|
Gamers clamor for Sony PSP |
|
|
|
|
Thursday, 24 March 2005 |
Gamers clamor for Sony PSP
MercuryNews By Dean Takahashi
Richard Roth had his moment in the spotlight in the wee hours of Wednesday
night. At midnight, he raised his arms in a victory sign as he became the first
game fanatic to purchase Sony's PlayStation Portable.
Jack Tretton, executive vice president of sales at Sony's U.S. games division,
handed Roth the PSP at the checkout counter. Tretton said,``One down'' as Roth
handed over more than $300 in cash. It was among the first of a million
portables that Sony hopes to sell in a matter of days as part of the company's
attempt to expand the market for portable entertainment devices.
``This is all about expanding the market to the older gamers and anyone who
likes entertainment,'' Tretton said. Cameras flashed, and TV camera crews
quickly pulled him aside to ask Roth, a 23-year-old San Franciscan, how he felt.
Roth had bleary red eyes, but wore a bright smile under his PSP beanie as he
told the awaiting press that he had waited 42 hours to be the first to buy the
gaming handheld at the PlayStation store a tSony's Metreon mall in San
Francisco.
`I'm happy the wait is over,'' Roth said. ``I've had 20 minutes of sleep in the
last day, but the experience was good. I knew when I first heard about this, I
had to have it.''
Roth said he was drawn to the PSP's features such as its sharp, high-resolution
screen, ability to play MP3 music, high-quality 3-D games as well as movies. He
had no interest in buying a Nintendo DS, the handheld system that has sold more
than 4 million units since its launch in November.
Reggie Fils-Amie, a Nintendo executive vice president, said his company is going
after the same older gamers that Sony is targeting with the PSP. But Fils-Amie
believes that the extras that Sony put into its handheld make it less about
games and more about broader entertainment. Sony is selling the PSP for $249,
while Nintendo's DS is $149.
But it was Sony's night on Wednesday. More than a 100 fans lined the sidewalk
outside the Metreon. Alfonso Ochoa, a 22-year-old San Francisco resident, said
he waited almost 15 hours in the rain and cold to get his chance to buy a PSP.
He said his father brought him some spare clothes and a meal.
Sony itself had a disc jockey on hand and gave out food, T-shirts and beanies to
all those waiting. Sherri Lowe, a 39-year-old Walnut Creek resident, waited 17
hours to buy a PSP for her 14-year-old son. She said the Sony staff helped her
charge her wheel chair as she waited. As she rode her wheel chair past the
crowd, she shouted, `I waited 17 hours! I was No. 22 in line! I've got my son's
PSP!`
Tretton said that Sony has sold more than 1.1 million PSPs in Japan since
December. But the company put off its launch in Europe in order to have enough
units in the U.S. Supplies are good, he said, but after the initial allotment
runs out soon, there's no telling exactly when more PSPs will arrive, he said.
He remembered the launch of the PlayStation 2 at the same store in 2000, when
Sony had only 500,000 units on hand across the country.
For Sony, which just promoted Howard Stringer as CEO, the PSP is an important
product. ``The timing of this launch is good,'' said Tretton. ``We've got a new
management team, and I believe they know the importance of the games division.''
See some specifications and photos of the new PlayStation Portable ( PSP ) here
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
