analysts expecting the tie-ups to involve at least one big ISP, such as Yahoo.
The idea is to promote PSP as a more user-friendly device capable of downloading films, TV shows and back-catalogue PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, possibly through Wi-Fi….Although the PSP is already technically capable of this, the services have not appealed to mainstream users. A tie-up with a well-known internet brand or TV company, said one Nomura analyst, could change that.
PocketGamer: Total PSP hardware shipments in the three quarters so far recorded for this financial year total 7.67 million units. The company is now forecasting total PSP hardware shipments of 9 million for this financial year – a huge plunge from the 14.06 million it shipped in financial year ‘05, and from its prediction last April of shipping 12 million units, too.