14 DAY TRIAL // Webdush Securities analyst Michael Pachter shared his insight on Sony's Next Generation Portable device (aka the PSP2) and what price it might have when it eventually hits the market.
Barely have details about Sony's Next Generation Portable appear, and people are already speculating about features that the Japanese company declined to comment on, specifically the price the new PlayStation Portable platform will have at launch.
Sony confessed that it was still examining the market and would try to price the console with the consumer in mind.
Pachter believes that the correct price tag for the NGP is about $250, the same as the Nintendo 3DS, another high end portable console, that will be launched in March.
Talking with IndustryGamers, Pachter shared his thoughts on the Next Generation Portable.
"It’s a pretty impressive device, the screen is relatively expensive, and the features set suggests to me that we’ll see something in the $249/€249/£199 range. There is a lot to like, and Sony has a huge library of content. The device looks pretty powerful, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see some pretty sophisticated games," Pachter said.
In terms of sales, Pachter isn't all that confident in the NGP, at least in the long term, but he thinks that, at least in the first year, the Next Generation Portable will impress.
"I suppose it will sell incredibly well for the first year (would bet 15 million or so), and then it will succeed or slow based upon the availability of software, much like the original PSP. I think it’s a huge step up on the PSP, and think that the memory card-based games (a la DS) make a lot of sense," he said.
While the original PlayStation Portable seemed set to dominate mobile gaming when it was first introduced back in 2005, things didn't turn out so well, especially due to poor support from third party game developers.
The PSP Go wanted to relaunch the platform, but due to the fact that it relied only on digital downloads to get games, failed to generate sales.
Now, it seems Sony has learned its lesson, and wants to make the Next Generation Portable a real game changer.