Japan gets a release date for the PSP 3000
The day after Europe!
Considering Japan is the saviour of Sony's handheld console, it must come as something of a kick in the shins that us Europeans will be getting the new hardware update before the natives.
Sony has set the Japanese release date of the PSP 3000 for October 16th, priced at ¥19,800; the same as current models, though still more expensive than the DS. The European launch is currently scheduled for the 15th.
The built-in mic and improved screen (which, as we recently learned, comes at the cost of a shorter battery life) seemed to have whipped up a reasonable stir among Sony's gaming collective, and considering the Japanese penchant for early hardware adoption, the PSP 3000 is likely to fly off the shelves.
The current model has reportedly been outselling the DS for the first time on its native shores, though the system's highest sales figures at the beginning of the year were still only around half what the DS was enjoying.
The interest generating around the imminent launch could be the worldwide shot in the arm the system needs, and lands in Europe primed for the Christmas countdown. Some well run marketing (not Sony's strong point of late, but anyway) could well cause one of those delightful 'shortages' just in time for December.