Far from an honest ballistics test, the shoot(ing), staged by French gaming magazine Amusement, was just an opportunity to snap a few stunning photos. Which is fine! And which they did!

So, where’s the video? Update: The black one is actually an N97 not a PSP. Still though! [Amusement via Dieubussy via GameSetWatch via Kotaku]

The report by Asher Moses has a GfK source claim that the handheld sold less than 1000, although Michael Ephraim, Playstation Australia’s head honcho, reckons the number is slightly over 1000. But given the price of the device – especially when the PSP-3000 is still on sale – I don’t think anyone, let alone Sony, would be too surprised by those numbers. Throw in EB Games‘ refusal to stock the console, and that makes the whole thing an even harder sell.

[SMH]

This latest entry attempts to camouflage the portable as some kind of Christmas decoration. The buttons glow, lights flash, yada yada yada you paid a $US250 premium and then put a bunch of holes in it.

Sorry for all the negativity. I guess I was just holding out hope that the “PSPGo Mod” Google Alert that popped up in my inbox today was the one where someone finally hacked this thing with better wifi so it could download a file in less than a hour. [Acid Mods - Thanks, Wouter]

LED colour, to be precise, and I must say the clean, new design is almost good enough to distract me from the fact that this little guy could have really, really benefited from a touchscreen. Almost. It certainly makes the screen a bit harder to see, in any event.

The LEDs are powered by that unique internal battery. You know, the one with the sticker. [YouTube via Engadget]

Examples:

Unfortunately, the system is setup to charge the consumer at maximum from the get-go. Games from the App Store start at free. PSP Mini games start at $US5.

The fact of the matter is, the iPhone gaming experience isn’t all that great. Full-fledged PSP titles should cost more than tiny downloadable apps any day. But there’s no good reason for gamers to pay a premium on PSP titles that are available for less on other platforms, just because they generally pay more for games.

There are multiple fingers to be pointed here. Sony, for not allowing free games, which would inspire some price competition. Sony again, for skimming who knows how much off the top of the price point. (In comparison, it’s known that Apple takes 30% off of the iPhone App Store sales.) And the publishers, who decide to set their games at prices of up to two or three times the cost of the iPhone version.

But the worst part? Not only is the content of overlapping titles generally no better than the iPhone; sometimes it’s worse.

You see, PSP Minis can’t have any network or online features. Nor can they support camera peripherals (a major focus of DSiWare innovation) or DLC. Kotaku just reviewed iPhone port Hero of Sparta. On the PSP it costs triple what you’ll pay at the App Store. Their review? “Simplistic controls, muddled graphics and abysmal sounds turn what was a fantastic iPhone game into a oddly disjointed Playstation Portable experience.” Kotaku’s review of Tetris was much better. But you know what? Tetris costs twice as much on the PSP as it does the iPhone.

Some will say, well, you get what you pay for. But that’s entirely our point. If you glance across the two platforms, you aren’t getting what you’re paying for. You’re either getting less, or you’re getting a lousy port or, best case scenario, you’re getting basically the same thing for more.

Granted, PSP Minis are very new (they just launched today). The platform is young. And kudos to Sony for making the digital leap.

But Sony’s most loyal fanbase—those frequenting PSN and checking out Minis on day one—shouldn’t subsidise a company’s foray into the new digital era. Especially given the relatively high price of the PSPgo, at least compared to other portable devices with a lot more processing power, I think the option for free game downloads—at least for a few approved titles—would be a reasonable thank-you.

I mean, even Apple, who doesn’t provide the most open platforms in the world, has realised the merit of free app/game distribution. One, they’re already making money off the hardware. And two, getting someone visiting iTunes will also get that someone to at least get a glimpse of what else iTunes is selling. Lure them in with a free game and they’ll be more likely to purchase one later.

Stop pricing these games so high, Sony. Open up your platform, just a crack, make yourselves competitive with the App Store. Because, at the end of the day, we’d all prefer to be playing these iPhone games with full-out controllers. But right now there’s quite a lot more iPhones and iPod Touches out there than PSPgos. Don’t blow your (only?) shot to win us back.

“SenseMe” is sort of like Apple’s Genius playlists, though hopefully it works a little better. Using Sony’s MediaGo PC software, your tracks are passed through a 12 tone analysis, and automatically sorted into 12 channels like “Relax” or “Newly Added”.

The MediaGo software has also been updated. Version 1.2 has an iTunes-esque front-end to the PlayStation Store, which is clearly a must given that converting old UMDs for the PSPGo Is a no-go. [PlayStation Blog via Kotaku]

Godzilla and The Ugly Truth—both Sony Pictures films—will include extra discs that won’t do anything special when placed in a standard Blu-ray player. But when played in a PS3, users will be able to download a PSP-exclusive digital copy. The PSP copy can be downloaded over USB (we doubt it will work over Remote Play, but that’d be pretty handy).

Whether or not you own the necessary PS3/PSP combo or have any interest in digital copies of your Blu-ray movies, this news seems like yet another reason why the PS3 makes for the most attractive BD player on the market. Sony will always put the new stuff on the PS3 first. [Blu-ray via Joystiq]

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

• You can dissect the Go with a standard Phillips #0
• Sony still uses 802.11b Wi-Fi
• Battery not soldered to board
• No metal framework (the structural integrity relies on outer plastic shell)
• Sony processor, Samsung’s 16GB of RAM (in case you cared)

Even though iFixit is pretty positive you can slide the battery out and leave the sticker intact, it’s pretty lousy for Sony to hide a component that will need not-so eventual replacing under a warranty-voiding seal. Also, the lack of an internal framework (or much real metal) matches our impressions of the Go’s somewhat flimsy, plastic feel.

Couple these two points and add a sliding mechanism, and it’s hard to imagine how well a Go will hold up two to three years down the line. Then again, Sony is probably banking on you replacing the Go with another new product by then anyway, just like every other CE company. [iFixit]