14 DAY TRIAL // At long last Sony is doing something to revamp its PlayStation Portable handheld gaming device. A new model was announced; it is called the PSP-3000 and aims to update the hardware of the console by offering an improved LCD screen and a built in high definition microphone. The new model will apparently be available in all territories where Sony does business sometime in October and three colors have been announced so far: Piano Black, Pearl White and Mystic Silver.
The main changes in the new PSP model are related to the LCD screen. Although the Lite and the Slim models of the console benefited from the latest technology when they were launched, rapid advances in LCD development convinced Sony to create and implement a new screen, with improved anti-reflection, which allows for a better user experience in bright areas, with a better contrast ration and with more colors offered.
The PlayStation Portable has also been modified so as to allow users to plug their consoles in non-progressive TV sets, via cables designed specifically for the interlace format which are not sold together with the console.
The built in microphone is also a good addition to the PSP, as it offers players the possibility to enter voice chat while playing their games and also opens up the Sony handheld to Skype communication.
Jack Tretton, who is the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, mentioned that this new version of the product would "close the loopholes" for PSP software piracy, but it is not clear what measures have been implemented to achieve this goal.
A Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack, scheduled for October 2008, will include the new model, with the Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters game, a National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets movie, a 1 GB memory stick and an Echochrome voucher to download the game from the PlayStation Network. This will be the first time the model will be available and the retail price is set for 199 dollars.
The updated PlayStation Portable will most likely cost 169.99 dollars when it is available as a standalone product later in the year.