Think Tank: PlayStation Store & PSP

Following on from my earlier post where I talked about downloadable content on PSN and Xbox LIVE, I figure it would be a good time to discuss PlayStation Store on PSP.With the recently launched Nintendo DSi having its own online marketplace, now may be the time for Sony to step up their game with regards to content on their PlayStation Store for PSP. Whilst the content available isn’t exactly mindblowing, the general feeling is that it’s only a matter of time before the Game Boy / Advance back catalog hits the console in a similar manner to the Virtual Console service on Wii. When this happens it will likely follow the selective release schedule Nintendo have followed since the Wii launched. and even if it does it will prove a profitable business venture for both Nintendo and publishers. If Sony allow themselves to fall further behind then it is likely that their digital distribution model will be met with a collective ‘meh’ from the gaming community when the next PlayStation Portable arrives.

Many folks feel that Sony, and publishers, need to have actual content people want to buy over the network. Right now I’m looking at the UK PSP/PSN store and it’s awful if I’m to be honest. It simply doesn’t compare with the PlayStation 3 marketplace which has an abundance of content such as console demos, videos and full price games such as Resistance 2. The PSP Store however has the following full price titles, both on the front splash as well as the latest releases section:

• Lemmings

• Loco Roco 2

• Patapon 2
  

• N4S ProStreet
  

• Everybody’s Golf

With only two of those titles being in any way recent you can see that the PSP Store for Europe is embarrassingly sparse with the rest of the content being as dismal as you would expect. The year so far has definately not been a good one for the western regions with regards to the PSOne Classics updates. As Phil pointed out in his earlier post there are countless games that should be available on the U.S. version of PSN, as well as the European version, and yet all calls for content from the gamers affected go unheard. We want titles such as Final Fantasy VII, Xenogears and Resident Evil – less titles such as Magic Carpet, Future Cop L.A.P.D and Judge Dredd. Such a disparity in the content, and quality, of the two marketplaces leads me to believe that the western Sony offices have their hands tied at the corporate level. Whilst it’s true that SCEA and SCEE both are their own entities, SCEI are the ones that hold the cards. Maybe if Nintendo announce the Gameboy / Gameboy Advance Virtual Console this year at E3 – which is expected after the release of the DSi – then perhaps Sony unleash a torrent of gaming classics onto PSN that gamers actually want  to play.

With technology heading towards full digital distribution I feel that Sony need to grab the bull by the horns and work out the kinks in a very unimpressive collection of offerings. Whilst Wii’s Virtual Console is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination it at least has a wide range of titles, including a hefty amount of classics such as Secret of Mana, Super Mario Brothers 3, Super Mario RPG and Sin & Punishment. It’s a good model to follow with weekly releases arriving consistently, a manner in which Sony has fallen by the wayside with its sporadic releases. Should some of Sony’s big hitters arrive at a reasonable price when the soon to be announced ‘PSP Go!’ is announced then I dare say interest in the service, and console, will soar to new heights. Maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps the PSN Store for PSP is exactly what you want but I for one am convinced that when E3 hits – change will come!