Well, hello, Go!

It just wouldn't be E3 without something major being leaked in the leadup to the show, right?

Well, this year's shaping up to be a good'un, with footage, pictures and specs of Sony's latest handheld console making their way onto the Internets a few days before the official announcement. That's right, the long-rumoured PSP Go has been confirmed, and you'll be seeing a lot more of it this week.

Put simply - bubye UMD, hello new slidey interface, 16GB internal memory, built-in Bluetooth and new (undisclosed) memory slot. It's looking at a release hopefully by the end of the year in the US at least, and we're crossing our fingers we won't be too far behind.

Still want to play UMD games? It sounds like the PSP Go isn't actually considered a PSP replacement, and the PSP-3000 is showing no signs of retirement just yet.

The new handheld was revealed through the June 2009 episode of PlayStation Network video-on-demand show Qore, which looks like it slipped through the cracks and arrived a little early. If you don't have a PS3 and would like to catch up on the goss - we've got the full video for your viewing pleasure, as a special one-off for Games On Net visitors.

Download Qore Episode 13: PSP Go Hands-on

Official (leaked) Specifications:

• 3.8-inch display (undisclosed resolution)


• 43% lighter than the PSP-3000


• 16GB Flash storage


• Bluetooth built-in; supports handset tethering and BT headsets


• No UMD drive


• Memory Stick Micro slot


• New Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and new Metal Gear Solid on the way


• PlayStation Network support (including movie and TV rentals / purchases if you're in the right part of the world)


• Integration with PlayStation 3 (the same as the PSP-3000)

It's worth noting that Sony view their products as each having a "10 year lifecycle", so the original PSP (which was announced at E3 2003!) still has some life in it yet!


Even though the cat is well and truly out of the bag by now, Sony should still have some tricks up their collective sleeve for the big show in LA this week - remember, we'll be waking up at crazy hours so you don't have to, and bringing you all the E3 news we can squeeze in. PLUS! We'll have a few people on the show floor, so there might be a few more surprises coming your way.