Sony Computer Entertainment America Launches Innovative Marketing Campaign to Support the Year's Most Anticipated Product PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable)

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today an innovative marketing campaign to launch the PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system, which makes its highly anticipated North American debut on March 24. The groundbreaking campaign demonstrates PSP as the first truly integrated portable entertainment product designed to provide a comprehensive entertainment experience -- games, movies, music, photos and wireless connectivity -- in one stylish device. The multi-million dollar integrated marketing effort includes television, print, outdoor and online elements, and non-traditional, original programs including PSP Radio and the first-ever PSP Accessories Show.

The various executions of the campaign are designed to engage consumers by showcasing the incredible entertainment innovation that PSP represents, while also focusing on the human aspect of personal entertainment. The overall tone of the campaign is hip and urban, inviting consumers to break free from the constraints of the "handheld gaming ghetto."

"PSP is the first product to deliver on the portable entertainment promise that today's consumers seek, a true blending of technology, fashion and fun," said Andrew House, executive vice president, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Through the PSP marketing campaign, we are taking portable entertainment to the mainstream, expanding audiences with sophisticated games and a wealth of other options for the mobile lifestyle."

To demonstrate the new entertainment freedoms that consumers will experience with PSP, the company partnered with agency of record TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles to create two television spots, "POV" and "Blender," scheduled to air on network, syndication and cable TV starting on March 21. "POV" opens in the factory with the "birth" of a PSP. In an explosion into light, the commercial's protagonist is PSP and the spot opens with a shot from the unit's vantage point, as it is unwrapped for the first time and looks into the faces of excited consumers who have waited for this moment. The focus then shifts to the consumer and the portability is seen through the eyes of the player as they engage in their daily activities such as grocery shopping, getting a hair-cut, all while experiencing portable entertainment on PSP. "POV" was directed by Dave Meyers, who has overseen music videos for such artists as Britney Spears, No Doubt, Janet Jackson, Jay- Z and many more.

The second commercial spot, "Blender," blends live action with characters with movies, music and games to merge all entertainment mediums -- a visual metaphor for the broad potential of PSP. The ad opens with a hip young consumer walking down the street with a PSP in-hand, when suddenly he begins to morph into characters from his favorite games, movies and music. He becomes "Needles Kane" from the popular Twisted Metal™ franchise, a movie cowboy, a hockey player, an NBA star, a musician, all representative of the new ways consumers will be able to experience the immersive portable entertainment with PSP.

The television campaign spots are tied together by music, a key tenet of PSP, as both spots feature "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand, the award-winning band, courtesy of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, creating a unifying theme and PSP launch anthem. These ads will run on a mixture of primetime, late night, syndication and cable television from March 21 through April 17.

The print, online and outdoor components of the campaign are designed to feature game titles from the PSP launch line-up, while demonstrating stunning visuals unique to the PSP experience. The print ads will appear in the April/May issues of publications like Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, GamePro, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, PLAY, PlayStation Magazine, and Sync. The online execution is designed to showcase game content, as well as the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar), the unique user interface that allows consumers to easily navigate media content on PSP as represented by symbols -- a music note for music, game controller for games, film icon for movies, and camera for photos.

Consumers will have to look no further than buses, subway terminals, sidewalks and billboards to find PSP in larger than life form in the outdoor portion of the campaign. Outdoor ads will run in major markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco. A custom designed billboard-sized PSP with giant LCD screen will be located on one of the busiest corners in New York City, on Lafayette and Houston, where people will only have to look up to be mesmerized with images from the innovative ad spots -- the perfect accompaniment to the New York skyline.

Known for breaking traditional marketing paradigms, Sony Computer Entertainment America is bringing to life two innovative programs that have never been done before -- PSP Radio, and the first-ever PSP accessories show. With Carson Daly as host, the unprecedented PSP Radio program will bring dedicated PSP-themed radio shows to listeners in key urban markets during evening drive times including New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Listeners in these markets will experience five days of original PSP programming starting on March 28.

Demonstrating PSP as lifestyle accessory, the PSP Accessories Show, dubbed Pret a PSP, took place on March 14. The event was a huge success drawing fashion elite and showcasing an unprecedented collection of PSP accessories by acclaimed designers Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Henry Duarte, Coach, LRG, Jennifer Lopez, Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons featuring Simmons Jewelry Company, Heatherette, C. Ronson, (wb) waraire boswell, Jenni Kayne, Autore Pearls, Kidada for Disney, and IceLink Watch.

About PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable)

PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable) is a new handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, high-quality full-motion video, and high- fidelity stereo audio. With graphics rendering capability comparable to that of PlayStation®2, PSP features a 4.3 inch wide screen, high-resolution TFT display. PSP also adopts a newly developed compact but high-capacity (1.8GB) optical disc, Universal Media Disc (UMD™), as its storage medium. With a wide range of accessories and connectivity options, including Memory Stick Duo, USB 2.0, IR port and Wi-Fi wireless LAN, PSP is the new entertainment platform from PlayStation.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one™ game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system revolutionized the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era. PSP is a new portable entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio.

Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one game console, the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the PSP handheld entertainment system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Visit us on the Web at http://www.us.playstation.com/

PlayStation and the PlayStation logo and UMD are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "PSP" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, ATRAC3plus and MagicGate are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

CONTACT: Janette Barrios of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.,
+1-650-655-5583 or janette_barrios@playstation.sony.com; or Joseph Assad,
+1-212-253-4654 or jassad@bncpr.com, for Sony Computer Entertainment America
Inc.

Web site: http://www.playstation.com/