Sony PSP News and Tips

PSP demos let you try a game before you buy it

Try before you buy. In a down economy, this seems to be the most practical philosophy to assume. Who would want to end up with a product that seemed to be promising but turned out to be a dud, right? In the world of video games, demos are the central pieces of such a philosophy. Demos allow players to survey a small portion of the game to determine if it is worth the purchase or not.

The same is true for the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP). There are a slew of Sony PSP demos today. In fact, that a Sony PSP game would be released without a Sony PSP demo would seem like the exception instead of the general rule.

Game companies realize the fact that with the convenience provided by digital delivery over the internet, offering Sony PSP demos will be a great way to entice gamers -- especially those who are quite unsure about the products -- to try out their games. In a study conducted by Gamer's Choice, Inc., it was revealed that by releasing a demo, a gaming company increases its conversion rate by 27%. This number is big, and it can spell the difference between a flop and a blockbuster.

As a consumer, you will be better served if you'd take time to study a Sony PSP demo before buying the actual title.

Trying out a Sony PSP demo is quite easy. You can download a slew of trial games on the internet. The best place where you can find a complete collection of Sony PSP demos is via the Sony Playstation Store. If you own a Sony Playstation 3 (PS3), you can access the store via your dashboard. You can also download Sony PSP demos (and even Sony PS3 demos if you want) to your PS3's hard drive. Simply attach your PSP to the PS3 via USB cable and you can automatically transfer and install the Sony PSP demos on your Playstation Portable unit.

You can also access the Playstation Store directly from your PSP, for as long as it is connected to the web.

If you don't have a Sony PS3 and if your PSP cannot access the web directly, you can go to the Playstation Store by visiting store.playstation.com. Go to the PSP section, then to the Demos section, and download your pick.

If choosing the PC download option, you will have to transfer the Sony PSP demo from your PC to your unit. You will need a USB cable for this. If the Sony PSP demos are in .zip format, unzip them. You should have a folder that contains a .pbp and a .drm file. Simply copy and paste the entire folder to F:PSPGAME location, then turn on your unit and load up the newly installed Sony PSP demos.