Larry Magid: After 10 Years, Sony's PlayStation Portable Calls It Quits
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Despite reaching its 10th year in production, Sony has announced plans to stop making their gaming device, PlayStation Portable.
Looking back at 2004, when this product was launched, the most popular cell phones on the market were the Nokia 2600 and the Motorola Razr flip phone. iPhone's, iPad's and Android devices were still inventions of the not-too-distant future.
Back then the demand for portable gaming devices still existed. Sony sold 76 million units in about eight years, but when the iPhone and Android came along, the gaming device's popularity started to decline.
Everybody's got these devices in their pockets in the first place that can play games and a whole lot of other functions. Why should they buy a separate gaming device nowadays?
Portable devices are even affecting the gaming console market. Gaming takes time to get good at, but app developers have found ways to be way more inclusive to the casual gamer with apps like Angry Birds. I along with droves of others enjoy playing this game with ease. You can dive right in and play for a few minutes and then go about your business.
In its heyday, the PlayStation Portable was an incredible technology. While they may not have been console-level games, they were still pretty cool so overall the PlayStation Portable had a good run.