Playstation going portable

Sony’s PlayStation Portable, which will mark the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant’s entry into handheld video-game machines, goes in sale in Japan from early December.

The PlayStation Portable, which uses a new kind of disc format, will have 12 games at its launch.

The device is also being billed as a mobile gadget for watching movies.

The PlayStation Portable, also known as PSP, will face off against offerings from Japanese rival Nintendo Co., which makes Super Mario and Pokemon games and now dominates portable game machines with its Game Boy series.

Sony has said the PSP won’t go on sale overseas until next spring.

It is expected to retail in Japan for 19,500 yen (€145)