New PlayStation targeted for March 2005
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-13 01:28

Sony Corp. said it plans to unveil its next-generation PlayStation video game console before the end of March 2005, according to a news report on Monday.

Sony has been secretive about its next-generation consoles because of stiff competition from rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co.

A cartoon game is displayed on Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation Portable (PSP) at a press preview in Tokyo Monday, July 12, 2004. The 260 gram (9.1 ounce) portable game machine features 16:9 wide and high quality liquid crystal display with built-in speaker with headphone and microphone outputs. It is also feasible to play small size UMD optical disc for wide range of music, film and sports. [AP]

Takeshi Kutaragi, president of Sony Computer, told a news conference that the newest PlayStation would be on store shelves this fiscal year, but didn't reveal the product's specifications, Kyodo News agency said.

Japan's current fiscal year runs from April 2004 to March 2005.

If confirmed, that timeline would mean Sony's new game console will be out before the E3 convention in Los Angeles, scheduled for May. Sony and other video game makers have used E3, which draws game developers, fans and industry officials, for major product launches.

Sony's PlayStation2 game machine is the industry's best-selling console, though Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube have been gaining some ground by winning converts.

Kutaragi also said Sony would start selling PlayStation Portable, dubbed PSP — a handheld device with a color display, stereo speakers and wireless Internet for multiplayer games, music and videos — in Japan by the end of December, Kyodo reported.

PSP will be available in the U.S. and European markets by March 2005, Kutaragi was quoted as saying.

Officials at Sony's headquarters in Tokyo couldn't be reached for comment.

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