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Sony PSP UK release date and pre order

UPDATE: We've now found out that Amazon will have stock of the PSP from March 18th! You can make sure you get one of the first ones by pre-ordering here for only ￡180! They'll even give you free postage, so hurry while stocks last.

We've heard reports that the popular new Sony PSP hand-held console will be available March 25 2005.

Although pricing in Japan, where the console has just been released is low at around ￡100, UK gamers should expect to pay as much as ￡200 at launch. Or you can pre-order now from Amazon for ￡180, plus you get free postage!pre-ordering here for only ￡180!!

If by any chance you've been caught in a time-warp and haven't yet heard of the Sony PSP, here are some details:

The PSP has just been launched in Japan and has already proved a great success with thousands of people queueing to get their hands on one on the release day. The US and UK are having to wait a bit longer with Sony only letting a trickle of the devices out, possibly to help generate demand.

The PSP comes only in a black color, with a 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD centered in a sleek ergonomic design with a high-quality finish that fits comfortably in the hands. The dimensions are 170mm x 74mm x 23mm with a weight of 260g.

The PSP's TFT LCD displays full color (16.77 million colors) and is 480 x 272 pixels in resolution.

As well as playing games the PSP also has the basic functions of a portable player such as built-in stereo speakers, exterior headphone connector, brightness control and sound mode selection. Keys and controls inherit the same operability of PlayStation? and PlayStation 2, familiar to fans all over the world.

PSP also comes equipped with diverse input/output connectors such as USB 2.0, and 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless LAN, providing connectivity to various devices in the home and to the wireless network outside. The world of gaming is further enhanced by enabling users to enjoy online gaming, or by connecting multiple PSPs to each other, directly via the wireless network. In addition, software and data can be downloaded through a USB or wireless network onto Memory Stick? PRO Duo. All of these features can be enjoyed on one single system.

PSP adopts a small but high-capacity optical medium UMD? (Universal Media Disc), enabling game software, rich with full-motion video and other forms of digital entertainment content, to be stored. The newly developed UMD, the next-generation compact storage media, is only 60mm in diameter but can store up to 1.8GB of digital data. A broad range of digital entertainment content such as music video clips, movies and sports programs can be provided on UMD. To protect this entertainment content, a robust copyright protection system has been developed which utilizes a combination of a unique disc ID, a 128 bit AES encryption keys for the media, and individual ID for each PSP hardware unit.

SCEI intends to aggressively promote PSP and UMD as the new handheld entertainment platform for the coming era.

UPDATE: We've now found out that Amazon will have stock of the PSP from March 18th! You can make sure you get one of the first ones by

pre-ordering here for only ￡180. They're even including free postage!
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