PSP in Europe by March - Chatani
SCEI's chief technical officer says production is already ramping up for Europe and the US.
In the absence of official details from Sony, comments from officials within the company are the best indicator of when we can expect to see the PSP in Europe.
Speaking to US site GamePro, Masa Chatani, chief technical officer at Sony's game division, confirmed that we could expect to see the handheld reach PAL territories within the next three months.
"[Production is] already ramping to prepare for Europe, U.S. and other territories and we already announced we plan to launch in U.S. and Europe by the end of our fiscal year, which is at the end of March, so we are trying to achieve that schedule right now," said Chatani, best known for his recent stage appearance at Sony's E3 conference in May when he discussed the PS3's Cell Processor.
The PSP has recently gone on sale in Japan, where the console sold out almost immediately. Sony has promised to make another 100,000 PSPs per week to meet Japanese demand.
Releasing the PSP outside of Japan within the next three months will put considerable stress on the company's production facilities.
Sony is expected to announce the final launch details for the PSP soon.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games