$249.99 PSP Go, Gran Turismo PSP due Oct. 1

E3 2009: Sony press conference dates latest redesign of popular portable, due alongside Polyphony Digital's 60 fps racer; Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker coming in 2010.

LOS ANGELES--Sony Computer Entertainment hasn't been entirely successful keeping some of its headline announcements for this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo under wraps. Leading up to the publisher's press conference today, word of Sony's redesigned portable--the PSP Go--has been leaked on a number of occasions, most recently seemingly by Sony itself over the weekend.

The PSP Go debuts October 1.

Despite the leaks, Sony still managed to keep some of the info on the portable under wraps. As part of its press conference today, Sony announced that the PSP Go will debut alongside Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo PSP on October 1. The handheld will cost $249.99/€249.99, the same price as the original PSP when it went on sale in 2005.

First teased way back in 2004, Gran Turismo PSP is what Polyphony Digital founder Kazunouri Yamauchi called "a full-sized Gran Turismo," running at a 60 frames per second. The portable title has 800 cars packed into it, as well as 35 tracks with 60 different layouts associated with them. Single-player options for Gran Turismo PSP include a time-trial mode and a training mode. The game will also support multiplayer for up to four, and players will also be able to share and trade cards with others.

That wasn't the only PSP-related news, however. Kojima Productions head Hideo Kojima also took the stage with news of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, word of which leaked out yesterday. Whether the primary protagonist is Solid Snake or Big Boss is yet to be determined. The game will be set in the 1970s, some 10 years after Metal Gear Solid 3. "It's a true sequel to the MGS franchise," Kojima noted.

Kojima offered press conference attendees a trailer for Peace Walker, showing footage of a 1950s-era nuclear bomb test as a voice-over warns against the Cold War arms race. Peace Walker will be set in Latin America, with shots from the trailer showing Snake delving into jungle environments. Then, a shot shows a full squad of Solid Snake/Big Boss characters, battling against what appeared to be an airborne Metal Gear.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is expected to arrive for the PSP in 2010.

165 Comments

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 2:29 pm PT

    if you hate it dont buy it. i like it because its more portable

  • DS_fan5452

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 11:32 pm PT

    Everyone who says this is too much needs to take a look at how much apple charges for itouchs, iphones and macs.(NOT TO MENTION THIS IS THE ORIGINAL PRICE FOR THE 1000) And people complaining about the previous psps being obsolete need to learn how to read. It's the same as the DSi and DS Lite being sold beside each other. It's just a matter of preference. (This really takes PORTABLE to another level) This is great. No more waltzing into gamestop hoping they have a copy of the game you've been dying to have. No more battery devoiring umd drive. They said you can back up all of ur games on ur computer. It's already been announced that every title that has ever come out for the PSP will be on PSN on October 1st... so stop whining about that you wont be able to play previous titles. I can understand the no second analog stick complaint, but the touch screen complaint is just down right retarted! It's obvious that nintendo and apple have already established themselves in that market. if sony did that it would just make them seem desperate. Not to mention THAT would make previous games obsolete. And uselessly drain the battery. So in my opinion Sony is doing nothing wrong with releasing this system.

  • FusionRain

    Posted Jun 9, 2009 3:03 pm PT

    Number one the price is normal ur getting a 16 gig hard drive stop complaining like "stips" said ur pretty much paying for the same thing cuz if im sure most retailers don't even have 16 gig memory sticks not to mention u get to keep the ones u do have if any...
    and to "yixingtpot" no one has ever claimed to have HD running on a portable system and as of now i don't think we will see it no one is lying and im sure later on it will be possible but ur thinking of it wrong it's like having a little dvd player that plays HD on what is ment to play HD not on a screen that is not it's just expanding the market so people would buy the Hd content from there store and not just SD

  • SQUALL20XX

    Posted Jun 9, 2009 1:43 pm PT

    Big screen is even better

  • stips

    Posted Jun 9, 2009 6:29 am PT

    I'll be buying one and its been said numerous times all across this website but here... again... "Your not paying more for less. The price difference is 1, for the convienence of no longer needing umd's(thank god!) and 2, the cost of a 16gig memory stick for your psp."

  • yixingtpot

    Posted Jun 7, 2009 7:28 pm PT

    I want one, and to all the M$ idiots claiming to know anything about HD in handhelds? it's impossible to have full HD in a handheld screen, there is no tiny screen that can put out full 1080p graphics so pull you head out of M$ butthole. M$ puts out fake motion sensing and doesn't show anything real at E3, nothing but a commercial and paid employees faking it in front of the masses. Zune HD? fake HD... M$ is marketing HD storage to be played on HDTV, not on the device itself, fake HD player. YOu could store HD files on the current PSP if it had the memory, so what?

    PSP Go is for smart gamers and intelligent people. M$ is for morons.

  • Ameotoko

    Posted Jun 7, 2009 10:14 am PT

    I don't know why people are whining too much about the price compared to the 2000/3000. Right now a brand new 2000/3000 online ($170) plus a 16 gb pro duo ($75-80 online) costs around $250 dollars. Sound familiar? I haven't been to any video game retail chains in a while, but I'm unsure if the pricing would be any different. The only difference with the 1/2/3000 versions is that you can get less memory for cheaper if you want. I wouldn't really call lugging around a whole lot of discs and a UMD drive as a plus for paying the same money either... but to each his own.

    Sure, used is cheaper, but used Go's will eventually be cheaper as well. I don't think they should have marketed it at $250 though, considering that flash memory isn't as expensive. Sony would've gotten more customers if it had been priced at $200

  • chaoychaotic

    Posted Jun 6, 2009 7:35 pm PT

    I agree with deadly recon, its for people constantly on the go who don't want to bring all their UMD's where ever they go. I personally like the idea because If i go to a friends house or to like a place with a long wait I don't need like 5000 umds so people who LIKE the umds get the 3000 easy

  • SSBFan12

    Posted Jun 6, 2009 4:53 pm PT

    I am going to have to save up alot of money for this.

  • pimperjones

    Posted Jun 5, 2009 10:16 pm PT

    To: jamesAboy19
    All the things you've mentioned can be achieved on the old psp. You can easily buy a 16GB Duo Stick for the 3000-2000 models and load your games digital, both the 3000-2000 have built in Wi-Fi, the 1000 even has infrared. So for 100 dollars more you get, a smaller screen, 16gb (which you can buy for 80 bucks), bluetooth (useless), and no UMD drive. ?????
    Explain to me why anyone would spend 100 more on PSP Go, just to get a smaller screen and no UMD drive? For the new games??? By new games you mean the same old games dumped on Sony's digital store. This new PSP Go makes no sense, at very least they should have added touch screen and maybe an external UMD drive.

  • NetGod

    Posted Jun 5, 2009 3:25 pm PT

    If those are real screen shots, you can count me out. (looks horrible). I think i'll wait for the HD version.

  • bbdowalt

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 9:19 pm PT

    I hope there are all the haters it seems like there are at launch, then it won't be so hard to get. I only buy games on the Sony Store now anyways, the UMD is a pain and drains the battery, this is definitely a step in the right direction.

  • sventri73

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 7:52 pm PT

    down sony!!down sony!!down sony!!down sony!!down sony!!down sony!!
    did you see were rallying

  • sventri73

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 7:51 pm PT

    i rather too buy a game console(but not ps3) or a nintendo dsi

  • sventri73

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 7:50 pm PT

    wtf or wtp..what the price....

  • lionheart234

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 10:19 am PT

    looks like a solution for nintendos dsi..... looks nice though
    but the price is ridiculous.... like angusclone2 said; i can buy a ps3 or xbox 360 for that price....

  • angusclone2

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 8:02 am PT

    I'll get one when the price drops about 80 bucks. That price is rediculous, I might as well get an xbox360

  • chargingcable

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 6:35 am PT

    this is one of the stupidest moves by sony. you havae to pay almost 100 bucks more and you get less!!!!!! and if you don't have wi-fi it will be a hassel to get games. this is stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • jimbo102671

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 5:56 am PT

    Let me get this straight: For $80 more, we get 16GB of Flash Memory built in, but the screen is smaller and we lose the UMD drive? I thought you get more for paying more, not just a trade-off.

GameSpot's E3 Photo Gallery

GameSpot's E3 2009 Photo Gallery

Latest E3 Highlights: PSP

  • E3 2009 Wrap-Up

    E3 2009 Wrap-Up

    E3 has come and gone, but if you missed any of the highlights from the show, you can find them all right here.

  • E3 2009 Day 3 Wrap-Up

    E3 2009 Day 3 Wrap-Up

    The final day of E3 2009 is done, and we're all packing up and getting ready to head home. But if you missed any of our stage show demos, previews, or more, check them out in today's highlights!

  • Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Konami Press Conference Announcement

    Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Konami Press Conference AnnouncementWatch this video

    Take a look at the announcement from the Konami press conference at E3 2009.

  • Gran Turismo PSP Kazunori Yamauchi Interview

    Gran Turismo PSP Kazunori Yamauchi InterviewWatch this video

    E3 2009: Polyphony Digital's perfectionist chief talks about the 60fps portable version of his high-end racing game, due out October 1.

  • E3 2009 Day 2 Wrap-Up

    E3 2009 Day 2 Wrap-Up

    Two days of E3 2009 down, one more to go. Square Enix and Konami held press conferences, and day 2 of our stage show was out of control. Check out the day's highlights!

  • Persona Hands-On

    Persona Hands-On

    Atlus shows off the revised version of the original Persona for the PSP.

See more PSP highlights »