It looks as though the Nintendo DS may be in for some serious competition from Sony after all.
June 16, 2007 (Press Release) --
The Sony PSP will go on sale in Japan for ¥20,790 (around US$195) on December 12, with availability in North America and Europe expected as soon as March 2005. It comes with a battery pack and AC adapter. A "PSP Value Pack" which includes the PSP and adds headphones equipped with a remote control, a soft case, handstrap, and a 32MB Memory Stick Duo will retail for around ¥26,040 (US$245).
At launch, the PSP will be accompanied by a library of 21 game titles. As a refresher, it features WiFi connectivity and the ability to link up to 16 handhelds together for network gaming. Battery life for the PSP is claimed to be 4-6 hours for game play and 4-5 hours for watching movies on the 480x272 display. Following Sony's recent discovery that people have large MP3 music libraries, the PSP will support MP3 for audio playback as well as Sony's own ATRAC format. Other interesting bits and pieces from the press release include a mention of region control for movie playback, which means that it's likely that Sony will release some of their movie library on the 1.8GB Universal Media Discs Sony is using for games.
While the PSP's price in the US has yet to be announced, the Japanese pricing indicates that the PSP will likely be priced competitively with the Nintendo DS. The DS, slated for US launch on November 21, will be priced at US$149. If the yen-to-dollar conversion holds true when the PSP hits the US market, it may mean that the PSP will hit the US$199 price point. Contrast that with previous speculation that Sony's handheld would run closer to US$300.
If the pricing holds true, then Nintendo and Sony are going to be in a dogfight. While the PSP will command a price premium over the DS, its added functionality will likely more than justify it. Whereas the DS is just for gaming, the PSP can be used to listen to music and watch videos. Of course, the DS includes support for the entire Game Boy Advance library in addition to new DS-only titles while the PSP will be starting from scratch with its 21 titles.
Sony has said all along that the PSP isn't aimed at the same market segment as the Nintendo DS. When asked to compare the two handhelds, Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutaragi remarked
"We expect PSP to create a new market, helping expand the entire game market. But (direct competition is unlikely as) PSP and the DS will probably have different roles in the market."
If they are only priced US$50 or so apart, the roles aren't going to be all that different.
Sony Computer Entertainment today announced that it will release the Play Station Portable in Japan on December 12. The next-generation handheld gaming device will be priced at 19,800 yen ($185). WWJ scooped the Web — and almost crashed our server — with our September video report Here.
Source: http://yahoo.com.cn
At launch, the PSP will be accompanied by a library of 21 game titles. As a refresher, it features WiFi connectivity and the ability to link up to 16 handhelds together for network gaming. Battery life for the PSP is claimed to be 4-6 hours for game play and 4-5 hours for watching movies on the 480x272 display. Following Sony's recent discovery that people have large MP3 music libraries, the PSP will support MP3 for audio playback as well as Sony's own ATRAC format. Other interesting bits and pieces from the press release include a mention of region control for movie playback, which means that it's likely that Sony will release some of their movie library on the 1.8GB Universal Media Discs Sony is using for games.
While the PSP's price in the US has yet to be announced, the Japanese pricing indicates that the PSP will likely be priced competitively with the Nintendo DS. The DS, slated for US launch on November 21, will be priced at US$149. If the yen-to-dollar conversion holds true when the PSP hits the US market, it may mean that the PSP will hit the US$199 price point. Contrast that with previous speculation that Sony's handheld would run closer to US$300.
If the pricing holds true, then Nintendo and Sony are going to be in a dogfight. While the PSP will command a price premium over the DS, its added functionality will likely more than justify it. Whereas the DS is just for gaming, the PSP can be used to listen to music and watch videos. Of course, the DS includes support for the entire Game Boy Advance library in addition to new DS-only titles while the PSP will be starting from scratch with its 21 titles.
Sony has said all along that the PSP isn't aimed at the same market segment as the Nintendo DS. When asked to compare the two handhelds, Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutaragi remarked
"We expect PSP to create a new market, helping expand the entire game market. But (direct competition is unlikely as) PSP and the DS will probably have different roles in the market."
If they are only priced US$50 or so apart, the roles aren't going to be all that different.
Sony Computer Entertainment today announced that it will release the Play Station Portable in Japan on December 12. The next-generation handheld gaming device will be priced at 19,800 yen ($185). WWJ scooped the Web — and almost crashed our server — with our September video report Here.
Source: http://yahoo.com.cn
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