Sony Calls PSP Piracy "Sickening"
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: psp, piracy, sony, playstation, firmware | Themes: Digital Entertainment
Well, it is, isn't it?
Although Nintendo rules the handheld market with the Nintendo DS, having sold over 100 million units so far, Sony’s competed better with its 50 million PSPs sold than any other company has in the segment.
With consistent PSP hardware sales, it’s curious how PSP software rarely cracks the top sales chart – or perhaps it’s not curious at all, given the apparent ease at which it is to pirate the software.
Custom PSP firmware has been available for the handheld for years now. While there are modders out there who use custom firmware for homebrew applications and other expanded functionality, it’s all too easy to use the hacked software to run ripped games.
Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America, spoke to Gamasutra on the very topic, calling it “sickening.”
“I'm convinced and we're convinced that piracy has taken out a big chunk of our software sales on PSP,” Dill said. “We can look at data from BitTorrent sites from the day Resistance: Retribution goes on sale and see how many copies are being downloaded illegally, and it's frankly sickening.”
“I'm not naive, but I do think that most people are inherently honest. We learned a lot from the music business, and it became so easy and so common to download illegal music -- everyone was doing it,” Dille continued. “It's almost like people lost sight with the fact that, well, ‘If everyone's doing it, then it can't be that bad.’”
“But, it actually is bad; it's bad for the platform,” he said. “Again, I'm not saying that that's a magic wand; I think that we have to make sure from a technological perspective that it's not as easy as it is to do that.”
Despite Sony’s efforts to change the PSP hardware, now in its third iteration, it could take a completely new generation before it can shake the custom firmware holes. This lends a little more credibility to the rumors of Sony’s all-download PSP2.
-
Previous News Article
Hackers Paying $32K for Obsolete... -
Next News Article
Tiger Woods Wii to Pack MotionPlus
The people who pirate games are people who aren't going to buy the game anyway.
That doesn't make it right, but I'm calling 'bullshit' on their claim that they're losing so much money because of piracy.
Having a service where the games are sold digitally only is going to increase piracy.
Well, if they want to VASTLY improve their software sales all they have to do cut some slack to our wallets. Nor that I owe a PSP but if I were I'd only buy top games and I'd still consider buying em with the current economic crisis.
I like Sony Hardware for the very thing they are now trying to prevent. Even though I don't pirate games, the ease of it helps make other things easier like link up to your PC, watch cable, watch movies, emulate Game-boy, and a good many other things you can't do on other handhelds. Same applies to PS3 with its easy swap HDD.
I have a solution for the problem: charge more for hardware. Its simple really, if people aren't paying for games then make the hardware profitable.
Yeah, except that DS games are pirated too, pretty much as easily, and they're still outranking PSP. Corporations need to go back to kindergarten and learn to accept responsibility
The people who pirate games are people who aren't going to buy the game anyway.That doesn't make it right, but I'm calling 'bullshit' on their claim that they're losing so much money because of piracy.
thats the weakest argument anyone can make. if you're downloading it illegally, obviously you want it. they're downloading it illegally so they don't have to buy it, to save themselves money. it's stealing. how could you defend piracy after all the hard work developers put into making these games?
The reason they don't sell many games is because they are too much money, and I'd rather use my PSP for movies (not on UMD either), mp3's, and internet radio. The device is great, they just cripple it with a lack of apps and expensive games.
How about Netflix or Youtube streaming? Oh and how about an wireless N-device and a browser that's actually worth a darn?
I'm really surprised to hear this as I didn't know there was anything worth pirating on the PSP. The PSP isn't exactly famous for its games and most people I've seen who own one have only ever used them as portable media players.
I own a PSP and the only games I want keep getting released for the DS, FFIV, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest etc. I only own 4 games for my psp and when I walk into a store I just don't see anything that will make me part with $40 on a hand held game that I wouldn't play much
You guys think just like me, If there wasnt pirating, i simply wouldnt buy games. In todays economy, i dont have money. $50 for a game and $1 for a song, that i get tired of in 2-10 days, is not worth it. Theres plenty of free online games, you can listen to the radio or watch things on youtube. I dont buy games, i dont think sony should be crying when they already have a billion dollar industry. oh no 100 million we didnt get, now we only have 8 billion of in come this year
this is SADNESS!
You guys think just like me, If there wasnt pirating, i simply wouldnt buy games. In todays economy, i dont have money. $50 for a game and $1 for a song, that i get tired of in 2-10 days, is not worth it. Theres plenty of free online games, you can listen to the radio or watch things on youtube. I dont buy games, i dont think sony should be crying when they already have a billion dollar industry. oh no 100 million we didnt get, now we only have 8 billion of in come this year this is SADNESS!
I haven't seen a new game for $50 here in australia since the early nineties. Here its $100-120 and that was even when we had pretty much parity with the US dollar. So imho they need to pipe down about piracy coz they're certainly making the money back from inflated pricing.
Also how many people are buying the PSP system for the sole reason they can pirate and put their own software on it?
I know I did that with the DS
I've been tempted to buy a PSP for a while now. It was a good set of hardware that seemed fun.
Now it seems outdated, expensive, and just complete junk.
$200+ for a 222/333 MHz processor? At those prices, why not go for something like the Atom inside the PSP? 1.6GHz, and uses crap all for power, and I'd bet it'd be damned cheap...
Sell me decent hardware that's worth what I'm paying, and I'll reconsider buying a PSP in the first place (same goes for the Wii, I foolishly almost got one over a xbox 360 which is cheaper).
The solution is simple. Sell the games $10 - $20 each, instead of $40 - $50 they're now. NOBODY will bother pirating/downloading. Is this so hard to understand???? Sony? Same goes for music and software/OS.
The people who pirate games are people who aren't going to buy the game anyway.That doesn't make it right, but I'm calling 'bullshit' on their claim that they're losing so much money because of piracy.
This is true for me. I own and occasionally use every current gaming console except the Wii (including a PC). I will often download games from my software enhanced PSP/DS to check them out as demos are rarely available. If i really like it, play it a lot and so on I will go out and buy the game to support the developer but I will keep using my 'pirated' copy on my PSP as the load times on UMD suck.
For the PSP i am in favour of digital downloads as long as good demos are available as well. I would stop torrenting games to check them out and just demo and buy them.
Yeah, except that DS games are pirated too, pretty much as easily, and they're still outranking PSP. Corporations need to go back to kindergarten and learn to accept responsibility
Exactly fisthand... if Sony is blaming pirates for their software sales problems, then I'm calling bullshit.
On the other hand, maybe it's because software piracy for the DS isn't as "well-known"?
sony can kiss my shiney ass
Memory is so cheap now why not go back to cartage based games on chips.
look at u pirates. go ahead give the thumbs down. you basically admit to stealing.
Walk into any store that sells PSP and DS games and what do you find? For example in my local target the PSP display has a measly 1 section for games while the DS has 4.
If the PSP wasnt so easy to hack, it wouldnt of sold 50 million units.
So software sales might suffer, but they sold a lot of hardware cos of it.
Swings and Roundabouts.
Exactly like safcmanfr said.
If the PSP has good security like the PS3, they might have sold 1/5 the numbers right now. Where Sony admits or not, custom firmware is the main reason PSP is still selling right now, especially in specific regions.
If the PSP wasnt so easy to hack, it wouldnt of sold 50 million units. So software sales might suffer, but they sold a lot of hardware cos of it. Swings and Roundabouts.
Wouldn't HAVE sold 50 million units. Not wouldn't of. Use your head.
But on topic: It's a shame that there is a larger amount of pirating for the psp... It might have had a bigger game selection if there wasn't. Oh well, psp2, where are you?
boohoo for big ole sony.after all the years of screwing ovwer customers you get to feel the heat and we are glad.
and anyways you really think that a pirate had any intention of buying your game > I think not.
I don't doubt that they are some money from piracy (NDS is even easier to hack... IMHO), but how much? I don't think the numbers are that pronounced as Sony (or any other company) leads people to believe.
In the end I think Console manufacturers are not going to be able to have the lose money on hardware, make it back on software mentality. About software piracy... since the inception of comercial software (or even in the military - read spies) piracy has happened, and will continue to happen (like prostitution) no matter what measures are put into place.
What is the solution?
Is there a solution?
Not really sure...
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for PSP costs 45 Euros = $58 in Greece, I bought it as a present for my little brother and I really think it is overpriced for a mobile console game. At least the game is good but I was secretly happy I don't own a PSP...
To the pirates:
You know the Robin Hood complex gets old. Robbing from the rich to give to the poor lowely software pirates. Steeling is steeling and you really make it harder for those who want to be honest.
The whole argument that you wouldn't buy the games anyway is moot. Your minds are so warped that you can't even be honest with yourselves. If you play the games now, chances are you would have purchased at least two or three of those titles. Multiply that by the number of people who pirate and you get a lot of lost revenue.
It's your fault that game makers are moving away from developing PC titles, but go ahead and stand on your soapbox against the big old corporations who actually employ thousands of American workers. It's all worth it so you can play games for free.
Get off your entitlement high-horse and try riding a moral one.
If I never played a hacked version on a PS2 emulator of ridgeracer, I would have never even bought ridgeracer 1 and 2 for the PSP!
Those are my favorite racing games to today, thanks to playing a hacked version at a friends house!
Whatever is truly good,needs to get payed for!
However, game manufacturers have actually brought it upon themselves, giving great box pictures,great reviews,marketing push,only show the 10% that looks best in a game.
People bought the game,and after 10 minutes got bored, and regretted buying the game!
Just like worms on the PSP. Worms was a great game on the PC, but on the PSP it's nothing more than a trimmed down,half working PSP game!
I got very disillusioned buying that game. As well as many other games I bought and barely spend 30 minutes playing.
It's almost like buying a cheesy/ crap Hollywood movie, totally regretting it in the end...
I'm glad there's things like piracy, so we can see which games truly deserve the $25-50 we pay for them!
Yes,for me personally the main reason I don't buy any games anymore, is because of crappy games Sony released on the PSP. Sure, they look good, but that's about it! They don't have that playability, or just simply are not enjoyable.
Come out with better games, Sony! My PSP has been unused for 6months out of disinterest because of your crappy games (I can't seem to find the good ones in all the hundreds of lousy games)!
@69camaroSS
steel·ing
1. To cover, plate, edge, or point with steel.
I am not sure what this has to do with this story. We are discussing pirating software and you want to go off-topic and discuss welding processes. I think you should go find a different forum.
Drop the stupid UMD drive. It's an inefficient chunk of garbage. MAke everything downloadable.