Los Angeles: Sony Corp is on track to double the number of PlayStation Portable video game players sold in North America to around six million at the end of its first holiday season this year.
The sharp screen on the paperback-sized video game device has won over movie fans, fortifying a solid debut though not a runaway success along the lines of Apple Computer Inc.'s iPods.
Analysts predict that the PSP's long-term prospects are good, but some PSP players have said that the games are slow to load on the device and that its left thumb-operated mini joystick can be awkward to master.
"Clearly there is not the intoxication or hysteria that there is with the iPod," said Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey, who is among those betting on the PSP's success.
The PSP debuted in late March, piling up accolades from technology luminaries and consumers taken with the bright, crisp color screen on the sleek black device.
As of November, Sony said it has sold more than three million PSPs in North America, where it retails for around $250.
"The PSP is for an older audience, the content is definitely for an older market," said IDC video game analyst Schelley Olhava.
Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Nintendo DS, pegged at $130, is the PSP's closest rival, although it targets a younger and more feminine market.
The PSP launched with 24 games and now has over 70 titles available for the system, a Sony spokesman said.
The game getting the most buzz and the one analysts predict could drive device sales is Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
The game is part of the best-selling and very controversial urban action game franchise.
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