PSP's score so far: solid, but not spectacular

Despite the predictions of analysts and Sony, the new PlayStation Portable is no instant sellout.

The first million of the widescreen movie-, music- and game-playing $250 PSPs were expected to be gone within hours of the launch March 24, but a survey a week later found that two-thirds of stores still had them in stock.

"A solid but not spectacular launch" is how analyst P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research sees it. Of 150 retailers contacted a week after the PSP launched, 50 had sold out. McNealy estimated 475,000 to 575,000 units were purchased in the first week; official figures from Sony were not available.

Toys 'R' Us, Circuit City and Best Buy all say PSPs remain at some locations.

"It is pretty much hit and miss at this point," Best Buy's Brian Lucas says. "You basically have to call around."

That's good news for game fans. Carrie Yarbrough, 32, of Dallas, found plenty of PSPs at a Target last week. "I like it, and I think I will enjoy it," she says. "The real test will be how many movies and good games are available these next few months."

The news isn't bad for Sony, either.

The PSP is off to one of the better starts in industry history, nearly on par with the PlayStation 2 launch in October 2000 and faster than PSP's handheld competitor, the $150 Nintendo DS, which has sold about 2 million since Nov. 21, according to market research firm DFC Intelligence.

The PSP's price might have some buyers deciding to wait, says Brian O'Rourke of In-Stat Market Research.

Some PSPs bundled with a game assortment top the $450 mark; he expects a stand-alone PSP to be sold for $200 or less by Christmas.

"I expect that by the end of 2006, the Sony PSP will be outshipping both the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance," O'Rourke says.

Early reports also indicate that a small number of PSP buyers have complained about dead pixels, which are dots on the LCD screen that don't turn on or off. "I'm hearing reports of some consumers with over a dozen dead pixels," says Dan Hsu, editor in chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly. "That's way, way too many."

A few dark or dead pixels is not considered a malfunction, Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold says.

The one-year warranty would cover the problem of dead pixels interfering with playing games or viewing videos, he says.