Sony’s John Koller: PSP not dying, more PS3 integration in the future

E3 is just around the corner, and we haven’t heard of that many games announced for the PSP (although we do have Dissidia to look forward to). There also weren’t that many games this year, and the homebrew scene isn’t as noisy. Because of this, many have come to wonder if the PSP is a dying platform. Sony‘s John Koller begs to differ. Read the full article to find out what he has to say on the matter.

Many have come to wonder if the PSP is a dying platform. After all, we haven’t seen that many games this year (although we have seen some great ones like Patapon and God of War: Chains of Olympus), and we haven’t heard of that many games announced to appear this year in E3. Even the homebrew scene isn’t as noisy as it was before.

So is the PSP a dying platform? Sony‘s Director of Hardware Marketing, John Koller, begs to differ. I’m predisposed to agree with his sentiments. Koller says that PSP sales are still “red hot.” In fact, sales have gone up 87% since the Slim’s launch last September. If it’s the line-up of games that you’re worried about, though, don’t worry, Koller also says that:

Our worldwide studio team is actively developing titles for that platform and we’ve been on a road show amongst every, major third-party publisher […] and have been talking to them about really how to publish on the PSP, and the level of excitement is really palpable.

I think in talking to [third-party publishers], and seeing some of the gameplay and even talking about some of the franchises that they’re going to bring over, it’s a good time to be a PSP owner.

[…] Starting at the back half of this year and continuing into next year, we’re going to see a very good lineup of quality franchise titles coming over to the PSP that are really unique. You’re not going to see many ports anymore, and I think that’s good.

Also something to look forward to in the future is how Sony will further integrate the PlayStation 3 and the PSP. According to Koller, if the PlayStation 3 is being marketed as your living room entertainment hub, then the PSP is your living room “on the go”:

We’re going to see a lot more integration with PlayStation 3, particularly as the install base of the PS3 continues to grow […] The integration that is going to occur there is part and parcel of the strategy that the console is the living room hub and really where your entertainment flows.

Then, your PSP is your digital living room on the go, and being able to access your PS3 in a wide variety of ways is really a key part of our overall branding strategy. That’s going to be something that you’re going to see expanded on in future firmware updates and other things.

Via IGN