Sony plans GPS, VOIP, other updates for PSP

Sony Computer Entertainment outlined Wednesday new software and hardware features that it plans to add to its PlayStation Portable (PSP).

The company is planning three software updates during the year, said Ken Kutaragi, president of SCEI, at a briefing for software developers in Tokyo. An Internet browser was added under a previous update. .

The first update will come this spring, when software will be offered that adds support for Macromedia's Flash, the ability to download audio podcasts, a Chinese font set and software support for a camera and Global Positioning System unit.

The camera and GPS unit are expected to be launched in September and October, respectively, but by adding the support earlier, developers will be able to write software to make use of the new hardware, Kutaragi said.

The second software update due this year is expected in summer and will add video podcast support and expand the video profile for the Universal Media Disc removable media that the PSP uses.

A final software update, due in the winter, will add the ability to boot games from Memory Stick media and VoIP telephony.

The former will enable software companies to offer games that can be downloaded across the network and then run from the Memory Stick, Kutaragi said. The latter will work with the camera module and enable the PSP to be used as a VoIP handset or a video-conferencing tool. The PSP includes a Wi-Fi adapter for network access.

Sony also announced plans to sell a cheaper version of the PSP in Europe and the United States.

In Japan the handheld gaming device has been available in two versions, a basic and value pack, since launch, but in other markets only the more expensive value pack has been available. The value pack includes extras, such as a Memory Stick memory card.

The basic model is expected to be available in the United States after late March and will cost $199, Kutaragi said.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.