Sony unveils new handheld device, seen expensive

Sony Corp unveiled the pricing of its new PlayStation Vita handheld games device at a flashy Los Angeles event and immediately ran into criticism that the gadget was too expensive, the Reuters reported.

The show featured appearances by sports and rock stars and was a bid by the electronics giant to move on from the computer hacking attacks that forced it to shut down its videogames network for almost a month.

The new device is aimed at competing with the likes of Apple's iPod Touch and the plethora of smartphones and tablets on the market. After the device was first unveiled in January, the show on Monday revealed other details, including the name and basic price.

It will go on sale for $249, or $299 for a 3G mobile version, in time for year-end holidays, the Japanese electronics giant's No.2 executive Kazuo Hirai told reporters.

"That's fine for core gamers who want to play games all the time, but it's too expensive for the mass market," said Dan Ernst, a Hudson Square research analyst.

The prices in Japan will be 24,980 yen and 29,980 yen, while in the euro zone the gadgets will cost 249 euros or 299 euros, roughly level with Nintendo's 3DS, a 3D handheld gaming device launched earlier this year.

The Sony event was held on the eve of the E3 games convention, the industry's annual get-together that draws 45,000 reporters, analysts and industry types to a convention center the size of eight football fields.

Hirai drew some groans from the audience of several thousand when he said Sony would work with US telecoms firm AT&T as the exclusive carrier for the Vita.

Many users of Apple's iPhone in the United States have complained that AT&T provided poor connectivity.

The Sony show included appearances by Kobe Bryant, who demonstrated a basketball simulation game, followed by DJs, dancers and rock band Jane's Addiction.

The upbeat tempo of the event marked a stark contrast to Hirai's appearance on May 1 at a Tokyo news conference, when he bowed deeply and repeatedly to show Sony's contrition for the security breach of its networks.