It's really real. Trust us.After making a debut at CES earlier this year, the GPS accessory disappeared off the face of the earth, with only vague promises that the device will be coming within the next nine months. We don't know what the hold up is, but IGN spotted a working unit at San Diego Comic-Con. Of note, they saw that the device can give different directions based on whether you're in a car, bike or simply on foot. Can Sony please just release this thing already?
It only took, y'know years, but American PSP owners will be able to enjoy GPS navigation some time next year. Not only will the platform support navigation and maps, as expected, but John Koller wants to offer something a bit more. SCEA is investigating game development which can take advantage of GPS technology. Koller told MTV Multiplayer the upcoming peripheral "changes the dynamics of GPS but also changes the way developers think about games on PSP because you can start integrating GPS into it." According to Koller, Sony will introduce the GPS solution to third party publishers and is currently brainstorming ideas within its first-party studios. "There's been a number of things that our first-party worldwide studios have looked at, and they've been trying to look at different options," he said.
One of the most popular and best-reviewed PSP cases is the Playgear Pocket by Logitech. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit the PSP Slim & Lite. Logitech is about to change that with the launch of the PlayGear Pocket Slim next month. It seems to be the same exact case, except sized to fit the PSP-2000. It comes with a skin template that allows you to create your own custom skin. It is still made out of polycarbonate and you still don't have to take it out of the case to use the PSP. It even fits the larger 2200 mAH extended-life battery.
It might a little less sturdy though, according to the Logitech site, the original case came with a 2 year warranty; this new one comes with only a 1 year warranty. Will you be picking this up when it launches in August for $14.99?
There aren't usually a lot of devices who can follow through on their claim that they can 'do it all'. Sure, being able to vacuum and cook up a delicious waffle is interesting, but then your carpet smells like a waffle, too. This is why we're pretty interested in the potential of this new PSP charger stand -- it does it all!
While your PSP charges on the stand, you can listen to music and even play stuff on your TV. It comes with built-in headphone jacks and multi-card slots. It's essentially got all the functionality of a non-charging PSP, and it's just under $17. If you're looking for a charging solution, this might be your cup of tea.
As an alternative to the UMEMD, PSPGadgetZ suggests you check out this other UMD-slot, slip-in memory stick holder for your PSP. Previously, the UMEMD could only be used inside the PSP-1000 models (fat ones); however, this new gadget can be used with both the fat and slim models. The only drawback is that this one can only hold two memory sticks -- half the UMEMD's capacity of four.
It looks like you can't currently buy this thing alone either; it comes together as part of other PSP accessories. You can check them out here and here if you're interested. There are also more pics over at PSPGadgetZ.
We haven't had a good deal on a Memory Stick in quite some time. Thankfully, buy.com is ready to help us out with a great deal on a SanDisk 4GB Memory Stick. The Memory Stick is available for $30, with free shipping. For many, 4GB is more than sufficient to store all your games, saves, movies and music. [Update:FRYS.com is also offering a $30 Memory Stick, with free digital movie.]
If you need more space, the best deals we've found for larger Memory Sticks have been on amazon.com. They have a SanDisk 8GB card for $65 shipped [Update: Another 8GB card has been discovered on buy.com for $60], and a Sony 16GB card for $149 shipped.
Depending on your love of the God of War franchise, you may want Kratos' face embedded on all things you own PSP-related. These fashionable leather cases will fit right in with your God of War collection, offering a classy way of showcasing your love of the series while protecting your PSP system. Available for less than $7 (with free shipping) at DealExtreme, we're sure a few of you will snap up these cases. (Also available in black.)
There are already so many Space Invader Extreme products out there and now we're getting some Space Invader headphones. No doubt to coincide with the release of the new game (out now) and the 30th year anniversary, this headphone set is really pimping out the little alien creatures that sway side to side. Offered by online retailer NCSX, the headphones go for about $20. Worth it? Maybe -- if you don't already have a pair, or just a really huge Space Invaders fan.
If you've been out of the loop for Japanese game releases, Irem Software has Bumpy Trot: Vehicle Battle Tournament set for sometime in July. The game is a spiritual successor, of sorts, to the PS2 game Steambot Chronicles. It hit shores outside of Japan, so this one might, too. Well, if you're an import-friendly type of person and want to jump on this with a pre-order, you'll get this really nifty PSP pouch as a bonus. Enjoy!
GHSkinz, a company that specifically makes skins for Guitar Hero and Rock Band instruments is now opening up a line of skins for handheld systems. The PSP is included, but unfortunately has the most ridiculously expensive ones at $10.95 a pop. That's more than double the price that their Nintendo DS and iPod Touch lines go for.
That's not to say that their products are not any good; the designs are quite beautiful -- just have a look. It just makes us scratch our heads as to why the PSP gets screwed over with such a large bill. Anyway, that's expensive in our minds but ultimately that's up to you if you're willing to pay the price.
It's taking long enough. GPS for PSP is available in many territories around the world, but the US has been trailing behind. Still scheduled for within the next twelve months, the American version of the GPS peripheral will have a few enhancements over its earlier incarnations. The navigation software, created by Tele Atlas, will run entirely in 3D. The software will be available on UMD, and as a downloadable to store directly on Memory Stick. It will be priced between $100 and $200, and will include a carmount. According to Gizmodo, the GPS experience may be enhanced in the US: "Sony is thinking about treasure hunts, friend locaters and other geo-coolness."
In addition, more details about the mysterious PSP keyboard have been unearthed: the keyboard will plug into the AV/headphone port at the bottom, and will flip over to cover the PSP screen when not in use. Other than that new tidbit, the keyboard remains an elusive mystery. Hopefully, we'll learn more during E3.
If your PSP is starting to appeal dull or boring, perhaps you should use it to play games instead of a decorative belt buckle. We're sure someone's doing that. But in all sincerity, Divineo products have released glowing face plates for the PSP -- giving the handheld a customized look during the day and night [easier to steal, so ladies (and a few gents), make sure you put it in a purse villains cannot see through!].
The thing works like any other glow-in-the-dark trinket: it absorbs light during the day and splashes your face in its warm glowing warming glow at night. If you think this is awesome, by all means, snatch one up! Use it as a night light, or a glowstick at a rave. It basically builds the uses for your PSP by expontential proportions.
The Go!Explore pack looks to be a rather fun and useful addition to the PSP's lineup of features. The GPS system is hitting France (and perhaps other parts of Europe) on July 2nd, if amazon.com's French site is to be believed. There are packages bundling both a GPS and PSP system: giving brand new consumers the chance to jump on the PSP bandwagon. We hope SCEA will announce a similar program in the not-too-distant future.
Original PSP owners can frequently be seen with a hard case, such as the ones made by Logitech. However, the slimmer PSP-2000 series do not fit in those cases. What's a PSP-2000 user supposed to do, then?
They can pick up the Traveler Case, a hard PSP case which will store the system, Memory Sticks and UMDs -- all for $20. We spotted them on sale (with discount) at both amazon.com and buy.com. The case will be available at the end of the month.
Europe gets all the fun stuff! Watch David Reeve's PlayStation Day presentation about the PSP, which talks about two key PSP products available across the Atlantic: PlayTV and Go!Explore. PlayTV gives PSP owners access to DVR content, through connectivity with PS3. Go!Explore is an affordable GPS utility, which adds yet another fancy tool to PSP's ever-expanding features list. C'mon, SCEA! Give us GPS ... now!
There aren't usually a lot of devices who can follow through on their claim that they can 'do it all'. Sure, being able to vacuum and cook up a delicious waffle is interesting, but then your carpet smells like a waffle, too. This is why we're pretty interested in the potential of this new PSP charger stand -- it does it all! 
We haven't had a good deal on a Memory Stick in quite some time. Thankfully, buy.com is ready to help us out with a great deal on a SanDisk 4GB Memory Stick. The Memory Stick is available for $30, with free shipping. For many, 4GB is more than sufficient to store all your games, saves, movies and music. [Update: FRYS.com is also offering a $30 Memory Stick, with free digital movie.]
If your PSP is starting to appeal dull or boring, perhaps you should use it to play games instead of a decorative belt buckle. We're sure someone's doing that. But in all sincerity, Divineo products have released glowing face plates for the PSP -- giving the handheld a customized look during the day and night [easier to steal, so ladies (and a few gents), make sure you put it in a purse villains cannot see through!]. 
