Earlier in the week, industry analyst Michael “Sparkle Boy” Pachter claimed that the PSP2 would be “dead on arrival” just like he believes its predecessor was. In a remarkable U-turn, however, the fortune teller has changed his mind and now reckons it could do well.
“We can’t rule out the ‘dead on arrival’ PSP2, which is likely to be introduced [next year], and if it has the right feature set and is competitively priced, it could actually perform well in the marketplace,” he says. “My ‘DOA’ comment was based upon an assessment that Sony won’t price it right (look at the PSPgo), but of course, I have been wrong once or twice before, so maybe they’ll surprise me.”
I’m sure Pachter’s “once or twice” comment was supposed to invite an attack, so I won’t bother.
Although Pachter misspoke about the original PSP’s success and perhaps shouldn’t be speculating on a system’s chances before it’s even been revealed, the PSP2 is going to be entering a very different market than its predecessor did and that could have a serious effect.
The established power of the DS brand and the rise of smartphones have created an intensely competitive handheld market in the years since the PSP-1000’s launch. Sony’s going to have to play smart in order to win, and that’s the real problem … does Sony even know how to play smart in the portable market? I don’t think it does.
Pachter Now Admits PSP2 ‘Actually Could Perform Well’ [Industry Gamers]
