14 DAY TRIAL // The PlayStation Portable is not attractive enough to kids, Sony determined, so it has decided to launch a new initiative aimed at promoting it to that potential customer group. Some even believe that the almost 50 million wide gap between the sales of the Nintendo DS and those of the PSP is linked to the fact that Sony has marketed its handheld to a more mature audience who likes more complex games and puts an emphasis on graphical quality.
As part of the new marketing campaign, Sony is promoting a fresh website, called PSPinyourhands, which is encouraging kids and their families to upload images and videos showing them using the PlayStation Portable. The site is currently in beta and more functionality could be added soon.
Claire Backhouse, who is the United Kingdom product manager for the PlayStation Portable, stated that “PSP is going for a younger market, which isn’t something we’ve really done before. Our heartland is 16-24-year-old men and always will be - they won’t be neglected in the slightest. But the summer’s game releases, such as Harry Potter and Petz, as well as the launch of the new colors, are certainly appealing to an 8-15-year-old audience.”
Part of this strategy are also the releases of bundles like one containing the Hannah Montana videogame, for 199 dollars, or several tie ins that will be launched with the Petz videogames range from Ubisoft. All these videogames are aimed at younger players than the usual titles coming to the PlayStation Portable, like the recent Patapon 2 or Resistance: Retribution.
Sony is said to be working on a new version of the PSP, rumored to be named Go!, which might be shown to the public at the E3 trade show. The fresh handheld would rely on digital downloads and is said to be set for an autumn launch.