Sony set to launch slimmer version of PSP

Sony Corp plans to come out with a sleek version of its PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game player, the company said on Tuesday. To be launched on September 20 this year in Japan, the slimmer version has been priced at 19,800 yen or US$162. The Japanese electronics major said with the slimmer PSP , the company hopes to give tougher competition for Nintendo’s DS, which has been a runaway hit.

Sony had earlier hinted at a slimmer version, though details on pricing and launch date was not revealed. Sony Corp and rival Nintendo had come out with PSP and DS, their handheld gears, in 2004.

Sony said users have the option to watch television programs on the device. For this, they would have to buy a tuner which costs 6,980 yen. As per Sony’s forecast, it estimates to ship 9 million units of the player this fiscal year. This is 7.7% more than the previous comparable period.

Nintendo on the other hand expects to sell 22 million of its DS this fiscal year. This is a 6.6% dip from the last fiscal.

But Nintendo’s DS has beaten PSP in sales, selling 23.6 million units in the fiscal ended March 31. The comparative figure for PSP was 8.4 million.

Nintendo’s June sales figure for DS in Japan was 535,012. In comparison, Sony sold 113,297 PSPs. Meanwhile, Sony Computer Entertainment announced on Tuesday it would launch the latest version of Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo 5, in October. Gran Turismo is a popular in-house racing game.

Gran Turismo 5 is a keenly awaited title of its PlayStation 3 game console. With the launch of its Gran Turismo 5 before the key shopping season, Sony expects to spur sales of PlayStation 3.