"Its all a game for some..."Months before the leaked patents hit the web, rumors had been circulating claiming that Sony was going to redesign its moderately successful PlayStation Portable.
On the Top: The Newly Redesigned PSP "Slim" (aka PSP 2000)On the Bottom: The Original Model
The hand held gaming device struggled in the market from the day of its launch. Although sales had been good for a time, the system has always performed well below the expectations of the Industry Analysts and of Sony themselves.
Allegedly the redesign would either be Sony's way of re-launching the product or it could also be the company's way of squeezing the last bit of profit out of a dying brand.
Allegedly the redesign would either be Sony's way of re-launching the product or it could also be the company's way of squeezing the last bit of profit out of a dying brand.
So when rumors of a PSP Redesign hit the web, at a time when the sales of the current model were floundering, it was up to Sony's John Koller to save the day. After all, the new model would not see the light of day for months. If word spread quickly enough it might dissuade consumers from buying the current model, which was already struggling, and news of the redesign would only makes things worse.
Luckily Mr Koller stepped in quickly to extinguish the public relations brush fire. Or did he?
MythBusters: PSP Edition
Posted by John Koller // Sr. Marketing Manager, PSP
"The rumor mill is flowing about new PSP hardware and a PSP phone, and I just wanted to take the time to clear the air...."
"The rumor mill is flowing about new PSP hardware and a PSP phone, and I just wanted to take the time to clear the air...."
"We haven’t announced anything about a new PSP, much less one that would have any phone capabilities. As SCEA’s resident PSP guru, I’m thrilled to hear that there’s so much interest in the platform, but sorry folks, these reports floating around fall into the rumors/speculation category."
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/12/mythbusters-psp-edition/
"We haven't announced anything." That's all he really had to say. Most Sony loyalists took this bit of verbal manipulation to be an outright denial of the PSP redesign rumors. Ironically, just two weeks later, a redesigned PSP was revealed to a lukewarm public reception.
Next Up...
A Fork in the Road
