Will Sony cut the price of the PSP? Watch this space………………….

Top industry analyst Michael Pachter has suggested that the only way Sony can start to compete properly against the Nintendo DS and Apple iPhone is by slashing the price.

Pachter, of Wedbush Morgan, told Gametrailers in his video blog “Pach-Attack” that he was “hopeful they [PSPs] come down in price” and that “games come down in cost for the consumer and they can be competitive”.

He goes on to criticize the PSP as clunky to control and Sony’s efforts to incorporate movies and music to the handheld as an “afterthought” with over-complicated design and usability.

So what’s next for the PSP? There’s no doubt it’s here to stay, but as Pachter points out, in its current form, it is destined to finish third place after the DS and the iPod/iPhone.

A price cut really would help relight the fire – the PSP is, after all, a very good device for games and I think people would be prepared to overlook uber-advanced features if the price was right.

A simplification of its usability would also boost sales of the handheld. Pachter mentions that Sony “positioned it [the PSP] older” in comparison to the cartoony games of the DS, but that this plan “didn’t work”.

Make things easier to use and you’ll automatically open up a new sector of the market. The PSP certainly has the ability and power to succeed – but the design and usability to frustrate.

Get these right, and the PSP could soar…………

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