TOKYO
(AP) — Sony Corp. is
introducing a smaller, slimmer and lighter version of its PlayStation
3 home
console ahead of the year-end holidays as it gears up for growing competition
in games from smartphones.
The
announcement Wednesday from the Japanese electronics andentertainment company comes a day ahead of the
annual Tokyo Game Show, where game makers show their wares. But the iPhone 5
smartphone from Apple Inc. is
hogging much of the attention, already drawing long lines for pre-orders at
some retailers, and more lines are expected ahead of Friday's launch.
The new
PlayStation 3, closer to the size of a laptop, is half the size of the original
model, introduced in 2006. It also offers more hard-drive memory at 500
gigabytes and 250 gigabytes, up from the current 320 GB and 160 GB options.
The global
rollout starts Sept. 25 in North America, where the 250 GB version will sell
for $269. The other version sells for $299 from Oct. 30. In Japan,
the models go on sale Oct. 4 for 29,980 yen ($380) and 24,980 yen ($316).
Tokyo-based Sony is
struggling as its other electronics businesses get battered by competition from
Apple's iPhones as well as by cheaper Asian rivals.
The maker of
Bravia TVs and Walkman portable players posted its worst loss in its 66-year
history for the fiscal year ended in March — its fourth straight year of red
ink.
The company
is banking on games to help steer a turnaround. President Kazuo Hirai spent
much of his career leading the game division.
To woo
consumers, Sony is slashing the price on its PlayStation Portable,
or PSP, mobile device as it increasingly focuses on its upgraded PlayStation
Vita, which went on sale last year, for on-the-go games.
The PSP,
which first went on sale in 2004, comes down Thursday to 13,800 yen ($175) in
Japan from 16,800 yen ($213). There is no change to the U.S. price now at about
$130.
Sony plans
to expand entertainment based on cloud computing, which offers storage and
other computer services over the network, after recently acquiring Gaikai Inc.,
a U.S. game company.
The
PlayStation Vita won't be getting any upgrades just yet. But it will be
available in new colors, blue and red, in addition to white and black, but only
in Japan.
Some
speculation is buzzing about a PlayStation 4, possibly before the end of next
year, but officials were mum on that topic.
The PS Vita,
which has a touch-panel, allows users to live-stream video and works as an
electronic book function for colorful comics, according to Sony.
But Sony has
already slashed its PS Vita sales target for this fiscal year through March
2013, to 12 million units, down from 16 million that was given three months
earlier.
In lowering
the target, Sony pointed to the economic slowdown, especially in Europe. But it
also noted the intense competition from smartphones and social-networking
entertainment.
Hiroshi
Kawano, who heads Sony's game business in Japan, said the networking feature of
PlayStation 3 allows users to enjoy millions of tunes, karaoke at home and a
growing library of movies.
"Even
after six years, the PlayStation 3 has not lost momentum and continues to
deliver powerful home entertainment," he said at a Tokyo hall.
___
Follow Yuri
Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama
