The PSP can play movies and music Sony's PSP handheld console will go on sale in Europe on 1 September, nine months after it hit Japanese stores. The PSP is a games console which can also play movies and music, and will sell for 249 euros.

In the US the console sells for $249 (£129) plus tax. More than 1.5 million units have been sold globally.

A spokesman for Sony in the UK said it was confident there would be enough stock to satisfy demand for the new machine on day one.

The company has defended the price difference between the US and UK, pointing out that American prices were subject to local sales tax and that VAT in the UK was higher.

Adequate supply

"This is not a case of rip off Britain," he said.

Sony postponed the European launch of the PSP earlier this year so that it could ensure an adequate supply for the US launch, which it promised would be about one million units.

While no figures for the European launch have been released, Sony has said it hoped to meet early demand.

Analysts expect sales of handheld games to drive growth of the video game industry in 2005.

Rival handheld console, Nintendo's DS, has already launched in Europe, as well as the US and Japan.

Nintendo has said it expected to sell five million DS units world-wide by the end of March 2005.