USA PSP RELEASE DATE (24th march)with only Value Pack ?

[hey69]

PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R) Portable) Set to Release on March 24 Across North America
Thursday February 3, 8:08 am ET
Sony Computer Entertainment America to Retail Single SKU PSP Value Pack for $249.99

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the North American launch details for its highly anticipated PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R) Portable) handheld entertainment system. Available through retail outlets on March 24, the company continues its consumer-centric legacy with the release of the PSP Value Pack for a suggested retail price of $249.99 U.S./$299.99 CND. In addition to the revolutionary PSP hardware, the PSP Value Pack contains an unprecedented added-value package of accessories and entertainment content, including 32 MB Memory Stick Duo(TM), headphones with remote control, battery pack, AC adaptor, soft case and cleaning cloth, movie/music/game video sampler UMD disc including multiple non-interactive game demos, and for the first one million PSP Value Packs shipped, a special UMD video release of the feature film Spider-Man(TM) 2 from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Sony Computer Entertainment will manufacture one million units for sale in the North American market by the close of its fiscal year ending March 31. This figure is part of the company's total three-million-unit worldwide PSP system shipment estimate within the same time period. PSP released in Japan on December 12, 2004 and is already a hit, with more than 800,000 units shipped, including a 200,000-unit allocation that sold out on day one.

PSP sets a new standard as the first truly integrated portable entertainment system designed to provide consumers with a comprehensive entertainment experience including games, music, movies, communication, and wireless networking. Featuring graphics rendering capabilities comparable to the company's leading in-home console, PlayStation(R)2, PSP brings an unparalleled gaming experience to a portable platform, allowing users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality, full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PSP also allows for digital photo display and supports digital music playback in both MP3 and ATRAC formats.

"PSP will evolve and elevate portable entertainment, giving users the freedom to play full 3D games, watch movies, listen to music and connect wirelessly on their terms, their time and their place," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief executive officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "More than ever, today's consumer demands access to entertainment outside the home without compromising quality. With more than 100 PSP game titles currently in development worldwide, and the ability to download and listen to digital music and view feature films with breathtaking screen quality, PSP lets users control their entertainment options, all in one package."

PSP features an unmatched 4.3-inch, 16:9 wide screen TFT LCD that displays full color (16.77 million colors) on a 480 x 272 pixel high-resolution screen. PSP also comes complete with built-in stereo speakers, exterior headphone connector and diverse input/output connectors such as USB 2.0, and 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless LAN, enabling users to connect to the Internet and play online via a wireless network.* Up to 16 PSPs 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 a PSP and saved onto a Memory Stick Duo.

PSP also adopts a newly developed proprietary, compact, but high-capacity optical disc, Universal Media Disc (UMD(TM)), as its storage medium. UMD is the next-generation compact storage media, only 60mm in diameter but 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 programs can be distributed on UMD. To protect this content, a robust copyright protection system has been developed for UMD, which utilizes a combination of a unique disc ID, 128 bit AES encryption keys for the media, and individual ID for each PSP hardware unit.

PSP (PlayStationPortable) Basic Specifications and Features


de launch games

-- Ape Escape(R): On the Loose, Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- ATV Offroad Fury(R): Blazin' Trails, Sony Computer Entertainment
America
-- Darkstalkers Chronicle(TM): The Chaos Tower, Capcom
-- Dynasty Warriors(R), KOEI
-- FIFA 2005, Electronic Arts
-- Gretzky(TM) NHL(R), Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- Lumines(TM), Ubisoft
-- Metal Gear Acid(TM), Konami
-- MLB(TM), Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- MVP Baseball, Electronic Arts
-- NBA, Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- NBA Street Showdown, Electronic Arts
-- Need for Speed(TM) Rivals, Electronic Arts
-- NFL Street 2 Unleashed, Electronic Arts
-- Rengoku(TM): Tower of Purgatory, Konami
-- Ridge Racer(TM), Namco
-- Smartbomb, Eidos Interactive
-- Spider-Man 2(TM), Activision
-- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R), Electronic Arts
-- Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix, Activision
-- Twisted Metal: Head On(TM), Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, Sony Online Entertainment
-- Wipeout(R) Pure, Sony Computer Entertainment America
-- World Tour Soccer, Sony Computer Entertainment America


250 us $ . that guarantees a 250euro price in PAL land.
so if the similtanous launch PAL / USA is not sure, i think Jeux-france.com was maybe correct about their PAL 15 april release date

 

[London Geezer]

Only USD250 is not EUR250.

 

[rabidrabbit]

No, but it is almost invariably that if some consumer electronics costs $XXX in US, it'll cost €XXX in EU.

 

[hey69]

and 250 pound but offcourse, pal is always tax included

 

[cthellis42]

Seriously? Gah! That sucks giant nob. The Value Pack is, IMHO, a waste of time. I don't want the headphones (unless they offer better quality ones for the US release, which is doubtful), I think a 32MB Memory Stick is a waste of time, and the soft-cover is good, but will probably be quickly outpaced by 3rd party cases or other hard-case options that look cool (like the one with the integrated charging unit) and would make the soft cover superfluous. Heck the only thing I LIKE from that is the Spider-Man 2 release. (Which is at least cool as an additional promo, but certainly not a big deal or value.)

Sucking and soaking. :? Screw that.



...of course I wouldn't be buying one either way, so I guess it doesn't matter to ME except that I find the move insulting in general. :?



BTW: Do you have a link for that article?

Nevermind. Pulled it.

 

[hey69]

i received a whisper that pal will receive a valuepack and a plus pack
(valuepack identical to USA) plus pack => valuepak + game included with something extra. price 249euro - 299 euro

 

[wco81]

Well maybe when they ramp up production later in the year, they will offer just the basic unit for a lower price to stoke demand.

Yeah I had put a deposit down but I'm not feeling this price or the games.

Inclined to wait to see if they drop the price or offer a $200 SKU later.

 

[cthellis42]

So a "plus" pack would add the maximum full price you'd pay for a game anyway? Those figures would make-ee no sense.

 

[hey69]

and something extra "he/she" told me .

and what that extra is i don't know. maybe a roll of toiletpaper to clean your psp screen

 

[cthellis42]

Hopefully not already used...

 

[Xenus]

Oh I was surfing and have seen 1GB sticks of Pro Duo go as low as $150.

 

[Refreshment]

Same as Japan. The price still very good for the technology.

The only problem with the pack is that tiny mem stick, the protective case and cloth is a filler but that isnt what they are charging us that much.

Anyway the extra battery is esential so in the end is alright for Sony to release the bundle.

 

[cthellis42]

It's not an "extra battery" in the Value Pack, though. It's just "the battery." If EXTRA were the case, I'd jump on the Value Pack like a rabid hyena!

 

[wco81]

The basic SKU in Japan also has a battery and charger/power adaptor, right?

 

[Evil_Cloud]

The basic SKU in Japan also has a battery and charger/power adaptor, right?

Yes.

Batteries are always sold seperatly at a high price.

 

[Refreshment]

Wait a minute, and please correct me.

One battery attached to the PSP unit and another extra. Right?

Thanks for any response.

 

[cthellis42]

No. The one mentioned in the Value Pack is the same one mentioned in the base unit. They just mention the battery. It is the one you get.

An extra battery will likely run $40+

I would probably wait on more information for this, though.

 

[Refreshment]

Well thanks for answering. Will see eventually.

Anyway the price still good. The only fear i have with the PSP is regarding the unit durability. Even at $300 i could see it as a good investment.

The mind gets tire thinking in the posibilities this handheld will have, movies, emus, etc.

 

[cthellis42]

My mind would be a lot happier if it cost $70 less.

I think they should have strutted out with $179 and $229 for the packages, to tap the same psyche they conjured with the original Playstation. Sacrifice some profit now, but in the end... be a lot better off.

 

[see colon]

ha! my local eb has been telling people it would only be $150! people are gonna be pissed.