Just as PSP is beginning to rear its head in the U.S., with games on sale since Wednesday March 16, Sony has made official a European PSP delay, since the U.S. launch is expected to deplete PSP stores worldwide. Europeans however, decided to show Sony how important a market they are part of by an explosive reaction to Nintendo's DS.
Nintendo DS, launched in the UK on Friday 11th March 2005, has achieved record breaking sales of nearly 87,000 units in its first two days alone.
Nintendo DS software also launched in the UK with Super Mario 64 DS, Wario Ware: Touched! and Rayman DS (Ubisoft) the UK's top three selling titles respectively.
The success in the UK follows in the wake of exceptional sales in the US and Japan where over 3 million Nintendo DS units have been sold worldwide since launch.
The Nintendo DS UK launch first and third party launch titles included Super Mario 64 DS, Wario Ware Touched, Polarium, Pokémon Dash, The Urbz: Sims in the City, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf, Project Rub and Zoo Keeper among others. In comparison PSP launch titles gracing U.S. retail shelves since Wednesday March 16, include Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix, Need For Speed Underground Rivals, WipeOut Pure, Twisted Metal, Gretzky NHL, NBA Basketball, Spider-Man 2, Dynasty Warriors, and World Tour Soccer. While set to go on sale Friday, March 18 include Ape Escape and Darkstalkers Chronicle.
The Nintendo DS can be purchased from most good retailers for around GBP 99. Software is available from around GBP 29 and GBP 19 depending on the game. PSP however, will not be available March 31 in Europe as initially announced and may be delayed even until June, depending on how U.S. demand, expected to be high, turns out. PSP is going on sale next week in the U.S. (March 24) along with other games including Ridge Racer and Metal Gear Acid.
