Sony: Films Focus of Europe PSP Debut
As the months wind down to Sony's European PSP launch on September 1, the company is focusing its marketing attention not only on games, but also movies. Highlighting the device's multimedia capabilities, Sony intends to have 10 films on sale by the time the PSP hits EU shelves compared to only 20 games.
Sony says it has already sold 100,000 movies for the PSP, not including Spider-Man 2, which came bundled with the unit. The PSP uses a proprietary disc format called UMD that Sony hopes could offer studios another outlet for sales amid flattening DVD revenues.
By mid-September, up to 20 flicks could be available for purchase, with the number of available titles eventually surpassing games. Initially, movies targeted at the males between 18 and 25 years of age; Sony plans to expand into younger and female oriented titles at a later date.
The number of games is also expected to jump for the holiday season, with Sony expecting 50 PSP game titles available in total for Christmas.
Like its U.S. counterpart, the European PSP will come in a value pack priced at 249 euros, which includes stereo headphones, 32MB Memory Stick Duo, battery and charger, wrist strap, and soft carrying case. Customers in Europe won't receive Spider-Man 2 in the box, but can order the movie free of charge when registering their PSP online.