The rumor mill has been running overtime this week with information on what the PSP2 will contain. One of the more convincing rumors has revealed some interesting information from a supposed “inside source”. According to this source, the PSP2 will be called “PSP Go!”, in line with the range of services already offered on the PSP ( Go!Cam, Go!Explore etc). More details on the new PSP model should be revealed at E3 in June, and the new model is expected to launch towards the end of this year.
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The latest firmware update for the PSP is now available to download. Firmware v5.50 introduces an Information Board on the PSP system’s XMB (XrossMediaBar) interface. Those of you who have a PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) may be familiar with this feature, which displays news and updates from the world of PlayStation in a scrolling ticker in the upper right-hand corner of your TV screen. In addition to this, you will now be able to create and access subfolders for photos, music and videos.
The UMD is finally about to bite the dust, according to David Perry of Shiny Entertainment. In a twitter update, Perry said “Sony finally removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive”. Of course, this hasn’t been confirmed by Sony so place it under the rumor category for now. In related developments, the PSP2 is indeed real according to Perry once again. He states that a developer he knows is currently working on it right now, which leads us to believe that prototypes are already available.
Earlier today, SCEE announced several news games coming to the PSP this year. The new games including LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm, previously only available on PlayStation 3, will be coming to PSP this year. These are just the start of a stellar line-up of games coming to PSP this year, according to Sony’s press release, which claims that 2009 will be the biggest year for PSP to date.
Go!Messenger, the PSP messaging service powered by BT will be shutting down soon. According to SCEE, the service isn’t popular enough to continue. “Although Go!Messenger brought innovative communications features to the PSP community, the service has not developed the base of users that we
were hoping for. We’d like to thank all fans of Go!Messenger and are sorry to have to make this announcement.” The service, while allows gamers in Europe to send videos, voice messages and text message, will be discontinued on March 31st.
Earlier this month SCE Asia announced two new colors for the third-generation PSP (PSP-3000), Vibrant Blue and Vibrant Red. Now, Sony has announced that two new colors will be added to the line-up: Bright Yellow and Spirited Green. Sony also announced that they will be releasing new pouches and battery packs to match the Carnival theme. The Carnival colored PSP-3000 will retail for ¥19,800 (approx $225) and will be available this March.
Security
Over at the PlayStation.Blog, Eric Lempel has announced that PSP Firmware v5.03 is now available to download. The minor update "improves system software stability during use of some features." Other than that, there is nothing different in the new firmare update. However, it could also patch the recently discovered GripShift exploit so if you are using homebrew, you may want to hold off on upgrading your PSP for the time being.
The official changelog for the update states "a security patch was added to address security vulnerabilities in the system software."
In a press release, Sony Computer Entertainment Asia has announced that there will be two new colors available for the third-generation PSP (PSP-3000). It’s not clear whether the new colors will be available outside of Asia, but one can only hope. The two new colors, Vibrant Blue and Vibrant Red, will be part of the ‘Carnival Colors’ series. Check out the images below.
The colors look very bright and eye-catching. The new colors will be available to purchase in Hong Kong from January 15th and in Taiwan from January 17th.
