Quick Jump Daily Digest

Thank you for your interest in the Quick Jump Daily Digest. Get notified of all new content on QJ in our free Daily Digest. To subscribe, enter your email address below and click the subscribe button.


Email Address:


Email will come from "donotreply@caputomedia.com". Please whitelist this email address.

Cancel and Return to page

SCEA: Publishers are the ones setting PSP Minis price points

Posted Oct 8, 2009 at 6:00AM EST by Karl B.

Listed in: News, Games, PSP Minis Tags: Eric Lempel, SCEA, Sony
Ó

PSP Minis - Image 1


Don't like the current price points of the PSP Minis? Sony says that's not their fault. If you want to complain, complain to the publishers.

In a recent interview with Joystiq, SCEA's Eric Lempel said that Sony has no say when it comes to the pricing of PSP Minis. That decision lies solely with the publishers.

Lempel also noted that publishers are free to release a US$ 1.99 game for the PSP if they want to. He also agreed that incorrect pricing can be quite detrimental, especially if you compare a Minis game with reduced functionality and a similarly-priced yet feature-packed PSN exclusive.

I think they have to carefully look at that, carefully price their content. Minis was intended to be something a little different and we wanted to see a lot of different types of content through minis. If it's not priced correctly, consumers may be turned off at the proposition and say 'I'd rather just go for this kind of stuff instead of minis.'




Related articles:


Via Joystiq



This story sucks? This story rocks!
Vote Now!    This story ROCKS! (0) This story SUCKS!! (0)




Become a Member of QJ.Net!

If you want your comments to go live without waiting for moderation, you need to be logged in. Being logged in has its benefits:
  • Logged in members do not wait for their comments to be approved.
  • Logged in members can sign up for nightly updates.
  • Logged in members can create Profiles to be seen by other users.
So why wait? Create an account or login now! It's easy, quick, and free.

To get started, use the LOGIN boxes, or the REGISTER link at the top right!

Comments 


 
# ..unggoy 2009-10-08 07:39
so if a publisher wants to price a game for a hundred bucks sony has no say to that?.. wtf is wrong with you sony, youre the one hosting or providing these games on PSN and yet you have no authority or control over the prices?.. this is BS..

Reply
 

 
# Yeah welliamshadow 2009-10-08 08:17
look at it this way...If Sony doesn't come to some agreement with the dev then Sony wont get its share of the ca$h, so really, the higher the price, the more Sony is getting from these minis...



But i do agree with people saying they are overpriced...$10 for TETRIS?!? come on! I wouldn't pay more than around $2.50 for that.

Reply
 

 
# ...TheRockness 2009-10-08 08:24
Its actually great that Sony doesn't regulate the pricing. They would probably set the prices higher than they are now. Its great that Sony is setting up a market place where people can hock their wares. Think of it like Ebay for game developers. Would you like Ebay if they came down on you for asking too much for an item you were selling? The finger can't be pointed at Sony in this one.

Reply
 

 
# Dev Kitsymbal 2009-10-08 08:26
Developers know they not gonna sell many because of Sony charging so much for Psp go and charging $1500 for dev kit when the Iphone's is free, so they have to charge more for apps, so i declare Sony is to blame.

Reply
 

 
# idiotEzekial 2009-10-08 08:57
what does the PSP Go have to do with Minis and any other DD, as long as you have a PSP 1-3000 or a go you can download DD off the PSN.

Reply
 

 
# Who then?symbal 2009-10-08 09:17
Ask an average person with a Psp if they'd be stupid enough to pay that much for a stripped down game when they have better choices, untill people know about Psn downloads and Sony does something about it's prices do you think a developer would risk low prices, the answer is NO.

Reply
 

 
# yeahhakk3r 2009-10-08 09:49
Well sony isn't the one making the games.

Reply
 

 
# So by your logicTheRockness 2009-10-08 09:59
A dev kit is the only expense a developer has and therefore Iphone Apps are cheaper and easier to make? While its true that it might not be cost effective to have a team of 40 guys make an iphone app or PSP Mini, if its an effort from a small team, then it could be extremely profitable to sell the apps for $1.99 if the app/mini is good quality. Quality will drive sales, not development costs.

Reply
 

 
# ...symbal 2009-10-08 11:47
The simple fact is there's only a small market for Psp minis untill the average person gets to know about it, and in a small market you have high prices untill you get more customers and you can start to discount, it is the way all businesses work and Sony is the one responsible for making sure people are aware of Psn, these developers are doing exactly what is needed right now untill there's more potential customers.

Reply
 

 
# ..Torch 2009-10-08 21:51
Minis are worthless pieces of crap. Every single one of them suck. They're an insult to the PSP.

Reply
 

 
# As i said before on these forums.........KingPepper 2009-10-09 08:46
To attract new customers, release the new games half price for the first week, that way these people buy a lot more of the games, and they go off and tell there mates who then become new customers through word of mouth, and so it goes on.

Meanwhile Sony + the software developers make a killing in sales, then put the prices back up to there proper prices after a week.

This way everybody gains something out of it.

Reply
 

 
# Applesymbal 2009-10-09 09:20
That would probably work for Apple because the built a reputation since the first Ipod and they built up a massive loyal customer base, but Sony doesn't have even close to that because even though they do make some of the best hardware they just made too many mistakes the last few years and need to show they got new ideas, so lowering prices is a very small part of it, Sony needs to think like Apple and Nintendo and understand it's customers and keep giving them something new.

Reply
 

 
# Actually, I agree with symbalnate443556 2009-10-11 17:11
I point my finger directly at Sony and the other big companies that make devs jack up the price.



Example: Kurok. Great game, kept me interested for a good solid week, which is about the same level of enjoyment tetris and similar 'legitimate' games are. The only difference: Kurok + free, minis + 5-10 bucks. Why? Because Sony's devkit costs $1500 and the ESRB rating costs like $2500. That's $4000, and if there's only 5 devs making this, that's $800 a piece just to make a game that isn't even supposed to be an in depth game. What group of people short of 20 members is going to want to take the time to work hard on a game and then possibly lose money by releasing it?



If it was maybe $100 to make a mini, so many more people would come out with games and sell them at ridiculously low prices just to break even. Yeah, that contributes for more 'crap apps' on the PSP, but 'crap apps' are better than barely any at all.

Reply
 

Add comment

Security code
Refresh


Welcome to QJ.Net!

If you want your comments to go live without waiting for moderation, you need to be logged in. Being logged in has its benefits:
  • Logged in members do not wait for their comments to be approved.
  • Logged in members can create Profiles to be seen by other users.
So why wait? Create an account or login now! It's easy, quick, and free.

To get started, use the LOGIN boxes, or the REGISTER link below!



Want to learn more about the team who brings you the QJ news?

Read about them now!


RSS Feeds Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook
Login:

HOT FLASH GAMES

Monster Truck Jumper

Left to Die

The Empire 2

Dark Dimension

Town Drift Competition

Heroes of the Sword