Sony is announcing that the landmark 4.0 firmware update for the PlayStation Portable is going to arrive this week, and advises all those that own a gaming handheld console to upgrade immediately to the new version.

The main change brought along is the integration of the Google search engine functionality in the XrossMediaBar interface of the device, which Sony says will make "web searches easier and convenient." The function will be easily accessed through a button that will be found in the Network tab of the XMB. The results delivered by the built-in search function will be the same as those a user would obtain had they employed the main Google page for the same search.

Sony says that is plans to offer a "history feature" for searches that will store and then autocomplete the last 20 items that the user searched for.

Sony Computer Entertainment America stated that the Google partnership "demonstrates SCEA's commitment to further enhance the mobile entertainment experience on PSP system." It seems that other Google services are likely to be integrated in the XMB of the PlayStation Portable, if users signal they are pleased with the new feature.

Apart from Google integration, the 4.00 firmware is, as Sony says, "the ability to change viewing speed during playback of videos stored on a Memory Stick PRO Duo; this allows you to watch a video quickly, or slow it down to listen carefully to dialogue." This might be a useful feature, though not groundbreaking.

Sony has recently said that it is disappointed with the performance of the PSP, which is only proving to be a success on the Japanese market, and wants to introduce some changes to transform the gaming device into a more social-minded platform. There are plans to introduce a new GPS add-on for the PSP and also to create a special keyboard that will allow users to message their friends more easily.