SONY Corp, the second-largest maker of consumer electronics, will sell a new model of its PlayStation Portable handheld game machine worldwide in October.
The player, bundled with games, would be priced at US$199.99 in North America and 199 euros (US$295) in Europe, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, the company's game division, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The existing model cost US$169 and 169 euros without software, Sosuke Kamei, a Tokyo-based spokesman for the unit, told Bloomberg News by phone yesterday.
The new PSP had a built-in microphone and liquid crystal display that provided sharper images than the existing model, Sony Computer said. Tokyo-based Sony began selling the portable game player in Japan in December 2004 and introduced a slimmer and lighter version in September last year.
The company said the new model would be available in North America on October 14 and in Europe, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand a day later. The retail price and release date for Japan were not immediately available, Kamei said.
Sony also makes the PlayStation 3, which competes with Nintendo Co's Wii and Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 in the market for home game consoles.
The company would introduce a Bluetooth-enabled wireless keypad for the PlayStation 3 that would make online chat easier, Sony Computer said.