DS beats out PSP
(2005-10-15)No where in the world is handheld gaming more popular than in Japan, and recent surveys have proven that Nintendo's DS is beating Sony's PSP quite handily in sales. So, what gives?
Well, the facts are thus: as of the end of last month, Nintendo sold 3.2 million DS units in Japan, whereas Sony only managed to unload 1.7 million PSP units.
Being blamed for this is the PSP's library of titles; it's not making the cut. Whereas four of the DS's titles ranked in the top 10 sales charts for the first half of 2005, the PSP's closest contender weighed in at 35th.
Further more, a survey conducted among gamers showed that only 15.3% of PSP owners are happy with the console's line-up, while 46.2% see it as the PSP's biggest fault. Luckily for Nintendo, 46.1% of DS owners are happy with the handheld's games, and only 24.4% complained about a lack of available titles.
This all seems well and good for Nintendo, but the September release of the Game Boy Micro might shift things in favor of Sony. Another survey proved that 46.9% of handheld gamers said they had no plans to pick up the Micro any time soon, and 83.9% said that the quality does not justify the price (12,000 yen or $105 USD; 3000 yen or $26 cheaper than the DS).
Only 24.7% of the gamers polled said that they planned on picking the Micro up when the price drops, with an even more disappointing 22% saying that they're interested in buying one now.
Nintendo, a company famed for its innovation and originality, might have been better off never making the Game Boy Micro, which is nothing more than a smaller, sleeker Game Boy Advance. Only time will tell, however. 
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