It is not the most exciting news from Sony this weekend.

The company has announced that they would soon launch a new application for their Playstation Portable gaming console that would enable gamers to checkout their favourite comics.

This new service has been named Digital Comics and users would get the ability to download hundreds of new and classic comics from PlayStation Store to the console using the Wi-Fi connectivity.

Marvel, IDW Publishing and iVerse Media are the initial content providers.

Sony said: “The intuitive Autoflow feature allows you to zoom in and move from frame to frame on each digital page, mimicking the way your eyes would move across a print page from left to right. It’s straightforward and simple to use, and thanks to PSP’s high contrast LCD screen, your comics will be looking better than ever as the stunning graphics leap out from the screen.”

The company added that the Sony Playstation Portable would soon be available in two new colour options: Turquoise Green and Blossom Pink. Ouch!

Videogame publisher Take-Two Interactive Software has announced that they are soon going to launch their videogame title Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the Sony Playstation Portable handheld gaming console.

This game is already available on the Nintendo DS platform.

The company said that the Sony PSP version would feature enhanced graphics and all new story missions.

It would be made available in both UMD and downloadable editions.

Downloadable editions are now required for the recently announced Sony PSP GO platform which lacks the UMD drive.

As expected, Sony has announced a new version of their Playstation Portable handheld gaming console.

This new variant has been named Sony PSP Go.

PSP Go would arrive in the North American and European markets in October this year.

It is expected to be priced at around USD 250.

This new edition is smaller and lighter than the current Playstation Portable. But it is also expensive.

Sony PSP-3000 retails for USD 170.

Sony PSP Go has been designed to play games downloaded on its internal storage. Earlier versions used proprietary storage discs.

Sony plans to continue selling their older PSP-3000 version for the time being.

Specifications:

PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) go (PSP-N1000)

Product Name PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) go

External Approx. 128 x 16.5 x 69 mm (width x height x depth)
dimensions (excludes largest projection)

Weight Approx. 158g / 5.6 oz (including internal battery)

CPU PSP(R) CPU (System clock frequency 1-333 MHz, Main
memory 64MB)

Display 3.8 inches (16:9) full-transparent type, TFT drive,
480 x 272 pixel, Approx. 16,770,000 colors displayed

Sound Built-in stereo speakers
Built-in microphone

Main Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b) (Wi-Fi)
input/ Bluetooth(R)2.0 (EDR)
output High Speed USB (USB2.0)
Memory Stick Micro(TM)(M2(TM))
Analog Video Out
Microphone

Main
connectors Multi use connector
(DC IN / OUT, USB, Video Output / Input, Sound
Input / Output)
Headset / Microphone connector
Memory Stick Micro(TM)(M2(TM)) slot

Key / Switches Directional buttons (up/down/right/left), analog
stick,
Action buttons (triangle, circle, cross, square),
L/R buttons
START button, SELECT button, PS button
POWER/HOLD switch, WLAN switch
display button, sound button, volume (+ / -) buttons

Power sources Lithium-Ion rechargeable internal battery pack
AC adaptor
USB power supply

Internal memory 16GB (Flash Memory)

Supported PSP(R) Game
Profile

Access Control Region code, parental control

Wireless Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b) (Wi-Fi)
communications
(Infrastructure mode / Ad hoc mode (connect up to 16
consoles))
Bluetooth(R)2.0 (EDR)

Supplied AC adaptor
accessories USB cable
CD-ROM (Media Go)
*Design and specifications are subejt to change without notice.

Supported coded (in Memory Stick Micro (M2(TM)) / Internal memory)

Video * Memory Stick Video Format
o MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC)
o H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile (AAC)
* MPEG-4
o MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC)
o H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile (CABAC) (AAC)
o Baseline Profile (AAC)
* AVI
o Motion JPEG (Linear PCM)
o Motion JPEG (u-Law)

Music * Memory Stick Audio Format
o ATRAC3(TM)*8
o ATRAC3plus(TM)*8
o MP3
* MP3 (MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer3)
* MP4 (MPEG-4 AAC)
* WAVE (Linear PCM)
* WMA (Windows Media(R) Audio 9 Standard only)*9

Photo * JPEG (DCF2.0/Exif2.21 compliant)
* TIFF
* BMP
* GIF
* PNG
*8 Content protected by Open MG can be played back only when it is
stored in M2.
*9 WMA Playback feature needs to be enabled.

Checkout: Sony PSP Go

Market sources are claiming that Sony would launch their next generation Sony PSP gaming console at E3 in June.

This would give them enough time to bring the device to the market by September this year. Perfect launch time just before the start of the crucial holiday season.

Sources say that this new edition of Sony’s handheld console would be named Sony PSP Go!

This new edition is likely to feature a larger display with slide out controls.

They are also likely to remove the UMD drive from this edition. Sony’s UMD format has been a major flop.

The device would probably feature inbuilt storage and is likely to be available in two variants 8GB and 16GB.

All these are rumors however as Sony has not revealed anything about the future of PSP.

Sony has revealed some details about their upcoming firmware update for the Sony PSP handheld gaming console.

One of the major new updates would be the addition of an Information Board. This would be similar to the feature available on Playstation 3.

This update would also make it easier for the gamers to search for downloadable content and updates for their games.

Some other feature improvements include:

Improved support for Memory Stick PRO Duo
It would include a free trial of Trend Micro Web Security and Trend Micro Kids’ Safety

Checkout: Sony Playstation Portable

Sony might have denied that they are close to launching the second generation PlayStation Portable device but the rumors in the market are strong on this.

Reports say that the company is preparing a new edition of PSP which would lack the UMD disc drive.

This new edition is also expected to have a sliding design which would enable the company to provide a larger screen in the same form factor.

The company might end up offering a more compatible storage media for the games in this new generation device considering UMD has been a massive failure for the company.

If we are to believe the rumors, this next generation PSP can land in the market before the start of the holiday season later this year.

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that their PlayStation Network service now has more than 20 million members.

They crossed this milestone earlier this month.

As per the company they had touched the 5 million milestone in 1 year and 2 months. The 10 million mark was touch in 1 year and 8 months. The latest milestone was reached in 2 years and 3 months.

Sony had launched their PlayStation Network service on November 11, 2006.

The company added that they have sold more than 21.3 million units of PlayStation 3 gaming console. The company has also sold more than 50 million units of PlayStation Portable.

Japanese videogame console maker Sony has announced that a lot of new games are coming to their handheld system PlayStation Portable.

The company revealed that LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm, Assassin’s Creed are coming to this platform.

Sony added that they are also working on some new bundles. There would be an Assassin’s Creed PSP Entertainment Pack. And they are also going to launch a Lilac PSP in a Hannah Montana PSP Entertainment Pack.

MotorStorm Arctic Edge is coming to PSP and PlayStation 2 gaming consoles. The company is also going to launch The Warhawk Command Center on the PlayStation Home this week.

Checkout: Destination PlayStation News: LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm, Assassin’s Creed, more coming to PSP

Sony has apparently said in a statement that they currently have no plans for a new generation portable gaming device that would replace the aging Playstation Portable.

The company has been releasing updated variants of the same edition instead.

A Sony representative has been quoted as saying: “No, there are currently no plans for a PSP2. I go to Tokyo quite a lot and no one has referred to it – I think they have their hands full at the moment.”

This news is going to disappoint a lot of Sony fans who have been hoping for a smashing new generation device from the company.

Nintendo too has been staying away from launching a totally new DS. The company has updated the device with a DSi edition recently.

Japanese videogame console maker Sony has confirmed that they would be launching the new updated Playstation Portable device in the Japanese market in October this year.

Sony had recently showcased this improved PSP.

This new edition PSP would help the company compete with Nintendo DS more efficiently in the important markets like USA, Europe and Japan.