New slim design and low price will make people wait to get a new PSP instead of getting the current one out will.

 How much do you think the next few month sales are till the Slim one His US Shelfs?

(MSN) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19803381/

TOKYO - Sony Corp. will launch a cheaper, slimmer version of its PlayStation Portable handheld game player in an effort to better compete with Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s hot-selling DS.

Japanese electronics maker Sony said on Tuesday it will launch the new PSP in Japan on September 20.

Both Sony and Nintendo released their handheld gear, the PSP and DS, respectively, late in 2004. But sales of the PSP, which can play movies, music and games, have recently been outshone by the DS.

 The new PSP will sell for 19,800 yen ($162), 5 percent less than the current model, which has been sold for 20,790 yen. It compares with 16,800 yen for Nintendo's DS Lite, the lighter version of the DS.

"The PSP is heading into its second growth stage," Sony Computer Entertainment Corporate Executive Masatsuka Saeki told a news conference.  is Sony's video game unit.

Nintendo sold 23.6 million DS units in the year ended March 31, outpacing PSP shipments of 8.4 million, as its games such as "Nintendogs" pet training title proved a success and expanded gaming beyond young men to women and the elderly.

The DS has two screens, opens like a book and allows gamers to control play with a stylus, instead of manipulating a keypad.

At the E3 game industry exposition in the United States last week,  Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai said it would launch the new PSP model in September, but no specific launch timing or price for the Japanese market were available.

The game unit also said on Tuesday it would launch the latest version of its popular in-house racing game "Gran Turismo" in October.

Reuters 2007

They should drop the price on the current model - now.

No one will buy one once the updated model is out AND costs less.

Maybe they will drop the price (or do a clearance) once the  new model hits.

Something like they Did for the PS3 would be a very smart move by sony, If they dont then the sales of the psp will be VERY low untell the US ship date.

I know i would w8 for a cheaper better model just an openion

The game unit also said on Tuesday it would launch the latest version of its popular in-house racing game "Gran Turismo" in October.


Gt PsP done, wtf since when.

I wish i could change the name of the thread to say

PSP LITE 5% Price Drop And new model - Will It kill Current PSP sales untill September

the new psp also got more memory (faster load/boot).
the people that are buying now are the news ignorant ones.

 GT 5 Prologue I would guess

But still Just the people that are aware of this will be waiting for the new system, Also i dont know if they listed a Date for a US release

They will probably drop the price of the old model to phase it out when the new ones come out if the old models are still around.

I'm assuming they wanna sell through the old versions and they could since no new ones are being made.

Also, no it won't kill sales of the current PSP.

So...GT PSP is really coming in October? Been waiting for that since....2004.