Simultaneous European Release Date for PSP and DS

Finally, after all the excitement of E3’s new handheld-fest, the prospect of actually squeezing and poking the Sony and Nintendo machines is actually becoming a reality. March 18 will be the day that sees the PSP and DS go head-to-head in a battle to conquer Europe. Mark that down in your diary and start pestering the Easter Bunny right now - the joy of cracking open a chocolate egg to find a brand new handheld console would be unsurpassable.

American and Japanese gamers should enjoy a pre-Christmas release, but at least that will give potential consumers in Europe a chance to gauge the goodness before making a firm decision on which console to opt for. One thing’s for sure, if the DS and PSP do launch on the same day, there will be a marketing war on a massive scale. Retailers on European high streets will be bursting at the seams with crowds of queue-shoving customers, and Nintendo and Sony will be trying to crush each other with preposterously expensive PR stunts.

However, if neither company can organise a smooth supply chain for the provision of LCDs (an essential component for both machines) there may still be too few units to meet demand come March 18. That would make the marketing challenge even more intense as the impatient public’s hunger for the new handhelds reaches feverish desperation.