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SCEE: “PSP Is Going For A Younger Market”

Tom Ivan's picture

By Tom Ivan

May 20, 2009

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is hoping to boost the PSP’s popularity with younger children.

The company has launched a new community-focused campaign site, pspinyourhands.com, in a bid to widen the portable’s target market to 8-15-year-olds.

“PSP is going for a younger market, which isn’t something we’ve really done before,” Claire Backhouse, UK product manager for the PSP, told New Media Age.

The new site encourages users to upload and share images in a 3D gallery and will run a number of competitions, with PSPs up for grabs alongside a grand prize of a family holiday.

"Our heartland is 16-24-year-old men and always will be — they won’t be neglected in the slightest,” added Backhouse. “But the summer’s game releases, such as Harry Potter and Petz, as well as the launch of the new colours, are certainly appealing to an 8-15-year-old audience.”

AndyLC's picture
On May 20th AndyLC said:

When did 8-15 year olds get such crappy taste in games? hahah

Indrema's picture
On May 20th Indrema said:

Yeah, 2 crappy games over the entire summer? That sounds like the DS lineup over the 3rd week ok January.

Better work harder than that Sony.

Ozzman_79's picture
On May 20th Ozzman_79 said:

I wonder if this is, in any way, a response to Nintendo selling 1 million DSs in a single country in a single month?

NickgamertagO1's picture
On May 20th NickgamertagO1 said:

Perhaps Ozzman, perhaps. I do see quite a bit of younger kids with PSPs already though. I worked at a pediatric clinic for almost 3 years and almost every kid came in with a DS, but there were about 1 in 10 kids who had a handheld that had a PSP. Don't know if price will change much, it's like the arcade model of the 360, cheaper than the Wii but still getting tore up at retail.

E. Zachary Knight's picture
On May 20th E. Zachary Knight said:

Handhelds have traditionally been the domain of kids anyway. They are perfect for taking to school and playing at recess and on buses. They can be taken on field trips, sleep overs etc.

I don't see a lot of adults using dedicated hand held game systems. They are more likely to use phones or PDAs that have games than to use a dedicated gaming handheld.

Ozzman_79's picture
On May 20th Ozzman_79 said:

I'm sure Sony would prefer a much higher ratio then 1 in 10. I see the problem that, if they're only now putting this strong push towards appealing to that age demographic, they're a little late to the party for that particular catagory. Not sure any amount of marketing or catering would "convert" many kids at this point, especially if they've worked up a substantial DS library in the past few years and/or just dropped the cash for a DSi. I also don't think many kids in that age catagory are "on the fence" about a PSP and this will sway them to finally take the plunge.

And that's assuming these kids aren't aware of Sony's degrogatory use of them as the target for their DS attacks in the past. Putting that group down when discussing your competition, then making a special push for their business a few months later, seems kinda rude, in my opinion. Although, i'm fairly certain not many of them would even be aware of this.

tommy's picture
On May 20th tommy said:

I thought Sony men were making fun of DS for being for kids.
A smaller cheaper model of psp wouldn't hurt.

NickgamertagO1's picture
On May 20th NickgamertagO1 said:

They did, and they made fun of MS for implementing mandatory achievements into their games, too...

Indrema's picture
On May 20th Indrema said:

Nintendo stated, a few years back, that developing a staple of "female-mined" games & accesories doubled their marketshare. Women represent about 51% of the world's population. With NO competition, women of all ages flocked to Nintendo in the same way young boys did in the 80's.

50 mil. PSP's / 100 mil. DS .....Hmm & then of course there's Wii Fit; which may be "ass", but when options are so few...

I think Sony may be headed down the wrong path on this one. In the late 90's, Square remarked that women purchased Final Fantasy 7 at a 1:1 ratio with men. FF7 MADE the PSONE; so it's not like they don't have a precedent.

toadwarrior's picture
On May 20th toadwarrior said:

So they've finally realised they can't survive with just teenage boys?