Opinion: Why LittleBigPlanet Won’t Save the PSP

While many gamers love it, there is no doubt that the PlayStation Portable has had a troubled existence. In spite of a relatively strong library of games, the powerful handheld system has constantly been in the shadow of the juggernaut known as the Nintendo DS. To make things worse, there has been little in the way of interesting new games of late to keep PSP owners interested. That’s what made yesterday so exciting. We learned about a bunch of upcoming games, including portable versions of LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm, and Assassin’s Creed. But while these may appeal to PSP owners desperate for something new to play, chances are they won’t light the platform on fire in terms of hardware sales.

Now don’t get me wrong, I adore LBP. The game is in constant rotation among my PS3 games, and I’m frequently surprised by the new levels that users are coming up with. But it wasn’t the smash hit that either Sony or Media Molecule expected it to be, and certainly wasn’t a major mover of consoles. And while a portable version of LBP has the potential to be great, what are the chances that it will move hardware unlike its console predecessor? It won’t. At least, not in great numbers. Instead, it will appeal to hardcore gamers, most of whom already already own a PSP.

The same goes for the other new game announcements. Neither MotorStorm or Assassin’s Creed have much cache outside of gaming circles, so it’s unlikely that they will have the reach that Sony desperately needs. The wild card is Rock Band Unplugged. The rhythm genre has some truly widespread appeal, with both hardcore and casual gamers loving the virtual rock simulator. A portable version may sound strange, but Activision was incredibly successful with Guitar Hero: On Tour on the DS, so Harmonix might be able to do something similar. Unfortunately, at this point, we really have no idea of what the game will play like.

What the PSP really needs to breakout is a crossover game that will appeal to the non-gaming crowd. It needs its Brain Age, Mario Kart, or Animal Crossing. Instead, we’re yet again getting more portable versions of console games. And that’s something the PSP already has plenty of.