Monday, June 1, 2009

Portable Size-Off: How The PSP Go Measures Up


The new PSP Go, leaked just before E3 thanks to the June issue of Sony's own Qore, is tiny little thing. Bigger than an iPhone—but not by much—and slimmer than the original PSP.

When placed side-by-side against some of the current portable gaming competition, the PSP Go illustrates just how different it is from its peers and predecessor. The screen ratio looks similar to older PSP models, but is considerably smaller in size—3.8 inches versus the PSP-3000's diagonal size of 4.3 inches or 11% smaller.

On par with than Sony's other slide-out device, the Mylo 2, from which the PSP Go looks to have borrowed some of its design choices.

The PSP Go is also pretty efficient on overall hardware footprint. The LCD screen is 0.3 inches larger than the iPhone, but thanks to the slide-out controls, doesn't have nearly the same amount of extra plastic flanking each side.

The removal of some of the PSP's original buttons (display, sound, volume) go a long way to keeping the look more efficient than earlier models.

Versus the Nintendo DSi and DS Lite, however, we see just how much smaller the device is in its open position compared to its dual-screen competition. Screen-wise, the DSi and PSP Go are closer than ever, as the former got a quarter-inch boost over the DS Lite's screen, with the Go shaving off a half-inch.

Weight-wise, the PSP Go sounds pretty light—approximately 3.8 ounces, if the 43% lighter than the PSP-3000 figure (and our math) is accurate. That makes it lighter than the iPhone (4.7 ounces) and Nintendo DSi (7.5 ounces).

Keep in mind that these PSP Go figures aren't official, so things may be slightly off. But if you need to budget pocket space for the Fall, it might be handy.

Sony's PSP Go leaks out before E3, is obviously a go


Look up there, folks. That's the future of Sony's hopes and dreams in the handheld gaming sector. With just hours to go before the company's official E3 2009 press event, it looks like the pieces are all coming together. First a UMD-less game release, then a highly credible mole giving the PSP Go a name, and now -- live action shots. The images here were sourced from an obviously slipped June 2009 Qore video, and aside from giving us a look at the slider-based system (which, let's be honest, looks a ton like the questionably successful mylo), we're also told that it'll tout 16GB of internal memory, built-in Bluetooth and an undisclosed memory slot. If all goes well, it'll ship this Fall for a price to be determined, and it's actually notslated to replace the PSP-3000, as both of 'em will attempt to live on store shelves harmoniously... at least for awhile. Oh, and don't worry -- we'll be on hand in LA to bring you all the impressions we can muster early next week.

[Via
PlayStation Forums, thanks Matt and A1]

Update: Video is now after the break! Thanks adizzy615!

Update 2: Official press shots have emerged. [Via Engadget Spanish]

Update 3: A few more official specifications are flowing from the full Qore video (pardon the sync issues). Here's the dirt:
  • 3.8-inch display (resolution is undisclosed)
  • 43 percent lighter than the PSP-3000
  • 16GB of Flash storage
  • Bluetooth built-in; supports handset tethering and BT headsets
  • No UMD drive
  • Memory Stick Micro slot
  • New Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and new Metal Gear Solid (!) on the way
  • Full PlayStation Network support (movie and TV rentals / purchases)
  • Integration with PlayStation 3 (works the same as the PSP-3000 does)
  • Sony views each of its products as "10-year lifecycle products," so the PSP "needs to live on."




View the gallery here!