EB/GameStop Slights the PSP...

[JohnCrichton]

Uhhh... yikes. Could they get in trouble with Sony about this?

http://kotaku.com/assets/resources/2007/02/psp_diss.jpg

As a DS fan, it makes me chuckle, but I can't imagine the big wigs at Sony taking this with a shrug and that it's all cool with them.

[Frank Castle]

Ouch. I can't imagine Sony would be fine with this at all.

[Zeonic Freak]

Well, Sony already has a bad image seeing how like almost every PS3 was returned after christmas. My friend is included as one of the many who returned thiers...


Naw, im keeping mine for my usuall purposes, as an MP3 player.

[Chad Bonin]

Sony can't do anything against them...

[JohnCrichton]

They can call them up and say, "Dude!"

[Chad Bonin]

They can call them up and say, "Dude!"
And then Gamestop can say "Hey, you're the ones filling up our backrooms with unsold merch. Jack Tretton, can I get 1,200 per each PS3 in the stockroom?"

[.Automatisch]

That's a damn good deal... If my old PSP didn't have a custom faceplate, I'd totally trade it in for a Black DSL... My Navy is scratched up and I never put a cover on it when I imported :/.

[JohnCrichton]

If the PSP dropped to like, 90 bucks... I'd pick one up.

[RogueFanKC]

And then Gamestop can say "Hey, you're the ones filling up our backrooms with unsold merch. Jack Tretton, can I get 1,200 per each PS3 in the stockroom?"

Before I say anything else, let me just say that to play the devil's advocate, Jack Tretton probably meant that solely to the interviewer for EGM magazine and in no way did he expect to uphold that promise to the thousands of people reading the interview. Besides, I had the feeling as I was reading the interview that he wasn't being serious about it. Yes, it was a verbal challenge and agreement, but I highly doubt any court in the U.S is going to order Jack to pay up should a mass horde of people be damnding their $1200 dollars or more. Was what he said incredibly stupid and short-sighted? Yes. Is it dishonest and he should be sued for it and made to pay up? Not really.

As much as people would like it to happen, ignorance and temporary lack of common sense is not a punishable offense by law. Though it would save trouble in the long run... :D


Uhhh... yikes. Could they get in trouble with Sony about this?

I'd doubt it; EB/Gamestop's store policies are their own, and Sony hhas no legal authority to tell them how to sell their merchandise or operate their store. If someone can prove me wrong on this, I will rescind my post whole-heartedly, but I think that EB and Gamestop are safe since trading in is hardly illegal.

[.Automatisch]

If the PSP dropped to like, 90 bucks... I'd pick one up.

I'm sure you're not the only one... If Sony could afford to drop it to $150, though, you'd see a massive influx of sales... Most forum-goers and online folk I know seem to feel that if the PSP dropped to that price-point, they'd bite and get one.

[Chad Bonin]

Before I say anything else, let me just say that to play the devil's advocate, Jack Tretton probably meant that solely to the interviewer for EGM magazine and in no way did he expect to uphold that promise to the thousands of people reading the interview. Besides, I had the feeling as I was reading the interview that he wasn't being serious about it. Yes, it was a verbal challenge and agreement, but I highly doubt any court in the U.S is going to order Jack to pay up should a mass horde of people be damnding their $1200 dollars or more. Was what he said incredibly stupid and short-sighted? Yes. Is it dishonest and he should be sued for it and made to pay up? Not really.
Jack Tretton's comment is just indicative of Sony's entire "we don't know our market" problem... something that Nintendo was faulty for in the '90s (No blood, no CD, etc.).

It did make for a great Penny Arcade though.

[Mynd Hed]

Before I say anything else, let me just say that to play the devil's advocate, Jack Tretton probably meant that solely to the interviewer for EGM magazine and in no way did he expect to uphold that promise to the thousands of people reading the interview. Besides, I had the feeling as I was reading the interview that he wasn't being serious about it. Yes, it was a verbal challenge and agreement, but I highly doubt any court in the U.S is going to order Jack to pay up should a mass horde of people be damnding their $1200 dollars or more. Was what he said incredibly stupid and short-sighted? Yes. Is it dishonest and he should be sued for it and made to pay up? Not really.

As much as people would like it to happen, ignorance and temporary lack of common sense is not a punishable offense by law. Though it would save trouble in the long run... :D

It's not a matter of whether he could legally be forced to make good on his "offer"-- anybody with an ounce of common sense knows that an off-hand statement like that is just marketing flak and not legally binding.

It's just more bad press for Sony in that it makes the guy look like an idiot who's so out of touch with reality that he's apparently never stepped into an electronics store, which is all you need to do nowadays to know that the PS3 is common as dirt. (Granted, at the time the statement was made, you might've had to look around at two or three stores before finding one, but by the time it was published the statement did nothing so much as make him look like an ass.)

Personally, I don't get the whole obsession with who's sold out and who's not. A company sells out and they get crap for supply problems plus vague whisperings about artificially inflating demand, but then when supply is adequate and anybody who wants to can walk into a store and buy their product, they get crap because demand isn't high enough. It's just silly, and either way it doesn't have any effect on the first real determining factor for success this generation, which will be who comes out on top next Christmas when supply is less of an issue and the really good games start coming out for both new consoles.
And if Mr. Tretton had just said that, or something similar, instead of rising to the bait and throwing down some stupid gauntlet, it wouldn't be a problem and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

But back on-topic... yeah, that's a pretty major backhanded diss against the PSP. Not that Sony can do anything about it short of threatening to pull their products from EBGamestop, but everyone knows that would be an empty threat in any case.

[JohnCrichton]

The way I read it, Jack Trentton made that quote soon after the holiday season where most places would have sold out of PS3's and then it was published later when all the hype had passed and every place had a PS3 you could get.

So, he was tellin' the truth for the time when he said it... it just didn't last long before PS3's were stacked in the isle afterwards.

[Mr. Manager]

Wow, that image made me a laugh a little bit [being a Nintendo fan and all], but I can't imagine Sony taking this very well at all.

[Undrave]

The PSP is good for a portable multi-media player but their movie selection is limited and I already have a worthwhile mp3 player, so even if it was cheaper I wouldn't be interested. I got enough fun playing my DS Lite.

This pic is funny though :p

One thing I like about the PSP is the 'PSP!' sound at the end of the ads :p it sound like Soundwave from Transformers :p

[Dark Fact]

Guys, this kind of advertising is nothing new. It's a common competitive practice in commerce where one entity gets compared to another entity and the said entity favored by the company advertisers gets shilled for all its worth while making the competing entity look like a total piece of crap! Offering trade-ins of your current product for a better product by the competitor is a form of cutthroat competition. Sure, the competitor may not like this decision but that's capitalism! Sony having a problem with EB/Gamestop offering trade-ins of the PSP for a discounted DS Lite would be like Sony having a problem with the capitalist system. The only way Sony could turn this around is by offering better deals on the PSP like lowering the price, offering a better game library, and more aggressive ad campaigns.

With the announcement of Dawn of Souls and Rondo of Blood coming to the PSP, it looks like Sony is gaining back some ground but they still have a long way to go.

[Zeonic Freak]

I wonder what would happen if some kid came in with a DSL and was like "hey, can i trade this in for a PSP please?".

Im sure the clerk would laugh at his stupidity, then add he needs like 200 bucks to be able to trade for a PSP since at EB/Gamestop, theres always a catch...

There are people i know who hate the DS and think the PSP is awsome, such as this kid thats friends with my bro who told us this, and me and my bro were going to go Austin 3:16 on him, but we were in church.

Then me and my bro were fighting over who gets the DS, but nothing happened. One month later, we got our wish for the DS Lite's...

[Vidfreak]

The PSP is getting Dracula X so its more awesome then the DS at the moment to me.

[Conan-san]

Hahaha, so in two years we can expect the same fer the PS3 and a Xbox 360?

[JohnCrichton]

Hahaha, so in two years we can expect the same fer the PS3 and a Xbox 360?

To have in regard of the New Wii they'll have out by next Christmas? :D

[Captain Highwind]

That'll learn 'em.

Now drop that price already PSP

[GWOtaku]

There's nothing like truth in advertising.

[Ickis]

Now who'd trade a $299.99 - $199.99 handheld for $100.00 and not even have enough to cover a DS lite? I swear the gaming industry is one confusing place.

[Noukon]

Now who'd trade a $299.99 - $199.99 handheld for $100.00 and not even have enough to cover a DS lite? I swear the gaming industry is one confusing place.

A paperweight is a paperweight, no matter how much it cost.