E3 2009 – Sony Confirms PSP Go

At today’s Sony press conference, they announced the latest version of their popular handheld console, the PSP Go. It was immediately stressed that this was not a true replacement for the current PSP-3000, but rather a device targeted at people living the digital lifestyle. These are the gamers like me that don’t want to mess with going to the store and buying a disc for every game they own. If I can get something off Steam, I always do because it’s easier, and there’s nothing to lose, which is exactly what Sony is talking about.

This of course means that the UMD is out, replaced by 16GB of flash memory. So what happens to the UMD? Well from this point forward, every game released for the PSP will have both UMD and digital download versions. The exact same features and functionality will still be in the game, regardless of which format is chosen.

There are plenty of other features, aside from the extra storage that make the Go appealing. The biggest of these is the slimmed-down size. The Go measures in at 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the current PSP-3000. WiFi and Bluetooth satisfy your needs to stay unwired for as long as possible.

I’m still not sold on watching a lot of video on a tiny screen, but if that’s your thing, then you’re in luck. Sony is integrating their video delivery service natively on the PSP Go. They’ve also signed on a host of providers like Showtime, G4, Starz and several anime networks.

The price is really the only thing that I’m disappointed in. When it launches on October 1st, the PSP Go is going to come with a price tag of $249. I thought that the original PSP was too expensive when it first hit stores with at the same price, and my stance really hasn’t changed.