NGP and PSP will co-exist

The upcoming launch of the NGP later this year does not spell the death of the PSP, Sony has confirmed.

In fact, the platform holder says that it is still "struggling to meet demand" for the handheld, which continues to thrive in Japan.

"The NGP features everything Sony can and wants to do today," SCE Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida told Edge, as reported by CVG. "It’s a platform looking forward with great ambition.

"It can’t replace a platform that has already been on sale for seven years now. In terms of pricing, we can’t sell the NGP for the same price as a PSP. The PSP has become very affordable and popular, especially with younger generations.

"I think the NGP needs time to mature and get adopted by users. So, for the time being, both platforms will coexist."

The statement is perhaps not surprising considering that the PS2 – now almost 11 years old – continues to sell in good numbers. Sony reported sales of 2.1m PS2 in the nine months ending December 31st 2010.