Note that Piano Black and Pearl White have both already been released, but there are a slew of others that the company is at least considering putting on shelves. I'm remiss that there's no Fireball Orange option. That Bright Yellow just isn't getting it done for me. [Destructoid via Kotaku]

Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida told Game Informer:

We also felt - like many users - that we wish we had a second analog on the PSP. But we are talking about the mid-life cycle of this platform, and the PSPgo is designed to be perfectly compatible with the PSP-3000 and all the games that released before that. So we had a very serious discussion about this particular subject, but we decided not to add a second analog, and some of the developers are doing quite a nice job translating the second analog functionality to different buttons. We didn't want to divert their efforts either.

So even though Sony knows that dual analog sticks would make for a better control experience, they'd rather keep things basically the same so stuff stays consistently less-than-optimal across PSPs. And besides, developers have sorta figured out now how to work around the deficiencies. Mhmm.

Does this mean we'll have to wait until the end of the PSP's 10-year life cycle to get twin sticks? [Game Informer via Kotaku]

From Activision Blizzard President and CEO Bobby Kotick:

I'm getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don't make it easy for me to support the platform. It's expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation...When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support [PS3 and PSP].

Kotick wants to see Sony's licensing fees reduced (Activision paid Sony $500 million in royalties and "other goods" last year) and a PS3 price cut. He probably wouldn't mind seeing some incentives like advertising dollars, either (something Microsoft can be pretty generous about).

Oh, and if there's one publisher that can say these things, it's the conglomerate makers of Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk, multiple Dreamworks and Marvel movie titles, World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo—even if those Blizzard games aren't on consoles at this time.

As of now, Kotick's words are just corporate smacktalk (bottom line: Activision still makes money on the platform). But what if a company like EA came forward and said the same thing? No good can come of this for Sony. [TimesOnline]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Technical features

• 3.8-inch LCD screen.
• Sliding control pad.
• 16GB internal flash storage.
• Wi-Fi.
• Bluetooth.
• M2 Memory Stick Micro port.
• No second analog joystick.
• No UMD drive.

• Sense Me application will allow you to playback music based on moods.
• Available in black and white models.

Physical features
• 50% smaller than the original PSP.
• 40% lighter than the original PSP.

Game and media distribution

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.• All PSP titles going forward will be digitally distributed through the PlayStation Store, but also on UMD for the regular PSP.
• The video delivery service will offer more than 9400 TV shows—Showtime, Anime Network, Manga, UFC, HDNet, E!, G4, Magnolia...—and 1900 movies.
• On the PC there will be an application called Media Go, which will access the PS Store—I guess this will be the equivalent of the iTunes Store.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Availability and pricing

• The PSP Go! will be available for $249 and 249 euros
• Launch date: October 1st in Europe and North America. November 1st in Japan.
• PSP toolkits will be reduced 80% in price for developers.

PSP(R)go PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) Evolves to Match the Digital Lifestyle

With an Ultra-Portable Design and Digital Content Focus, PSPgo to Hit the Worldwide Market This Fall, Further Enhancing the User Experience Along with PSP-3000

LOS ANGELES, June 2 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today unveiled PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) go (PSP-N1000), a new evolution of PSP handheld entertainment system, specifically designed to suit the digital lifestyle of consumers who enjoy downloadable content on the go. PSPgo will become available in stores on October 1, 2009, in North America, Europe/ PAL territories and Asian countries and regions at a recommended retail price (RRP) of US$249 and euro 249, and on November 1, 2009, in Japan at a RRP of 26,800 yen (including tax). With both the existing PSP-3000 and new PSPgo, the company will further enhance the ultimate gaming and entertainment experiences on the go while providing consumers with the opportunity to choose the PSP system that's right for them.

PSPgo is ideal for today's on-the move consumers who prefer not to carry around disc-based content and are looking for on-demand entertainment. With the steady expansion of broadband network infrastructure, the number of users who download and enjoy digital entertainment content has been increasing remarkably. To address this growing trend, PSPgo replaces the UMD drive*1 with 16GB of flash memory to store a variety of digital entertainment content, offering users unlimited possibilities of portable digital entertainment delivered through PlayStation®Network. PSPgo, smaller and lighter than ever with a sophisticated design featuring an easy sliding display panel, is truly pocket-sized and can be taken everywhere. PSPgo will be available in Piano Black and Pearl White*2, two of the most popular colors since the launch of the PSP system in 2004. Along with PSP-3000, PSPgo will further enhance the unmatched portable gaming and entertainment experience by offering users more opportunity to enjoy their favorite entertainment content such as games, videos, music and photos anytime, anywhere.

In order to meet the needs of the growing number of PlayStation®Network users looking for digital entertainment content, SCE along with third party developers and publishers will continue to enhance the content line-up within PlayStation®Store for the launch of PSPgo, scheduled this fall. More and more new and attractive titles will become available for download from PlayStation®Store as well as on UMD. This broad content offering across all genres includes new games, free-demos, PS one® classics for PSP, add-on items for game titles, and trailers.

In addition to accessing PlayStation Store directly from PSP using the built-in wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) feature or through the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system, users will also be able to access and download a variety of entertainment content via their PCs using Media Go*3, a new software application. Media Go will enable users to access and download entertainment content on PlayStation Store via their PCs as well to easily manage PSP content on PCs, including games, videos, photos, and music. This easy to use software application will be available on a CD-ROM bundled with PSPgo.

Also this fall, a new music application specific to PSP that uses the "SensMe™ channels"*4 music recommendation feature, developed by Sony, also becomes available for download on PSP. With this music application, users will be able to enjoy their favorite music stored on their PSP through a rich user interface, designed exclusively for PSP. "SensMe channels" is a mood based music recommendation system that categorizes music content into channels such as "Relax," "Dance" and "Upbeat," and recommends music playlists for users.

Other features are:

> Easy Sliding Display Panel and Original Applications
PSPgo offers a variety of exciting entertainment options by taking
advantage of the sliding panel. When the panel is open, users will be
able to enjoy various entertainment content with the familiar button
control as PSP-3000, when closed, original applications for PSPgo, such
as a clock and calendar is displayed on the screen. Users can also
enjoy video and music when the panel is closed.

> Game sleep function
PSPgo has unique features such as game sleep function which enables
users to operate XMB(TM) (XrossMediaBar) while pausing gameplay
temporarily.

> Bluetooth(R) function
Bluetooth function will also allow users to connect Bluetooth
standard peripherals such as head-phones and head-set *5 as well
as PS3 wireless controller (DUALSHOCK(R)3 and SIXAXIS(R)) *6 to be
used when watching video content on TVs via PSP at home*7.

> Peripheral line-up
One of the products within PSPgo's peripheral line-up is a new
Cradle (PSP-N340) *7 that will become available in stores worldwide
concurrently with the release of PSPgo. This new Cradle enables users
to charge the PSPgo battery and also enjoy watching video and listening
to music. Also included in the peripheral line-up are video-out port
cables that enable users to enjoy games and videos on their TVs at home.

The thing has a 4.3-inch screen, almost the same amount of face and shoulder buttons as the PSP, but it only supports "NES, Famicom, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Super Famicom, SEGA MegaDrive and some sort of 32-bit ROM." No actual PSP playing here—but that's not the point, is it?

Then again, if you already HAVE a PSP, you can always just hack it and play emulation games that way. [Chinagrabber via Technabob via Slashgear]

The original file will stream over your LAN to your Macs, PCs and other network devices, but stream out to the internet in a mobile H.264 quality version after the conversion is done. iPhones and iPod touches can do so by downloading the iStream app from the App Store, which isn't live yet.

Codecs supported are: AVI (DivX, Xvid, MJPEG), MOV (MJPEG), DVR-MS (MPEG-2), MP4 (MPEG4), WMV and
unprotected DVD VOB. You can select individual folders to covert, which will be converted in the background as your normal processes and video streaming is going on.

According to their source, the PSP will, in theory, look a lot like this mockup. Its touchscreen will slide to reveal a D-pad and a long-awaited two analog thumbsticks. And as mentioned before, UMD will be ditched for digital downloads. Pocket Gamer says the device is more like the iPhone than the last PSP and speculates that the iPhone and DSi may have accelerated Sony's plans for the future.

So in other words, every rumor we liked about the PSP has just been confirmed by another rumor, and Pocket Gamer assures us that pricing and availability will be announced this June at E3. We'll be there. [Pocket Gamer via Kotaku]

Kotaku guesses that it could be something similar to Valve's SteamCloud service that stores your user data, save data and lets you download full games directly from their servers. But if it's something similar to OnLive, the service that lets you play games that are entirely streamed and rendered in a machine hosted somewhere else, that could be interesting as well. [Kotaku]

The PSP Multi-shape Cobra Stand Bundle Kit, offered by Brando, is a two-part kit to hold your PSP-2000 or 3000. In one configuration, you get a tube and a suction cup. Boring! But the other configuration, you get a freaking 3-foot, waist and arm loving cobra.

With the cobra, you can wrap your PSP around almost any appendage, turning it from Pip Boy to sensual belt buckle in a matter of seconds. But proceed with caution. You never know when even the most loyal cobra will strike. And this thing's immune to your lute, or whatever. $23. [Brando]

Here's what Sony's head of US marketing told MTV Multiplayer:

In general there's a lot of discussion about [publishers'] back catalogs that will finally find its way to PlayStation Network in the back half of this year.

PSOne is included, but everything is on the table…We look for some of those big hits from all of the past games in their history and look for ways we can bring them over. It's not always easy. There's obviously technical areas that need to be bridged. But when those are solved, consumers will see a wide variety of retro games and brand new games coming to PSN.

These claims are probably intentionally vague, but send promising signals: Sony was never going to leave the homebrewers be, but opening a legit door to emulated, Non PSOne games would do just fine. Shame that they're still locked in competition with the provider of a lot of the most coveted vintage games, but maybe the Playstation Store can become the yin to the Virtual Console's yang, assuming that handheld vintage gaming exists as some kind of giant, twee Chinese symbol (NOTE: it does not). [MTV Multiplayer]

MTV Multiplayer: Ok. Just so we can have this as clear as we can get it: the rumor out there is that there's going to be a new PSP that doesn't use the UMD coming out by the end of the year. True or false?

Koller: Can't comment either way, but I will reiterate that the digital component is very important to us. That's all we can say at this point.

That's pretty soft talk for rumor smashing. It might be good to wait on that new PSP. [MTV]

I hear Sony FINALLY has the PSP 2. And thank goodness, they've removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive. I'm excited!

No UMD wouldn't just mean better battery life. Its absence could allow for thinner form factors as well. Thinner sliding form factors, perhaps? [Kotaku]

I think the fact that many are questioning the revalance of the PSP, however, is less a reflection on Sony than how quickly things have progressed in the last few years under the pressure of the smartphone market.

In 2005 (when the PSP first reached the US), the PSP was a pretty amazing device, featuring a gorgeous screen, Wi-Fi (a rarity of hand-held tech then) and enough processing power to drive compelling media.

But today, even through reiterations, the PSP is bulkier and less functional than the average smartphone. And while an iPhone game hasn't yet challenged the best of the PSP in terms of depth, I've certainly managed to be entertained for my average 15 minute commute from place to place.

Still, to say this is a PSP-exclusive problem would be shortsighted. Ultimately, I can't imagine using any piece of hand-held tech I own five years from now, but that's not a perspective I had playing Lumines for the first time in 2005, completely in awe of the spectacle. [Kotaku]

According to a translation from Gpara.com:

The Idol Master for SP is in the Home, and "Rewards" are supported, depending on the progress of the game, the Home can be used to obtain the item.

As we understand it, as you advance in Idol Master, you'll unlock clothing (and even whole avatars according to this shot) in PSHome—probably through the virtual Idol Master vending machine seen in our lead photo.

Still, precisely how this unlocking will occur is unclear. It could involve a PSP to PS3 sync, an online server or just a redeemable code. That said, this is certainly a much-needed step in connecting these various PlayStation properties to form a cohesive network. [Gpara via PlayStation Lifestyle]

About the size of a chunky iPod, the Vision is an MP4/MP3 player, radio/TV tuner, voice recorder, eBook reader and camera. OK, not games, but not bad, right? That's until you realize that it's only got 2GB of storage, that TV tuner is analog (soon obsolete) and the camera is a measly 1.3MP.

The Vision was once going to play simple flash games, but Sega didn't want people to think they were trying to compete with Sony and Nintendo. So now it's just an overpriced European PMP (expected to go for $100 or more) and a novelty prize for Sega's UFO catcher arcade machines.

Remember, these are the same guys who once released the Genesis and the Dreamcast. [Sega Nerds via Kotaku]

IGN has learned from several credible sources that the PSP 2 is indeed on the horizon, and will be packing multi-touch technology. According to our sources, the PSP 2 will feature a widescreen multi-touch interface comparable to that of the iPhone for both in-game control and menu navigation.

The point of the touchscreen controlling in-game features is a big one, signaling that this is not the PSP-4000 we're talking about but a full-fledged PSP2. (Hardware revisions that will wildly affect gameplay are reserved for new platforms.) It's also fairly believable since Sony put the option into a recent customer poll.

Of course, IGN's release dates of "coming soon" and "on the horizon" have widely varied connotations. To me, that could mean "next week" or "next decade." [IGN via Kotaku]

In case I need to address the point, yes, that photo is just a concept.

UPDATE from MCV source close to Sony (we're guessing external PR?): "Clearly, being a quiet time of year, many, what we thought to be credible websites, are making up stories about PSP2, and how it allows you to teleport across the globe, travel through time, and will be powered by the horns of baby rhinoceroses." Harsh!

Their new line's name translates to Wasabi Beautiful Colors and contains durable hard covers, flexible soft covers, and gauze capsule cases that make your PSP look like it was lovingly wrapped for you. They'll be available in Japan by the end of the month, and probably for import soon after. [Gametech via Egone]

The software, being developed by Sony especially for Arsenal's super-fancy Emirates stadium in North London, could also potentially link up fans in the stadium and allow them to chat in real time. Yes, because the torrent of spittle and obscenities bursting forth from every maw just isn't enough "interaction" for our modern age. The system could be live by the end of next season. [Yahoo Tech via Crunch Gear]

Sony just asked its customers what they want in the next PSP. Well here's what we want in our next PSP, and most of it's doable through software alone.

Get Remote Play Working, Standard
Remote Play promised to allow gamers to play PS3 games through the internet on their PSPs. Brilliant! And it was actually implemented in a game PS3 called Lair...and then basically nothing else. You can find Remote Play in a handful of downloadable PS3 titles, but it's far from a standard offering, and basically doesn't exist in the world of AAA releases. But just think—Remote Play would lessen the PSP's need for original titles—something Sony hasn't been able to secure as of late—and promote loyalty to the PS3 since its games would be playable from anywhere.

Make the PSP the Ultimate Blu-ray Remote
If there's one thing you can't fault the PS3 for, it's the machine's excellent Blu-ray playback. So why not make the PSP the unequivocal best Blu-ray remote ever? Not only could you use the PSP for basic functions, but a little programming savvy could stream entire BD features to your hands. Imagine the use of a Wi-Fi enabled second screen from the PSP with streaming audio support. You could watch a movie with a friend and decide that just you would turn on the audio commentary for a scene (through headphones), while viewing some extra production stills (on your secondary display). Hey, we'd settle for a submenu on the PSP's screen, even.

Give Us a PSOne-to-PSP Ripping Tool
Offer us a tool to rip PSOne games on the PS3 in order to be transferred to the PSP. They can wrap them in DRM and charge us $5 each time we rip a game, and we'd still do it. While we'd say the same for PS2 titles, we realize that PSP processors probably couldn't handle the software emulation load. PSOne games, though? Definitely.

Display Hints and Walkthroughs That Sync with PS3
Easy money for Sony—license out the option to make PS3 walkthroughs for the PSP. The strategy guide company does all the work, creating the text file (already on hand from their publications) and some basic syncing cues from, I dunno, saved game files or scripts. We're sure if enough money was exchanged between all involved parties, something could be figured out that's not so resource intensive that it isn't worth their while.

Our Only Hardware Revision: Add a Second Analog Stick Already
Look Sony, you were wrong, just give in. Screw backwards compatibility and add the second analog stick to make the PSP essentially interchangeable with the Dual Shock 3/SIXAXIS. Just as that second analog stick has held back PSP developers, it's also limited Remote Play functionality and the option to use the PSP as a premium controller. The hardware is holding back the software, but not in a "we just need stronger processors" way. It's a simple fix. PSP loyalists might complain, but trust us, they're complaining more that their controls are gimped. (Oh, and Bluetooth would be a runner up for greater connectivity options.)

Do All of the Above, Then Sell a PS3/PSP Bundle
The PS3 has already lost the game machine war. But it's still a contender as a premium home theater machine. Offer users a deal in which they can pick up a PS3 along with a PSP. Upsell the PSP as a remote, a second screen, and a media streamer (as opposed to a bulky PMP with a crappy game catalog).

While we haven't heard much yet, Eurogamer sources in the game publishing sector have confirmed that a PSP-4000 will be released in 2009 with a successor to the PSP platform coming sometime after. Sound vague? It is. But these sources also claim that PSP2 games are in the works right now. Needless to say, if that's actually the case, it's only a matter of time before more details leak.

(And it also might not be a bad time to remind the industry that Gizmodo will keep all tipsters anonymous.) [Eurogamer via Kotaku]