Mr. 2112 expects the Nintendo DS to have claimed approximately 65% of the next-gen handheld market by the end of 2011 with 45 million of the console being sold in the U.S. Sony's PSP also was able to sell a respectable 24 million by 2011 for a 35% marketshare. This was generally considered a success because 1) it was the most significant in-road against a Nintendo handheld in the U.S. and 2) the PSP hardware was profitable for the majority of its lifespan. This helped offset the losses from the PS3 for Sony's gaming division.
Yearly breakdown's from Mr. 2112 are as follows:
Sony was able to keep somewhat consistent annual sales for the PSP despite a relatively low attach rate due to the PSP Slim introduction in late 2007 and price drops. The PS2 and Wii's success in the 2007-2011 timeframe also kept software coming to the PSP via ports from those two systems and the occassional exclusive game (FFVII:Crisis Core, GT:Mobile). While not the undisputed success that Sony would have hoped for, the PSP proved to be a critical part of Sony's overall gaming plan through integration with the PS3 and its profitable nature.
Nintendo's DS continued to sell amazingly worldwide through the 2007-2011 timeframe due to the similar "non-gamers" that propelled the Wii. The DS's own "lifestyle" games (Brain Age, Language Training) combined with Pokemon in the U.S. to appeal to consumers at all ages at a level before unseen.
