At Sony Computer Entertainment America's ( SCEA ) annual Destination Playstation retail and publisher conference, the company announced a new PSP hardware bundle aimed squarely at the female and " tween " market , the limited edition Hannah Montana PSP Entertainment Pack . The bundle , which introduces the new " Lilac " PSP system , was just released last Tuesday in Canada .
The reason why I'm posting about this is two-fold . First of all , I just think the colour is cool ; it's actually pretty fun to look at . Of course not being a Hannah Montana fan myself I still prefer my Piano Black PSP 3000 unit , but I can definitely see the appeal of the lilac colour -- especially among female gamers . The second reason I'm mentioning this new bundle is that it's leading the charge for Sony's new focus on expanding their handheld offering to female gamers -- a segment that the Nintendo DS has long dominated . To get a sense of just how popular the Nintendo DS is among female gamers , take a look at the internal research Nintendo's VP of Sales & Marketing , Cammie Dunaway , presented at last year's E3 . The company says that 48 % of DS recipients in 2007 were female ( up from 46 % in 2006 and 30 % in 2005 ).  While I don't have any PSP figures available, given the mostly male-focused software line-up my guess is that gender split is much wider on that platform.
Included in the new PSP bundle is the Disney Interactive Studios dancing and rhythm action game Hannah Montana : Rock Out The Show . In the first Hannah game to land on the PSP , her manager Robbie Ray gets sick is unable to manage the tour; fortunately though , her brother Jackson and best friend Lilly step-in to help the stranded pop star out . Fans of Hannah will have the ability to go backstage to customize her wardrobe , hair styles , and dance moves . On your music tour you'll be given the opportunity to visit seven different countries and perform as Hannah to 11 hit songs , including three tracks from the new “ Hannah Montana 3 ” soundtrack .
I found a trailer for the game on YouTube so you can check out what all it has to offer:


SCEA's new marketing campaign focused on expanding their female audience has been dubbed " Girlz Play Too ". They've even set-up a new website to provide new female PSP gamers with information on games targeted at this audience , as well as an overview of PSP features and an interactive flash tool kit that lets you customize a virtual PSP .

Along with the Hannah Montana game , SCEA has announced a number of games target ed at the tween and teen markets including LittleBigPlanet PSP , Buzz ! Quiz World , Ubisoft's Petz line of games , and MTV Games ' Rock Band Unplugged .

It's good to see Sony expanding their content offering and looking beyond the traditional male demographic with this new line-up of games . I personally think the market is saturated enough with titles aimed at guys and it needs to even out a little . Now that Sony's female marketing push is in full force I wonder how Nintendo is going to react ?

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Hannah Montana PSP Entertainment Pack contents :

  • Lilac Purple PSP ® -3000 system ( Technical Specifications )
  • Hannah Montana : Rock Out The Show UMD PSP game
  • Hannah Montana UMD Movie - Featuring 3 episodes from the hit TV series
  • 2GB Memory Stick Duo
  • PSP vinyl stickers for customization
  • AC adaptor
  • AC power cord
  • Battery pack