Inside Move: Just push 'Play'

Portable pics click on handheld game units

By BEN FRITZ

Execs worrying about the right dates for theatrical, DVD and pay-per-view have a new release window to start thinking about: handheld vidgame consoles.

At the recent E3 vidgame confab, Sony revealed its new PSP, which will play games, music -- and movies.

Set to launch in North America by next March, PSP features the sharpest graphics ever on a handheld game unit and a theater-like 16:9 ratio screen. The only PSP video content announced thus far is a CGI-animated feature based on the "Final Fantasy" vidgame from publisher Square Enix. But Sony Pictures content is a near-certain addition.

Rival gamer Nintendo is beating PSP to the punch, though, with a new offering from vidgame publisher Majesco dubbed Game Boy Advance Video.

Majesco is shipping more than 2 million of the new plug-in cartridges for the handheld Nintendo system. Priced at $19.99, they play up to 30 minutes of content from partners that so far include Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

Cartridges capable of storing up to 90 minutes of video will bow before the holidays, making portable feature films a reality.

Kid-oriented content for the units so far ranges from episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" already on DVD to previously unseen episodes of Cartoon Net's "Codename: Kids Next Door."

It's still not clear exactly where handheld gaming units will fit in the release mix. But financial terms for the nascent form so far match those set in the vidgame industry. Majesco pays a licensing fee to Nintendo to use its technology and then pays an advance against royalties to content producers.