Nintendo: PSP Go has a Fundamental Concept Problem

The industry beatdown on the PSP Go continues, as over the weekend Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime added his two cents. Speaking to the Washington Post, the exec mused as to whether the new Sony model has a "fundamental concept problem".

"Who's it for? What's the benefit?" Reggie asks, suggesting that a lot of people aren't going to be too interested in a download-only handheld, when the PSP 3000 already offers value with an added UMD drive.

Of course, we can already see where the benefits lie for the PSP Go, and that's with software developers and publishers. With the PSP console rife with bedroom coders hacking the firmware and pirating games, and the recent trend of supermarket price-cutting, digital distribution seems a nice way of continuing business on the platform.

That's not to say that every consumer looking for an upgrade to their PSP 1000s will be impressed with the new model, as Reggie clarifies; "I have the utmost respect for all our competitors, but it's interesting to try and answer the consumer question of 'What's in it for me?' in that product."

The Nintendo top gun also touched on the ever-growing threat of Apple with its iPhone platform, rejecting any possibility of competing directly in that market. "We don't have a desire to get into the phone space... We think the game business is competitive enough."