PlayStation Portable To Launch Across Europe on 1st September 2005
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced that its highly anticipated PlayStation PortableTM handheld entertainment system will be launched in Europe on 1st September 2005. Following the success of the PlayStation Portable launches in Japan and the USA, PlayStation Portable will go on sale in the European PAL territories on 1st September 2005, available in a single version Value Pack, priced at €249 (£179). The PlayStation Portable Value Pack contains an added-value package of accessories and entertainment content, including the PlayStation Portable system with a pouch, 32MB Memory Stick DuoTM, Battery Pack, Headphones with Remote Control, AC Adaptor, Wrist Strap, cloth and a video/music/game sampler Universal Media DiscTM (UMDTM) including several non-interactive game demos.
A copy of Spider-Man 2, on UMD Video will be available free of charge to early purchasers of PlayStation Portable, who register their PlayStation Portable and order their Spider-Man 2 UMD Video through http://www.yourpsp.com, the official SCEE web portal for PlayStation Portable.
PlayStation Portable features a 4.3-inch, 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD that displays full colour (16.77 million colours) on a 480 x 272 pixel high-resolution screen. PlayStation Portable also comes complete with built-in stereo speakers, exterior headphone connector and a range of input/output connectors such as USB 2.0 and 802.11b Wireless LAN, enabling users to connect to the Internet and play online via a Wireless Network. Up to 16 PlayStation Portable systems 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 PlayStation Portable and saved onto a Memory Stick Duo.
PlayStation Portable uses a newly-developed proprietary storage medium named Universal Media Disc (UMD). This high-capacity optical disc is the next-generation compact storage media, and although only 60mm in diameter, a UMD 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 media can be distributed on UMD.
"PlayStation Portable will revolutionise portable entertainment, giving users the freedom to play full 3D games, watch movies, listen to music and connect wirelessly on their terms, wherever and whenever they wish to do so," said David Reeves, President of SCEE. "More than ever, today's consumer demands access to their personal entertainment outside the home, without compromising quality. With more than 100 PlayStation Portable game titles currently in development worldwide, and the ability to download and listen to music, and view feature films with breathtaking screen quality, PlayStation Portable lets users control their entertainment options, all in a single package."
