Originally sold as a $249.99 "Value Pack" bundle, the PSP received it's first price drop when the package was cut down to the $199.99 "Core Pack" containing only the PSP, a battery, and an AC adapter. This move was criticized by those who noted that the price of the handheld itself remained virtually the same, as a memory stick still needed to be purchased in order to use most of its functions.
Finally, Sony seems to have realized what the rest of the world has always known: if they want the PSP to compete with the $129.99 Nintendo DS and it's massive developer support, they were going to have to do something about the price. Effective immediately, the PSP Core Pack will retail for $169.99, but, this time, without a hit to features or accessories.
Industry analysts have greeted this news happily, generally affirming what seemed like common sense to the rest of us... Things sell better when people can afford them.
Source: GameSpot
I've toyed with the idea of getting a used PSP somewhere along the line, but now I'm wondering if this will dry up the supply even more. Currently, a PSP trades in at Game Stop/EB Games for something in the neighborhood of $40, and we just don't see very many people who wouldn't rather just keep the darn thing. Since the new price is now less than Game Stop's preowned price, the trade-in value is going to have to dip even lower... You'd have to be an idiot to put up with it when eBay is right there.
Posted in: Gaming Industry News
