Sony Announces New PSP Handheld

Anyone still beholden to the mobile UMD format for movie watching on the go, listen up: Reuters is reporting that Sony announced a new version of its PlayStation Portable handheld games console that can also be used as an Internet telephone, to go on sale in Europe and the United States in mid-October.

Sony said at a video games convention in Leipzig, Germany on Wednesday that the PlayStation Portable 3000 will have a built-in microphone and a new screen which has more colors and is better suited for use outdoors, according to the report. The PSP can already run Skype, but the built-in microphone will make all the difference in using the thing as a phone. “We believe that this will establish the PSP as a viable communication device,” said David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, at the conference.

The new PSP will retail for about $294 (199 Euros), which is 30 Euros more than what the current version costs in Europe. Sony plans to sell both versions concurrently, and oh yeah, they also play games.

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