Posted Mar 15, 2006 at 04:37AM by Jeff C. Listed in: News
Ó

On today's PlayStation Business Briefing 2006, Sony Computer Entertainment has announced an upcoming revolution for the PlayStation Portable. There will be tons of new features to be added to this divine object of glory in the upcoming months. A delay to the PS3 release has also been announced officially.

The users will be able to add new exciting functions, such as the Macromedia Flash Player, and will be expanding the current RSS channel function to support streaming and saving internet radio and videos, by updating the System Software of the PSP (the firmware) to the latest version.

New official accessories will also be released this autumn, such as the PSP camera "PSP-300" and the GPS receiver "PSP-290". The users will be able to experience the motion tracing function of the EyeToy, which was originally available on the PS2 by using the PSP camera. With the help of the GPS receiver, you will be able to make use of navigation software to guide your way all over the world.





Sony will be starting a new e-Distribution system for the PSP. You may start to wonder what it is, huh? Well, simply saying - to buy and download games into your memory stick, and run them directly from it!! Bye-bye, loading times... But wait, that is not all the fun you can get from the new service. There will also be an OFFICIAL PlayStation Emulator by Sony itself (PacManFan, don't cry)! Sony will be distributing modified PlayStation/PlayStation 2 games through this system.

Also, the "Ceramic White" PSP will be sold in a normal pack (PSP, 1 battery, power adapter) from April in Japan, at a price for 19,800 JPY (167.8 USD). North American and European users will be able to buy a "Base Model" pack (PSP, 1 battery, power adapter) of the PSP at $199USD/199 Euro. The actually dates are: Europe from March 22, North American from the end of March.

So much for the PSP side, now here is a bad news for the PS3 fans. Sony has officially announced that the release of the PS3 is postponed from this spring to early November of 2006. However, the release of the PS3 will be global - Asia, North America and Europe will be getting the release in the mean time. Sony will be able to offer 1 million consoles per month after the release, to meet the need of the users around the world.

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134 Comments


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   by Shrink - 2006-03-15
 » Hack that *****!

Loading stuff from memory stick is possible again?
Welcome to a new age of PSP-hacking!

   by killermoose5 - 2006-03-15
 » what the duece ????

i was thinking the same exact thing...and im still lost a bit. will games released from sony from now on now be on a memory stick rather than a umd?

   by Coljohn - 2006-03-15
 » No no no...

Killermoose, no they will not be released on a memory stick. What they are saying is like a downloadable content store in which you buy games. Not releasing them on MSP Duo's.

Other than that awesome news, i cant waqit for flash support!

   by comedy - 2006-03-15
 » ps emulator!

oh my god... but they say 'modified ps1/ps2 games' does that mean we'll have to buy them all over again? i won't be happy about that. but if they let me iso my old ps1 games and use a ps1 emulator umd of some sort i think i'll wet my pants.

   by Man - 2006-03-15
 » Jumpin Jahosafat

Im upgrading as soon as this comes out
I used to think i wouldnt sacrifice homebrew but these features sound pretty nice.
And i have faith in the community to hack this firware.

   by Coljohn - 2006-03-15
 » Right on Brother^^

...

   by GoHome190 - 2006-03-15
 » Whoa

Wow! So, Sony beat the homebrewers to the punch with the PSX emulator, eh? This is great, finally the PSP is getting some love.

   by peeInMyPantz - 2006-03-15
 » homebrew revolution

after PSP revolution.. the firmware updates... bla bla bla..
we'll need homebrew revolution to get homebrew on it...

can wait for the camera..!
but then again.. if they're going to come up with PSP2 with built-in camera... i'll get a second PSP.. haha

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   by jaspervc - 2006-03-15
 » Release

When does this piece of lovely sh*t comes out ??? :-)
I hope soon (UPGRADE!!!)

   by bigdave325 - 2006-03-15
 » HE HE HE

This is quality!! My playstation library is actually gonna be revived! Sweet! I can't wait to play the final fantasy's again... but this time they'll be portable!!

Lets just hope they don't make you download the roms from them and charge you for it... hopefully they will release software to simply transfer the games onto the psp :P

   by Cephasara - 2006-03-15
 » PSX w/ 3.0??

By this day and age couldn't they just make the PSX emulator selective to only work on this new update?.. well i don't want to be giving them any ideas now.. jk

   by Shamoo - 2006-03-15
 » Wow.

Alot more than I was expecting. Good Job Sony.

   by cory1492 - 2006-03-15
 » You will have to download from them.

"Sony will be distributing modified PlayStation/PlayStation 2 games throught this system."

You will be getting the games from them, as they will likely be changed at the code level to work with their emulator/hardware.

   by Makere - 2006-03-15
 » PSX

I'll bet they charge for the "modified PlayStation/PlayStation 2 games"

I don't feel like paying the 10e again for the game I bought years ago.... Thou they could have come up with something like "insert the original disc to verifie that you own the game.."

Makere

   by peeInMyPantz - 2006-03-15
 » notitle

the mod part is probably the dimension.. to make sure it fits the psp screen perfectly.. instead of tv ratio

   by super_hoops1967 - 2006-03-15
 » lol muppet

insert the original disc to verifie that you own the game.."

LOL yeah i'll just slide my ps1 game into the psp drive... OH seems i have a problem the friggin ps1 cd is huge and won't fit into the drive!!!

   by XperienZe - 2006-03-15
 » lol mupper x2

super_hoops1967, what the guy before you is trying to say is that you should insert your PS1/PS2 disc into your computer then the program/game will make sure it is the right version and then you can put it into your memorystick, if you do like this you wont have to pay!

Thats what he said!

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   by Loonix - 2006-03-15
 » some thoughts ^^

Oh, these updates sound shure awsome!
But i will jump the train a bit later ^^ as always
Downloading ps1 games via PC to transfer to the PSP sounds logical, even if it cripples your mobility a bit. shure they wil charge for it nevertheses (micro payments for Original owners maybe?). They need to pay their employees too. And for shure you will need to buy the emulator.

And since they will release an auxilary camera will there maybe no PSP2 so soon?

And another and :p
when you can use the USB port for Cameras, Microphones and GPS devices, why the hack not for Keyboards, Mouses, Surroundspeaker systems a.s.o.?


   by night666shadow - 2006-03-15
 » The controler ... !!!

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060315/sce1_12.jpg

CELL and GPU Core are DONE.
Controller and BluRay Driver - Not Yet!

   by super_hoops1967 - 2006-03-15
 » controller

so by the looks of that the controller will be finalised in june?

   by Si1versmith - 2006-03-15
 » PSX on PSP

Not bad from sony..finally doing something for us psp owners.
But what i dont get is how will i be able to play a PSX game with no L2 and R2 buttons...
they should come out with a usb that adds two buttons to the top...with the emulator...
i have a bad feeling that this update will be to make everyone want to download it like the 2.6...i might wait and see what the homebrew hacking make of it..

   by RommelTJ - 2006-03-15
 » Voice over IP

..eemm. Question! Many other websites mentioned Voice over IP. How come this one doesn't?

Is this the arrival of portable video chat? The new camera will be tight! This is going to be a big HR for Sony.

   by kaoken - 2006-03-15
 » This made my week

Holy *****!!! is this real? Finally real reasons to upgrade from 1.5!!!!!

   by super_hoops1967 - 2006-03-15
 » camera

would be better if you could take pictures with the camera instead of it just being for video

   by Jeff Chen - 2006-03-15
 » No VoIP

I haven't seen anything about VoIP in the official press release on Sony's site.

   by Anonymous Coward (Unregistered) - 2006-03-15
 » ?

A whole final fantasy game would almost reach 3 gb's,.. and that's just ps1 games we're talking about. How are we supposed to fit that all on our memory sticks? I think maybe they meant they'll have little flash games for download and they'll rerelease ps1/ps2 games on umd as part of a "classic" series or something like that.

   by xxxmrgamerxxx - 2006-03-15
 » wow

its like everyones dreams came true

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   by paahtis - 2006-03-15
 » omg

Must upgrade!! No way any homebrew is gonna top that.

   by super_hoops1967 - 2006-03-15
 » final fantasy 3gb queary - response.

did it not say some modified ps1/ps2 games?

   by Sousanator - 2006-03-15
 » not upgrading

i dont know why all you are saying your going to update from 1.5,, we have all that stuff(exept for a few)
and they WILL charge you for the ps1 games(its sony people),, unless it checks to see if you registerd that game already(from their site, with the serial #) and ps1 games take a huge amout of space, unless sony has some super compression method or something,,

im going to have to skip this upgrade unless we get full homebrew surport, cause free games rule



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