Video: White PSPgo hands-on

Sure, speaking with Sony's John Koller was great and all, but one of the real treats with the interview was some quiet hands-on time with a white PSP Go, unfortunately not turned on but with the same build quality and weight as its functional black model (also found tagging along to the Q&A). Our impression of the device is largely unchanged from the initial experience -- a sturdy build that's surprisingly light, although with this go around we didn't find the shoulder buttons to be more comfortable this time. Still, our interest wanes pretty dramatically when we're reminded of its $249 price tag, but enough with our chatter, hit up the break for an up-close video of all its nooks and crannies, and while you're there, stick around for more tidbits from our interview.

Koller told us battery life would be about five to six hours, on par with the 3000 model, and if that doesn't jibe with your needs, he said the company's looking into a battery boost peripheral similar to the add-ons we saw when the iPod first launched. The portable itself has been in the works "for several years," but despite the overlap, says it was designed independently of the MyLo -- we're pretty skeptical, but hey, stranger things have happened. Also, we think it goes without saying, but just to make absolute sure, we confirmed with him that it uses the same SDK as the regular PSP and hence, no exclusive Go titles.

In the closed position, as we show at the end of the video, the Go's pretty much limited to basic interaction with the left and right shoulder buttons for switching between songs / scenes, alongside the volume control on the top. We couldn't get any clear answers on the future of the PSP, whether or not they'll be revising the classic model at any point in the future or ride out the 3000 until the world at large finally says "good riddance" to the UMD format. We gotta hand it to Sony for making a pretty stylish portable, but as is the standard, it's hard looking past that cost.

[Chris @ Jun 5th 2009 8:59AM]

Cool, but the youtube video is private.

[Mike @ Jun 5th 2009 9:08AM]

Yeah.. I'm in the same boat.. why can some people view it...?

Engadget FAIL.

[Chris @ Jun 5th 2009 9:18AM]

Seems they just fixed it.

[SyR @ Jun 5th 2009 10:14AM]

Looks cool and the concept it nice. However, I think I'll wait for the PSPGo! 2000.

[pizzaz @ Jun 5th 2009 12:13PM]

I'll wait for the PSPGo! 5000 ! It's going to be much better than the PSPGo! 2000 !

[Extinction @ Jun 5th 2009 4:13PM]

I find it stupid whenever anyone asks Sony to get rid of UMD

[voodoo @ Jun 5th 2009 9:00AM]

Awesome video

[xcrunk @ Jun 5th 2009 11:59AM]

Yes, awesome video, BUT...

Has anyone mentioned if it is thicker than the current PSP?

Also, why bluetooth? To replace the standard headset? To connect to a phone for data tethering?

NO touchscreen, boooooo!

[King Biscuit @ Jun 5th 2009 4:01PM]

So it's not just a pale white- it's all glittery in the light. Sony is taking apparently styling cues from Twilight? FAIL.

**** I hereby dub thee the Twilight Glitter Princess Edition! ****

[Rick wilson @ Jun 5th 2009 2:19PM]

I played with the PSPGo and it is the EXACT same size as my original iPhone. I placed my iphone on top of it and it hid the PSPGo. its also the same thickness. So there's an idea of how big it is.

[PoisonWolf @ Jun 5th 2009 9:00AM]

It's sad that despite the model being in "works" for several years, this is all they've come up with, a PSP with a new housing and mode storage = ridiculous pricing. A pathetic insult to milking an already-nearly-dead cow.

[Cheetah @ Jun 5th 2009 9:40AM]

Exactly, this thing is disgusting. Why don't they hire some of the people who do the mockups in expectancy of the product to design for them? That one mockup that was going around of a rectangular PSP where the screen took up the whole device and you push it up just like this one to reveal the keys BLOWS THIS AWAY by far.

[Ray @ Jun 5th 2009 12:29PM]

The white version looks slightly better as the silver trim doesnt stand out so much... but the design isnt even the main gripe any more, FUNCTIONALITY!

I like to play 2d fighters, this dpad is going to suck even harder than the one before it.

[Extinction @ Jun 5th 2009 4:14PM]

PSP is no where near dead. Only an idiot would think it is

[Chad @ Jun 5th 2009 9:00AM]

That's not white! That's pearl.

[xenolion @ Jun 5th 2009 9:03AM]

LOL damn you beat me to the joke.

[CtrlBurn @ Jun 5th 2009 9:34AM]

Whiter than you are, dude.

[Romain @ Jun 5th 2009 10:27AM]

It's not even white or pearl, it looks greenish on the photo, not to say green. What about setting a good white balance? :)

[Templarian @ Jun 5th 2009 9:02AM]

Awwww, it sparkles.

(really though blacks the best colour for PSP devices)

[216 @ Jun 5th 2009 9:05AM]

The Video's Private?

[x1500 @ Jun 5th 2009 9:05AM]

Video is privat, cant watch

[ryan @ Jun 5th 2009 9:09AM]

"although with this go around we didn't find the shoulder buttons to be more comfortable this time"

Were they more comfortable or not? This is extraordinarily confusing.

[The Truthbringer @ Jun 5th 2009 9:10AM]

This has got to be one of the more disappointing gadget news to be released, and after Nintendo's lacklustre performance, thats saying alot. Sony, Hire the artist who rendered the PSP2, drop this model in the dustbin, and get a team of engineers to give me the following.

Slideable Touchscreen (doesnt need to be multitouch)
Dual Analog sticks (and ppl, please forego any of the stupid arguments against the dual analogs. This control is in the damn center!)
OLED(pretty please....! But not necessary)
KEEP THE SCREEN DIMENSION THE SAME! THIS IS TOO CHUBBY! I DONT WANT A CHUBBY IN MY PANTS THAT A WOMAN DIDNT CREATE!

Just a horrible, pointless product to try and segue ppl into digital distribution. Take a note from Apple on how to do that.

[superhobo @ Jun 5th 2009 9:22AM]

Hi, I'm the head of R&D at Sony. We were all waiting for your comment on this wonderful non-biased website. Why didn't you comment earlier so we could've had it right the first time around?

We'll get right to it. Thank you very much.

[The Truthbringer @ Jun 5th 2009 9:29AM]

Witty, Clever Comment. But how does it invalidate anything that I stated here.
We've waited for quite some time now since PSP-2000. Believe you me, I am current PSP fanboi. But this entry is a pointless venture in that they took way features and are charging us more for it. It's pretty sad when a artists render outclasses and outtrumps something that you've just released. Here's the link.

http://www.techdigest.tv/psp2-concept2.jpg

This product IS a PSP. The PSPGo is PSP in name only. If ever there was a time for microsoft to release a handheld gaming system, it is now.

[superhobo @ Jun 5th 2009 9:45AM]

Artists don't have to take all the innards into account, they can render a creditcard-slim PSP, doesn't mean Sony can make it.

Anyway, I hope that's a leak, not just a render, of the REAL PSP2.

[The Truthbringer @ Jun 5th 2009 9:48AM]

Yep Just noticed no representation of shoulder pads on this render. Let's hope somewhere out there sony is listening

[Indefinite Implosion @ Jun 5th 2009 10:33AM]

One of the things that annoys me most about the PSPGo is the position of the start/select buttons and the fact it looks like a second analogue stick was MEANT to be put there and the start/select buttons put in the giant gap above the current location of the start/select buttons and single analogue stick.
Which could mean that this is just a gap product and the PSP2 will have the same basic body shape as the Go, 2 analogue sticks and OLED touch screen when those components become cheaper to put in it. *hopes it to be true*
RE: the concept art, I've seen than many times before but have never noticed (or seen anyone mention for that matter) the lack of shoulder buttons/ the uneasiness to use them if they are there.

p.s. Sorry if this doesn't read well, it's late and I've been studying(procrastinating) heaps hard.

[superhobo @ Jun 5th 2009 9:10AM]

It needs trigger-style shoulder buttons

[Sam @ Jun 5th 2009 9:11AM]

is the go actually more powerful that the old psp? I mean, will it actually allow more advanced games

[Sam @ Jun 5th 2009 9:12AM]

Give me my name back.

[coolblue @ Jun 5th 2009 9:24AM]

Erm... No this is the same internals as the PSP but with a smaller screen and no UMD slot. They are giving us less for more money...................

The standard PSP can do everything this can (apart from the particularly useless Bluetooth) with the benefit of a larger screen and a UMD drive.

[cduran01 @ Jun 5th 2009 9:40AM]

@coolblue:

"They are giving us less for more money".......really? How much internal flash does the PSP 1000, 2000, 3000 have?

"useless Bluetooth"???? I guess you never heard of A2DP or Bluetooth headsets for online gaming.

Being in product development myself I can clearly see where the price tag comes from, keep in mind that they are gauging demand with the PSP Go and they can't go ahead an manufacture hundreds of millions of them without knowing how they are going to sell, if the demand turns out to be high enough they'll manufacture more, which means lower production costs.

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Jun 5th 2009 10:06AM]

Internal Flash for all currently released PSP's: PSP1000 32mb every other PSP 64mb. PSP Go! A hell of alot more than the rest! Great custom firmware will be made for this. Sony should do an app store like Mapple. There is over a Terabyte of Applications and Home Made games already out for the PSP in the Homebrew community, imagine the revenue potential for that if only 4 out of the 50 million users know about it now. All 50 million knwing about it means the PSP might turn a profit for a change and developers Big and Small wuld be able to make their wares and capitalize on it.

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Jun 5th 2009 10:08AM]

(supposed to be 4 million*)

[The Truthbringer @ Jun 5th 2009 11:09AM]

@cduran1
I call bullshit on any extra added value of 16GB on board memory

Price of PSP-3000 SLIM : $169.99
AVG Price Of Memory Stick 16BG Card: $70
http://computers.pricegrabber.com/flash-memory/Sony-16GB-Stick-PRO-Duo-Card/m63674963.html

It works out to be cheaper. Blue-tooth support is a plus, but its not being touted as the main feature, the 16GB flash is

So it works out to be the same. They swapped out UMD for digital downloads that are priced at download prices. Yeah this is a great deal.

[richb93 @ Jun 5th 2009 9:12AM]

This video contains an audio track that has not been authorized by WMG O_o I'm shocked and disappointed engadget!

[Major4Play @ Jun 5th 2009 9:12AM]

Why were you expecting the white one to be any different ?

[superhobo @ Jun 5th 2009 9:35AM]

It makes it look like an Apple :3

[Andreas @ Jun 5th 2009 9:13AM]

looks pretty damn nice, not forking out 250 for it though.

[Crim @ Jun 5th 2009 9:47AM]

I have to agree, Sony needs to get people in their marketing department to understand pricing because they sure do have a problem with that. I'll grab one next year when they realize they f*cked up and price it where it should have been ($199).

Sony, DROP THAT PRICE!!!!

[wes @ Jun 5th 2009 10:08AM]

Well done Sony. I've been waiting for a PSP to be released that would make me want to buy one, and you've now made me decide to wait even longer! Seriously, Where's the innovation? For a company that had the Console market all but sewn up with the PS1 and PS2, no-one else should have been able to establish such a footing in the Market as Microsoft has even with all their resources. Your problem was you rested on your laurels and expected Game developers to choose to program for you rather than the competition due to your size. Your arrogance led you to believe you could go down the proprietary format road with UMDs for PSP, a mistake corrected with PSP go, but you haven't gone nearly far enough. In the hand held market dominated by Ninty, you again fail to come up with something innovative. What? Are you waiting for Microsoft to come up with a handheld gaming rig before you take the market seriously again? And 16Gb on board? My iPhone has that. Where are the 2 Analogue sticks, the motion sensitivity, touchscreen. Even give us something tacky like a 3d game where you have to wear ridiculous specs to play it. Do something FFS to make people want to buy it, not rehash the same product in a different shell, and charge more for it.

[bangra @ Jun 5th 2009 9:45AM]

they could change the UMD to an proprietary memorycard and games would have been still physicall. 4gig memory does not cost that much if you buy millions of it.

[Extinction @ Jun 5th 2009 4:17PM]

It adds up very fast, it costs exponentially more than UMD

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Jun 5th 2009 10:01AM]

Same SDK huh? Homebrew WILL be on this within a week of release. Mark my words.

[tekdroid @ Jun 5th 2009 10:03AM]

Non-removable battery?
All aboard the Disposable Express?

If so, that begs the question:
How much for surgery and replacement outside of warranty?

A rechargeable battery is good for 300-500ish charge cycles... then severely reduced running life, enough to keep that AC adaptor working overtime. No spare battery switcheroo when travelling?

[shaitien @ Jun 5th 2009 10:12AM]

Looks good, but I think $199 would have been a good price point.

[crawdad689 @ Jun 5th 2009 10:13AM]

Highly disappointing. Outlandish price. No more graphics capability than the original. No (as of yet) inbuilt compatibility with PS3.

All the iPod Touch/iPhone or Zune HD needs to completely kill this thing is a peripheral with buttons/triggers/analog sticks.

[ChiWax @ Jun 5th 2009 10:20AM]

802.11b with downloadable games and video just doesn't seem smart. Why isn't this thing at least 802.11g? It takes 20-30 minutes to grab 1 episode of "Rescue Me". Come on Sony!!! Q.

[chad @ Jun 5th 2009 10:31AM]

OK engadget help me out:

Top: Brightness button, volume mute button, volume rocker
Side 1: hold switch
Side 2: wireless on/off, memory M2 trey
Bottom: 3.5 Headphone jack, HDMI? What is that wide open slot?

Where is the data (USB) port to connect to PC/PS3?