A little over a month after Sony cut prices for its PSP handheld in North America, the company on Friday cut the price of the device by 24 percent to a suggested retail price of €129.99 ($187).
A little over a month after Sony cut prices for its PSP handheld in North America, the company on Friday cut the price of the device by 24 percent to a suggested retail price of €129.99 ($187). The latest price cut is a move to target more budget-minded mainstream consumers, as well as attract a younger audience. The PSP originally launched in Europe in 2005 for €249.99 ($360). In February, Sony cut the price of the PSP in the U.S. to $129.99, down from the previous price of $169.99 for the core system. The handheld, which has sold 67.8 million units worldwide as of December 2010, was $249.99 in the U.S. when it launched in 2005. "The console's new recommended retail price, complemented by a whole host of affordable games in the Essentials, Platinum and minis collections, opens up a world of portable gaming for less -- particularly for our younger audiences," said Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's hardware and platforms marketing manager Isabelle Tomatis. SCEE also said beginning April 14, European PSP owners will be able to access digital cloud-based music service Qriocity by using their PlayStation Network IDs. The price drop comes after Sony's January reveal of its codenamed Next Generation Portable, the follow up to the PSP. The NGP will have high-end features, including 3G and wi-fi support, a five-inch multi-touch OLED display, a multi-touch pad on the back, dual analog sticks, flash card support for software, motion sensors, built-in GPS and a four-core CPU, among other bells and whistles. The NGP is slated to arrive sometime later this year. Analyst Colin Sebastian with Lazard Capital Markets previously stated that he expects the PSP follow-up to cost "at least" $299 in the U.S.
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