Sony's slim PSP gets launch date, price for Europe

While it's not too terribly surprising that the forthcoming PSP's price was outed in Japanese yen first (not to mention those coveted extra hues they'll get), it is somewhat curious to hear that Europe scored the details before that other country. Nevertheless, Sony's David Reeves reportedly stated at a SCEE event at E3 that the slimmer PSP would "come out at €169 ($233) in all the PAL territories at the beginning of September," so we're going on pure assumption here that this will include the likes of Australia, too. Hey, we're really sorry about snatching Beckham and all, but at least you blokes (and dames) know when to hunt down the refreshed PSP, right?

[Ron @ Jul 20th 2007 2:25PM]

no what he said was: that the psp will be released first in europe at 1 september then 20 september japan and i think a little bit later america.

[Ron @ Jul 20th 2007 2:27PM]

oops i've read america and not australia

[Agathos @ Jul 20th 2007 2:32PM]

When was the American release again?

I'm planning to trade in my current or sell to a friend, I've got around 20 games and planning to pick up another 10 or more b4 Dec, if my 360, PS3, and Wii purchases don't break me...

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jul 20th 2007 2:47PM]

Gaming machine? Hardly.

I think Sony should have marketed it as cheap replacement of PocketPC.

[Karl @ Jul 20th 2007 2:52PM]

Can you actually do that? Most demos I come across are zipped up, and the PSP can't read them. Even though you can download them straight from the PSP on the painfully slow 802.11b connection, you can't use them without connecting to a PC and putting the files in the right place.

Other than that, I agree that the PSP is awesome, and downloading demos from my PC is an amazingly cool thing.

[Agathos @ Jul 20th 2007 2:55PM]

What do you mean hardly a gaming machine!?

There are dozens of games widely reviewed at 80% or higher. Action, RPG, Sports, etc.

You look like a fool when you make baseless comments like that and can't back it up.

Syphon Filter, Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, MGS Acid 1/2, MGS PO, Valkyrie Profile, FF installments, GTA Stories, Killzone Liberation, Pursuit Force, Wipeout, SOCOMs, Ace Combat, Tekken!!!, Loco Roco, Monster Hunter, well reviewed installments of all the sports titles, I could go on and on and on....

oh and don't forget all the upcoming releases: New FF VII spinoff, FF Tactics Lion War, new Syphon Filter, Riviera rpg, new Wipeout, new Pursuit force, new Tales RPG,

Oh! And you can pick up PS games on the PS3 and play too, along with vid playback, music, etc.

What was your argument again!?

[Jeremiah @ Aug 11th 2007 10:38PM]

I totally agree with you Agathos. Might I also add that the PSP is fully customizable with adding custom firmware and homebrews and such.

[Karl @ Jul 20th 2007 2:58PM]

US release should also be in September. IIRC, the press release during E3 had the US price in the game bundles and separately. But the new model is being launched everywhere in September.

I'm hoping for a few things for the PSP still, though:
- DLNA client (Sony's been showing this off for years, yet it's still not out!)
- Playstation Store access (PSOne games, PSP demos direct)
- Flash 9

I'm not worried about games, because the PSP is finally getting some good ones, like Syphon Filter, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy (albeit no 3D proper RPG final fantasy), Metal Gear Solid, Wipeout Pulse, and more.

[AndrewNeo @ Jul 20th 2007 3:14PM]

Unfortunately Flash 9 is an Adobe thing, not Sony or Nintendo (The Wii Internet Channel uses 7 too) thing. Macromedia hasn't released a Flash SDK after version 7.

[randal @ Aug 25th 2007 11:25PM]

[edit] Redesign Specifications
New hardware features are as follows:

Faster loading times by storing UMD data in temporary memory.
Internal memory (RAM) increase from 32 MB to 64 MB
Improved battery life due to lower power consumption, and battery recharge over the USB data connection. However the old, higher-capacity PSP battery will still be compatible and using it will give an increased battery life, but the battery cover will not close when using the old battery due to the larger size. Sony will release a High Capacity Power Kit with a bigger battery cover to fit over the old batteries.
Weight is 33% lighter
Actual PSP is 19% slimmer
A video-out port for displaying on a TV.
Improved responsiveness of d-pad[1] and buttons, confirmed in the GameSpot "hands-on" review; "several GameSpot editors have noticed that the d-pad and buttons on the new PSP provide a little more tactile feedback for a better overall feel."[2]
WiFi switch moved to the top of the console.
New UMD loading tray design.
Removal of the infra-red port, which was ultimately not used on the original PSP.
Speakers repositioned on the front of the PSP near the top of the screen.
Different area to insert Memory Stick.

The PSP-2000 models will use the same screen as the PSP-1000 models[3].





Release dates
For North America, the Silver PSP Daxter Pack will be released September 10th, the core pack will be released on september 10, and the Star Wars White on October 9th.[6]. For Japan market, a special "FINAL FANTASY VII 10th Anniversary" edition, will be released on September 13, 2007. Normal units in Japan will be released on September 20, 2007, available with all 6 colors. Europe is expected to see the Slim PSP September 5th.

[Ollie @ Jul 20th 2007 3:13PM]

Please, keep Beckham - him and his wife (especially his wife) represent the kind of fatuous idiots the UK is best rid of ;)

[tid @ Jul 20th 2007 6:06PM]

Agreed, as long as you let him come back to play for england every so often you can do what you want with his wife..

[Mika Tan @ Jul 20th 2007 3:15PM]

PSP slim? What a joke. Sony needs to go back to the drawing board. I laughed when i saw this at E3. There's nothing really different about it. An of course all the Sony heads are going to buy this shit.

Redesign my ass. What a waste of money.

[Karl @ Jul 20th 2007 4:24PM]

This level of redesign really isn't unique to Sony: Nintendo did it with the Gameboy Advance to the SP, and the DS to DS Lite. So did Nokia with the NGage. I'd say it's almost standard procedure in the handheld market now.

If they'd changed it too much (like added another analog stick or whatever changes you expected), people would have moaned that Sony were abandoning their current customers. They're just refreshing the model by passing some manufacturing improvements to the consumer by stripping weight and power consumption, and even adding extra RAM. All for the same price as the original.

You've got to understand that this is not (and was never inferred to be) the "PSP2" - it's the next generation/revision, much like how iPods get slimmer and better battery life with each revision.

[Zombie Dog @ Jul 20th 2007 7:58PM]

I might buy one now, and I don't consider myself a "Sony head" at all. I never bought one in the first place, but now that there's a decent selection of games out there for it that I'm interested in, I just might take the plunge.

You don't always have to be at the bleeding edge to enjoy everything. I bought my first PS2 last year too, and I've enjoyed it immensely. I didn't pick up a DS until the lite came out. I didn't pick up a Dreamcast until they were on clearance for $50. And I play all three of those systems frequently still...

[Joe Anstine @ Jul 20th 2007 3:28PM]

wonder if all the PAL territories will now get the seg1 tv tuner too

[Karl @ Jul 20th 2007 4:14PM]

DVB-T is pretty widespread across Europe, and has loads of channels to choose from. So it's certainly possible to release one tuner for much of the continent.

DVB-T hardware is pretty cheap and compact, too: you can get USB-stick tuners for about 40GBP from Amazon.

[Rob @ Jul 20th 2007 4:01PM]

Does anyone know if Sony took care of the poor refreshing rate that the PSP1 suffers from?
I know they've double up the RAM. But, that's separate from the video refresh rate.

[alexhrose71 @ Jul 20th 2007 4:12PM]

Apparently it is the same cheap LCD screen with the same issues with ghosting (high latency) and poor performance in bright light.

[Ashish @ Jul 20th 2007 4:16PM]

Beckham, pfffft. You guys can keep him.

[Jay @ Jul 20th 2007 6:31PM]

Convert $ to £, add 50% (if not more) and you have the UK price.

[Zombie Dog @ Jul 20th 2007 7:51PM]

I just got an email from LucasArts saying that the new PSP, in white with a Darth Vader silkscreen on it, bundled with their Star Wars Battlefront game will be $199.99 and go on sale on October 9th.

[Zombie Dog @ Jul 20th 2007 7:52PM]

In the United States of America, that is.

[c.Lake @ Jul 20th 2007 7:52PM]

Yes, Yes, We know there are games for the PSP (FINALLY). The bigger question is? What was need to make another one, (or should I say, the 3rd verison of the PSP) when it looks exactally the same as the first one?

They didn't even put a second control stick on it -- which was the ONLY thing it needed? I mean, really. What was the point? Either REALLY make a new version or don't bother.

[Jonn @ Jul 23rd 2007 3:28PM]

dude american release date is september 10th.. ign tells everyone

[Fruition @ Jul 25th 2007 2:58PM]

I don't know if Sony was necessarily wrong for not taking the opportunity to add a second analog stick, but it definitely could have been done without alienating the original PSP owners. Sony added the two analog sticks for the Playstation (the original dual shock) when the original controller had none. No one had a problem with it then.

Of course, that analog stick was barely used, so you might be thinking, what's the point? Well, here's the thing: a lot of shooter-type games use the action buttons (square, circle, triangle, x) for looking left/right/up/down. Easily, the PSP's second analog stick could double as those buttons, meaning pushing up on the right analog stick would be the equivalent of pressing triangle, etc. I say this because I find it frustrating to push those separate buttons to adjust my view, because they are too far apart. Having those actions wired into a second analog stick which I may use at my leisure would make my gaming experience with the PSP infinitely better.

[MattZani @ Aug 4th 2007 9:12AM]

This re-design is great, and there is no need for a second nub, and if you want one that badly www.acidmods.com has created a second nub that fits under the Faceplate, looking stock, and they'll be doing the same for Slim.

Bring on The Crisis Core Edition!

[randal @ Aug 25th 2007 11:27PM]

Your comments: [edit] Redesign SpecificationsNew hardware features are asfollows:Faster loading times by storing UMD data in temporary memory.Internal memory (RAM) increase from 32 MB to 64 MB Improved batterylife due to lower power consumption, and battery recharge over theUSB data connection. However the old, higher-capacity PSP batterywill still be compatible and using it will give an increased batterylife, but the battery cover will not close when using the old batterydue to the larger size. Sony will release a High Capacity Power Kitwith a bigger battery cover to fit over the old batteries. Weight is33% lighter Actual PSP is 19% slimmer A video-out port for displayingon a TV. Improved responsiveness of d-pad[1] and buttons, confirmed inthe GameSpot "hands-on" review; "several GameSpot editors have noticedthat the d-pad and buttons on the new PSP provide a little moretactile feedback for a better overall feel."[2] WiFi switch moved tothe top of the console. New UMD loading tray design. Removal of theinfra-red port, which was ultimately not used on the original PSP.Speakers repositioned on the front of the PSP near the top of thescreen. Different area to insert Memory Stick. The PSP-2000 modelswill use the same screen as the PSP-1000 models[3]. Release datesForNorth America, the Silver PSP Daxter Pack will be released September10th, the core pack will be released on september 10, and the StarWars White on October 9th.[6]. For Japan market, a special "FINALFANTASY VII 10th Anniversary" edition, will be released on September13, 2007. Normal units in Japan will be released on September 20,2007, available with all 6 colors. Europe is expected to see the SlimPSP September 5th.