Sony Computer Entertainment will bring its PlayStation Portable gaming device to North America on March 24, Sony's U.S. subsidiary announced today.
The PlayStation Portable was introduced in Japan in December. Generating long lines, 200,000 units of the company's first portable gaming device were sold on the first day it was available, Sony says. North American gamers will get their first crack at the device when the PSP Value Pack is released for $250, the company says.
The Value Pack comes with a 32MB Memory Stick Duo expansion card, headphones, a battery pack, an AC adapter, and a set of game demonstrations. Customers in Japan have the option of a slightly less expensive package that contains the PSP, power adapter, and battery, but Sony did not mention anything about the North American availability of such a package.
The PSP weighs just under 10 ounces, has a 4.3-inch display, and features a 802.11b chip for playing interactive games over wireless networks. Early tests showed the unit comes with about 5 hours of battery life.
We took an early test-drive of a Japanese model of the PSP in December and found the display sharp and crisp. However, we found the PSP a little heavy for extended use.
