Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEi) has today announced the price for their first step into the handheld gaming market. The much hyped and highly anticipated PSP (PlayStation Portable) was expected to have a high price at launch but Sony have surprised everyone promising a shipping price of 20,790YEN ($195 or œ105) for the handheld.
They have also said that the PSP will be released in Japan on 12th December with the US and Europe seeing it by the end of March 2005. This release dates was dependent on the number of launch titles that developers can have ready by this date but Sony hopes to have 21 titles available for the Japanese launch of the 100+ titles that are in development currently.
Sony also confirmed some further details about the PSP, a maximum of 16 PSP can be connected to each other in its WLAN 'ad hoc' mode with infra-red and USB 2.0 connectivity. Accessories such as a battery pack to enhance its 4-6 hour lifetime will be available as will remote control headphones and expandable Memory Stick upgrades.
This looks like a fantastic piece of kit for a price we never expected, if the launch titles are as strong as previous Sony hardware launches Nintendo's DS will have quite a fight on its hands if it's to keep the market share the GBA has dominated over the last few years.