PSP gets price cut in Japan

At the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that it will cut the price of the PSP-3000 in Japan starting October 1. The handheld gaming machine will be offered at ¥16,800 ($185), a ¥3,000 markdown from its current ¥19,800($218) price.

Targeted for the year-end sales, the change will make the PSP exactly the same price as Nintendo's DS Lite and 2,100 yen cheaper than the DSi. Nintendo has not announced any price cut for either of its handhelds, although a price cut for the Wii console, from ¥25,000 to ¥20,000 will go into effect on the same day as the cut for the PSP-3000.

Sony did not announce any changes to the price of its PSP Go, which is slated for Japanese release on November 1 for ¥26,800 ($295). But, as a launch campaign, the handheld will come with a product code that allows purchasers to download a free game from a selection of 14 SCE titles.

The PSP Go will get two new peripherals too: a Bluetooth headset adaptor that lets users wirelessly control music (¥4,980, $55) and a converter cable adapter (¥1,980 yen, $22) that lets users attach PSP accessories to their PSP Go, such as the GPS receiver, camera, and OneSeg TV tuner. The two peripherals will be released first in Japan on December 24 and then overseas (North America, Europe, Asia) sometime after January 2010.

Sony also revealed that the PSP Go will get the same lineup of accessories that the PSP already has. That includes the cradle, accessory pack, display protection film, privacy film, pouch & strap, D cable, component AV cable, AV cable, USB cable, and AC adapter. In Japan, the accessories will be released simultaneously with the PSP Go's launch.