14 DAY TRIAL // Apparently there was more to the PSP than we thought and this must be the reason why Sony isn't rushing into rolling out the PSP2. SCEE and BT will be signing a 4 year deal, transforming the PlayStation Portable into a mobile communications device by incorporating wireless broadband communications functions into the handheld.
"The opportunity to combine our market leading expertise with BT's knowledge in communications opens up many possibilities and we look forward to bringing many exciting communication functions to PSP fans," said David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, as NextGeneration reports.
Steve Andrews, who heads up BT's mobility and convergence department added that "The PSP is an excellent device for both gaming and communications, because of its high quality screen and audio capabilities."
And isn't he right? I've been praising that huge screen the PSP shows off since I first laid my eyes on it and there still isn't any handheld out there to compete with that. Sure Nintendo's DS is doing great and all, selling like water in the desert, but that's for a totally different reason. It just has fun titles and a ton of those.
Had Sony made everything possible with the PSP available from the get go, their numbers would have looked a lot better. Probably still lower than Nintendo's, but the difference would have been a lot smaller.
So, basically, British PSP users will be able to use their systems to communicate, play games and access the Internet all this on the go. However, if Sony aims to use this agreement with BT to cover some of their losses with the PS3, then PSP users may be in for a pricey service. I'm not saying that the service should be charged, but Sony has the habit of charging a little too much for what they're offering. Does the PS3 and its lacking title list ring a bell?