Rumour - PSP GO!

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The PSPgo had a lot of things going for it at E3. Bold digital download plan, smaller size. But then Sony announced the price. $249. Nothankyou. Here, SCEE boss Andrew House explains why it's so damn expensive.

Speaking with MCV, the new Sony Europe head man said "When you introduce a new piece of hardware you have the opportunity to say there is a certain premium that is associated with it, and we took that into account."

In other words, the PSPgo isn't $249 because Sony broke the bank researching it. It's not $249 because it uses radical new technology, or because it has to make up for the fact people aren't buying many PSP games.

It's $249 because it's new, and Sony knows (or at least believes) that the kind of people who will buy something when it's new will pay more for it than they probably should.

Kotaku

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In reconfiguring their portable, Sony paid attention. Pandora's Battery made modding the PSP firmware, and thus software piracy, very easy. SCEA's John Koller said the PSPgo's battery was made internal-only for just that reason.

"You won't be able to rip your games and play them on the [PSPgo] system, the firmware precludes that," Koller told PlayStation Insider. "There's no external battery, so there's a number of protections put into place on the system."

The drawback? When that battery starts to go, you can't swap it yourself. Back it goes to Sony for replacement, at a fee if it's out of warranty.

Why You Can't Remove the Battery from the PSPgo [PlayStation Insider]