Sony unveils enhanced version of PSP

Sony Corp. on Wednesday unveiled an enhanced design for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game player, apparently making efforts to increase the appeal of PSP in order to boost its demand and sales.

Tokyo, Japan based-world's largest media conglomerates, Sony, at the E3 Media & Business Summit, demonstrated the long-anticipated lighter, trimmer version of the PlayStation Portable video-game player.

Showing off the updated PSP at the conference in Los Angeles, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai said the enhanced version of PSP is 33 percent lighter and 19 percent slimmer than the original model.

Sony initially will launch the redesigned version of its PlayStation Portable handheld game system only in two special editions, “Ice Silver” and "Ceramic White", bundled with games and accessories.

Due on September 10, the silver version will come with a 1GB Memory Stick and bundled with "Daxter PSP Entertainment Pack," including Daxter video game, and a DVD with episodes from “The Family Guy” television series. The model is priced at $199.99.

The other model, "Ceramic White" will hit the markets on October 9, and will come with "Star Wars Battlefront Entertainment Pack" that will have “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader's silk-screened visage on the back. Bundles with “Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade”, the white PSP will be available for $199.99.

The enhanced version also contains a faster Universal Media Disc (UMD) drive, used to load games and some movies, and an improved battery life.

"From a distance, this PSP might not look very different from the current model ... but when you have it in your hand, the difference becomes quite clear," Hirai said.

In an effort to attract younger players and win sales from Nintendo Co.'s DS handheld player, SCEI has reduced the price of its PlayStation Portable gaming device by 15% to US$169.99.

In April this year, Sony has announced that the PSP Core System, which will receive a $30 price drop effective Tuesday, April 3, will be marked down from $199.99 to $169.99, in order to capture a larger share of handheld market, for long dominated by Nintendo.

According to market researcher Enterbrain’s estimates, Nintendo's DS portable player outsold the PlayStation Portable five to one in May in Japan, and the DS games were two of the four bestsellers in the U.S. in the same month.

In 2006, PSP shipments rose to 25 million units worldwide, with hardware and games accounting for about $3 billion in sales, while the software shipments increased to more than 90 million units last year, as per Sony’s figures. More than one million new PSP systems were sold in North America in December alone.

As of April, 2007, Sony Corp., the world's biggest maker of video-game consoles, has sold 7 million PSPs in the U.S., while Nintendo has sold the 9.9 million DS units, according to market researcher NPD Group Inc.

The original PSP model, which was first released in North America 2005, can play downloaded movies and connect with computers and television sets.

Nintendo DS is a palm-top game console, featuring two LCD screens inside. One of the screens is a touch-sensitive screen. The portable gaming device was first released in 2004. The DS thus, stands for ‘Dual Screen’ or as Nintendo suggests-‘Developer’s System’. Nintendo believes that, “the DS gives game creators brand new tools which will lead to more innovative games for the world's players."

Nintendo recently has announced an add-on for its handheld gaming device. The company unveiled a camera that fits well on the DS, and a little stand that holds the device upright sideways. The DS camera will plug into the handheld's GBA slot.

Kyoto, western Japan-based Tech giant recently has entered the top ten of Japan's most valuable companies for the first time with a value of 6.54 trillion yen ($53 billion), lagging behind its chief rival Sony Corp. in market value.

Nintendo’s recent rise has been attributed to the surging demand for its DS handheld game players and the popular Wii video game devices.