Sony has announced a new version of its Playstation Portable handheld game console that can be used as a telephone, reports Reuters. It will go on sale in Europe and the United States in mid-October.
The Playstation Portable 3000 will have a built-in microphone and a new screen with more colors and better suited for use outdoors, Sony said at a video games convention in Leipzig, Germany on Wednesday. The PSP already supports the software program Skype, which enables users to make free telephone calls over the internet, but the new PSP, with built-in microphone, will make the process easier, Sony says.
Gamers will be able to purchase the 3000 model on October 14 for $169, as a stand alone system, or as a $199 bundle with a 4GB memory card, says GamePro. “We believe that this will establish the PSP as a viable communication device,” said David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
Sony also said it would launch a version of its flagship Playstation 3 console with a 160 gigabyte hard drive, to be available to North America this November for $499.99. The “new” $399.99, 80GB version is now shipping to retailers, in the United States.
Music videos streamed over the internet would soon be available free to the PS3, while a music and video download service modelled on its U.S. version should be available across Europe by the third quarter of 2009, the company added.
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