Independent game stores have expressed their lack of interest in stocking the PSP go citing a lack of consumer interest and the units high price and download only strategy.

Don McCabe, Managing Director of independent games store Chips told Edge that he “can’t see any justificiation for stocking” the PSP go saying that consumer interest simply isn’t there.

“Normally when a new piece of kit is launched or announced I’ll get a multitude of people saying ‘As soon as that comes out I want one of those.’ [Potential] first adopters are on the phone within seconds of it being announced and you’ve got your pre-orders. I don’t have a single pre-order for PSP go at the moment.”

Of course that would change if interest suddenly shot up though, but at this moment it looks like Chips has no intention of even stocking the handheld.

“If suddenly I get a wealth of pre-orders then I’ll reconsider my position, but right now I would have to say that it’s not our intention to stock the product at this point in time.”

Another store said it will stock it but only in small quantities. Chris Harwood, Grainger Games director said Grainger will only stock the console for those who really want it.

“We haven’t got any [PSP go pre-orders] at all,” he said, adding, “I think we’ll have to stock it just for the customers that want it. For something like a new console we have to give the customer the option.”

Just as it will be for many consumers it seems the price of the handheld is a major sticking point, with Harwood expressing his surprise at its £200-£230 touted price tag.

“It seems really high, especially the way PSP’s going at the moment,” he said. “The models they’ve got out now are struggling at basically £129, pretty much [the] cost price, which we’re putting them out at, and they’re not selling through at that.

“We’re trying to do some bundles just to push them through and the PSP just seems to have died as a format really… Nothing sells at the minute on PSP.”

He went on to criticise the device further saying Sony has no justification for not lowering the price despite added features.

“We can’t see where that price justification comes in when effectively it’s a lighter, slimmer PSP. It’s got a bit more memory, but memory’s not that expensive.

“It can’t handle UMD so part of the mechanism disappears, so where does the price come from? To be honest I don’t have an answer for the customers at the moment.”

In the meantime Sony has yet to declare an official UK price for the console.

Game has it listed at £229 while others are optimistic it will at least be more in line with the price of the original PSP price of£179.99. Here’s hoping it will be the latter or else consumer will vote with their feet by the sounds of it.

Via [Edge]

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