I didn't fall for the Sony
So on Thursday, I went with my usual "hot new release" strategy of driving over to a dilapidated Kmart
To my surprise, she called back from the store to say that there were still plenty of PSPs ripe for the picking. Figuring that the eBay
Sony had shipped a million units in its launch, but they sure weren't all spoken for, as I had once feared. Then again, launching a new system in March isn't easy, considering how far away the 2005 Christmas season is and how many folks are still recovering from the credit card statements from last December's holiday season.
The limited number of games currently available for the new disc format probably hasn't helped matters, but it's always that way with a new rollout. The PSP plays movies, too. It comes bundled with Marvel's
Going up against Nintendo in the handheld market is a risky yet necessary move for Sony. Unlike Nintendo, which managed to ship only a few hundred thousand Nintendo DS systems when it launched back in November, the ready availability of the PSP for most shoppers on Thursday was a good thing. Sony dominates on the console front, and if it is able to translate that leadership into the portable market, it may leave Nintendo with little alternative but to follow other former platform makers like Atari
More related content on the Sony PSP:
- Learn about the other stocks worth buying for next year.
- Nintendo shipped far fewer DS systems back in November.
- Get up to speed on the PSP.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz also has a Nintendo DS lying around the house -- though his kids rarely give him the chance to check it out. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.