PSP Launch Lineup Discussed at CES

Sony's eagerly-awaited PSP press event, held at this week's Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, was thought by many to be the place where Sony would reveal the precise launch date and American MSRP for the system. However, today's press conference was ruled by some analysts to be something of a disappointment in terms of new information. However Kaz Hirai, spokesman for SCEA, merely reiterated earlier statements that the PSP would "probably" be out in March, and neglected to mention the price at all. It's widely assumed that the system will sell for somewhere near the 19,800 yen ($189) of the Japanese version, but how close that figure is to the truth remains a mystery for now. Hirai did show video footage of several games, though didn't confirm whether all of them would be available at launch. Titles shown in the montage were Ape Escape P!, ATV Offroad Fury, Coded Arms, Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, Dynasty Warriors, Hot Shots Golf, Mercury, Metal Gear Acid, NBA ShootOut 2005, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, Twisted Metal World Tour, and WipeOut Pure. Though many of the Japanese-developed titles are already released in that territory, and seem likely for a U.S. launch, not all of the U.S.-developed ones may be completed in time. Furthermore, apparent lock-ins for the American launch window, including Lumines and Armored Core weren't mentioned, so it's hard to judge the true size of the U.S. PSP launch library. Other territories also got a mention during the presentation; Hirai revealed that SCEI has shipped 510,000 PSPs to Japan so far, which puts the number of systems available there on a par with Nintendo's initial DS launch figures. The Sony spokesman also mentioned the European launch, saying that he'd like to see the system launch in March alongside the U.S. releases, but refrained from giving a firm date.