popular thinking

ASSESSING THE SONY PSP: A generation ago, Sony introduced the Walkman and revolutionized portable entertainment.
Tomorrow it launches the PlayStation Portable, described by one company executive as "the first entertainment Swiss Army Knife.'' Will lightning strike Sony twice? Or will the PSP join the ranks of the Betamax, the minidisc and DIVX in the woulda, coulda, shoulda dustbin of history?
The avalanche of buzz about the PSP guarantees at least short-term success.
"I think that the hype that is created around it is a huge factor,'' said Tony Fair, director of strategic solutions for Boston-based Alloy Media and Marketing. "The past weekend, I went into an electronics store in my neighborhood. I heard the guy tell kids you have to reserve one now.''
In fact, many retailers, including the CambridgeSide Galleria's Electronics Boutique, already have cleared their PSP inventories through preorders. Big chains such as Best Buy and Circuit City only promise limited supplies of 15 or 20 per store, which should sell out in minutes tomorrow morning.
Sony expects to ship its initial order of 1 million units in a week, and has postponed a European launch to meet the demand here.
What's the big deal?
The PSP arrives with the potential to combine the features of its competitors - Nintendo's Game Boy, portable movie players and Apple's iPod - all in one gadget. It plays video games, movies, music files and displays digital photos, using a Sony proprietary device called the Universal Media Disc and memory sticks.
"With PSP, we're aiming to create a new market for entertainment,'' spokesman Patrick Seybold said yesterday.
Seybold sees the PSP as another step in the process of "mainstreaming gaming'' and opening up new opportunities for hand-held entertainment.

Continue reading: Sony takes aim at new market with launch of PlayStation Portable (Boston Herald)