PlayStation Portable Go!Messenger Disappears, Replaced with Skype

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and the BT telecommunications company are announcing that they are planning to take Go!Messenger, a service that offered free calls from handheld to handheld in Europe, offline at the end of the month of March.

The statement offered by Sony on its official forum says that “Although it proved a popular concept, achieving a significant number of registrations, it didn’t gain the number of regular users that BT and SCEE were aiming for.”

The application was created by a joint venture between Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and British Telecom and the release date was February 29, 2008. The main function of the Go!Messenger program was to allow PSP users to make voice calls with their handheld, but video calls were also a possibility with an accessory called the Go!Cam. The links established via the service also allowed for transfer of instant text messages, plus audio and video clips.

Sony seems to be still interested in something similar with Go!Messenger in the future as it said that “future products will be available that will take advantage of Go!Cam.” The Go!Messenger application was released as Sony was trying to show that the PSP could be more than a gaming machine, emphasizing the social aspect of the platform.

The probable cause for ditching the Go!Messeger concept is the existence of Skype. The well-known Voice over IP application can be installed on the PlayStation Portable and used to call, for free, other Skype users. There's also an option to call fixed or mobile phones, but this service requires payment.

At the moment, Sony seems to be working on a new version of the PlayStation Portable, even publishing an add for a position of tester for a “new game machine.” It's not clear whether the Japanese company is just upgrading the platform, creating a PSP-4000, or whether we are seeing the early days of the PSP 2.