Sony’s handheld enterprise transformed to allow cheaper development on smaller, casual and niche titles
Sony has transformed its entire outlook on PSP development in a bid to broaden the range of titles available on PSP consoles, to provide its PSP Go system with its own identity, and ultimately to establish a direct rival to Nintendo’s 100 million-selling rival handheld, the Nintendo DS.
Sony recently released a company statement centred on two key objectives; that PSP development should be cheap, and that the PSP should be hosting a catalogue of niche indie titles as well as casual games for broader audiences.
The measures are a far cry from the reputation the original PSP once established; being a handheld that offered watered-down PS2 titles which, while still a technical feat, were often considered too bloated and unfocused for the commuting gamer.
Meanwhile, the platform holder has seen its rival Nintendo dominate the handheld market with cheap titles that are dedicated for a handheld audience.
With a tiny development team, a small budget and a slim timeline, Nintendo managed to deliver Brain Training; a divisive game that has nonetheless sold many millions of copies.
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This is the market that Sony is calling for its fleet of partners and developers to enter, arming each with budget-priced dev kits and test kits. On top of this, the micro-sized PSP Go is positioned as a less intimidating, carefree system for the digital age, clearly designed with Nintendo’s casual DS audience in mind.
At E3 Sony announced that it has made a staggering 80 percent price cut in PSP dev kits, with models DTP-T2000A and DTP-T2000 now both priced at $1,500 in North America and €1,200 in Europe. Develop has today reported that Sony will also be cutting its test kit costs to €800 and $1,000.
But the company’s new plans to replicate Nintendo’s success does not end with price cuts; Sony will also be providing a free add-on to its SDK in the shape of ProDG, a programming tool which Sony states is held in high regard among developers.
In its written statement, the company makes its ambitions abundantly clear; “to support a broader range of developers and publishers” and “to create varieties of small software titles”.
Beyond these measures Sony has also implied, slightly ambiguously, that it aims to further streamline the development process for PSN titles – “from license agreement to publishing” – for its “small, download-exclusive software titles.”
The aim again is clear: “more casual, exciting and attractive content to be made available for the ever-growing PlayStation Network”.
I have no inention of buying handheld systems - Ive no idea why people would want to take something as infectious as gaming around with them,
That being said, it does look like Sony is finally understanding what a gaming audience actually wants from a handheld. No movies, no music, just games please. Good ones that are cheap and easy to stop and start.
Simple when you think about it, which is why I have no sympathy for a company tha's failed in the handheld market.
"Failed in the handheld market"
Er...
Sony has sold over 50 million PSPs.
That's more than the Wii.
If you look at this in terms of market share, which I do, then a handheld that was once seen as the GameBoy killer selling half as much as the DS IS dissapointment.
Also, it's clear why the handheld has not done as well as it could have; no oe can really pinpoint what the PSP is.
the iPhone is seriusly ready to take on the handheld market, so Sony has sorted itself out in the nick of time.
The real issue here is that my collegues are already talking about how the Go could see the end of piracy, in that the games are coming from the PSP store.
This is crucial. If PSN downloads prove to be resistant to pirate scum, then I expect a lot of studios will reconsider the format.
umm there is no way this is competing directly with the ds or dsi. it is ridiculously overpriced and does not touch support touch interface. this thing looks more like sony trying to compete with the iphone on a gaming standpoint and definitely price point as it cost as much as a wii and more than a basic xbox. this will probably be an utter failure as no one will buy a $250 portable for cheap games. for that price they expect full fledged console style immersive games not shovelware.
The questions for me are:
a) How to get the SDK & test kit, i.e. what the Sony entry requirements for small developers are now that the costs are within the hobby level.
b) What the process is to becoming a registered developer for tiny studio sizes and single-person development studios. Additionally, the testing and publishing process should be communicated to potential developers before an application is developed and submitted.
I feel the X360 with XNA (still) has an accessability advantage there, although the move by Sony is welcome.
Micah, we'll get in touch with Sony for you and approach the issues you have.
R.
please can any progress on how to get a kit be posted.
Sounds very interesting. I agree. Sony has sold more than Wii!
