North American PSP launch date set as 24th March

Sony announced yesterday that their PSP handheld games console will see it's North American launch on 24th March this year with a price tag of US$249.99 (£135) for the Value Pack option.

So what exactly does 250 bucks get you? In addition to the PSP device itself, the value pack comes with a 32MB memory stick duo, headphones with remote control, battery pack, AC adaptor, soft case and cleaning cloth and movie/music/game video sampler UMD disc. The first million sold will also include a UMD video release of the feature film Spider-Man 2. Seems like reasonable value - but are you really going to want to spend 90 minutes squinting at a 4.3 inch wide screen to see whether Spidey saves the day? Perhaps throwing in Gran Turismo Mobile might have turned a few more heads?

If you're looking forward to the European launch of the PSP - I think it's safe to say that you'll at least have to wait until after the US date of 24/03/05. A mid- to late-April release on these shores seems likely now, which may mean that arch rival Nintendo's DS handheld console (launching 11th March in the UK) will get a significant head start in terms of both sales and publicity.

Article posted 4th February 2005 by rparnell.