Wednesday, July 25, 2007
New: PSP Slim
The long awaited rumoured PSP Slim is really coming out!! A few months ago, when the rumour spread, Sony denied and slammed the rumours. Now that it is the truth, Sony must have something to account to us! Hahaha! Basically, the new product code is PSP-2000. So if you were looking for a reason to call this the "PSP2," this is probably all you'll get. As far as I can tell Sony is still referring to the new unit as simply the "PSP." The infrared port has been removed. The specs of the new machine make no reference to an infrared port. Of course, it's not as though the infrared port on the current machine is actually used for anything (officially). UMD-Music and UMD-Audio appear to be no longer supported. Of course both of these formats were doomed to fail from day 1, so no real loss. The machine will also be released in Japan and Europe. Just in case you had any doubts. The Japanese press release from SCEI does not mention a price point for either region, but at least we know this is a worldwide launch of the new sytem. Wondering what video out will do? Well, first of all, remember that since firmware 3.30 the PSP can play video at 720x480. Also remember that the UMD-Video standard allows videos as large as 720x480. Games may look a bit crappy on your TV, but at least videos will look fine. The new PSP battery is 3.6V, 1200mAh, and weighs 30g. The previous PSP battery (the included one, not the extra life one) was 3.6V, 1800mAh, and weighed 45g. No telling what this new battery will do to enhance the actual life of the PSP, but given the lower milliamp hour rating yet supposed longer battery life, it's evident that this new system does a much better job of managing power. I presume the major contributor to this is the fact that game data can now be temporarily stored on your Memory Stick. SCEI has some official pics of the system and its accessories here. As you can see, besides the system itself, the headphone/remote accessory has been redesigned. That page also has pics of the video output cables (which are not included): Composite, S-Video, D-Terminal, and Component versions will be available. The new PSP can be recharged through its USB port. As a result, you can recharge your machine while transferring data to/from your PC or PS3. There are already cables that let you recharge your PSP via your computer's USB port, but even those must be plugged into the current PSP's AC adapter jack. A minor difference, to say the least.
The all new PSP Slim will first be launched in Europe in the first couple of weeks of the next month while Japan will have theirs launched in 20th september. Asians have to keep their fingers crossed for PSP slim to be launched by this year, but I suppose PSP Slim will be launched during next year in Singapore, taking the stupid iPhone launching as an example >.<
Posted by KzGwEe at 5:34 AM