LONDON: Retail shops on the high streets have started displaying Sony Corporation's much-awaited PlayStation Portable in preparation for the Christmas shopping season. Temporary retail shops are coming up in at least two city centre locations, which are designed to showcase the device and provide visitors with details of the handheld gaming gadget's potential.
The first such pop-up store started at Seven Dials, while the second is on Great Titchfield Street in Soho. A Sony Corporation spokesperson said PlayStation Portable will be on display at these temporary spaces through November 2005 and will offer prospective buyers details of the games that can be played.
Meanwhile, reports from Korea said there are some 200,000 people who have acquired the PSP. Retailers say selling the device is a new experience altogether as PSP owners often buy more games titles that users of other game consoles. According to a survey recently, nearly 30 per cent of PSP users said they have purchased more than four game titles so far, just within five months of the launch of the product in the Korean markets.
Electronic Arts, the world’s largest video game publisher, said of the 12 new game titles it is planning for this winter, eight will be for PSP devices. These are: "SSX on Tour", "FIFA 06", "Burnout Legends", "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06" , "NBA Live 06", "Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects" and "Need for Speed Most Wanted".
PSP will be followed by Microsoft's next generation console XBox 360, which will hit the market in December and Sony's PlayStation3, early next year. PlayStation3 will have full 3D graphic abilities.
There are products that piggyride PSP. Asian Toy Source says it is coming out with PSP on TV, a device that facilitates PSP content to be displayed on TV. Called ImageSet, it will be priced $99 and will clip onto any PSP. The company had a successful history of a similar product, for Gameboy Advance, which at one time had a sales figure of 200,000 units in Japan alone.
Posted
on : Sun, 23 Oct 2005 07:50 GMT | General News
By : Salim Patel
|
