Sony has confirmed that it will be releasing a "basic" version of the PSP on March 22 which will be available for USD 199 while Ken Kutaragi has outlined plans to create a PSOne emulator for the company's handheld.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced that it will continue to expand the PSP platform with new accessories, features and services.
Since its launch in Japan in December 2004, North America in March 2005, and in Europe in September, 2005, PSP has already shipped more than 15 million units worldwide.
To accelerate further penetration throughout the world, a new Base Model in black color will become available in Europe from March 22, 2006, and 199 Euro/199 USD respectively in North America end of March 2006. SCEI will also introduce Ceramic White for the base model of PSP (PSP-1000 CW) at a recommended retail price of 20,790 yen for the Japanese market.
During a press conference in Japan Sony President Ken Kutaragi also mentioned plans to create a PSOne emulator for the PSP. According to those plans selected games will become available to PSP owners through an electronic distribution service and will be stored on a memory stick. Sony did not suggest when that feature may be released but did give details on other software for the handheld. A series of new PSP games are expected to be released from third party developers, publishers and SCE Worldwide Studios. Titles such as DragonBall Z: Shin and Budokai from BANDAI, LocoRoco from SCE WWS, MIN-NA NO CHIZU from ZENRIN in Japan, Field Commander from Sony Online Entertainment, Godfather from Electronic Arts, Syphon Filter from SCEA in North America, Football Manager Handheld from Sega Europe and Lemmings from SCEE in Europe.
SCEI also promised to further update the system software and expand the capabilities of the PSP. As a next step, SCEI will add Macromedia Flash player and extend RSS Channel function which enable users to playback and save internet radio content and entertainment movies.
Sony will also introduced a variety of new accessories for its handheld including a new camera (PSP-300) and GPS receiver (PSP-290), coming this fall. By adding these new peripherals new features will be introduced such as the motion tracking technology of Eye Toy. The camera and GPS also open up the potential of game design as titles are currently in development that utilize the video chat function and the portable navigation system.
