SONY USED E3 as the launch pad for its second handheld games console, PSPgo, which will be available in Ireland from October 1st, priced €249.
A stripped-down version of the existing PSP (PlayStation Portable), it abandons Sony’s own UMD optical disc format for 16GB of flash memory and a slot for further expansion with Sony memory sticks. Games and content can be downloaded directly on to the device via WiFi or Bluetooth.
Despite having the same shiny black finish as the original PSP, ergonomically it is very different. Not just smaller and more lightweight, it has a neat sliding display that moves up to reveal the control buttons. The original PSP will continue to be sold.
Not to be outdone by Microsoft, which announced its innovative “no-controller” motion capture technology on Monday, Sony unveiled its take on motion sensor game control, a handheld device with a coloured orb on the end that combines with Sony’s Eye camera for motion control of game play. It could be available as soon as March 2010.
Both Sony and Microsoft are in pursuit of the market opened up by the Nintendo Wii. An upgraded version of its motion caption controller was also on show at E3, the Wii Motion Plus, which its makers says is far more responsive.
