Sony's PSP Go: A Sneak Peek Into This Fun Handheld Console Up For Grabs in Fall of 2009

Sony's PSP Go: A Sneak Peek Into This Fun Handheld Console Up For Grabs in Fall of 2009
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The PSP Go Confirmed For Fall 2009

Everything seems to leak on to the internet before official announcements or releases. Take The Sims 3 for instance. The most highly anticipated game managed to land on PCs 2 weeks before the game was even available in stores. Arrr…pirates!

EA is not the only company out there who recently got bombed by pirates. Sony had video releases of their PSP Go early on as well. What is the PSP Go you may be wondering? It’s Sony’s newest handheld console that has yet to hit shelves.

After checking out these leaked YouTube videos, I must say, I am excited about getting some hands on experience with the PSP Go; at the same time though I’m very hesitant to go out and make a purchase on the handheld once it is released in stores.

The reason?

The PSP Go is small, in fact it appears to be so small that it would be probably feel rather cramped and uncomfortable in the hands of adults. The wide screen on the PSP Go has also been hit with the shrinking stick. It will feature a smaller 3.8 inch wide screen, while the original PSP that is available in stores now, features a larger 4.3 inch screen.

One thing I did like however was how the screen itself slides up to reveal hidden controls underneath. It reminded me a lot of how a Sidekick LX, or the Sidekick Slide works. I actually own a Sidekick LX, and as much as I love the sliding feature, I do know that many owners of this model, (and the Sidekick Slide) have complained about dropping the phone and having the slide feature break. Oops! Seeing that the majority of those looking to purchase the PSP Go will be younger children and teens, I imagine a lot of complaints will include the slide mechanism breaking too easily.

One thing that really sticks out for me though is how uncomfortably squished the controls seemed. I don’t have micro hands, so just by looking at how closely cramped the controls seem, I can tell that many will have difficulties using them. A ‘single’ analog stick is also oddly placed toward the center of the controls panel which gets me annoyed just looking at it.

By the video on YouTube you can also tell that an available game for the new handheld console is going to be Little Big Planet, which is one of my favorite exclusive Playstation 3 games. This alone makes the console enticing, but before releasing the PSP Go, I think Sony should really take a double look at the control layout, and change things up. As of now it appears to have controls made for toddler hands, which won’t work.

Although I’m hesitant about the handheld, I have a hunch there are going to be positive news surfacing about the PSP Go as the release day inches in on us. I also feel that a year or so after the release of the PSP Go, Sony will release an updated model which may (hopefully) fix the odd quirks the handheld seems to have right now.

Sony fans are hot and cold when it comes to the new device. Some are upset about the lack of a second analog stick, while others are complaining about the built in 16GB Flash Memory.

I personally like the fact that the PSP Go is going to be Skype-enabled. I also like that the menu interface resembles the same menu as the Playstation 3.

Other features on the PSP Go include a built-in Web browser, it will also be compatible with Sony’s Micro Memory Cards, and will allow users to manage media.

Price on the new handheld is set at Walmart.com at $249.00, and has a shipping release date set at October 1st, 2009.

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