Sony PSP To Host GTA Chinatown Wars

The portable version of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, which has been exclusive on the Nintendo DS, will be available this fall for Sony's PlayStation Portable.

The move is unusual because the platforms are very different, with the PSP being a higher-end system. Sales of the game, however, have been disappointing since its release on the DS in March.

Rockstar, the publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, said the shoot-'em-up game would be sold on disc or by download. Chinatown Wars will be rebuilt specifically for the PSP platform to take advantage of the system's wide-screen graphics. In addition, game developer Rockstar Leeds studio will create new story lines for the PSP.

As of mid-May, Rockstar had sold 163,000 units of Chinatown War, based on NPD Group numbers gathered by the gaming business site Gamasutra. Industry analysts had expected a far larger number.

Sony this month announced that it would launch the next iteration of the PSP in October. The PSP Go, which is lighter and smaller than the current PSP-3000, and will sell for $250. Sony plans to continue selling the older device, which is priced at $169.

Sony has lagged behind its chief Japanese rival, Nintendo, for some time, selling about half as many portable gaming devices. Nintendo has sold 100 million units of its DS line of handhelds since releasing the device in 2004, the same year Sony launched the PSP.

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