Sony drops PSP price to 130 as NGP draws near

Sony today sent word that it was dropping the price of the PSP to $130. The cut to the Core Pack brings it down from $170 and will be accompanied by a similar price slash on Entertainment Pack bundles, which will drop from $200 to $160. Both drops take effect February 27 and will come in tandem with a TV spot (below) driving the point home and taking a dig at iPhone gaming.

"Thank you, Sony, for making real games for real gamers," a teen says in an ad full of similarly young players.

The move comes in tandem with some new games getting dropped into the Greatest Hits category and thus dropping to $20, including Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, Dissidia, LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, among others. Killzone: Liberation, Tomb Raider Anniversary and four more are dropping down to $10.

None of the cuts were explained, but the drops are very likely meant to keep sales afloat until the Next Generation Portable (NGP) arrives. Although it could cost roughly three times as much as the newly cheaper PSP, it's expected to have much greater longevity through the more powerful hardware and much stronger Internet support. The system won't show until late 2011 in at least Japan but could lead many to deliberately hold off on a PSP.

The cut also conveniently improves competition with the Nintendo DSi and could help lure less dedicated gamers who might otherwise get the faster, more advanced but also more expensive iPod touch.

By Electronista Staff

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