There's a new PSP color coming soon: Metallic Blue. And it'll be available in the upcoming Madden 09 Entertainment Pack, which includes the system, the game, a NFL documentary and a code to download beats off the PS Store. According to amazon.com, the system will be available on August 12th.

Spencer from Siliconera snapped a few shots of the system in action over at San Diego Comic-Con for us (thanks!). Just like every other PSP, it has the uncanny ability to pick up fingerprints. Will you pick this baby up come August?

According to a poster on the PSPChina forums, the above is a "design sample" of another iteration of the PSP. The poster claims this information comes from a "reliable inside source" and that Sony had already finalized this basic design by the end of 2007. The only new addition so far is a built-in microphone, but otherwise the size and shape is the same as the PSP-2000. The Home button has been replaced by a PlayStation logo button just like the PS3 controller. Also noted is the hole between the volume buttons and the PSP logo, which the poster claims is where the microphone is located. The size of the metal ring has been reduced, allegedly to reduce scratches on it.

The poster claims he doesn't know the actual model number of the this PSP -- it could be a PSP-2100 or 3000 or something else entirely. "The pictures are actually of a design sample; whenever a new system is to be created, designers will follow Sony's instructions in creating several different versions. This is one of the versions that was created and then discarded. Next year when we buy this PSP, it will be slightly different, but I believe the microphone and smaller metal ring will remain."

Another set of pictures shows a black version of this so-called PSP-3000. The PlayStation button is slightly rounder and larger. The poster admits that the final design of real PSP-3000, or whatever the model number happens to be, is still unclear. Basically, even if everything this dude/dudette says is true, what we'll be seeing on store shelves might look completely different, assuming there is even a redesign in the works. Six more pictures after the jump.

[Via Joystiq]

We love the construction of this ad for the PSP created by TBWA Espana, Madrid, Spain. Two police offers are apprehending this young man, and instead of handcuffs, they use the ever-engrossing PSP. It's a subtle ad that may not sell the system's capabilities, but does a great job of emphasizing how cool the device is.

[Thanks, Karsten!]

It only took, y'know years, but American PSP owners will be able to enjoy GPS navigation some time next year. Not only will the platform support navigation and maps, as expected, but John Koller wants to offer something a bit more. SCEA is investigating game development which can take advantage of GPS technology. Koller told MTV Multiplayer the upcoming peripheral "changes the dynamics of GPS but also changes the way developers think about games on PSP because you can start integrating GPS into it." According to Koller, Sony will introduce the GPS solution to third party publishers and is currently brainstorming ideas within its first-party studios. "There's been a number of things that our first-party worldwide studios have looked at, and they've been trying to look at different options," he said.

Can anyone ever be sick of good news? Maybe you guys are tired of hearing how well our beloved handheld is doing in Japan. But we doubt Sony minds the good news, and neither do we. However, we do mind coming up with a new headline for the same good news every single week. Maybe you guys can give us some suggestions in comments ...

Week of June 30th-July 6th:

• PSP - 56,998 (559)
• Nintendo DS - 48,540 (1,085)
• Wii - 41,768 (2,757)
• PlayStation 3 - 12,458 (1,901)
• PlayStation 2 - 10,405 (1,363)
• Xbox 360 - 3,807 (969)
  

The PSP outsold itself from last week, selling 559 more units. Its big brother, the PlayStation 3, didn't fare so well -- sales fell by almost 2,000 units.

PSP brand manager John Koller has spoken out about the prospects of the PSP for the rest of 2008: he is confident that like the first half of 2008, key titles like Crisis Core: Final Fantasy and God of War: Chains of Olympus, along with multimedia functionality, will set the system apart from its competitors. Koller also believes the key to maintaining strong sales is to add "new features, new functionality." He also confirms the Go!Explore GPS will go on sale in the States in the next nine months and hopes to convey to consumers the PSP is part of a "broader cultural trend for content on the go."

Addressing the new iPhone App Store, which has many games available for download on it, Koller feels that the iPhone "is more of a threat to DS than anything else" because of its nature as a secondary gaming device, hence attracting more casual gamers. We agree -- with an onslaught of specialized exclusives coming up like Resistance: Retribution, Papapon 2 and Dissidia: Final Fantasy, it certainly seems the PSP is poised to have a bright future.

The introduction of the God of War bundle seems to be responsible for yet another stellar month of PSP sales Over 337k PSP systems were sold in June in North America -- that's 85% more than last month! While hardware sales are great, we'd love to see these numbers translate to software sales. Hopefully, new PSP owners are taking their time to discover the great library of PSP games out on store shelves.

Gran Turismo for PSP is one of the greatest jokes of the console's history. Ironically, a Duke Nukem game will actually release on our system before this much-touted title ever finds way. It's one of the few titles announced before the PSP's launch that still hasn't come out yet. Ouch.

In an interview with Joystiq, Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi explained that the PSP version of Gran Turismo is still "actively in development" and reiterated that the title would not be completed until Gran Turismo 5 (PS3). Of course, considering GT5 won't release until 2010, PSP owners can still make jokes about this vapourous title for at least two more years.

Where are all the PS1 games? We chatted with SCE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida about the lack of PS1 downloadable titles in America, and he admitted it frankly: "I'd like to see more games on that as well ... we haven't done enough with third party publishers."

In Japan, companies like Square Enix and Konami have supported the PSN by re-releasing treasured PS1 classics onto the PS Store. However, the rest of the world's catalog has been quite lacking. Yoshida explained that these digital downloads don't offer much profit, calling the potential monies "insignificant." He also noted that there are many issues involving licensing, especially with the music found in older games. That usually adds to the difficulty of bringing back PS1 games.

While lamenting the lack of PS1 support on the PSN, he did ask us a favor: "Maybe if you can convince the third parties."

[Image Source]

Joystiq and PS Fanboy interviewed Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida about a number of hot topics earlier this week. However, one of the big talking points had to be the expansion of the PLAYSTATION Network beyond the PS3. Currently, home console owners can sign in using a single PSN ID, and can access a Friends list, send messages to friends, and play games together online.

During the E3 keynote, Sony briefly noted that they wanted to expand the PSN's "universal ID," and we asked Yoshida if that expansion could hit the PSP. We asked if using the same PSN ID from the PS3 can access a universal Friends list on the PSP. His response? "That's the plan."

Already, implementing the PLAYSTATION Store directly on the PSP is in the works. It won't be too long before we see even more features of the PS3 popping up on the PSP: Friends lists, messaging and who knows what else ... trophies, perhaps? Stay tuned in the coming days for the full itnerview.

Sony sent out a press release today flaunting the PSP's sell-in numbers in Japan. The portable gaming behemoth has sold over 10 million units since its inception on December 12, 2004. That's numbers for both PSP-1000 models and the slimmer PSP-2000 models.

Also, in addition to the number crunching, Sony has stated that Japan will get a Metallic Blue PSP bundle on sale July 17, as well as a Metallic Blue PSP 1 Seg Pack. "SCE will vigorously promote PSP as a new handheld entertainment system to enjoy a variety of digital entertainment content by enhancing network capabilities and interoperability with PlayStation 3."

While the official changelog of firmware 4.05 is underwhelming, it does feature a key hidden feature: support for movie and TV service. According to this support page on PlayStation.com, "Support for PLAYSTATION®Store Movies and TV video service" has also been added in firmware 4.05. Undoubtedly, we're going to find out more about this service during tomorrow's E3 conference.

Stay tuned.

[Via PlayStation Lifestyle]

The last story we posted on, it appeared a PSP lead to a violent crime. We now have an even more violent story coming out of London; however, this time the PSP might have helped catch the murderer. The Sun reports that two 23-year old French post-graduate students shown above, Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, were "bound, gagged and stabbed to death" in an apartment in London on Sunday night. The police believe they were tortured for the PIN numbers to their ATM cards. Bonomo was stabbed 196 times and Ferez was stabbed 47 times.

Fortunately, the police did have clues. They "established that two Sony PSPs are missing and believe they were taken during the incident on Sunday when the two men were killed." They also released one of the PSP's serial numbers, SO1-0613169-C. Today, a 21-year old man has been arrested in connection with the murders. It is unclear whether the serial number released helped solve the crimes, but it is good to hear a culprit has been apprehended in these grisly murders.

[Note: Due to the tabloid nature of the Sun, here is the BBC's take.]

Down over in Jacksonville, Florida, two teenagers were arguing when one decided to shoot the other. This is already tragic enough, but the "center" of this shooting is a PSP. Zachary Robinson, 17, shot another teenager twice before fleeing the scene. Robinson was subsequently captured and is now charged with aggravated battery. Fortunately, even though there was an art fair being set up at the location, no one was hurt.

We love our PSPs, but these kids went way too far. Also, it wasn't specified who originally owned the PSP, but let's not try to shoot each other over one, okay kids?

[Via Kotaku]