In an interview with Japanese magazine Nikkei Business, Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kuturagi revealed that .6 percent – or nearly 5,000 – of Japanese PSP units sold ever since the handheld’s launch in December have been returned from consumers for repair.

The reason for the shockingly high number of units being returned is that the ‘square’ button, which is positioned too close to the border of the LCD screen, is unresponsive compared to other face buttons.

"There may be people that complain about its usability, but that's something which users and game software developers will have to adapt to," said Ken Kutaragi. "The position of the buttons was something we were aiming for. It's not an error, but something we specifically strove to design that way. I think we've created the most beautiful thing in the world. Nobody picks holes in the blueprints of a world-famous architect."

Whether this will have a detrimental effect on the handheld’s worldwide sales depends on how considerable North American and European consumers deem the defect as the handheld prepares to launch in both territories within the next two months.

Ramzy Philip