PSP UK sales increase

Sony is reporting that since chopping £20 off the PSP's suggested retail price on Friday May 4th, the company has seen a 60 per cent increase in sales for the handheld in its opening weekend.

Now at £130 for the basic pack (though easily found for £120 at online retailers such as Play.com and Amazon), Sony is confident the new price should see a continued positive effect on the platform's retail performance through the rest of the year as it attracts a wider demographic.

"The price realignment was about passing on manufacturing cost savings to customers. This new price point opens up a new wave of consumers to the PSP experience," said Sony's sales director Andrew Howsen, speaking in the strange language of sales directors to industry publication MCV.

Obviously we'll have to wait and see if that's the case but the timing does seem apt, coinciding with some very strong recent and imminent releases for the platform, such as Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Burnout Dominator, Driver 76 (expect a review soon), and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.