Sony just announced on February 3rd that its new anticipated handheld gaming console will be released in the U.S. on March 24th for $249 and only as a Value Pack. In this news, it was seen that there will not be an option to purchase the Standard Pack at all like there was in the Japanese launch. After reading several posts in gaming forums, you can definitely tell that there is some animosity among the masses about this decision from Sony. The Value Pack definitely comes with a lot of useful stuff, and is worth the price tag. Yet, shouldn't we as Americans, get the same options as the Japanese? What are they going to do with all of the extra Standard Pack boxes that they printed out and are sitting around the factory? OK, I guess that's not important!!
I understand in this day and age that we feel that we should always have options as a consumer, and that we should always show our feelings of such with our wallets. Well, its kind of hard for a company to see eactly how you feel when there is such hype for a product that people will go out and buy it no matter how much it is. The gamers that decide that the $249 price tag is too much for them will soon realize that there are lots of things in this world that we overpay for, but that's why there is such a thing as supply and demand. Nobody had a problem with the $232 price tag for the Value Pack in Japan, and we are getting a cleaning cloth and Spiderman 2 UMD for $17 more! That looks like a good deal to me!
If you actually stop and look at the capabilities and possibilities of the PSP, the price tag of the less than $200 price of the unit itself (minus the Value Pack accessories) seems like a better deal than the $400 camera cell phones, iPods, PDA's, and video players that are everywhere. It has the abilities to view movies, pictures, listen to MP3s, and don't forget, it plays games at almost a PS2 level! With future firmware upgrades, it could have the ability to be used as a cell phone, calendar, spreadsheet viewer, word processor, internet browser, and who knows what else. Has anyone noticed that it has an infrared port on top? Just wait until there is 3rd party software that enables that to be a remote control.
The PSP could be an incredible all-in-one device that could be attractive to just about everyone in one way or another. The only problem I could see would be the flood of other portable media devices and gaming handhelds that perform the PSP's functions easier, better, and cheaper. Now all I can say about that would be, "Good luck with that!" To me, for the Value Pack, the price is right for what you get.
I'll be sitting outside my local electronics store on that eventful March 24th day along with many others who feel the same way as I.
- bspate -
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