Sony, Don't Ask Gamers What They Want

Kris Erickson • Jan 15, 2009 • Comments ()

In preparation for a rumored successor to the PSP, Sony has been polling its customers to find out what features they would like to see in the new console. The problem with this approach is that Sony customers might not be the best people to ask about what they would like to see in a new console. The survey asks a variety of questions pertaining to features in a hypothetical future PSP 2. Among the questions asked are the following:

Would you be interested in a new Playstation Portable that:

Was smaller, yet retained most of the current PSP's screen size

Offered social networking functionality on the XMB

Included a keyboard for easer internet browsing and communication

Offered Bluetooth wireless support for easy pairing with other devices

Had a touch screen

Had an improved screen for more dynamic graphic displays

Offered the ability to find others near you who want to connect for online gaming

Offered an e-comic/book download service through the PlayStation Network

Included a hard drive for memory storage

The first problem with polling gamers to help design a new console is that features on paper do not always work out in real life. Most gamers aren’t experts in engineering or marketing, so their suggestions might not make much sense. If asked what they wanted in a new PSP, many gamers might say they wanted full multimedia playback with a built-in 7 megapixel camera, on-board GPS, Bluetooth wireless headset, 3G phone and a music visualizer. The problem here is that it’s easy to forget we are talking about a gaming system. Most people who purchase a PSP are probably looking for a way to play games on it, and gaming-related features could get lost in the noise of a million other ideas.

Another problem with this strategy is that selection bias limits both the accuracy and the usefulness of data gained from polls. What kind of people do you think that Sony has been able to recruit to fill out its marketing survey? People who surf the official Sony website and who are already subscribed to the Playstation Underground are NOT the people you should be asking to help design your next console – chances are they already own a PSP and would buy the next one. You should be asking folks who don’t already own a PSP, to find out what might persuade them to pick one up.

Ultimately, we don’t care if Sony wants to slap a comic book e-reader in the next PSP, just as long as they put a second analog stick on the thing.

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[Source: Kotaku]

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\nWould you be interested in a new Playstation Portable that:\n

Was smaller, yet retained most of the current PSP's screen size \n

Offered social networking functionality on the XMB \n

Included a keyboard for easer internet browsing and communication \n

Offered Bluetooth wireless support for easy pairing with other devices \n

Had a touch screen \n

Had an improved screen for more dynamic graphic displays \n

Offered the ability to find others near you who want to connect for online gaming \n

Offered an e-comic/book download service through the PlayStation Network \n

Included a hard drive for memory storage \n

\n
\n\nThe first problem with polling gamers to help design a new console is that features on paper do not always work out in real life. Most gamers aren’t experts in engineering or marketing, so their suggestions might not make much sense. If asked what they wanted in a new PSP, many gamers might say they wanted full multimedia playback with a built-in 7 megapixel camera, on-board GPS, Bluetooth wireless headset, 3G phone and a music visualizer. The problem here is that it’s easy to forget we are talking about a gaming system. Most people who purchase a PSP are probably looking for a way to play games on it, and gaming-related features could get lost in the noise of a million other ideas. \n\n\nAnother problem with this strategy is that selection bias limits both the accuracy and the usefulness of data gained from polls. What kind of people do you think that Sony has been able to recruit to fill out its marketing survey? People who surf the official Sony website and who are already subscribed to the Playstation Underground are NOT the people you should be asking to help design your next console – chances are they already own a PSP and would buy the next one. You should be asking folks who don’t already own a PSP, to find out what might persuade them to pick one up. \n\nUltimately, we don’t care if Sony wants to slap a comic book e-reader in the next PSP, just as long as they put a second analog stick on the thing.\n
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