The PSP Go – The Future is Here and it’s About Time

The PSP Go has been the subject of a good amount of discussion lately, with good reason. That Sony announced it’s next handheld has any number of reasons why it should be surprising. The PSP has had limited success (though you’d be incorrect labeling it a failure), and many thought Sony would simply focus its energies on the console market. On top of this though, it seemed as if these days the PSP was beginning to receive the kind of efforts and support it needed from Sony earlier than just these past few months. Now, Sony is already jumping ship towards its next handheld.

Sony’s a big enough corporation though that it can easily manage a console and handheld market simultaneously (as for their cohesion that has been promised since day 1, I can’t say I see Sony’s wild fantasies as realistic or practical). That, and I doubt that Sony will abandon the PSP classic anytime soon. the PS2 still has games support, so that should stand as fair enough example of how well Sony supports its past consoles. The PSP has a good enough life ahead of it.

The PSP Go has suffered an early foul in its announcement though: a $250 price tag that many says is too high. Considering that for just $50 more (plus monthly charges) one can get an iPhone, it’s a ballsy move that smells of the same kind of position that Sony took when it announced the PS3 and its price tag. From this immediate issue, other problems quickly pop up: many cry foul against the design and layout of the system, and others question the functionality of the downloadable games method that Sony is pushing.

First of all, I can’t disagree with the price tag being a bit high. I’m of the school that’s not happy, but will probably begrudgingly lay out the money for it anyway. I love my PSP and am excited at the prospect of the PSP Go. I think you all should be too. Having had the chance to hold one at E3 (see photo above) and play it for a few supervised minutes, I can safely say that it feels good. The choice of placing the buttons under the slider so the machine isn’t as wide makes it a much more comfortable choice for how it feels in hand and just for the prospect of carrying it places (which is what a handheld is for). I, personally, loved holding the thing and fell in love with it.

Next up is its functionality: downloadable games to the Hard Drive. If anyone doubts the feasibility of this, then they’ve been hiding from all things Mac for the past five or so years. Apple has shown that downloadable support is a completely viable medium in this day and age. So long as Sony is smart and allows support for the Go through a person’s PC, then there’s no limit to their potential success. Having games right on the Go’s sizable 16 GB HD would make the gaming experience smooth and the kind of gaming experience many have been missing since cartridges went out of vogue back in ‘98 with potential for much larger and epic games.

Imagine an downloadable Team ICO game for the Go, no loading screens and with the kind of functionality and scope that only 16 GB of the Go’s HD can provide. I’m excited at the prospects. As I said in my E3 coverage, were the Go also a phone, I’d have fallen out of love with my iPhone on the spot. I think everyone out there hemming and hawing over the price tag and the analog nub (it’s a necessary evil, let’s face it) are really just nitpicking at what we all know will be the future of  gaming (not just handhelds): accessible and downloadable functionality as we enter completely into the age of internet connectivity.

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