14 DAY TRIAL // Sony's PS3 platform, which has just completed its first year of existence, may not be the most profitable of Sony's ventures, but the fact remains that, despite all difficulties, the company's gaming platform has been holding its own quite well against Nintendo's Wii. Sony actually turned 60 about four years ago and its PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles have already been around for about 15 and ten years, respectively. The PS3, however, is not the only reason Sony has for celebration. In fact, the company is celebrating the birthday of its smallest (literally) child, namely the PSP.
The PlayStation Portable was officially introduced to the world on March 24, 2005. Since then, about 17 million such handheld devices have been sold, along with more than 820 specifically designed games from over 245 developers. Part of the platform's success is owed to Sony giving it access to the PlayStation Store in 2007, after which the PlayStation Network also grew in popularity. The latest iteration of the system was introduced in North America in the fall of 2009, thus becoming the “first and only all-digital, full-game handheld entertainment system on the market.”
“Five years ago, PlayStation had yet to break into the portable market,” Peter Dille, senior vice president, Marketing and PlayStation Network, at Sony Computer Entertainment America, said. “Today, the PSP system is a well-established handheld platform that continuously redefines portable entertainment with quality that's unparalleled. As PSP celebrates its fifth anniversary, the best is yet to come. We're very excited about the vibrant 2010 lineup and are committed to continuing to offer entertainment experiences and immersive gameplay only possible on the PlayStation platform.”
“PlayStation has repeatedly made bold decisions through the introduction of technology that continues to redefine the entertainment landscape, whether it be in the living room or on-the-go,” Jesse Divnich, vice president, Analyst Services at EEDAR, stated. “Over the last five years, the PSP system has always reflected Sony's ability to understand and meet the needs of modern consumers by providing a convergent device that offers high-quality gaming, photo, movie, and audio support.”
What remains to be seen is what Sony will do to further reduce the gap between the PSP and Nintendo's Game Boy/DS line.