Sony's Playstation Portable (PSP) has been a much anticipated portable game console since rumors of the device started appearing over a year ago. Now those rumors can be dispelled as the device is finally available to the public, at least in Japan. The U.S. and Europe will see the PSP on sale sometime early next year.

While much of the details of the PSP were known, not much was known about the pricing of the portable console. The PSP sold for a discounted launch price of 19,800 yen (or about $189) yesterday, much lower that some had speculated, putting it close to the price range of the competing Nintendo DS (which retails for $150 here in the U.S.).

While the DS seems to have the advantage, already exceeding Nintendo's sales estimates of 500,000 units by year's end (and causing them to use yet another factory to ship out another 300,000 - 500,000 units before January) and the dual screens, one of which is a touch screen, the PSP is able to play audio and video and has a much larger screen than the DS. The PSP will also accept Memory Stick Duo cards, which is a big plus. Sony has also been well known for their huge game library, something Nintendo has struggled to provide for their consoles over the years.

The PSP is not available anywhere but Japan for now, but eBayers are quickly looking to turn a profit for those willing to pay double or triple the price to get their hands on the unit early.

Japan Jumps on Sony's PSP