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Feb 21, 2005, 11:04 PM
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PSP Will Support Movies
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Sony has announced that it will release four movies in the UMD format compatible with its PSP on April 19th. The PSP is due for launch in late March. The PSP's ability to serve as game player, movie viewer and music player is one of its appeals, Yankee Group analyst Mike Goodman told NewsFactor. With a portable device, Sony seeks to expand its target demographic beyond young males to others who like their entertainment on the go, such as commuters and business travelers.
The movies the company has chosen, however, may not do much to expand that demographic out of the gate. The four titles -- "XXX," "Hellboy," "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" and "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" -- have a fairly limited appeal. They do add to the device's reputation as a viable video viewer, though.
Sony already has announced that it intends to include a copy of "Spider-Man 2" in the first one million PSP units to be sold in the U.S. There is no word on whether or not the movie will be available for separate purchase.
The home PlayStation was, in fact, the device that brought gaming out of the realm of the adolescent male and into the mainstream, Goodman pointed out. That device came out in 1995. Many of its original users now are adults and are eager to take their gaming experience with them in their grown-up travels.
The PSP's worldwide launch in Japan last year met with great enthusiasm. The device sold over 200,000 units on the first day. Of course, the PSP has significant ground to make up to unseat market leader Nintendo, which currently has between 90 and 95 percent of the handheld gaming market, said Goodman.
However, Sony is known for its big-bang marketing campaigns, and the PSP's launch is no exception. The company might even have pushed up the PSP's North American debut had it not been for restrictive agreements with business partners in its supply chain that kept it from ramping up production.
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