May 11 Sony presented new information about the upcoming PSP. Hirai from Sony stated that they needed 6 - 10 games at the launch. Initially PSP will be at loss at a price in the range 190 - 290 dollars.

A concept model of PSP (PlayStation Portable) was shown by Sony on November 4. Sony plans for a launch of PSP during the holiday season of 2004 in Japan. USA and Europe will have to wait for PSP until spring 2005.

Sony announced May 13 2003, during E3, its upcoming PSP with computing power comparable to the original PlayStation. PSP will be powered by super chipsets utilizing the latest 90 nm semiconductor technology.

PSP with and without protective cover together with a Universal Media Disc (UMD).

PSP will have a 4.5-inch LCD screen, Memory Stick expansion slots, stereo sound, wireless connectivity and USB 2.0 connectivity. PSP will use a new optical media format UMD, half the size of a CD/DVD, capable of storing 1.8GB of data. Video quality will also be enhanced with MPEG4, which delivers quality equivalent to DVD video at a low data rate.

The price will be very competitive around 150€ in Europe according to Chris Deering from SCEE (€ correponds to about 1.1 dollar). This is a sensational low price. Obviously, Sony intends to profit by selling a lot of games, movies, music etc. The games, movies and music will be released on the new UMD discs.

PSP Specifications
Platform name: PSP(TM)
Display: Wide screen (16:9) TFT LCD with backlight (480 x 272 dots)
Disc medium: "UMD" 60mm optical secured ROM disc with cartridge (1.8GB)
Video CODEC: MPEG4
Graphics: 3D Polygon/NURBS
Sound: PCM (built-in stereo speakers, stereo headphone output)
I/O: USB 2.0, Memory Stick slot, wireless 802.11b (WiFi).
Battery: Rechargeable (lithium-ion) 2.5 - 10 hours

The company's goal is to extend the reach of PlayStation to a broader audience, allowing consumers to enjoy gaming and other entertainment content anytime, anywhere.

Sony will offer PC-based development tools starting from fall 2003 for the preparation of a new range of computer entertainment content.