SONY has unveiled the latest in its Playstation Portable line of hand-held devices, the PSP Go, as it races to catch rival Nintendo in the mobile gaming arena.
“We call it the worst kept secret of E3,” said Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai.
“There will be more content that is easier to get on your PSP. It’s entertainment everywhere.”
Go, which is half the size of the original PSP, can download and store video, pictures and games and has built-in wireless Internet and Bluetooth capabilities.
All future PSP videogame titles will be available for digital download, skipping any need to buy software on disks, according to Sony.
A new Sense Me feature analyses music stored in Go devices and then creates playlists to suit the user’s moods. Go gadgets will also be built with a video delivery service Sony launched last year.
Hot videogame franchises including Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, and Resident Evil are creating new games tailored to Go devices, according to Sony.
“I think the PSP is getting really hotter,” said Hideo Kojima, whose eponymous studio makes the Metal Gear Solid franchise whose protagonist is a fearsome soldier called “Snake.”
“And Snake is coming back on the PSP.”
The gadget goes on sale October 1 in the US for about $249, before hitting stores in Japan November 1.
Sony aims to sell 15 million units of the PSP - which competes with Nintendo’s DS - in the financial year, up from 14.1 million units a year earlier.
Nintendo’s gaming consoles and hand-held devices have in past months outsold its rivals’ products. Its DSi, released in the United States on April 5, sold roughly 800,000 units in the month, far outpacing Sony’s PSP handheld.
The DS franchise overall sold more than 1 million units.
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