PSP Go: Going, Going Gone...

Sony has admitted that it is ceasing production of its PSP Go console, little over a year since it was first introduced into the gaming market.

In a statement given to the Japanese website, AV Watch, Sony claimed that it would soon be stopping production of its PSP Go console in order to more fully focus on the new NGP (Next Generation Portable) console, which is scheduled to be released at the end of this year.

PSP Go

The PSP Go has struggled with poor sales figures ever since its launch in October 2009. It is thought that a number of factors may have contributed to the console's overall poor reception. Nevertheless, the cost of downloading, and the high price of the console itself, has seemed to be its main downfall.

A standard UMD disc not included with PSP Go

Unlike the other PSP consoles, the PSP Go does not use Universal Media Discs (UMDs), allowing users to directly download content onto the device instead. However, this new approach to gaming failed to capture the interests of the modern gaming market.

In a recent article by the gaming website Andriasang, the sales figures for the PSP Go in the first week of April were seen to have dropped to a measly 356 units. Even the original PSP console, (which has also been accused of falling sales figures) managed to sell over 35,478 units in the same week.

PSP 3000 models will still be sold

News of the PSP Go's demise will come as a disappointment to those gamers who have recently taken advantage of certain bundle deals, such as the PSP Go and ten free games offers.

Nevertheless, Sony says that it intends to still honour its service and firmware obligations to owners of PSP Go consoles, and it also says that it will continue to sell models of its PSP 3000 console in the future.

The Sony NGP Prototype - Can this new handheld improve Sony's reputation?

Mini Gamers was a little disappointed to hear of Sony's plans to scrap the PSP Go console, but the news has not come as much of a surprise in the wake of such poor sales.

We can only look forward now to the development of the new Sony NGP console, and we sincerely hope that it can build upon the weaknesses of its less popular counterparts and become a truly great handheld for the future. Watch this space!