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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Friday, April 08, 2005

Sony Sold 500,000 PSPs in Two Days in N. America

Reuters:

Sony sold 500,000 units of its PlayStation Portable handheld video game device in the first two days after its North American release, about half the units the company had aimed to provide retailers, Sony said on Thursday.

The $249 PSP Value Pack came out March 24 in the United States. There were mixed reactions to the early sales, with some analysts saying the device was not selling as fast as some large chains might have expected.

But Sony said the PSP generated a total of $150 million in first-week sales at North American retailers. It said sales remained strong through the rest of the first week but did not quantify what that meant or give details on second-week sales.

My PSP arrived this past Monday, and I have to say it's impressive. The screen quality, especially, is amazing, as most clearly evidenced by the bundled movie, Spider-Man 2. It looks as good as any DVD I've ever seen, much nicer than a Portable Media Center.

You do have to jump through hoops to play music, photo slideshows, or videos on the device, however, though that should change as better tools become available. But I've played around with music, photos, and videos on the device, and the results are stunning. Even the PSP UI is pretty good, a first from Sony.

On the bad side, the PSP is kind of a busy device. Everything seems to have a latch or flap on it. And it desperately needs a screen cover: This thing looks like it will scratch as easily as any iPod. But it's a good size and weight. And again, the screen quality is just amazing.

[ Posted at 2:37 PM | Permalink ]