The new and improved PSP-3000 that we reported details of a couple of weeks back now has a confirmed release date in Japan of 16th October. The official price upon release will be 19,800 Yen (approx. 183 USD).The release was announced along with a lineup of new games by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan president Shawn Layden. He admitted that “We need to, and we will, advance our software and hardware without restraint.”  This new PSP is Sony’s latest attempt to broaden the appeal of its own consoles against fierce competition from Nintendo, which is seeing strong demand for its Wii and DS units.

Layden went on to say “For me (the PSP) has been Sony’s entry into handheld gaming and that’s where my focus remains,” adding that the company wants the console to become a “lifestyle application.” – this is despite the fact that data gathered by publisher Enterbrain shows that more than 80% of PSP buyers use the console for other activities than playing games, including listening to music, watching movies, sharing photos or using the Internet.

Sony has sold more than 10 million PSPs in Japan since the launch nearly four years ago. The DS sold 23 million units between December 2004 and June 2008 in Japan.

(Story and picture courtesy of AFP Tokyo)

A BBS in China named PSPChina has revealed some rather lackluster pictures and specifications of the next generation PSP, the PSP-3000 (previous PSP models were PSP-1000, PSP-2000). While details aren’t exactly clear, it’s rumored that this new model may contain a built-in microphone, updated buttons, a few cosmetic changes (such as the slimmer silver ring above) and possibly even cell phone support. Now, don’t take these pictures and details as truth – this could just be a very well made knock-off, common in Chinese markets. There are several other pictures and we’ve included them in this blog entry.

Here is another heavily watermarked image that shows a new button, the Playstation button (most likely to access the XMB) and what is reported to be a built-in microphone. And finally, here is the back casing:

You can see the raised plastic in the center that is a part of the UMD frame. There are probably some people out there that wish there was a PSP released that had high capacity flash memory built in and no UMD, but I doubt we’ll see that until the next true version of the PSP. Here is the current back casing for the PSP for reference (ignore the metal aspects of the UMD portion in the center), which has numerous structural differences.

Story courtesy of PSPChina.net.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that the cumulative sell-in units of PSP handheld entertainment system (PSP-1000 and 2000 series) reached a total of 10 million units in Japan as of July 15, 2008. Since the launch on December 12th 2004 in Japan, PSP has evolved as an innovative handheld entertainment system, having a wide array of exciting software titles and by introducing peripherals as well as upgrading system software through continuous firmware updates. Inheriting the basic functions and the design philosophy of PSP-1000, slim and light PSP (PSP-2000) made its debut on September 20th 2007 and in the first half of 2008, it has become the best selling system in the game console market in Japan. Many color variations have also been introduced, now having PSP available in a total of seven different colors. Features such as “1 Seg” viewing, “Skype” and many other fun accessories that expands the joy of entertainment on PSP, including “Microphone” and a multi-functional “Cradle” in addition to a strong line-up of attractive software titles are also accelerating the expansion of the platform.

On the games front, there are over 580 titles now available in Japan alone. More and more exciting new software titles of different genres are scheduled for release towards the end of year from third party licensees as well as from SCE Worldwide Studios (WWS) Japan Studio, including GUNDAM BATTLE UNIVERSE by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., The Legend of Heroes: SORA NO KISEKI the 3rd by Nihon Falcom Corporation and PHANTASY STAR PORTABLE by SEGA CORPORATION as well as SCE WWS Japan Studio titles including BLEACH Soul Carnival, LocoRoco2, PATAPON2(Working Title), SECRET AGENT CLANK and Yusyanokuseni Namaikidaor2.(*5) In conjunction with the powerful line-up of upcoming software titles, two new bundle packs, “PSP Metallic Blue Value Pack” and “PSP Metallic Blue 1 Seg Pack”, featuring a new “Metallic Blue” PSP bundled with popular accessories and peripherals, will become available on July 17th in Japan as a limited offer.

SCE will vigorously promote PSP as a new handheld entertainment system to enjoy a variety of digital entertainment content by enhancing network capabilities and interoperability with Playstation 3.

The latest firmware for the PSP – version 4.05 was released yesterday and at first glance according to the release notes didn’t appear to offer anything tangible other than some new effects to the visual music player. However after an article appeared on the Playstation Knowledge Base, these were then amended to read as follows:

• New effects have been added to the visual player under (Music).
• Support for PLAYSTATION®Store Movies and TV video service.

Details are sketchy at this point as to how the support for the movies and TV Video service will work, with many bloggers speculating that Sony will reveal more in their press conference at E3 later today. The other possibility is that this is simply the back-end support for the Go!View service launched this week in the UK and Ireland in collaboration with subscription TV provider Sky. Sony Insider will keep you posted on this as soon as we have more information.

Meantime the new firmware is available via Network Update or via the local Playstation websites.

Enterbrain, the publishing house behind legendary Japanese gaming news outlet Famitsu, has released its estimates of videogame console hardware sales in Japan for the past six months, and the news is actually rather surprising. Sony’s PSP holds the number one position among all consoles sold in the period, tallying up to just short of 2-million units. The Wii ranks as the top home console with 1.7-million units shipped, which just outstrips Nintendo’s portable, the DS, which moved 1.6-million pieces of hardware.

The DS has been generally believed to be unstoppable in Japan after years of sell-out demand. The system’s lack of a Japanese megahit in recent months has obviously set it back however, while the PSP has ridden a sudden surge in popularity stemming from Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, a JRPG we’ll likely never see stateside. Regardless, the news should certainly enliven the spirits of the Sony faithful, as it proves the Nintendo monolith is not entirely unstoppable.

Courtesy IGN.

This picture is a riot – I love it. The images chosen to accompany every story covered has to be unique. Pictures are a dime a dozen, especially when they are stock shots that people have seen time and time again. A special image grabs the attention of a reader and subconsciously induces interest in the story. It sets the mood of the text and the tone of the blog. The PSP is a sexy device and has a beautiful interface with some great software titles. Is it lickable? Hardly.

The life of the PSP has been rather fickle. Hot as hell in Japan, but struggling in America. It probably would have been a bigger success if it didn’t use UMD media and had a flash based storage system instead. Games could’ve been downloaded off a secure Sony e-commerce site with the option to have the game sent to you on a DVD if online content was impossible to facilitate. However, that method sounds pretty difficult. But is it that crazy to think of in comparison to the struggling UMD format? UMD movies and music are barely staying alive. How long will the PSP last before Sony releases a new portable gaming system that is completely different? A bit longer than some would think.

According to SCEE’s Zeno Colaco, “We definitely have the ambition for it to feature very strongly in the future, both on its own and also complimentary to Playstation Network environment and the PS3. But we’ll have to wait a while before we can fully reveal the direction we’re going in. Ten years is certainly the long-term plan though.”

I’ve owned a PSP. It’s a killer portable gaming system and the firmware updates make it seem full of unlimited potential. Games are fun, attractive, addictive, and reasonably priced. The homebrew scene is exciting and mostly vibrant. Integration with the PS3 will slowly become better and better. However, there is just something about the PSP that doesn’t keep people playing. I never play mine anymore; in fact, a friend has been borrowing it for more than half a year and I don’t really miss it. Maybe I’m just crazy and need to confront that guy and liberate my PSP.

He probably pawned it.

According to the official PSP blog software update v4 will include a Google Internet search directly on the XMB (XrossMediaBar) interface. This new upgrade replicates the Google Internet search experience, delivering the same search results that you’d get at Google. And with a search history recall of 20 items, Web searches couldn’t be easier. After you download and install the firmware on your PSP, click on the XMB’s Network icon and then the new Internet Search icon. Enter your keywords and then let Google’s algorithms do the work. You’ll need to be connected to the Internet via a wireless access point or Wi-Fi hotspot. Googling something on the go has never been more convenient on your PSP.

Another new feature delivered through the 4.00 update is the ability to change viewing speed during playback of videos stored on your Memory Stick PRO Duo, so you can speed through or slow down what you’re watching. To do this simply press the up or down directional buttons while playing a video.

Come September 20, 2007, the newly “redesigned” PSP (PSP-2000) with a reduced size and weight by 33% and 19% respectively will be available for your gaming pleasure. While we countdown to its debut day, Famitsu has released a comparative pictorial between the smaller PSP-2000 and the current PSP-1000. Enjoy the pictures exclusively from Famitsu!

PSP-2000 (top) vs. PSP-1000 (bottom)

more pictures after the jump…

UMD Slot

Memory Stick Duo Slot

Speaker

Video Out

Battery Compartment

Weight Comparison

Package Comparison