PSP 3000 power problems?

There isn't exactly a whirlwind of excitement around the PSP 3000 upgrade, and what there is mostly seems to be coming from existing users keen to play on their TVs and make use of a built-in mic.

In something of a surprisingly forthright confession, John Koller of Sony US told Gamespot in a video interview that the brighter, faster screen of the hardware update is going to have an impact on the battery life of around 20 to 30 minutes.

He stressed this will be offset by the noticeable improvements of colour depth, response time and brightness, and went on to say this update will address the issues Sony's handheld has had with playing outdoors. Koller casually slipped in that Sony will still graciously be offering the higher capacity battery for sale, which will make the extra power drain even less of an issue.

But in many ways this contradicts his statement regarding the insignificance of the shorter available playtime. The battery that comes with the PSP, he states, will offer around three to four hours of use, but if gamers are going to be able to play their consoles while out and about, shouldn't Sony be compensating for the downgrade in battery life by providing the higher capacity battery along with the system?

Manufacturers are invariably, and often unrealistically, optimistic about battery life, so we have to wonder if the extra usability the PSP 3000 is offering isn't going to be offset by a whole new problem.

Hit 'Track It!' now to keep on top of more PSP 3000 news as it arrives.