Today's MCV - the games industry mag - reports that Sony have launched legal proceedings against importers selling the PSP. "We are enforcing our IP rights" said a SCEE spokesman to the magazine. Some sites have already removed the handheld from sale, but others remain defiant. I think Sony have missed the point here.
A few thousand hardcore gamers importing the console will have minimal impact on the Euro launch. The PSP will be a mainstream proposition, appealing to 20 and 30-something iPod owners who enjoy games but wouldn't class themselves as "gamers".
So Sony, let the early adopters have their fun. These are the guys who are playing the PSP now on the tube and train, the ones who are fielding questions from interested punters. They are at the vanguard of the marketing campaign, stoking demand for the PSP.
Yes, there is a strong argument against sites who import and then charge silly money (not helped by the dollar-pound exchange rate). But SCEE need to look at the bigger picture. Every enthusiastic importer, happily showing off his new toy in public, is only going to increase desire for the device. Of course, if the PSP had launched in March, as expected, this wouldn't be an issue...
