PSP Go: a No Go for Dutch Retailer
Holland's largest gaming retailer Nedgame won't be carrying the PSPgo when it launches in October. Who would blame them since it has less features of the PSP and is more expensive. Eurogamer reports that the reaons boil down to exactly just that. Well, Nedgame has a few reasons for not carrying the handheld.
Nedgame believes that the hefty price tag of €250 (€80 more than the PSP-3000)is not justified. One example is the smaller screen size on the PSPgo. I would wager that it is more because the lack of a UMD drive in the PSPgo.
Not having a UMD drive means that Nedgame will not be able to sell games for the PSPgo. Traditionally, games are where the profits are at for the retailers. This really puts the retailers out in the cold, and it's easy to see why Nedgame won't be supporting the PSPgo. The lack of a UMD drive means that every game will be tied to a specific Playstation Network (PSN) account; this means no trading games to your friends.
Sony's monoply on software sales for the PSPgo doesn't bother just Nedgame; Eurogamer says that other Dutch retailers will be boycotting the PSPgo as well. Eurogamer Spain aslo reports (surprise, surprise) that retailers in Spain will be jumping on the PSPgo boycott wagon.
Personally, I am hoping that American retailers like Walmart and Target will boycott the PSPgo as well. I just think that moving to a UMD-less device is the wrong direction. I already have my gaming collection for my fat PSP and how am I supposed to move that over? That also means that I can't get used games from Gamestop for the PSPgo.