Sony: Silly gamers, DSi is for kids!

Head scratching comments from Sony about the DSi being a kid's product make a little more sense in light of the fact that PlayStation Network DLC is coming soon to the PSP.

Sony: Silly gamers, DSi is for kids!

As part of a strange PR move Monday, Sony actively reached out to gadget blog Gizmodo to issue a statement on Nintendo's new portable, the DSi.

Remarks made in the interview by Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller both praised and criticized the DSi. On the one hand, Koller said the DSi was probably destined to sell just as well as its DS cousin. On the other, he lambasted the portable for its inability to sell to anyone older than 12 years old.

"Nintendo has kind of a history of these [moderate] kinds of updates, and even with DS Lite, there was a lot of discussion, 'Is that enough?' And they seemed to do pretty well there," Koller said. "I can see the DSi being successful. The DS lite was obviously very successful. Will DSi do well with [the DS's] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I'm not sure."

If the comments seem out of left field, they aren't. Today, as Koller's comments spread throughout the net, PSP Fanboy discovered that the box art for the upcoming PSP 3000 ("Brite") refresh shows PSP-PlayStation Store (PSN) compatibility. This is the first time the PSP has been associated with the PSN, and signals an application store of sorts for the portable before the 3000 model bundle launches on November 30. One of the cornerstones of the DSi, if you'll remember, is that it will have the ability to download software (free and paid) via wifi and store it on SD cards.

The new PSN functionality with the PSP would be in direct competition with the DSi's new download service. Koller's comments could be seen as a preemptive strike of sorts to try and frame the DSi as a toy for children, while the PSP 3000, with its PSN connection, is for gaming adults.

Trouble is, there is a mountain of evidence out there today that says the DS is played by everyone from toddlers to the elderly. Nintendo may have very well scooped the PSP with a lower-powered portable once again.

UPDATE: As if on cue, Nintendo told MTV Multiplayer today about "hardcore gamers" being the first to pick up a DSi when it arrives in the U.S. sometime after April 2009.

"Right out of the gate [the DSi audience] is probably the hardcore gamers," said Nintendo of America spokesperson Charlie Scibetta. "They're usually the early adopters that want to get the latest version of something, and they'll be the ones that put it through its paces the hardest and give us all kind of feedback and tell us what they like and don't like. [laughs]"

Editor's Note: This writer is also a contributing editor at Gizmodo.

Comments [30]

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AceFondu

They bash the DS Lite for having little or no updates when the PSP 3000's only real features are a brighter screen and access to the PSP Store, which with firmware the original PSP should be able to do anyway? Whatever Sony, make some decent games on the PSP for once, then watch sales go up. Personally, I think both third models won't do as well as the second models.

ChokaDaChicken

Sony guys talking shit, what the hell , they need to step up their game , they're doing the same thing with the Psp, and they're not even bringing out any dope games

trackrunner89

well the camera is sort of a kiddie feature but the mp3 playback, bigger screens,flash memory, and sd card support makes this for the hardcore.

Toneman

If you're adult who owns a PC... chances are you allready have an MP3 player and a digital camera... So in that sense, those new features are nice to have all in one device, the DSi, but honnestly, I think those new features will be mostly used by kids who bring their DS wherever they go. I think Sony took a stab at the cheap camera... while thinking of adding a better quality camera to their next handheld. To imply that the DS is toy and the PSP is not a toy is ridiculous.

When I was shopping for my portable gaming system I only looked at two things: The games and the gameplay... and both pointed to the DS. Thankfully, it was also the cheaper of the two, which didn't hurt... but I would have probably picked the PSP if it had more games and a 2nd analog stick... even if it was more expensive. I also prefer cartridges to UMD... I have a tiny cary case, and I can just throw all my games in there and not worry about scratching.

Cherokee44

I never used my PSP and ended up trading it in to Game Stop for $100. I hated the lack of games and slow load times. Maybe I can use the money towards a DSi?

scarosone

DSi will sell like wildfire here in the US. While PSP 3000 will sell good also but not even close to what the DSi will do.

goofball

Why would Sony do this when the DS handheld in general is destroying the PSP in game and hardware sales to the point of lunacy.
With the news of devs slowing down the creation of games on the PSP, Sony should just shut up. IMO the PSP is the best handheld bar none however games make a system sell. The PSP is lacking here so much its a crime.

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