TOKYO (AP) - Sales are improving in Japan for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld video game machine, and a beefed-up version with a clearer display is expected to add momentum, a senior executive said yesterday.

The portable game machine faces tough competition from Nintendo DS - the handheld machine from the Japanese manufacturer of Pokemon and Super Mario games. Nintendo also has a big hit in the Wii home console that's battering Sony's PlayStation 3 in sales.

The revamped PSP with the improved liquid crystal display and a built-in microphone will go on sale October 16 in Japan at the same price of the previous model 19,800 yen ($180), said Shawn Layden, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan.

The machine called PSP-3000 is also being promised for the US and Europe next month.