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Sony says 'PSP has life in it yet'

Sony's PlayStation Portable has been experiencing sluggish sales, but that doesn't stop the company from believing it still has promise.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read

Even with the PlayStation Portable's declining year-over-year sales, Sony says it believes its gaming device can still offer value to today's gamers.

"For now, we're still concentrating on the PSP as a very attractive proposition," Michael Denny, Sony's vice president of Worldwide Studios Europe, said in an interview with GamesIndustry.Biz.

Sony

Denny went on to tell the gaming publication that Sony is still having "success with the more child-friendly products on the PSP," which the company believes still makes it valuable to consumers. He didn't elaborate on the device's slate of child-friendly products, but a listing of titles on Sony's PSP site displays just 57 Mature-rated games out of a total of 652 titles.

Its perhaps also telling that the company has chosen Marcus Rivers, a child, to lead the PSP's "Step Your Game Up" advertising campaign.

On the PlayStation 3 side, Kevin Butler, an adult, stars in Sony's "It Only Does Everything" advertising campaign.

Thanks to the impact younger players are having, Denny said "the PSP has life left in it yet."

Sony's decision to show public support for the PSP comes amid rumors that the company is planning a follow-up to the PSP. The portable device, according to reports, could feature touch controls on the back. Sony has said nothing about such a device launching, but it's possible Denny's comments to GamesIndustry.Biz were meant to throw consumers off the scent of a follow-up device.

That said, it might be time for Sony to deliver a new PSP. According to market research firm The NPD Group, Sony sold just 84,000 PSP units in July, representing a steep decline from the 122,800 PSP units it sold in July 2009.