Author: by Jason Dobson, Simon Carless

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced a new Loco Roco themed PSP bundle, currently scheduled to be released in Japan on July 13 for ¥24,799 (about $215) as an optional hardware bundle. The bundle will come in a Loco Roco themed box containing either a black or ceramic white PSP, as well as a copy of Loco Roco, an AC adapter, a 32 meg memory stick and a battery pack, and seems to have been created by Sony as a way to help counter the Nintendo DS' domination in Japan. In terms of hardware sales, in the period ending June 4, the Nintendo DS sold around 136,773 units in total in Japan (including 1,159 units of the original version of the console), with the PSP squarely in second place with 24,595 units sold. In addition, to help theme its hardware pack-in, on July 13 Sony will also release a separate Loco Roco styled PSP carrying case for ¥1,575 (about $13), which will store the handheld, as well as a few UMDs. It is not currently known if this bundle will be released within other territories, but cartoon-style title Loco Roco, which is 2D and in many ways similar to the more popular Nintendo DS titles, can be portrayed as an attempt by Sony to show that it can create simple, mass market titles to compete with leading DS games such as Animal Crossing and New Super Mario Bros.