8. I have been wondering for a long time about why the PSP sells so well but very few software titles chart. What follows is no conclusion and no fact, but a collection of anecdotes that you might find interesting.
a. The chain stores that only sell new games in my town (youme town and Jusco) have reduced the size of their PSP software shelves. Youme town has just 2 small shelves one is entirely Monster Hunter games the second is “other” which includes the rest of the library.
b. The stores that sell primary used games on the other hand have expanded their PSP sections recently. Two shop owners I talked to have told me that used PSP software sales are on the rise.
c. The prices of used PSP games are actually less than used DS games. One storeowner told me that the reason they keep the used DS game prices so high is so that people will be tempted to buy the new copy instead. Animal crossing used is 300 yen less than new. New Super Mario Bros. (if you can find it used at all) is only 200 yen less. Only huge flops ever really save you money.
d. A shop owner says that a lot of new buyers of PSP are picking up a bunch of the old games they “missed”.
e. CC:FFVII can be bought in my town used for 2000yen for example. Monster Hunter 2 (not 2G) can be had for 1500 in some stores. MGS
O is also very cheap.
f. Could it be that PSP users bought MH2G and then filled the rest of their libraries with used titles? Casuals don’t buy a lot of used games but gamers do.
g. I don’t have enough information to come to any conclusions but I put these anecdotes out there if I could get similar information from other towns it might make it more useful.
h. Thank you for indulging me in my need to share
