Source: Reuters
Sony
is on track to double the number of PlayStation Portable video game
players sold in North America to around 6 million at the end of its
first holiday season this year.
The sharp screen on the
paperback-sized video game device has won over movie fans, fortifying a
solid debut though not a runaway success along the lines of Apple
Computer Inc.'s iPods.
Analysts predict that the PSP's long-term
prospects are good, but where the iPod is praised for its stunning ease
of use, some PSP players have told Reuters that games are slow to load
on the device and that its left thumb-operated mini joystick can be
awkward to master.
"Clearly there is not the intoxication or
hysteria that there is with the iPod," said Janco Partners analyst Mike
Hickey, who is among those betting on the PSP's success.
Sony
Computer Entertainment America President and Chief Executive Kaz Hirai
told Reuters in October the company's goal is to double its install
base by selling between 2.5 million and 3 million additional PSPs in
North America by year end.
"We're mapping to that forecast ...
We're very comfortable with where we are," Sony spokeswoman Molly Smith
said in a recent interview.
The PSP debuted in late March, piling
up accolades from technology luminaries and consumers taken with the
bright, crisp color screen on the sleek black device. As of November,
Sony said it has sold more than 3 million PSPs in North America, where
it retails for around $250.
"The PSP is for an older audience, the content is definitely for an older market," said IDC video game analyst Schelley Olhava.
Nintendo
Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) Nintendo DS ($130) is the
PSP's closest rival, although it targets a younger and more female
market. Now in its second holiday season, the DS has sold 2.7 million
units in the United States as of the end of November, according to NPD
Funworld. The PSP's U.S. sales were 2.5 million as of November, the
market researchers said.
The PSP launched with 24 games and now has over 70 titles available for the system, a Sony spokesman said.
The
game getting the most buzz -- and the one analysts predicted could
drive device sales -- is "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories" part
of the best-selling and very controversial urban action game franchise.
Still, Hickey would like to see better games -- which will likely come as developers get to know the system better.
On
the movie side, analysts said it is becoming more common for films to
release on DVD and on Sony's Universal Media Disc at the same time.