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Sony Drops PlayStation Portable Price

Sony said today they were dropping the price of the PlayStation Portable portable video gaming system from $199.99 for the Core Pack to $169.99. This price drop follows the second anniversary of the launch of the PSP.

Sony said that in 2006 hardware PSP shipments rose to nearly 25 million units worldwide, with more than one million new PSP systems sold in North America in December. Software shipments increased to more than 90 million units last year, which may see more of a bolster this year with the addition of Daxter and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror to the $19.99 Greatest Hits program.

Looking forward further into this year, Sony said "a slew of popular first-party franchises will drive further interest in PSP with new exclusives. Highly anticipated titles from third-party publishers include exclusives such as SWAT (official title pending) as well as key franchise titles like Monster Hunter Freedom 2, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, and Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology."

"We have always been passionate about making great entertainment accessible to everyone, and the new price for PSP, as well as the continued growth of the ‘Greatest Hits’ library, reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting and expanding the PSP community," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America, in a statement. "We are pleased that we are able to engineer savings for the consumer at this stage of PSP’s lifecycle, allowing more individuals to experience PSP for the first time." 

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