PSP Go pricing a ‘rip off’ says analyst |
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| BY Lee Bradley Jun. 11th, 2009 | More on: |
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter claims Sony are “ripping off” consumers with the $249/€249 price point of the PSP Go. Speaking in an episode of Bonus Round recorded following Sony’s conference at E3 last week, Pachter said, “$249 is too much, period.”
The crux of Pachter’s argument is that the PSP Go is cheaper to produce than the UMD toting PSP-3000. “The $169 PSP-3000 is a profitable device,” said Pachter. “They make money, so it costs less than that. The disc assembly for a UMD costs more than 16 gigs of flash does. So this new device doesn’t cost them as much to make as the PSP-3000 and they jack the price up $80… They’re ripping off the consumer… They’re making a lot more money on the PSP Go than they’re making on the PSP-3000.”
The PSP Go hits the US and Europe on Oct. 1, followed a month later in Japan. Will you be picking one up, or are you afraid of getting your fingers burnt?
June 11th, 2009
at 10:06 am
i was initially looking forward to buying a “Go” myself but then they announced the price.
i still think the device itself is appealing; 16gb on-board memory, lighter, no UMD which will increase battery life and the ability to d/l titles new & old. what’s there to dislike, really?
at $250, though, i agree with Pachter %100. it’s not even debatable paying almost a hundred more while it’s (still very capable) predecessor will continue to be sold.
chalk this up as yet another pricing gaffe on Sony’s part. (…y’know, the same company who thought we’d all line up and “work harder” for their $600 ps3.)
June 11th, 2009
at 10:24 am
Yeah, I’ll be spending my hard earned cash on actual games for the systems I already have, including my PSP, rather than buying this. Sorry Sony, no Go.
June 11th, 2009
at 10:33 am
No way. It’s a freaking portable system.
June 11th, 2009
at 11:20 am
To answer my own question…
No Lee, I think I’ll wait until the Go comes out and buy an old PSP 3000 at a decent price. That would be the sensible way to Go. By the way, what a fantastically written article. You deserve a rise.
June 11th, 2009
at 12:17 pm
If like me you never got a psp and always intended to, its an Okish product thats a bit dear now.
if you own a psp don’t pay this thing any attention or you’ll just end up head sore and waking in the middle of the night whispering the things that are now niggling you about the psp you have.
it must be how very well off people feel when they pull up at a set of lights with a first addition Aston martin DB9 only to look left and see a new DBS pull along side.
June 11th, 2009
at 1:28 pm
Yeah, I agree SmOkM - no way I’m upgrading to this from the slim. There’s just not enough upgrades to justify the ridiculous price, especially since all my old UMD’s would be rendered useless.
Oh, and I also agree with you, Lee - rises all round!
June 11th, 2009
at 2:53 pm
In an interview with Kotaku, Pachter said:
“….(I) truly think that Sony is right to charge what the market will bear,” Pachter said. “The fact is that Sony has been subsidizing the cost of the PS3 since launch, so to say that they are ‘ripping off’ consumers now is not really fair, and if I could retract the statement, I would do so.”
Shame no-one anywhere else on the interwebs has picked up on this bit of Pachter news.
June 11th, 2009
at 4:39 pm
That sounds to me like a man trying to back-peddle after getting himself in a spot of bother. Sony’s approach with the PS3 is irrelevant in this instance. Pachter’s original statement is still sound.. May be worth an update though.
June 11th, 2009
at 5:54 pm
“and if I could retract the statement, I would do so”
no you cant, correct.
June 11th, 2009
at 6:30 pm
New story incoming, just for Mr Cort.