MONEY SPECIALIST

After much buzz over leaked images of new PSP handheld gaming console, Sony PSP Go was officially unveiled at the E3 gaming conference earlier this week. The unit (PSP-N1000) has been redesigned to be a slider-based system.

Sony PSP Go

It is 43 percent lighter at 158g (including battery) compared to its counterpart, the PSP-3000. In essence, the Sony PSP Go is a Mylo with the keyboard ripped out and replaced by game controls. However, PSP Go is not slated to replace the PSP-3000, as both of them will attempt to live on store shelves side by side.

There are many upgrades on the PSP Go. Firstly, UMD drive has been ditched and replaced by internal 16GB of flash storage. This is definitely a welcome move since the UMD drive puts extra strain on the battery, especially when viewing movies or dealing with data that’s continuously streamed from the disc. The battery life would be about five to six hours, on par with the 3000 model.

UMD-less new games like Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and Metal Gear Solid could easily be purchased and downloaded straight into the internal storage through PlayStation Network. Beside games, you could store a variety of digital entertainment content like songs and videos form the PlayStation Network.

Sony gave the PSP Go a smaller display of 3.8-inch TFT widescreen (4.3-inch on previous models), with 480 x 272 pixel resolution. Along with this new screen, Sony added bluetooth to the PSP Go, which supports handset tethering and BT headsets.

Built-in microphone is retained, which will allow many people who have access to WiFi hotspots peppered through-out a large city to utilize the PSP as a phone-like device with the Skype software.

Along with these hardware improvements, the PSP Go also features minor cosmetic improvements as well. The Sony PSP Go has only one analogue nub, and it is a little more recessed to prevent accidentally knocking against it during mid-game. Even though the PSP Go has got a 16GB storage, it didn’t feel like too meaty in the hand. The sliding mechanism felt firm. When shut, it’ll obviously make for a better video-viewer on your next flight.

Sony PSP Go will be available on 2nd October, featuring the colours Piano Black and Pearl White. Kaz Hirai’s PSP Go announcement clearly stated that the new console would retail for the same price as the original PSP-1000 did back when it first hit the shelves in 2005. So keep your fingers crossed for something nearer that original £179 mark when it is launched this Fall.

All in all, being smaller and lighter than ever with a sophisticated design featuring an easy sliding display panel, PSP Go is truly pocket-sized and handy for road-warriors. Either you’re looking to purchase your first PSP or replacing old one, PSP Go is the way to go!

Check out the hands on video of a white PSP Go from Youtube below:

Free Gran Turismo game when you order from Amazon.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 6th, 2009 at 11:17 AM and is filed under Gadgets, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.