Ding dong, Sony’s PSP Go is dead – and that’s official.

Sony Computer Entertainment confirmed to AV Watch that it was no longer manufacturing or shipping the download-only portable, which sold only 207 units in Japan last week. This, Sony explained, was so it could concentrate on the NGP, its flashy new follow-up to the original PSP.

The PSP Go lived a short and sad life, having never really stood a chance in this age of cheap smartphone games and Nintendo dominance.

After seeing its price slashed by retailers just a week after launch, the Go quickly became a target of developers, who predicted its demise. Charging the same steep prices for downloadable games as the UMD versions didn’t help, and in the end even Sony admitted it was priced too high.

Now, bring on the NGP!

[AV Watch, via Kotaku]

Sony confirms death of PSP Go is a post from: The Inquisitr

Okay, so I give the PSP Go a hard time on here. It’s true. I will freely admit I’m not a fan. If you ask me, PSP Go is overpriced (even Sony agrees with me) and simply unnecessary – a downloads-only gaming device that came about because of Sony’s mercenary plan to cut out the middle men (retailers) to maximise their own profits.

Even though Sony recently twigged it was charging consumers too much and gave away a stack of free games to new PSP Go owners, the sales figures for the console remain laughable. Frankly, I don’t see much of a future for it.

To make matters worse, it now appears that Go owners won’t be able to play certain PSP Camera-driven games, such as EyePet PSP, or Invizimals (which is out later this year). According to senior social media specialist Sid Shuman, the camera simply isn’t compatible with PSP Go: “No workaround that I know – the camera was designed for the pre-PSP Go models only. Maybe you can borrow a friend’s?”

Unbelievable. Granted, I couldn’t give a toss about EyePet or Invizimals, but if anything sums up what an ill-fitting cock-up PSP Go has been for Sony, this is it. “Hey guys, buy our new game! But remember you need old hardware to play it!”

Congrats again Sony. You massive, massive plonkers.

[Via 1UP]

Sony gives you another reason not to buy a PSP Go is a post from: The Inquisitr

The PSP Go has clunked its way from disaster to disaster in the eight months its been available. From launch week price reductions to nobody buying it to the industry itself turning on Sony’s downloads-only handheld, it’s proven a tough sell.

That’s probably why Sony is preparing an eye-catching offer of ten free games for anyone registering their PSP Go online after April 1st. Some very new and genuinely good games, as well, rather than just shovelware guff. Check this lot out:

Gran Turismo
LittleBigPlanet
MotorStorm Arctic Edge
Wipeout Pure
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice
FIFA 2010 World Cup
Need for Speed Shift
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines
+ 1 other title, as yet unnamed

According to MCV, Sony is announcing this incentive scheme “shortly,” though it will only be available in Europe.

I for one applaud Sony’s generosity, but there’s a definite sense of “too little, too late” here. Currently, rumors of a PSP 2 being shown in June are appearing everywhere, while there’s a chance PSP Go’s name has already been too tarnished. With that said, Sony’s keenness to push PSP Go suggests the portable console remains a part of Sony’s strategy. Clearly, they’re not giving up on this particular fight yet.

Hell, slash the price of the Go’s download-only games, and even I might buy the damn thing.

[Via MCV]

Sony finally does something right with PSP Go is a post from: The Inquisitr

The PSP Go: nobody wants it. In every region, Sony’s downloadable-games-only handheld is selling in pitiful numbers. Not because a console that will only play downloadable games is a totally terrible idea (it isn’t!), but because the PSP Go is priced way too high.

Consumers evidently think so, anyway (because nobody’s buying it), retailers probably agree (because they aren’t selling any and have already slashed prices in a bid to move stock), and now – FINALLY – Sony thinks so.

Speaking to IndustryGamers, Sony America big cheese Rob Dyer reflected on the PSP Go’s first five months thus:

“Yeah, I think the higher price point didn’t help matters any either. So we’re going back and re-communicating, and I’m sitting here looking at multiple decks on what we’re going to do this year. You’ll see a lot of things coming out from us to better educate and inform the consumer. All I can say is watch this space, because we’ll have answers to those questions.”

Halle-bloody-lujah, they’ve finally listened. Does this mean a price cut is Go in 2010? Probably. Will that rescue the PSP Go from an unedifying death in the near future? Probably … not. After all, a lot of damage has already been done to the Go’s reputation, and a price cut may not be enough to convert many people after all this bad press.

If Sony can learn something from this for the future and launch a digital downloads-only console the right way, I’d say that’s a lesson worth learning.

[Via IndustryGamers]

Sony finally admits: PSP Go was overpriced is a post from: The Inquisitr

Because nobody’s buying Sony’s PSP Go, the company has come up with an offer: a free game for North American PSP Go owners who add a PlayStation Network to their systems by March 21st. The only problem? If you already bought a PSP Go, then you’re ineligible. Sorry, 14 North American people who already bought PSP Gos.

Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines or LittleBigPlanet PSP are the two freebies being offered, and will be available as a free download from the PlayStation Store for whoever completes the registration process. SCEA will e-mail a special code that enables the free download.

Which is all very nice of Sony, but it’s pissed off quite a few early adopters of the handheld on the official PlayStation blog:

“and what about the people who got screwed by buying this before now? [...] Signed, a very disgruntled PSPGO owner…”

“This is unfair to people like me who picked up the PSPGo day one. I had to pay 40 for LBP PSP! I have been supporting Sony and this is just a slap in face.”

“Wow, from someone who bought PSP Go on launch day, thanks for nothing Sony.”

You … sort of see their point.

[PlayStation.Blog, via Joystiq]

New PSP Go owners to get a free game, old PSP Go owners pissed is a post from: The Inquisitr

Retailers have refused to stock it (because there are no physical PSP Go games to make profits from), consumers won’t buy it, (because the download-only games are too pricey), and the console’s first price cuts arrived within a week of it being available (because it wasn’t selling). And now, even the industry is attacking the little handheld that couldn’t. Speaking to Develop, Travelers Tales founder Jon Burton had this to say:

“I own a PSPgo but don’t want to buy LittleBigPlanet, for instance, as I can get it 20% cheaper on UMD from Amazon and could resell it once I’m finished with it. But if I download it, I get no discount, and no chance to resell – how annoying is that? I’m betting on Sony making PSPgo games much cheaper than the UMD versions, or the PSPgo will die.”

I couldn’t agree more. But then I think everybody but Sony would agree with those sentiments. Charging the same (or even a greater) amount of money for a digital game with virtually no resale value is plain bullshit on toast, Sony. No wonder the damn thing is selling like plasticine ladders.

[Develop, via Destructoid]

Developer says PSP Go “will die” without cheaper games is a post from: The Inquisitr

The PSP Go’s atrocious start is showing no signs of brightening up. In its first two weeks on sale, retailers in the UK and U.S. both dropped the price of Sony’s new handheld in a bid to actually sell some of the things.

Now, early sales figures have come in from Australia. Yeah, I know Australia is hardly the biggest market for games – they only got the Nintendo 64 last year or something – but said figures are truly grim. According to Aussie paper The Age, the Go sold under 1,000 units in its first full week on sale. I’ll repeat that, in case you misread: under 1,000. In a country of 20 million people. I mean, seriously.

But wait, did The Age get those figures wrong? Michael Ephraim, MD of Sony Australia and New Zealand, thinks the newspaper may be slightly out with its numbers. Sadly, even his figures suck. Says Ephraim:

“[The figure is] not under 1,000 but it’s slightly over 1,000″

Appalling. Of course, it doesn’t help when major stockists like EBGames refuse to carry the console (as has happened in Oz). While the PS3 continues to grow in popularity across the world, the PSP Go already seems dead in the water. Am I being premature?

[The Age, via Kotaku]

PSP Go basically dead already in Australia is a post from: The Inquisitr

Remember how a bunch of British retailers cut the price of a PSP Go, just one week after the Sony handheld launched? Well, at least one North American retailer is repeating the trick, knocking a juicy $50 off the price.

This, however, is not a permanent move (as it is in the UK). Rather, retail outlet Fry’s will be offering the PSP Go for $199 for a limited period (an in-store only offer, I’m afraid).

Temporary offer or not, this is hardly great news for Sony. Most consoles that are new to market suffer short-term shortages due to rampant demand, but stores seem to be struggling to rid themselves of the PSP Go.

Or, to put it another way, what was the last games machine to see its price slashed in the same month it was launched? I honestly can’t remember.

[Via Kotaku]

Fry’s becomes first U.S. retailer to cut price of PSP Go is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sony’s PSP Go hardware hit stores on October 1st. Only one week on, and a number of major UK retailers have initiated a price cut.

Amazon UK, Game, Gamestation, and HMV have all dropped the launch price of £224.99 to £199.99, a worrying sign for Sony’s updated, UMD-less handheld. As if this wasn’t already a clue, UK online retailer ShopTo has revealed to 1UP that opening week sales have been slow.

Not all retailers have followed suit yet – Zavvi and Tesco.com, for instance, have maintained the original price. However, with major competitors already taking scissors to the £224.99 price tag, I’d expect others to follow soon.

The relationship between PSP Go and retailers has been uneasy so far, with many stores criticizing the handheld’s lack of a disk drive, and some even refusing to stock the hardware. Because all PSP Go games are digital downloads, retailers are set to lose out on revenue from software, where fatter profit margins usually lie.

[Via GameSpot]

Retailers slashing price of PSP Go in UK … a week after launch is a post from: The Inquisitr

Just in case anyone has had a lapse in their memory, the PSP Go is on sale today. You can pick up the portable gaming device on store shelves nationwide (North America) for $249.99.

The Go is available in “Piano Black” and “Ceramic White.” Although given the history of PSP systems I’m sure a dozen more colors will be announced sooner rather than later.

The release also marks the first time that a portable gaming system has offered full-length portable games in an “all digital format.”

Quick Reminder: PSP GO Is On Sale Today is a post from: The Inquisitr