14 DAY TRIAL // Sony has announced that the much maligned PlayStation Portable Go, its most recent handheld release, is getting a price cut in all the major video game market in an effort to push its sales up and maybe prepare gamers for an announcement about the PSP 2.
In the United States the device will now sell for 199 dollars, down from 249 until now, while on the Japanese market the cut will move the price from 26,800 to 16,800 Yen.
Starting on November 1 the price in the United Kingdom is also going down from 225 Pounds to 159.99.
The PSP Go is notable for the fact that it lacked a UMD physical drive and was set to get all of its content via download from the PlayStation Network.
The move was probably too bold for most gamers and the device has seen limited sales since its launch in October last year, despite the fact that Sony says the device is not a disappointment.
Another issue was the fact that, in a move probably designed to eliminate piracy, the battery of the PSP Go could not be removed and replaced, limiting its life on the move.
Some industry watchers have seen the PSP Go as a test platform for Sony, with the company not actually looking to make it profitable but to test new ideas and technologies that can then be included in a follow up for the PlayStation Portable.
The PSP 2 is most certainly in development at Sony at the moment, with Shaun Himmerick, who is working on the new Mortal Kombat, saying that his team has a device in the office in order to evaluate its hardware capabilities and see whether they can port their game to it when it launches.
An official announcement from Sony on the PSP 2 might come early in 2011, with the launch set for the fall of next year, aiming to compete with the Nintendo 3DS.