New PlayStation is ‘next generation portable’

SONY said the successor to its PlayStation Portable machine will go on sale late this year, offering the quality of a home console in an on-the-go machine boasting a screen double the size of smart phones.

The announcement yesterday of the “next generation portable” underlines efforts at the Japanese electronics and entertainment company to ward off the formidable threat from Apple which is delivering one hit product after another, while also trying to get an edge over Nintendo, maker of the DS handheld game machine.

The popularity of smart phones, including the iPhone, is a potential threat to game machine makers as more people play games, watch video, send e-mail and chat on mobile phones. People are also using other portable devices, such as Apple’s iPod and iPad, to play games.