Here’s some new PSP Go info in case anyone wants to know. There will be three new features on the Go that aren’t available on the PSP-3000: Game sleep function, Bluetooth function, clock and calendar application. And PSP Euro Product Manager Adam Grant says the Go will have 3 to 6 hours of battery life for gameplay and 3 to 5 for videos.

* Game sleep function: You will be able to operate the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) while suspending the gameplay temporarily.
* Bluetooth function: This is going to let you use your favourite wireless head phones to listen to music, play games and watch videos….
* Clock and calendar application: We have included a clock and calendar application which can be viewed both when the sliding panel is open and closed.

PS Blog Europe via Siliconera

We have visual confirmation that firmware 5.03 has been successfully hacked, and will run emulators. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the exploit hasn’t been released yet, and you’re just going to have to wait patiently to play Dig Dug (or do it here).

As you can see in the video, they were successfully able to reboot after installing the new kernel, and then change the MAC address. A full release can’t be far behind.

[via Slashdot]

The PSP 3000 is now (well, in a few weeks) fully hackable. Datel’s Lite Blue Tool battery is able to put the system into service mode, and from then on you’re able to flash it with custom firmware. You know, for “homebrew.”

Till now, the PSP 3000 was unhackable, precluding gamers from hopping on Usenet, downloading the latest PSP ISO and loading it on their memory stick. Wait, no, I mean homebrew. Sorry. Wink. Nudge. Et cetera.

The Lite Blue Tool comes out on November 28 for $30.

I have before me the Limited Edition Ratchet & Clank PSP Entertainment Pack. And with said pack comes a silver PSP-3000, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and a voucher for echochrome. Many have wondered if it’s worth the upgrade or if it’s in any way distinguishable from the previous generation. It is and it isn’t, but it kicks much ass.

I can say right off the bat that the PSP-3000 hardware is much, much nicer than my white Darth Vader PSP-2000. It’s much lighter too – by about 100 grams give or take. Aside from a few cosmetic changes on the outside most people wouldn’t recognize that one is newer than the other except for the color by just looking at it.

The buttons on the 3000 are definitely more resistant when pushing down, which I personally like because inadvertently pressing the wrong button during a game can be frustrating. That might not be a big deal to anyone, but it’s something worth noting. The “Home” button has been modified with a PlayStation logo, which used to reside on the upper left corner and a built-in mic has been placed between the volume keys and PSP logo. The Sony logo has been shifted from the right upper corner to where the PSP logo used to be. The silver ring surrounding the PSP logo on the back has been reduced in size and the overall package is much more polished and refined than that of the PSP-2000.

The screen is much brighter and a lot crisper on the 3000 than it is on the 2000. You might not be able to tell by looking at the photos, but it is. That whole interlacing issue exists, but I hold the unit at arm’s length and not six inches from my nose. It honestly doesn’t bother me and the only reason I can tell it’s there is because I have the older model to compare it to. It’s a caveat that doesn’t seem to be easily fixed, if at all, but it’s something to think about if you’re looking to upgrade. I can’t attest to the screen’s readability in the sun because it’s super late in the day here in NYC, but I never play outside.

The built-in mic works great and folks can hear me loud and clear over Skype. Again, who knows what it’s like outside of my office cube or apartment, but I don’t make Skype calls on the sidewalk.

I’ve been wondering about hacking the PSP-3000 and it remains to be seen from what I’ve gathered on the Interwebs if it’s even possible. The Pandora battery doesn’t work with the 3000 and v5.0 of the firmware was only partially decrypted, so we’ll have to give this one some time. Maybe Sony made it hack proof, but only time will tell. There’s a lot of discussion going on over at the MaxConsole forums about it now and PinoyPSP3000 has managed to sort of hack it, but it certainly doesn’t seem like it’s worth the effort.

As Nicholas told me earlier today when I asked about hacking my PSP-2000, he said, “It’s probably not worth it.” And I’d have to agree with him. Maybe one day I’ll get around to it to see what all the fuss is about, but in the meantime I’m ok with what I have.

Battery life: remains to be seen. I’ll update in the next day or so.

So, is the PSP-3000 all it’s cracked up to be? Yes. Is it worth upgrading to from the PSP-2000? If you’ve got an extra $200 lying around and you don’t stick your nose six inches from the screen. I’d take a look at both in person and try out the buttons on both and see which floats your boat. I do have to say that the PSP-3000 hardware pwns that of the PSP-2000, but maybe it’s just me.

Product Page

Amazon

It is with a heavy heart that I bring this awful, terrible news: those scanlines and other screen defects discovered in the PSP-3000? Sony totally meant for that to happen.

To borrow a Slashdotism, it’s a feature not a bug.

Sony Japan said this:

PSP-3000 has a new LCD device with vastly improved picture quality, achieving a more natural and vivid picture than older models. By improving LCD response time to reduce ghosting, the horizontal-line phenomenon becomes more visible… Since this is caused by hardware characteristics, there is no plan to fix it with system software update.

Well that’s misleading. If it is, indeed, a hardware issue, it’s not that Sony would have no “plans” to fix it, but that it simply wouldn’t be able to fix it, without tinkering with the hardware and recalling all those “bad” PSPs.

You now have two options: either buck up and deal with it or hunt down an older model.

What’s new in the Sony PSP-3000? A brighter screen, a built-in microphone. Oh, and a horrible interlacing defect. Good upgrade.

Users on Sony’s official PlayStation forums are complaining that the new screen found in the PSP-3000 causes games to suffer from severe graphical defects, including interlacing issues and jaggies. When you plop down $200 on a new toy you don’t exactly expect to run into these issues.

The photo illustration here shows the non-janky PSP on the left and the afflicted PSP-3000 on the right.

Sony relayed to Joystiq that it’s “looking into this” so it shouldn’t be too long before this is addressed in full.

via Joystiq

Sony presented the PSP-3000 to the general public for the first time during the Tokyo Game Show last week. I had the possibility to play “Clank & Ratchet: Maru Hi Mission Ignition!” and “Resistance: Retribution” on the new PSP and the display seemed to be a major improvement.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the possibility to test it outside the exhibition halls (under daylight) and there was no game running on a PSP-2000 for comparison (I was able to test the new model for about 30 minutes). The display is better but I couldn’t find any other critical differences to the PSP-2000 (aprt from the mic, obviously).

Regarding usability, the buttons and D-pad, for example, felt almost unchanged to me, even though Sony said they changed these parts of the hardware as well.

The PSP-3000 will be available in Japan starting this Thursday ($200).

The PSP-3000 may not seem like it’s worth upgrading from the PSP-2000 save for a few cosmetic changes, but it’s the firmware that makes all the difference says Eurogamer. In other words, if you just picked up a PSP there’s no need to have buyer’s remorse. However, the new screen is much “richer, warmer and deeper than the PSP-2000.” The third brightness setting is brighter than the current gen’s fourth brightness level, says Eurogamer. Does the PSP-3000 screen fare better in glaring light than the PSP-2000? You’ll have to wait and see since EG wasn’t able to get a day of sunlight in dreary England. At least there’s where I think the reviewer lives.

The d-pad and other buttons are more pronounced and feel much firmer according to Tom Bramwell. The built-in mic performed well during Skype calls so you can ditch the headset if you’re upgrading. The AC adapter is less brick-like and comes with a one-piece unit. Battery life remains the same at 5.5 hours as the current gen when playing games, but it could suffer while watching UMD videos.

Regarding firmware v4.2, a “USB Auto-Connect” option will automagically revert the handheld into USB mode when plugged in but not during gameplay and it won’t charge during gameplay either. It will charge when in USB mode like the current gen does.

Hi, everyone, there have been reports about the battery life of the new PSP system (PSP-3000) being shorter than the current model (PSP-2000), following an interview we recently did with Gamespot. I’d like to make a correction and clarify that the new PSP will have equivalent battery life to the current PSP, about 4 to 6 hours for games and about 4 to 5 hours for UMD videos. While the enhanced screen of the new PSP draws a little more power, our engineers in Japan worked to reduce the power consumption of the overall system including its components, so you won’t have to worry about losing any time when enjoying the more vibrant visuals displayed with the new PSP.

We hope this clears everything up, and we’re certainly excited about letting you all get your hands on the new PSP and checking out the enhanced screen when it hits retail next month.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced today the PSP-3000 will be available on the Japanese market on October 16th for $180.

The new PSP will initially come in three different colors (piano black, pearl white and mystic silver). Value packs will also be available (for $230) and include an AC adaptor, battery pack, pouch, a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo stick and other accessories.

Sony will also offer three Japan-only bundles:

- PSP plus Mobile Suit Gundam – Gundam vs. Gundam (from Namco Bandai, available November 20th for $230)

- PSP plus Patapon 2 Donchaka♪ (from Sony, available November 27th for $220)

- PSP plus Dissida Final Fantasy (from Square Enix, available December 18th for $240)

Press release in English after the break.

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