E3 feigns surprise as Sony debuts the PSP Go

by Stevie Smith - Jun 3 2009, 15:35

General rumour regarding a new PlayStation Portable gave way to near-official confirmation late last week when a selection of leaked, but seemingly credible, hardware photos of the revamped handheld hit the Internet.

And, after becoming the worst kept secret in the videogame industry over the course of the following few days, Sony has now officially introduced a largely unsurprised gaming world to its PlayStation Portable Go (PSP Go).

Unveiled at this week’s E3 Expo in Los Angeles, and set to arrive in October as the third generation of Sony’s popular portable console, the new PSP Go is a scaled down slide-screen device that’s slightly smaller and slightly lighter than its predecessors.

“The PSP Go represents a new evolution of PSP, specifically designed for the digital lifestyle,” trumpeted Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai during the E3 keynote.

The new PSP Go, seemingly based on the Sony Milo 2 chassis design, hides its control interface behind the front-facing widescreen display, which slides upwards to reveal a conventional directional pad, the four iconic PlayStation face buttons, and a single analogue thumb stick (not double, as many had hoped for prior to E3).

According to Sony Computer Entertainment, the PSP Go will be half the size of the second generation PSP 3000 and some 40 percent lighter – in the main due to the removal of the PSP’s UMD cartridge slot.

Sony’s abandonment of the unpopular UMD format sees the Go targeting videogame and entertainment consumers through the purchase of complete digital downloads.

Core features and functions on the Go include on-board Wi-Fi connectivity, 16GBs of internal data storage, a memory expansion slot for external solutions, content download compatibility with the PlayStation Network, and support for PlayStation 3 interaction.

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