Sony Corp. announced a price more fitting of a video-game machine than a slick movie-playing gadget for its new PlayStation Portable — 19,800 yen ($186).
Ken Kutaragi, Executive Deputy President in charge of Sony"s game business, said he thinks consumers will be pleasantly surprised by the price for the device, which he said may be worth twice as much.
But he acknowledged the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant doesn"t expect to turn a profit on the machine until the fiscal year that starts April 1, 2005.
The PlayStation Portable, or PSP, goes on sale in Japan on Dec. 12. Dates and prices for the United States and Europe are still undecided, although overseas sales are being planned for the first quarter of next year.