Doha - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and Sony Gulf FZE yesterday announced that its highly anticipated PSP (PlayStation(r)Portable) hand-held entertainment system would be launched in Doha through their exclusive distributor Modern Home on Thursday.
Following the success of the PSP launches in Japan and the US, PSP will go on sale at all Modern Home showrooms and select retailers in a single version Value Pack, at a special launch price of QR999, a press release said yesterday. The PSP Value Pack contains an added-value package of accessories and entertainment content, including the PSP system with a pouch, 32MB Memory Stick Duo?, Battery Pack, Headphones with Remote Control, AC Adaptor, Wrist Strap, cloth and a video/music/game sampler Universal Media Disc (UMD) including several game demos.
PSP features a 4.3-inch, 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD that displays full colour (16.77 million colours) on a 480 x 272 pixel high-resolution screen. PSP also comes complete with built-in stereo speakers, exterior headphone connector and a range of input/output connectors such as USB 2.0 and 802.11b Wireless Lan, enabling users to connect to the Internet and play online via a Wireless Network. Up to 16 PSP systems 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 PSP and saved onto a Memory Stick Duo.
PSP uses a newly-developed proprietary storage medium named Universal Media Disc (UMD). This high-capacity optical disc is the next-generation compact storage media, and although only 60mm in diameter, a UMD 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 media can be distributed on UMD.
PSP will be supported at launch with over 20 game titles, including 8 titles from SCEE; Ridge Racer, Formula One Grand Prix, Ape Academy, Everybody's Golf, World Tour Soccer, Fired Up, MediEvil: Resurrection and WipEout(tm) Pure. All SCEE titles will be priced in Doha at a RRP of QR199.
In addition to games, there will also be over 30 movie titles available at launch on UMD Video (Region Code 2) including such blockbusters as: Spider-Man 2, Hitch, Charlie's Angels and XXX.
© The Peninsula 2005
