CES 2008: Hands on with Skype for PSP
As promised, I popped in to the Sony CES booth to check out the new PSP Skype software that was leaked last week and got a bit of hands on time.
Bad news first: it is only going to be available for Slim and Lite PSP models (2000 series). It is arriving via a free firmware upgrade, so it’s not clear how other PSP models will be prevented from having it, but the Sony rep informed me that only the 2000s with their enhanced RAM and processing power are able to run the system.
To all extents and purposes this is the complete Skype package. You can call anyone on your contacts list, no matter if they are on another PSP, a PC, or at the end of a normal phone. For this latter option, you will of course need to purchase Skype Out credit, but that will be possible from within PSP Skype itself.
I tried out a PSP to mobile phone call and was very impressed at the sound quality, although there was a noticeable lag. It wasn’t particularly inhibiting though and this is still prototype software. The full version will be rolling out around the end of this month.
As expected, the arrival of Skype PSP will come hand in hand with a brand new PSP peripheral, consisting of a pair of over-the-ear cans, one of which has a small mic arm. There’s a picture of it below, but unfortunately not a very good one so apologies for that.
Sony also revealed that there’s no reason why third party peripheral manufacturers can’t start making their own PSP Skype headsets too, so you can expect the usual suspects to start churning them out just as soon as the Firmware arrives.
I quizzed the rep on the possibility of Skype coming to the PS3 and although she couldn’t give away anything concrete, it sounds distinctly like Sony is committed to bringing more communications tools to all of its gaming systems, including the PS3. We’ll have to wait and see how this fits around the current and future version of its friends management systems though.
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Comments
Just to let you know, those 'new' headphones aren't actually new, they've been out for well over a year now (I've got a pair, and used them for Socom: Fireteam Bravo)
Posted by: SafeRat | January 7, 2008 11:54 PM
@Saferat
Thanks for the tip. The Sony rep said that they (the one's pictured) were just prototype versions so maybe the real accessory will be a little different. Or maybe they'll just be the same as the SOCOM ones instead.
Incidentally, the one's shown were wired up in a really nutty configuration using the ordinary remote control as well so god knows how the final version will come out :)
Posted by: AlW | January 8, 2008 1:23 AM
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