PSP gets price cut, GPS, camera, VoIP and future media download service

Looks like those GPS add-on rumors were true. Now that Ken Kutaragi's PlayStation business briefing has ended we can tell ya that a new GPS receiver (PSP-290) with game support will indeed drop this “autumn” with a new GPS-enabled Hot Shot Golf title loaded-up for first release. Sony also let fly a new USB-attached PSP-300 EyeToy camera add-on for September launch which will support a new video and VoIP chat service coming in October. Also of note is the announcement of a new digital distribution system (Hub?) allowing users to download “games and applications” directly to Memory Stick – an early use will be for downloading and playing PSone games (via new emulator) directly off your memory cards, although specifics around that service have yet to be announced. Rounding things out are the announcements that a future firmware release will bring Macromedia Flash compatibility and a new RSS Channel function to save and playback internet radio and video content. All this and the PSP base-unit price will be cut to $199 by the end of the month. Still no mention of that rumored PSP email client or integrated flash memory, but we're not gonna get greedy.

[Via Foursprung]

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 24th 2006 3:13PM]

Way to go JetJaguar. I totally respect the opinions of the absolute gamers who prefer the DS for it's reasonable battery life and quirky Nintendo-ness (I have one and it's fun). However, all the PSP bashers need to realize it's a convergence device and a pretty good one too. I am happy using at as an MP3/WMA and movie player (I encode in AVC and have bought a few UMDs on bargain). I was too taunted by the LocationFree icon sitting there so I bought a basestation and now I enjoy watching my cable TV on my PSP as well. With the pending hardware updates, I'll probably be surfing the net/enjoying streaming web media with it a lot more too. I do agree that it needs way more game support. Some of the ones out there are pretty fun but they're too few and farbetween for today's gaming market. The PSone emulator for the PSP makes total sense seeing as I'd be more inclined to play PSone games on the go than on my PS2 :-)

I can only wish to live in a world without loading times... maybe this will be an advantage of the PSone flash ROMs.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 24th 2006 3:25PM]

Oh, and I don't know if anyone realizes this, but it's not really a "price-drop"... they're just selling it as a PSP Core Pack without any of the accessories (that means battery and powercable only). If you're at all interested in saving your games or protecting your PSP, you'd have to buy all that seperately (and some people would have prefered to since day one anyway). If you're looking for the best value, invest in a GigaPack. That way you actually get a decent sized memorystick for a pretty good price.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 25th 2006 11:51AM]

DS fanboys dont criticise the PSP till youve actualy played one, i know a nintendo fanboy that played my psp and said ''this is soooo much better than my ds, it makes my DS look crap i wish i got one instead, but i cant say that cause im a nintendo fan''.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 26th 2006 9:13AM]

#41. If you have problems accidentally erasing memory cards, take everything electronic from your house, put it in the back of your pickup and dump it out in a field, you are too dumb to own any of it. Period.

#43. Wrong. Memorystick Duo's (and pro's) do not fall under sundisk's patent (along with 85% of todays memory cards). It is Sony-shipper-retailer that is keeping prices high. Dumbass.

Umm, I can do all that on my celphone, why would I carry around my bigass psp?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 22nd 2006 12:32PM]

I have a NDS I've had for about half a year, and a PSP that I've had for about a week. The NDS pwns the PSP for games. The PSP pwns the NDS for... looking good. Sorry, I know where my loyalties lie: towards the fun.

The PSP is impractical to use as a music player, as you have to keep it on the player screen all the time. For a movie player... well, like the guy above said, DVD's are cheaper. And they come with a host more features. Web browsing? On a system without a keyboard? Games? A few ports, nothing decent yet. Along with all the updates that stop you playing homebrews/your emulated PSX games on it. Sorry PSP fans, but until something really decent comes out for the PSP, it's staying where it is for now, while my NDS goes everywhere with me. The PSX games does sound verrrry nice though. Castlevania SotN wherever I am... *drools*

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 30th 2006 1:46PM]

"a company called SunDisk"

umm, no, its SanDisk.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 27th 2007 1:58AM]

the psp needs game and GPS and cameras and more movies>

(((the psp needs more of ALL)))