Sony Corp launched a new handheld gaming device, the first to feature 3G wireless connectivity, as it battles with Nintendo’s best-selling DS and tries to fend off rising competition from smartphones and tablets.
Sony’s announcement yesterday came as Nintendo Co reported net profit plunged 74.3 percent for the nine months that ended last month. Nintendo launches its 3D version of its popular DS model next month.
Sony said the new device, which it has codenamed “NGP” for “Next Generation Portable,” will go on sale around the end of the year.
Photo: Bloomberg
It will feature 3G wireless connectivity, the first in a portable games device, and use a 5 inch OLED panel, Sony said.
That compares with 3.5 inches for a standard smartphone screen.
The device also has a back touch pad in addition to the front touch panel and a motion sensor for more intuitive use, Sony said.
With smartphones and tablets from the likes of Apple Inc eating into the market for portable gaming devices, Sony and Nintendo desperately need a blockbuster product to boost sales and profit.
Nintendo’s DS sold nearly 136 million units up to last September. Sony’s PSP has sold about 61 million.
The next-generation PSP may be closely related to a PlayStation phone that may be in the works.
If not announced this week, the PlayStation phone could be unveiled on Feb. 13 at a Sony Ericsson event in Barcelona.
Nintendo reported a steeper profit drop than analysts estimated and cut the sales forecast for its main Wii and DS players.
Net income plunged 74 percent from a year earlier to ￥49.6 billion (US$604 million) in the nine months ended on Dec. 31, Nintendo said. That missed the ￥66.7 billion average of four analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Nintendo, projecting its lowest annual profit in six years, cut the forecast for the motion-sensing Wii by 8.6 percent and the handheld DS player by 4.3 percent.
Operating profit fell 47 percent to ￥158.8 billion in the period to Dec. 31, while revenue slumped 32 percent to ￥808 billion, Nintendo said. The analysts expected ￥190 billion in operating income on ￥823.1 billion in sales.
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