iSpy-PSP

PSP still dominating hardware sales

Weekly Japanese hardware sales fell across the board once more, but PSP retained its place at the top of the chart by some distance.

Having outsold its nearest competitor, Nintendo’s Wii, by 22,500 units the week prior, PSP sales came in at nearly 30,000 greater than those of the home console during the week ended May 18. Sales were likely boosted again by the success of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, which blue shelled Mario Kart Wii to reclaim the top spot in the latest Japanese software chart and pass the two million sales mark.

While DS software is selling extremely well in Japan, taking 15 of the top 30 chart places during the week in question, sales of the handheld fell 16,000 units week-over-week, although the system was only 6,500 units short of the Wii’s total.

tags: psp, sales, wii, ds, sony

Today @ PC World Sony Fumbles with Madden PSP Bundle

Sony doesn’t get it. Just as a leopard can’t change its spots and the new metallic blue version of Sony’s PSP coming out on August 21 for the 20th anniversary of Madden NFL won’t change much that’s wrong with the PSP either. In conjunction with the PSP launch Sony and EA have also announced they will team to produce a $200 Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack. The pack includes includes a copy of Madden 09, a UMD video called NFL: In Just One Play, a voucher to download “Beats” from the PlayStation Store and a 1 GB memory stick.

The bundle will be very popular with Maddenites everywhere. But for me this entertainment pack is the epitome of the PSPs shortcomings: it’s all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Time to Punt?

Take a look at the Beats voucher in the new bundle. Beats is a very basic game where you blow up little orbs as they cross your path, and the game bases its movements on music stored in your PSP music library. Of course, to put a music collection on your PSP you need to go through a less than seamless, some would say cumbersome, process.

tags: sony, psp

PSP comes of age

One thing that struck me at yesterday’s Playstation Day event - other than Sony’s increasingly justified optimism surrounding the PS3 - was how the PSP has suddenly become increasingly vital. Often overshadowed as a pure games machine by the innovation of the DS, Sony’s handheld seems to have finally come of age. There was a stack of interesting stuff of PSP stuff on show. The gaming side was well catered for - the innovative Echocrome was a highlight - but it is in the wider entertainment area that the PSP really shines.

First up was confirmation of Go View, Sony’s tie-up with Sky, which launches in the UK on June 30th. The service allows anyone in the UK - no Sky subscription necessary - to download films/sport/TV to their PC’s before transferring over to the PSP to watch. Exact content and - crucially - pricing have yet to be finalised and obviously these will make or break the service. But keep it cheap, and flexible, and Go View could be huge.

tags: guardian, psp, sony, handheld

PSP Skype headset finally available

According to PSP Fan Boy, you can now (finally) purchase a Skype headset for the PSP.

We’re glad that SCEA finally confirmed the availability of Skype-compatible PSP headsets at retailers today. When we first discovered the peripheral, it was supposed to release last month for $20. Well, looks like things have changed. The peripheral is now available at a MSRP of $30 at your favorite retailer. We checked amazon.com, buy.com and GameStop — and it appears that buy.com is still your best bet.

tags: universe, weblog, skype, psp, fanboy