Playstation Portable vs XBox 360

By Anthony Batty | 16 August 2005

We previously reported that Sony was trying to halt people importing into the UK the Playstation Portable video-gaming console. While this was released months ago in the United States and Japan, it is still not available in the UK (nor will it be until September 1st).

Yet many enterprising companies have aimed to satisfy the wants of UK customers who simply cannot wait now. Sony is taking action (again) against one such company, Lik-Sang.

Lik-Sang is a remarkable company; its speciality is in acquiring goods released specially for certain markets (most notably the South Korean and Japanese markets) and selling them to European and American consumers. While Sony may or may not lose out by having the Playstation Portable available here before its release date, they undeniably benefit from how Lik-Sang and their ilk operate.

Because of the different types of games played in different countries, some never make it to our shores. Whilst some games are global in their appeal, others are targeted at some markets. An example would be that of dancing games - players must step on arrows on a specially designed controller pad, in time with the arrow on the screen (which corresponds with the music). These games, while very successful in Korea and Japan (where tournaments are held), are seldom released in Europe (although largely by word of mouth large communities have built up, both in the UK and US). Those that are released never have the same music or feel because of the limited appeal to mass market consumers (not everyone enjoys Japanese popular music, or J-Pop as it is affectionately known).

Some companies however see an opportunity in this niche market by satisfying the demand for Asian games. Entertainment companies sell goods that otherwise would have remained on shelves in a different continent. Not only that but these firms do all the promotion for them! Moreover, customers get previously unobtainable titles (and are even willing to pay a premium to companies for providing them with the experience). The result is that expats can play games in their native language. Others can enjoy the richness of different cultures - of which computer games are just as much a part as movies, books or television.

Perhaps learning from the experience of Sony (devoted fans will manage to get their hands on a product), Microsoft is planning a worldwide release for the highly anticipated Xbox 360 in time for Christmas, heralding the next generation of gaming consoles.