Jupiter: European PSP Update

Nate Elliott posts on the progress of the Sony PSP since its launch in Europe at the Jupiter Analyst Weblogs. According to his conversation with Sony, the PSP hit the million mark just under a month after launch. Other interesting facts include:

• The tie ratio for games varies widely by territory, but about 1.8 UMD games have been sold for every PSP
• Around 100,000 UMD movies were sold in the UK - by Elliott's estimates a tie ratio of only around 1:.25

At first glance these numbers look OK, but when you really think about it 1.8 games per PSP is not really that great. You figure the tie ratio has to be at least 1:1+ at the start since the PSP doesn't come bundled with any games and it makes little sense to buy just the device, unless you want it solely for homebrew apps.

The low tie ratio is probably a reflection of the lack of compelling content for the PSP at this point. My son still has the same three games when he first purchased the device (Wipeout Pure, Twisted Metal and Metal Gear Acid). Right now his PSP is gathering dust until some better games come along, which I believe is the norm and not the exception...