PSP Go Reveal Set For E3 News

Leaked footage and screens displaying Sony's PSP Go handheld have surfaced, displaying the long expected repositioning of the console that drops an aging UMD format and replaces it with digitally distributed content.

Although info on the game is officially at the "leaked" stage, with a full reveal imminently set for E3, an interview with Sony's Director of Hardware Marketing, John Koller, has pinned down the system's full specs.

As expected, the console boasts a sliding screen that reveals a control layout hidden away underneath. According to the Qore interview (shown below), this is a 3.8 inch screen which is half an inch smaller than the PSP 3000's, although the PSP Go is 43% lighter.

In order to support digitally distributed content on the system, the PSP Go will be the first iteration of the PSP family to come with a large stock of built-in memory - 16GB of flash memory to be precise, as well as a Memory Stick Micro port for optional extra space.

The new handheld is due for release this autumn when Sony aims to take advantage of its movie and TV show download catalogue on PSN, although this will be a bit of a moot point for European gamers who are yet to receive the service.

"We wanted to get into digital and meet the needs of our consumer," Commented Koller. "More and more consumers are going online to purchase music and they're starting to purchase games and they're purchasing some movies. We always want to be ahead of that curve; we look at each of our products as tenure life-cycle products, so this product needs to live on. Our view of the world is that digital is going to become more and more important as we go along here, and ease of use factors make it that much more important."

Sony's PSP Go will also ship with Bluetooth support and the same remote play functions of its PSP 3000 predecessor.