Sony PSP3000 to Launch in October, Pre-release woes

If you have got the hots for the new Sony PSP 3000 then this is for you.
Take note though as I have mentioned previously, that the PSP3000 has a more secure system. You will not be able to play pirated-downloaded games unlike the current PSP. I am sure hackers cannot wait to get their hands on this baby. One of the main points of the PSP 3000 though is it will have a built in mic. What will you use a mic for on a "gameboy"? Well, Skype is now one of the major functions of the PSP, I am sure they've figured that since we are already bringing the PSP a long us, why not have skype on it. Well, it is a plus to have skype, I think I would stick to skype on my Windows mobile device (HTC touch Dual)

Pre-release woes:
- No Bluetooth
- 64mb Built in Memory, Really, 32GB flash drives are already out, couldn't they have just increased it to 1 gig?
- No TouchScreen- Rather than skype competing with a skype enabled device, I think they should aim to compete with the itouch instead.
- Built in GPS- I know this mite be too much to ask for, but this would have been way better than a built in mic. I would buy it right away and see it as a GPS device with gaming capabilities ;-)

People will still definitely be buying this product, but as for me, I'll stand by my PSP Slim (2000).



Here is the official Sony Press Release:
SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN TO INTRODUCE
NEW PSP® (PLAYSTATION®PORTABLE) WITH
ADVANCED HIGH CONTRAST LCD THIS OCTOBER IN JAPAN
Introduced to the Japanese market at 19,800 yen
along with a variety of entertainment packs and peripherals

Tokyo, September 2, 2008 – Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ), a division of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. responsible for business operations in Japan, announced today that it would release the new PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system (PSP-3000) featuring an advanced high contrast LCD and a built-in microphone on Thursday, October 16th, 2008, in Japan at a recommended retail price (RRP) of 19,800 yen (including tax). The new PSP system will come in three basic colors of “Piano Black,” “Pearl White” and “Mystic Silver,” with plans for additional colors.

SCEJ will also release “PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) Value Pack” for the Japanese market at a RRP of 24,800 yen (including tax), comprising a new PSP system (Piano Black, Pearl White or Mystic Silver), a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo™ (Mark2), an original PSP pouch, a hand strap and a cloth to meet users’ various purposes in using the PSP systems such as playing games, watching movies, listening to music and downloading content through the network.

Along with the launch of the new PSP system, SCEJ will also introduce a variety of accessory packs to meet a wide range of users’ lifestyle; “Accessory Pack” will be released at a RRP of 3,800 yen (including tax) and “Battery Pack (2200mAh)” at a RRP of 5,500 yen (including tax). In addition, new peripherals for the new PSP will be introduced; “Cradle” at a RRP of 4,800 yen (including tax) and “Cradle and D terminal AV cable” at a RRP of 6,500 yen (including tax) for charging PSP battery and enjoying high quality viewing on TVs, and also “PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) Pouch” at a RRP of 1,800 yen (including tax) that matches the color of the new PSP system. All additional peripherals and accessories will become available on Thursday, October 16th.

For the upcoming holiday season market, third party partners will be introducing exciting bundle packs with strong PSP software titles. “MOBILE SUITE GUNDAM GUNDAM VS. GUNDAM” will be introduced from NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at a RRP of 24,840 yen including tax. “DISSIDA FINAL FANTASY” will be introduced from SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at a RRP of 25,890 yen including tax. SCEJ will also introduce “PATAPON 2 Donchaka♪” on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at a RRP of 23,800 yen including tax.

SCEJ also announced today that it would launch a new network service this fall that will allow PSP users to connect directly to PlayStation®Store, and to download entertainment content without transferring them through PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) or PC.*1 At the launch of this network service, SCEJ will be releasing game content for the PSP system such as “Mainichi Issyo Portable,” developed for PSP from the original PS3 title of “Mainichi Issyo”.

Additionally, another free online service will be launched this fall which 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.*2

SCEJ will further expand the PSP platform and create a world of entertainment with the new PSP system, together with strong upcoming new software titles, and attractive peripherals and network services launching for the holiday season.

※1 Users need to update the latest system software to use the service, and they will also be able to enjoy the service on PSP-1000 and PSP-2000.

※2 Titles and the detailed information of the service will be announced in due course.
Product Name PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
Release Date October 16th, 2008 (Thu.)
Product Code “Piano Black” （PSP-3000 PB）
“Pearl White” （PSP-3000 PW）
“Mystic Silver” (PSP-3000 MS）
Recommended Retail Price 19,800 yen (including tax)
External Dimension Approx. 169.4 x 18.6 x 71.4 mm（width x Height x Depth）（Excludes largest projection）
Weight Approx. 189g （including battery pack）
CPU PSP® CPU（System clock frequency 1-333MHz）
Main Memory 64MB
Display 4.3 inches (16:9) full-transparent type, TFT drive,
480 x 272 pixel, Approximately 16,770,000 colors displayed
Sound Built-in stereo speakers
Main input/output Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b)(Wi-Fi)
High Speed USB (USB2.0) (mini-B)
Memory Stick PRO Duo™
Analog Video Out
Microphone
Main Connectors DC IN 5V connector
DC OUT connector
video out/headset connector
USB connector
Memory Stick Duo™ slot
Key/Switches Directional buttons (up/down/right/left), analog stick,
Action buttons (triangle, circle, cross, square), L/R buttons
START button, SELECT button, PS button
POWER/HOLD switch, WLAN switch
display button, sound button, volume (+/-) buttons
Power Sources Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery pack
AC adaptor
USB power supply
Internal Disc Drice Read-only UMD™ drive
Supported Profile PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) Game
UMD® Video
Access Control Region code, parental control
Wireless Communications Infrastructure mode
Ad hoc mode (connects up to 16 consoles)
Supplied Accessories AC adaptor
Battery pack (1200mAh)
Supported Codec (in Memory Stick)
Video ● Memory Stick Video Format
　・MPEG-4 Simple Profile（AAC）
　・H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile（AAC）
● MPEG4
　・MPEG-4 Simple Profile（AAC）
　・H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile（CABAC）（AAC）/ Baseline Profile（AAC）
● AVI
　・Motion JPEG（Linear PCM）
　・Motion JPEG（μ-Law）
Music ● Memory Stick Audio Format
　・ATRAC3™
　・ATRAC3plus™
　・MP3
● MP3（MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer3）
● MP4（MPEG-4 AAC）
● WAVE（Linear PCM）
● WMA（Windows Media® Audio 9 Standard only）※5
Photo ● JPEG（DCF2.0/Exif2.21compliant）
● TIFF
● BMP
● GIF
● PNG