As the story goes, the DualShock got it on with a '60s era Baterang and the Gaming Gods retaliated—smiting their unholy spawn. This event cleared the slate, so to speak, and the evolutionary process started all over again. [Autour D'un Cafe via Geekologie]

Along with Marvel Entertainment comics, Disney, IDW Publishing, iVerse Media and several other publishers have supplied Sony with their wares, with 550 available today, including Iron Man, Spiderman, X-Men, Transformers and Archie.

Download them on your PSP over Wi-Fi, or on your PC and transfer over, with titles starting at 99 cents. Comic Book Guy is currently voicing his disgust all over the internet at the sacrilege of his prized Marvels. [PlayStation Comics]

All that's known about it is that it's 802.11b/g wireless-compatible and connects to a TV. Curiously, it's been filed under the 'display devices' category, for 'televisions, monitor, picture frame.' Any thoughts? A Wi-Fi adapter for Sony Bravia TVs? Something which will let you use your PS3 wirelessly? An adapter for flashing up a message on your Bravia, alerting you to the fact that your Sony Ericsson phone has finished charging? Answers on a postcard, please. [FCC via Sony Insider via Engadget]

Helping Sega pioneer disc-based gaming, the original PlayStation went on to sell over 100 million consoles until it was discontinued in 2006. Check out the official birthday site for PlayStation here for a trip down memory lane—when PlayStations were much smaller and lighter than they are today, and didn't need to install patches every 20 minutes. [PlayStation via Kotaku]

What you will get is a kind of "service offering with premium content and services" that you can't get in the free edition, but what that is is unclear. But it's unlikely that Sony will charge for the services they give away now, such as the ability to play for free online. [Gamespot via Engadget]

The interface is technically new in that it's visually catered to the PS3, but it should look familiar to anyone who's used Netflix on a Blu-ray player or connected TV in the past. This means it's pretty basic: so far as I can tell there are just "Instant Queue" and "Recently Watched" tabs, with none of the additional—though admittedly kind of useless—category views Xbox users are used to, and video navigation is unchanged, with the same visual timeline taking care of FF and RW funtions. One thing Xbox users aren't used to, though, is not having to pay for the privilege: Netflix-subscribed PS3 owners can just order a free disc and be done with it; Xbox owner need to have a paid Live subscription as well. (Ballmer's gotta eat!)

In any case, the experience is smooth from start to finish, with a fast-loading interface and the same near-instant streaming you get on any other platform. It's just a shame you need a disc—until this is part of the PS3 firmware, it'll feel more like a hack than a new feature. [Engadget]

$1,000,058.98...I'm not gonna lie. It's tempting. [Amazon Thanks Naked Fish!]

As you can see, a removable mask also turns the face into Skeletor. For $25, you too, can celebrate bad taste and creepy peripherals this Halloween. Yes, Sorceress! [USB Geek via Technabob and DVICE]

Cross-game text chat has been around since April, but voice chat has so far been a no-show. Kotaku writes that they tried to contact Sony for a truly official response, but only received a curt reply:

As you know, we haven't made any announcements on upcoming firmware and don't comment on rumor or speculation.

It's quite possible that the next firmware update will in fact bring cross-game chat, but I think we're getting a bit too excited over a forum post. [Playstation Forums via Kotaku]

Just head over to SonyStyle and check out the $50 they're hacking off the price tag for the PS3 "fat" console. They're also throwing in a second Dualshock3 wireless controller with the 80 and 160GB consoles through Halloween.

If you really don't want the slim model, which makes sense given some of the features taken out to achieve that svelte new frame, this is actually a nice little deal. [Dealzon - Thanks, Ian]

First Place—Brian Garten

Second Place—Jairo Filho

Third Place

Create a twisted PlayStation 3 ad for Sony, and send it to me at contests@gizmodo.com with Sony Ad in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Send your work to me by next Tuesday morning, and I'll pick three top winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it! [Original image from Charlie White's "Understanding Joshua" series]

Godzilla and The Ugly Truth—both Sony Pictures films—will include extra discs that won't do anything special when placed in a standard Blu-ray player. But when played in a PS3, users will be able to download a PSP-exclusive digital copy. The PSP copy can be downloaded over USB (we doubt it will work over Remote Play, but that'd be pretty handy).

Whether or not you own the necessary PS3/PSP combo or have any interest in digital copies of your Blu-ray movies, this news seems like yet another reason why the PS3 makes for the most attractive BD player on the market. While it doesn't have features like Netflix streaming, Sony will always put the new stuff on the PS3 first. [Blu-ray via Joystiq]

Once your signals hit the receiver, you can support Windows, Linux, Mac or Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii (supposedly). Hard to tell whether or not it can actually do all of these things, since the website looks like one a kid would make for his dad's business over the summer between Jr. High and High School, so we'll have to see for ourselves to be sure. [EFO via The Gadgeteer via Oh Gizmo]

Believe it or not, the PSP was a meaningful gift that brings earnest tears to my eyes just recollecting the scenario. It wasn't just that I'd been obsessing about the PSP since its announcement—what seemed like (and sort of was) the ultimate do-everything media gadget of its day. The PSP was a token of her tacit acceptance of who I was. She knew that while I'd grow old with her, I'd probably never surpass mental adolescence. And that was OK.

So for better or worse, I'll always feel attached to the PSP brand in this strangely emotional way. And realize that, as the PSPgo solidifies the Sony's growing embarrassment in the industry, it breaks my heart a lot more than yours.

Price

$250 on October 1.

Hardware

At 333MHz with 64MB of RAM, the Go isn't any faster or more powerful than the last PSP. But now it's loaded with 16GB of flash storage, has an Micro M2 slot for expansion and, without a UMD drive, manages to be 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the original PSP. The 3.8-inch screen is technically .5 inches smaller than the PSP classic, but it runs at the same 480x272 resolution.

After playing with the PSPgo for a week, I've adjusted to the small form. It slides open with a smooth but fulfilling snap, and it's very light and balanced in your hands.

Despite the chrome detailing, know that the edging and body are constructed of what's not the most sturdy-feeling plastic, but only time will tell how well the Go holds up to daily abuse. As Adam Frucci said, "it doesn't quite feel cheap, but it doesn't feel expensive either." If you could say one thing about the original PSP, it was that it felt expensive.

But it's more than just quality making this impression. When you hold a Zune HD, the thing seems to be carved from the future itself. When you hold the PSPgo, it feels like a free-with-contract tween's phone.
The Go's low profile buttons are strickly utilitarian—the springiness of the original PSP's buttons are undoubtedly more comfortable. LB and RB shoulders feel wretchedly soft, while the low-profile D-pad and circle, triangle, etc buttons are stiff and digital. Select and Start are a waste of space (a mocking waste of space, given that a second analog stick would fit perfectly there). Meanwhile, most of the buttons around the case's edges are throwbacks to classic PSP design, from the Wi-Fi toggle to the power switch.
The screen has vibrant color reproduction, and a perfect level of max brightness (until you take it in direct sunlight, where it becomes unusable). Its black levels ever so slightly best those of my aging iPhone 3G, but the resolution, 480x272 stretched .3 inches beyond the iPhone's 480x320, means that text often appears more pixelated than you're used to seeing it, and otherwise gorgeous movie playback is often flawed with jagged pixels.
But what I really don't understand is why this screen isn't touch-sensitive. Especially when the slider is closed, I want to flick and zoom through webpages, the PS store and the XMB. More than once I've attempted the feat, only to remember, what the shit, this huge screen isn't touch capable.

So closed, the PSPgo can't really be navigated. Scratch that. You can accidentally hit LB to restart your movie—a function you'll use frequently—if by accident.

It should be noted that Bluetooth also allows you to use a SIXAXIS/Dual Shock 3 controller with the Go. Syncing is easy and the system works perfectly, but consider the practical ergonomics for a moment. You end up balancing the Go on your lap in this really awkward way.

Looking at the design, a conspiracy theory pops in my head. The PSPgo was the template for the PSP2. Open, it had dual analogs. Closed, it had a touchscreen. Somewhere inside, it had a faster processor, more RAM and, hell, maybe even 3G or something. Maybe it was machined of metal and could be thrown like a ninja star. Regardless of this theory's truth, we're stuck with the Go as-is.
Note: PSP shots are of original (PSP-1000) model.

Software

Honestly, the hardware is only half of what holds the PSPgo back from being something better. It's the aging PSP software full of unfixed nagging points, like that Wi-Fi doesn't connect automatically upon startup, typing is still done through that horrible phone-dial-like interface and lack of support for background downloading from the PS Store.

Yes, while the PS3 allows you to download games and movies while performing other tasks, the PSPgo is stuck monotasking during downloads. Oh, and if your PSP dies before you've finished that 1.6GB movie download—which takes a while over the Go's slow 802.1b Wi-Fi—you get to start all over. (Also, while it's nice of Sony to keep compression levels low, SD quality movies on portables need smaller files sizes than this for people to watch movies on the go.)
The browser is absolutely archaic. Beyond tedious analog nub navigation, the Go ran out of RAM while loading Gizmodo just like it had before on the original PSP...just like is prone to occurring on the PS3. Sony has advertised a browser on multiple systems that doesn't really work, and that's just ridiculous.

PSP Minis, or tiny apps like you see on the iPhone (in some cases, exactly like you see on the iPhone), are on their way. But the limitations are strict, meaning that even the games ported from the iPhone could be missing functions like networking. And how big or wonderful will the catalog be if Sony can barely recruit studios to develop for the PSP as it is now? (Sony has catalog of 225 PSPgo games that will be downloadable over PC or Wi-fi at launch.)

Also, you may not have heard about one key software feature. When you close the PSPgo from the XMB, a clock appears on screen. Thank goodness, because I've been needing one of those!

Battery Life

In a mixture of movie playback, gaming and general interface navigation, the PSPgo ran for 4 hours and 47 minutes at max brightness with Wi-Fi on. That's about the same battery life of the last few PSPs. Unfortunately, those who liked to use an extended or extra battery with the PSP will find that more difficult on the Go as its battery is positioned inside the screw-off case. Plus, iFixit has confirmed that removing the battery actually voids your warranty.

PSPgoes Nowhere New

The PSPgo should have been the ZuneHD with games, a versatile media platformed with cutting edge hardware and eye-meltingly beautiful software. But instead, it's a slightly smaller PSP with a screen, storage capacity and software that's not all that competitive with other $250 devices today. If you see just the DSi as the PSP's competition, the Go's updates seem pretty substantial. But compared to the advancements in PMPs and smartphones as of late, it's just very difficult to sit in awe of the Go's inelegant hardware and clunky software.

Oh, and needless to say, there's still no second analog stick.

Four years later, my wife and I are closer than ever. But my beloved PSP sits on a shelf somewhere out of reach, a dusty artifact that I'll neither play nor throw away. The Go will not fare any better by being a little bit smaller or ditching pesky UMDs. PSP2, I'll be waiting for whenever you decide to show up and steal my heart again.

Your hands will get used to the new ergonomics

Squeezes into a jeans pocket

Buttons are usable, but less comfortable than regular PSP

Sony's software feels dated (browser, downloads, text entry)

Next to a Zune HD or iPod touch, the hardware is unimpressive

Transfer speeds hindered by dated 802.1b Wi-Fi standard

Personally, I never picked up the PSP's camera kit or a 1seg tuner (since the US lacks the awesome 1seg television standard). But some people did. Important people. Important people who should be buying the PSPGo without worry.
So here's Sony's adapter...prototype. Apparently the design is not final and there's no firm pricing or release date. Given all the superfluous casing going on this photo, it certainly seems odd that there's a random cord that inelegantly snakes along the back of the Go. And by odd I mean "lazy." [Joystiq]

• no network or online features
• no downloadable content (expansions)
• no peripheral support

It's funny, the 100MB size restriction is the least of PSP Minis' problems. We're talking about closed box games, titles that are not only restricted in terms of multiplayer, but completely thwarted from doing anything interesting (like rendering superior graphics or, say, pinging twitter) in the cloud.

The original PSP was forward-thinking, stuffed with stars in its eyes as it promised networking with the PS3 anywhere from in the world. Now PSP Minis present the complete opposite idea. You will play your game on the PSP, and on the PSP it will stay. [joystiq via kotaku]

The house is home to four undergrads who had already had a Sony PlayStation and two laptops stolen earlier on Monday.

So when one of the students heard noises at about 1am, he went to downstairs to investigate armed with the sword. He saw that the side door to their garage had been pried open, and inside, the suspect lunged at him.

The guy probably didn't deserve to die, but Police have confirmed he has priors for breaking and entering.

Self defense or too much force? It's hard to say without being there. One things for sure: Don't fuck with gamers. [Baltimore Sun and ABC2 News] Thanks Joshua!