Gadgets and Gizmos

Sony sells over 500,000 PSP units in first two days

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today that the first week sales of the PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system generated more than $150 million at North American retailers, outpacing the launch week sales for any other product in the space.

Additionally, demand drove the sell through of over 500,000 PSP Value Packs in the first two days alone – an unprecedented number further validating PSP as the most anticipated product of 2005 and an industry altering force – and remained strong throughout the first week. Making the $150 million mark all the more spectacular, PSP sales were achieved during a traditionally slower non-holiday season launch, and during a period when many retailers were closed for Easter.

“The launch of PSP was everything we hoped for, with extraordinary consumer demand driving sales of hardware units alone upwards of $150 million in first week sales, far and away above those generated by any other product in the space,” said Kaz Hirai, president and chief executive officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America in the press release. “In only two weeks, PSP is having an immediate impact across the entire industry as consumers are clearly voting it the product of the year in 2005.”

“GameStop, Inc. has seen an extraordinary cross section of consumers come through our doors including hard core gamers, business men and women of all ages looking to get a PSP,” said Dan DeMatteo, vice-chairman and chief operational officer, GameStop Inc. in the press release. “The overall entertainment value of PSP is giving it a mass appeal beyond any other product we have ever carried.”

Setting a new standard as the first-ever integrated portable entertainment system designed to provide consumers with a comprehensive entertainment experience including games, music, movies, communication, and wireless networking, PSP launched in North America on March 24. Already a sensation in Japan with upwards of 1 million units sold to date, the North American launch of PSP saw lines snaking for blocks at retailers across the nation with many locations extending business hours for midnight sales or early openings to accommodate anxious consumers.

PSP (PlayStation Portable) is a new portable entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. With graphics rendering capability comparable to that of PlayStation 2, PSP features a 4.3 inch wide screen, high-resolution TFT display. PSP also adopts a newly developed compact but high-capacity (1.8GB) optical disc, Universal Media Disc (UMD), as its storage medium. With a wide range of accessories and connectivity options, including Memory Stick Duo, USB 2.0, IR port and Wi-Fi wireless LAN, PSP is the new entertainment platform from PlayStation.