According to AV Watch, Sony has announced that it’s ending sales of its PSP Go portable gaming console. Sony let the wraps off of the PSP Go in June 2009, and while it is both smaller and lighter than the PSP, that comes at the cost of a UMD gaming cartridge slot. The requirement to side-load games or purchase them over the air no doubt played a role in Sony’s poor hardware and software sales in Japan. While the Japanese firm will no longer produce the PSP Go, it will continue to offer device support for repairs and updates. Sony said it will focus its efforts on the PSP-3000 and its successor, currently codenamed “NGP.”

[Via Engadget]

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If you were having trouble deciding which PSP-3000 bundle to choose from and you don’t care about the scan lines or other display issues, it looks like Sony just did  you a big favor. According to an official blog post from yesterday, Sony has decided to pull the 4GB Memory PSP Entertainment Pack it had previously announced would be available. That leaves customers with one, and only one, option – the Ratchet & Clank pack currently available. As for those in need of the added memory, Sony says quit your whining and fork up the $45 for a card. Well, they didn’t really say the part about the whining…

[Thanks, phil!]

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Ahh, the PSP-3000. The gorgeous bright display we’ve been lusting over is now out in wild and just waiting to show you games and movies with stunning and vivid clarity. Right? Umm, not so much it would seem. Early adopters are reporting horrible interlacing issues during both game play and video playback. As seen pretty clearly in the image above, movement is basically death to the PSP-3000 display. Jagged edges, scan lines and insane pixelation spoil the honeymoon pretty quickly and are resulting in some pretty pissed gamers. Apparently disabling the Wide Color Space option helps to some extent but it doesn’t eliminate the issue completely. The worst part? Sony has reportedly confirmed the issue, claimed it is in fact not an issue at all and stated that it will not be addressed in any software updates as it is a hardware matter. Mmm. PSP-4000 anyone?

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Gamers get your plane tickets now. The new PSP-3000 will be available On October 16th in Japan. Retailing at 19,800 yen ($184), the new PSP system will debut in three basic colors of “Piano Black,” “Pearl White” and “Mystic Silver”. For gamers with a flair for fashion (admit it, you’re out there), additional colors are expected soon. The PSP will come bundled with a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, a pouch, hand strap, and a wipe cloth for all those inevitable and annoying greasy fingerprints. Some new peripherals and accessory packs will also be available on release. No further details on release dates in other countries though it is still expected for the upcoming holiday season. Some cool new online services are also set to be launched this fall in conjunction with the release of this new device. PSP users will now be able to connect directly to the PlayStation Store and download entertainment and game content without piggybacking through a computer or PS3. Available for download on the launch date will be a PSP version of the Japanese PS3 game, Mainichi Issyo. Own a previous version of the PSP and feeling a bit left out? Rejoice as an update will extend this service to you too! Another online service will launch that “enables users to play PSP software titles featuring ad-hoc mode over the Internet through PS3 with other online players. PSP software titles such as “MONSTER HUNTER PORTABLE 2nd G” from CAPCOM Co., Ltd. will be compatible with this new online service.” A footnote says “Titles and the detailed information of the service will be announced in due course.” Hmm, not really sure what that means (PSP vs PS3 online games?) but it sounds interesting.

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Sony officially announced the PSP-3000 this week and gamers found themselves asking a question that really didn’t bode well for the updated system: “Is a new button, a mic and a new screen really worth an upgrade?” Well kids, a quick gander at the image above might help you come a little closer to answering that conundrum. All we can say is WOW. The striking resemblance between the PSP-2000 and the PSP-3000 comes to a grinding halt the second you turn that sucker on. The new LCD display has five times the contrast ratio, twice the color range and responds twice as fast as its predecessor. To put it another way, it kicked the PSP-2000 display in the shin and stole its lunch money. So far only the European pricing is known (€199) but we can say that the PSP-3000 is supposed to hit US shores in mid-October around the same time as the European launch. So gamers, what do you think? Does this comparison shot have you singing a different tune or is it still not worth the (probable) $250 – $300 entry fee?

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