PSP Go Finally Revealed In All Its Glorious Futility

Well it was the worst kept secret of the pre-E3 build up but it’s still worth acknowledging that the PSP Go has been officially revealed. I may as well start with a little kindness towards Sony and say that as far as their content goes, I was very impressed. You can read Gandy’s post for a round-up of the Sony products shown at E3 and join me in a big sigh of relief that perhaps the PS3 isn’t dead yet.

Unfortunately, I can’t get as enthusiastic for the hardware announcements as I am for the software. The PSP Go, with an exorbitant $249.99 price tag, strikes me as an exercise in utter pointlessness. This isn’t to say that the broader PSP platform didn’t excite me, the announcement on Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker had me salivating. I just can’t see anything even vaguely resembling a good reason to buy the latest iteration of the PSP.

Aside from an admittedly sleek re-design, the PSP Go offers few gaming centric improvements. It’s on-board 16gb of memory and bluetooth support seemed the most significant of it’s upgrades. Outside of those, PSP Go’s improvements are largely aesthetic. It’s smaller, sleeker and lighter than previous PSP models.

This leads us to the ultimate, much commented upon dichotomy of the platform. It lives in a perpetual limbo between home console and true handheld, rarely offering the depth of the former or the convenience of the latter. Games like the aforementioned MGS title exemplify this issue. I’ve no doubt that i’ll be picking up the game soon after if not on the day of it’s release. However I know in my heart of hearts that I will not be indulging in any ‘Tactical Espionage Action’ whilst riding the bus to work.

The aforementioned improvements in the product’s form factor are rendered null and void by the very nature of the software. Yes, the PSP Go is indeed more portable than the PSP x000 models. The problem that still strikes at the heart of the platform remains. It doesn’t matter how sleek and portable a device is if it’s primary function is undesirable whilst on the move. Perhaps you, the loyal NG reader, could provide me with something resembling a reason to upgrade. A fuller list of the platform’s features can be found over on Cnet. If there’s anything out there that catches your eye then let me know but at the time of writing I remain unconvinced.