Sony discontinues PSP extended battery, releases PSP-3000 with less battery life, plans new extended battery to combat piracy
A few weeks ago, Sony unceremoniously discontinued its PSP extended life battery: a must-have accessory for die-hard PSPers which extended the stock battery life of the handheld into the 8-10 hour range. PSP lovers everywhere eloi eloi lama sabachthanied at the news.
Then the PSP-3000, a brighter PSP with an in-built microphone, was announced. Does that brighter screen come with a battery life cost? Why yes, yes it does: 20-30 minutes. But don't you fret! Sony's US director of hardware marketing says that they will release an "extended battery life battery" in the near future. Just like the one they just canceled!
Here's what's going on: PSPs can easily be hacked these days by modifying a stock PSP battery (such as the Extended Life battery) with the Pandora software, which makes hacking a PSP for homebrew code and commercial ISOs as simple as popping the battery into the back. The PSP-3000 and the new extended life battery are doubtlessly going to eliminate data reading from the battery to prevent the problem. With the addition of a new, less hackable logic board, Sony hopes this will effectively kill of guys like Dark Alex who manage to release homebrew-enabled custom firmware within seconds of the official release.
I imagine the PSP hacking scene will persevere, but if you're interested in homebrew (or more insidious uses for your PSP), picking up a PSP Fat from eBay is going to continue to be the most painless way to go.
PSP-3000 Video Feature [Gamespot]
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For some of us the game got old right away.
I'll point out again Sony's completely arbitrary 4GB limit on storage as well as the rest of the tiresome BS attached to owning a PSP and doing anything cool with it at all.
"eloi eloi lama sabachthanied"
Wow!! I knew it would happen eventually - I had to look this one up. I should've known it, too. Good one!
Sony's in an unenviable position in a race that can never be won, no matter how much they spend. If they do actually achieve the impossible and prevent all forms of piracy and home brew, what will their reward be? A nearly complete and utter stop in sales of all PSP hardware, software, and accessories. Oh, boy! Talk about desired outcome!
I would add *either* a PSP-1000 (Fat) or PSP-2000 (Slim). It's only the 3000 I'd avoid. I have a slim and it's been terrific for homebrew, once modified. It enables stuff like the awesome PSP Rhythm and PSPSEQ music apps.
I'm just incredibly frustrated with Sony. Way to go -- you're blocking piracy on a platform that has almost NO TITLES SCHEDULED. Sure, rampant piracy could be part of the cause. But here's an idea: why not help fill out that title void by providing a way for homebrew developers to *sell* their best stuff on a store. Sony wins, PSP owners win, developers win.
Welp, that kicks the 3000 off the wish list, and frankly, it was only ever on the long wish list to begin with.
Well, the PSP-Slim now has some new logic boards that make hacking a bitch. I didn't want to bother explaining that (it opens a huge can of worms, because it's hard to tell if you have one of the board before you buy the Slim) so I just left it with the Phat.
Well, for a gleaming moment there, I saw some sanity.