Sony announces PSP giveaway in Japan

TOKYO--Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that it will give away 25 PSP systems to Japanese gamers in a special contest that commemorates the fifth anniversary of its virtual pet communication game series Doko Demo Issho. This will be the first such contest for the company's handheld gaming device, which is slated to launch in Japan on December 12.

Between now and February 28, gamers can enter the contest by collecting and sending two proof of purchase tabs: one from the purchase of a recent Dokodemo Issho title and one from the purchase of a piece of Dokodemo Issho merchandise (such as a wrist watch, a coffee cup, or a plush doll). Applicable titles include: Doko Demo Issho: Toro to Ippai (PS2), Doko Demo Issho: Toro to Nagareboshi (PS2), and the upcoming PSP version of Dokodemo Issho.

Twenty-five first-place winners will receive a free PSP handheld, a copy of the game, and a limited edition Dokodemo Issho PSP carrying case. One thousand carrying cases will also go out to second-place winners.

Dokodemo Issho made its debut in 1999 as a virtual pet game that was designed to work with Sony's PocketStation visual memory card. While the series has never been released in the West, it's a well-known virtual pet game in Japan. The popularity of the game's mascot, Toro the cat, exceeded that of the game, and Toro became one of the mascots for SCE in Japan. Widely recognized by gaming and nongaming audiences alike, Toro currently has his own segment during the morning news on one of Japan's national broadcasting stations, FujiTV.