"As many of you may know, piracy is a rampant issue with the PSP. When a person decides to download an ISO of a game, instead of buying it, the market is affected. To be more specific, developers makes less money, often not making up for the development costs to simply make the game. Not only this, but it makes developers more inclined to stop making games for that system. The PSP does exactly this. Ready at Dawn, as an example, as already opted out of making future games for the PSP just after the release of God of War - Chains of Olympus, most likely because of this issue.
Not only are sales figures impacted, the economy of the video game industry, hell, overall, is affected. You may not think of how big the shockwaves actually are when you decide to pirate a game, but the effects are hard felt. Selling hardware for Sony is no excuse for piracy, no matter how well or bad the system is doing.
There is really no excuse to pirate a game. Can’t afford it? Save up for it. Don’t want to? Tough luck, it really shouldn’t even be an option. Still can’t afford it? You shouldn’t be investing in something like a handheld entertainment system until you can resolve your other problems. Just because it’s easy, or because it’s free, doesn’t mean you should do it.
To give you an actual idea of how much PSP games are torrented these days, user Rlan from Neogaf decided to look at one, JUST ONE, torrent site for PSP game downloads. Here are the numbers.
God of War: Chains of Olympus - 94,154
Patapon - 112,183
Ratchet & Clank - Size Matters - 197,113
Crush - 48,959
LOCO ROCO - 163,904
Wipeout Pulse - 116,965
Castlevania X Chronicles - 102,354
Metal Gear Solid - Portable Ops (Not Including Plus) - 231,054
Burnout Dominator - 269,486
Keep in mind that Chains of Olympus came out YESTERDAY. Keep in mind that Patapon costs $20. At Launch... And remember, all of this info is JUST from ONE torrent site. This doesn’t include other torrent sites, and places where ISO online can be downloaded these days, or any other scenario.
It is simply disgusting at how many people turn to piracy just to satisfy their gaming needs. If you were a true gamer, fan, or everyday consumer, you would BUY the game and support the manufacturers and developers. The PSP has always sold well, but it’s hardware and (especially) software sales would encourage the creation of quality PSP games with a wider selection to choose from. DO. NOT. PIRATE." - Darkatomz of pspcrazy.com