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[neptunes]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050203/sfth050_1.html

PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R) Portable) Set to Release on March 24 Across North America
Thursday February 3, 8:08 am ET
Sony Computer Entertainment America to Retail Single SKU PSP Value Pack for $249.99

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the North American launch details for its highly anticipated PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R) Portable) handheld entertainment system. Available through retail outlets on March 24, the company continues its consumer-centric legacy with the release of the PSP Value Pack for a suggested retail price of $249.99 U.S./$299.99 CND. In addition to the revolutionary PSP hardware, the PSP Value Pack contains an unprecedented added-value package of accessories and entertainment content, including 32 MB Memory Stick Duo(TM), headphones with remote control, battery pack, AC adaptor, soft case and cleaning cloth, movie/music/game video sampler UMD disc including multiple non-interactive game demos, and for the first one million PSP Value Packs shipped, a special UMD video release of the feature film Spider-Man(TM) 2 from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Sony Computer Entertainment will manufacture one million units for sale in the North American market by the close of its fiscal year ending March 31. This figure is part of the company's total three-million-unit worldwide PSP system shipment estimate within the same time period. PSP released in Japan on December 12, 2004 and is already a hit, with more than 800,000 units shipped, including a 200,000-unit allocation that sold out on day one.

PSP sets a new standard as the first truly integrated portable entertainment system designed to provide consumers with a comprehensive entertainment experience including games, music, movies, communication, and wireless networking. Featuring graphics rendering capabilities comparable to the company's leading in-home console, PlayStation(R)2, PSP brings an unparalleled gaming experience to a portable platform, allowing users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality, full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PSP also allows for digital photo display and supports digital music playback in both MP3 and ATRAC formats.

"PSP will evolve and elevate portable entertainment, giving users the freedom to play full 3D games, watch movies, listen to music and connect wirelessly on their terms, their time and their place," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief executive officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "More than ever, today's consumer demands access to entertainment outside the home without compromising quality. With more than 100 PSP game titles currently in development worldwide, and the ability to download and listen to digital music and view feature films with breathtaking screen quality, PSP lets users control their entertainment options, all in one package."

PSP features an unmatched 4.3-inch, 16:9 wide screen TFT LCD that displays full color (16.77 million colors) on a 480 x 272 pixel high-resolution screen. PSP also comes complete with built-in stereo speakers, exterior headphone connector and diverse input/output connectors such as USB 2.0, and 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless LAN, enabling users to connect to the Internet and play online via a wireless network.* Up to 16 PSPs in the vicinity can also be connected to each other directly in ad-hoc mode, allowing for wireless head-to-head competition. In addition, wireless capabilities will allow software and data to be downloaded to a PSP and saved onto a Memory Stick Duo.

PSP also adopts a newly developed proprietary, compact, but high-capacity optical disc, Universal Media Disc (UMD(TM)), as its storage medium. UMD is the next-generation compact storage media, only 60mm in diameter but can store up to 1.8GB of digital data -- more than three times the data held on a CD-ROM. A broad range of digital entertainment content such as high quality 3D games, music, movies, video clips and other programs can be distributed on UMD. To protect this content, a robust copyright protection system has been developed for UMD, which utilizes a combination of a unique disc ID, 128 bit AES encryption keys for the media, and individual ID for each PSP hardware unit.

PSP (PlayStationPortable) Basic Specifications and Features

Games?

-- Ape Escape(R): On the Loose, Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- ATV Offroad Fury(R): Blazin' Trails, Sony Computer Entertainment
America
-- Darkstalkers Chronicle(TM): The Chaos Tower, Capcom
-- Dynasty Warriors(R), KOEI
-- FIFA 2005, Electronic Arts
-- Gretzky(TM) NHL(R), Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- Lumines(TM), Ubisoft
-- Metal Gear Acid(TM), Konami
-- MLB(TM), Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- MVP Baseball, Electronic Arts
-- NBA, Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- NBA Street Showdown, Electronic Arts
-- Need for Speed(TM) Rivals, Electronic Arts
-- NFL Street 2 Unleashed, Electronic Arts
-- Rengoku(TM): Tower of Purgatory, Konami
-- Ridge Racer(TM), Namco
-- Smartbomb, Eidos Interactive
-- Spider-Man 2(TM), Activision
-- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R), Electronic Arts
-- Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix, Activision
-- Twisted Metal: Head On(TM), Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, Sony Online Entertainment
-- Wipeout(R) Pure, Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- World Tour Soccer, Sony Computer Entertainment America

 

[TheDrowningMan]

Okay, the rumours of a delayed European release look more and more likely.

 

[Guns N' Poops]

Too expensive

 

[Keio]

Simultaneous launch with Europe? Many release lists point to 24th March in Europe - but were they mistaken with rumours from the US launch? Perhaps Jeux-France was right with 15th April in Europe.

 

[Do The Mario]

I feel I need to sell something!

 

[sprsk]

psp 139.99 guys!!!! :lol :lol :lol :lol


still, no one would have bought the base pack anyway.

 

[dark10x]

Excellent.

 

[neptunes]

Spider Man UMD shipped with it too? :lol

 

[nubbe]

It should have no problem selling at that price… But I was expecting it to be lower thanks to all the stupid hype…

€249?

 

[Enigma]

psp 139.99 guys!!!! :lol :lol :lol :lol


still, no one would have bought the base pack anyway.

The savvy would have. That extra 50 bucks could have taken you to Newegg and gone a long ways towards paying for a 512 card.

This pretty much cements the DS not getting a price drop to combat it.

 

[cybamerc]

What's the Japanese price?

 

[gogogow]

I thought Sony wanted to compete with DS?!

Value pack is 249.99, what about the unit only? 199.99?

 

[DarienA]

Disappointing. To not release the unit only pack is a huge mistake IMO. Time to go cancel my pre-order. I already have a much larger Memory Stick and don't want or need any of those other accessories... I'll wait til the single unit version becomes available.... which probably won't be until Sony stabilizes it's monthly production to be able to meet demand everywhere...

 

[sprsk]

The savvy would have. That extra 50 bucks could have taken you to Newegg and gone a long ways towards paying for a 512 card.

This pretty much cements the DS not getting a price drop to combat it.

this is true.

 

[Tabris]

I don't mind the price, but I hate the fact I have to buy a value-pack.

I just want the base one. I'm never going to actually use a 32mb card. I'm going for 1gb right away.

 

[TheDrowningMan]

"Simultaneous launch with Europe? Many release lists point to 24th March in Europe - but were they mistaken with rumours from the US launch? Perhaps Jeux-France was right with 15th April in Europe."

Apparently the higher-ups at Game have told individual stores to concentrate on DS pre-orders for "the forseeable future". Signs are rumoured to be pointing to a release date between May - September, later than Sony originally planned.

This PSP US price point is pretty poor, I must say. If Nintendo can get out a few big hitters before the inevitable and impending $100 PSP price drop (or even do a couple of pack in sets - one for Mario 64, one Wario Ware), they could find themselves with a more or less unassailable lead in the US. I've always felt that the American market is the only one in which Nintendo have a realistic chance of beating the PSP.

 

[human5892]

Disappointing. To not release the unit only pack is a huge mistake IMO.

100% agree. Sony just lost a launch sale -- I'm not paying $250 up front for crap I don't even want (Spiderman 2 UMD, shitty small 32MB stick).

 

[neptunes]

I'd say a price cut before the holidays?...Maybe?

 

[gogogow]

Disappointing. To not release the unit only pack is a huge mistake IMO.

Sony is not releasing the unit-only pack?
DS is 149.99 and PSP is 100 bucks more expensive.
Way to expensive, i don't need that 32mb memory stick.

 

[GDGF]

WTF! I (sooth)said a while back that they might mark up the US price to make up for the hit they were taking in japan. I totally thought I was wrong later (what with the rumors of a 150 US price and what not), but now it looks like I should have stuck to my guns! :lol :lol :lol

 

[Doom_Bringer]

This is going to be an interesting thread! :lol

$299 Canadian? Way too expensive!

 

[TheDrowningMan]

Nintendo of America must be feeling that all of their Christmases have come at once.

 

[sonycowboy]

Sony is not releasing the unit-only pack?
DS is 149.99 and PSP is 100 bucks more expensive.
Way to expensive, i don't need that 32mb memory stick.

The unit only will be released once supply problems are addressed. Give it a few months. In the mean time, they'll sell out of every single unit they put out there. Although, I agree about it being bad for some people. That 32MB card is just a throw away (I suppose I'll use that for games and the big guy for movies), but I definitely wanted the other stuff anyway.

 

[bobafett]

Yeah, it was not a smart idea to sell the value pack only but screw the haters, I'm going to buy my second PSP.

 

[Soulbrighter]

250$=250€?

awww, poor me

 

[dark10x]

What's the Japanese price?

The Japanese value pack retails for roughly the same price (depending on exchange rates) while the stand alone unit retails somewhere around $200.

 

[mrklaw]

Cost must really be hurting Sony. That 'value' pack is just to help give them a little more margin (or a little less loss). Standalone pack at $199 would lose them a lot more - all that memory card + case crap doesn't cost them anything.

The only real downer is the loss of the potential $199 solus pack price headline. Keeping below $200 must have been really tempting for Sony.

I want Spiderman 2!

 

[Juice]

And the Nintendo fanboys and ardent DS enthusiasts can now take a slight breath of relief.

Sony's obviously not planning on playing the pricing game quite as aggressively as they did in Japan, maybe because they know that the don't have enough systems to please everyone, so they may as well gouge the early adopters themselves and then lower the price as soon as the system is widely available.


Interesting price point, though. It's a lot closer to the fears that the system would turn portable gaming into a $300 venture than it seems to want to cut into Nintendo's value-market. At least right away.

I just can't comprehend the reason anyone would want to buy a PSP on day one (without a Best Buy replacement plan). The hardware's way too glitchy, the battery sucks, and now you're basically guaranteed to see a $50 price drop in the first 6 months of the console's lifespan.

 

[deadhorse32]

I'll wait for the price cut

 

[GDGF]

And the Nintendo fanboys and ardent DS enthusiasts can now take a slight breath of relief.

AHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........

 

[tetsuoxb]

What are you all bitching about... jesus.

You are getting MORE than the Japanese value pack for (depending on the yen at the day of release) the about the same as the Japanese value pack price.

 

[Speevy]

Well, marketing to consumers is all about the perception of value.

Sony's got some balls in that regard.

 

[neptunes]

Cost must really be hurting Sony. That 'value' pack is just to help give them a little more margin (or a little less loss). Standalone pack at $199 would lose them a lot more - all that memory card + case crap doesn't cost them anything.

The only real downer is the loss of the potential $199 solus pack price headline. Keeping below $200 must have been really tempting for Sony.

I want Spiderman 2!

Yeah, not to mention they couldn't have met the potential demand with that price.

Like I mentioned before, I hope they cut price before the holidays, or release the standard pack.

 

[gogogow]

250$=250€?

awww, poor me

In Europe it could be €249.99, but a higher price wouldn't suprise me.
Everything in Europe is much more expensive than in US or Japan.

But that's just straight currency conversion.
How much is a game in US? $40? $50? I wish games were €40 or €50 here!

 

[sprsk]

What are you all bitching about... jesus.

You are getting MORE than the Japanese value pack for (depending on the yen at the day of release) the about the same as the Japanese value pack price.

because you could get ALOT more with the base pack for the same price apparently.

 

[tetsuoxb]

bullshit. last time i checked, i didnt get spiderman on umd.

 

[sprsk]

if Xbox2 is coming out this winter, sonys gonna haev a hard time selling those. even at a reduced price it hink.

 

[shuri]

.. It's a bit more expensive than expected :|

 

[explodet]

The bundle is one thing, but there are also certain stores requiring the purchase of three other games in order to pre-order. Gamestop's cheapest pack is $379.95, for example. (although this price may change with the new announcement)

 

[sonycowboy]

Well, marketing to consumers is all about the perception of value.

Sony's got some balls in that regard.

I agree. This move will guarantee the DS some continued healthy sales for quite a while in the US. $150 vs $250 is just wayyyy too much for a handheld for many consumers and also can be offputting for a parent when thinking the PSP is too much machine or too high end for their 8 year old.

 

[GDGF]

The bundle is one thing, but there are also certain stores requiring the purchase of three other games in order to pre-order. Gamestop's cheapest pack is $379.95, for example.

I figured that this would happen, too

 

[human5892]

bullshit. last time i checked, i didnt get spiderman on umd.

But what if you don't want Spiderman 2? Or the 32MB stick? Such is the dilemma with these "value" packs -- you're basically forcing the consumer to buy things, whether they want them or not.

 

[gogogow]

The bundle is one thing, but there are also certain stores requiring the purchase of three other games in order to pre-order. Gamestop's cheapest pack is $379.95, for example.

Yeah, that's really stupid, i mean, i only want to buy ridge racer.
But luckily not all stores are like that.
But who knows when there's a shortage..........

 

[neptunes]

Sigh....

 

[SantaC]

So much more those saying it would be $150 or even $199 :lol This is the value pack also.

We need some eat crow quotes.

 

[Espio]

Hmmmmm... should be interesting to see how this pans out.

 

[dark10x]

So much more those saying it would be $150 or even $199 :lol This is the value pack also.

We need some eat crow quotes.

What's the point? People expected a non-value pack to be sold and $150 was a reasonable guess...

 

[fse]

oh shit. good thing I didn't sell my DS.

 

[GDGF]

And don't forget that your lowest priced game (according to that press release) is going to be 40 bucks. $300.00 entry fee to play (unless you just want to watch Spiderman 2)

 

[SantaC]

What's the point? People expected a non-value pack to be sold and $150 was a reasonable guess...

Maybe I can have a laugh after all Nintendo eat crow quotes that's been going on latley? Or must we only laugh at nintendo. Many people never expected Sony to go over $199.