By Chris Scott Barr
One of the biggest pieces of news that came out of Sony’s press conference today was the announcement of the PSP Go, otherwise known as “the worst-kept secret of E3.” So what’s so different about this new portable system? Practically everything it seems. Obviously the slide-out control system is a big change, but also the lack of UMD compatibility is new. It is also 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the current PSP-3000.
Sony is targeting this device at people living the “digital lifestyle.” They’re looking at people that want their content delivered digitally, without the need to go to the store and buy a physical product. The lack of a UMD slot means that you will instead download new titles to your PSP directly. As such, all new titles will be sold in both UMD and digital formats. Both versions will contain the exact same features and functionality, as they aren’t actually aiming to replace the current PSP-3000 with the Go.
Storage is obviously important with the PSP Go, so they’ve added in 16GB of internal Flash memory. A Memory Stick Micro slot is included so that you can easily expand the storage. Bluetooth and WiFi are both included to keep you connected wirelessly.
Sony also announced a new desktop application called PC Media Go which will replace the current Media Manager and allow you to access the PlayStation store directly from your PC. A new video delivery service application will also be included natively on the PSP so that you can download content directly to the Go. Finally, Sony announced that they had signed on several new video content providers like Showtime, G4, E!, Stars and TNA to provide movies and TV shows to the PlayStation network.
The PSP Go is set to hit stores on October 1st at a price of $249.
