E3 2009: Sony press conference liveblog

It’s funny to think that the PSP hardware update, the PSP Go!, is almost old news now, but Sony has yet to speak out on its digital iteration of the handheld console.

If we’re lucky, there might even be a couple of surprises still in store for the PSP Go! Official announcement, which Sony’s saving up for its 2009 E3 press conference.

This time last year Sony had all but forgotten it had a handheld console, with E3 2008 almost completely ignoring the PSP. But in recent months Sony has presumably had word that the Emperor was to visit its Death Star HQ, and has redoubled its efforts.

Check back here at 19:00 GMT to see what the Sony empire has in store for the gaming rebels in our E3 press conference liveblog.

18:56
Check check. Mic Check. Check one two. Buckle my shoe.

19:00
Okay, it's 19:00. Where's my PSP Go! (I wasn't shouting then, you understand. That's its name).

19:03
1UP reckons Nintendo's dragging its heels getting off stage, so Sony's behind schedule. It's an old story.

19:08
A well spoken English lady is asking folk to take a seat. Sony's coming around the mountain.

19:16
Sony pres and CEO Jack Tretton's opening, and dropping in passive aggressive complaints about press leaks. Poor thing. It puts pressure on him, you know.

19:20
Sony cares about the poor - that's what the nine year old PS2 is all about. Apparently.

19:23
How about this for the new PS2 ad campaign:

19:24
Sorry. I'm just bored listening to Jack's unceasing stream of sales figures. Where's the PSP Go!, Jack!

19:26
Uncharted 2 looks right enough, though. Ooo! He just swore! Tut tut. You wouldn't hear that at a Nintendo speech.

19:30
A MAG demo with a full compliment of 256 online players at once. It's not handheld, but it's still pretty damn impressive.

19:35
Okay folks - it's go time. PSP Go! time. Tretton's back on stage with his facts and figures about the PSP, now.

19:37
Last year, Sony sold 15 million PSPs. Now they want you to go back to the shops and buy another 15 million PSP Go's. If you wouldn't mind.

19:38
Oops. Jack just sold a load of purple Hannah Montana. Kaz Hirai's here to save the day, at least.

19:39
Kaz is talking up the benefits of digital distribution, and how it can make the PSP better. If you don't need physical media, you need this thing he's got hidden in his pocket...

19:40
Kaz admits this is the worst kept secret of E3, the PSP Go! And his is white.

19:41
The PSP Go! is 50 per cent smaller than the PSP, but it's the same OS and hardware than the PSP 3000, which Kaz confirms it'll be sharing shelf space with.

19:42
Media Go! application will replace the current app for accessing the PlayStation Store.

19:43
PSP toolkits will see an 80 per cent price reduction to bring in the smaller developers.

19:45
$250 and EUR250 price point for the PSP Go!, to be available in the US and Europe on October 1st.

19:46
The PSN video delivery system will be built into the PSP Go!.

19:47
Gran Turismo creator Kazunouri Yamauchi comes up on stage to demonstrate the long awaited Gran Turismo PSP running on a PSP Go!.

19:49
Gran Turismo PSP will feature 800 cars, 35 tracks, 60 track layouts, 15 single player race modes and a mission challenge mode. That's a lot of cars. There'll also be an ad-hoc multiplayer for up to four players.

19:50
You'll also be able to share cars between players, since it'll be too hard to gather all the motors yourself. Sounds like a virtual chop shop.

19:51
We get a video of Gran Turismo PSP with a pumping techno soundtrack and some sexy PSP Go! footage. "Arigato gozaimasu," says Yamauchi-san.

19:52
Kaz is back, briefly. Gran Turismo PSP will be a launch title for PSP Go!, released October 1st.

19:54
Hideo Kojima strides onto stage to talk up Snake, in the new PSP title, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, set 10 years after Metal Gear Solid 4 in the 1970s.

19:56
Hideo will be writing the script and producing, along with the rest of the Metal Gear Solid 4 team. This won't be a spin off, but a full on sequel set during the Cuban missile crisis Then he gives us a trailer, which he impressively announces himself, in English.

19:59
Lots of hot stealth action in Peace Walker. Shame Hideo Kojima wasn't involved in the PSP Go's launch - we might not have seen it coming then.

20:00
Jack's back (can't say Hideo). Time for Resident Evil to return. Oh yeah, baby.

Resi Evil doesn't get any more Jack time. Now we're onto a video of the other PSP titles coming soon, like Little Big Planet, Harry Potter, Hannah Montana (why is the crowd so excited about his one?), SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3, Monster Hunter, Soul Calibur, SMT Persona, Invimals, Warriors Orocho 2, Motorstorm Arctic Edge, and Dissidia.

20:05
For the most part though, all these games are shown running on the PSP 3000, not the Go!. Man, the crowd really loves Hannah Montana - they're off again. Am I missing something by not watching that show?

20:07
Time to talk about the PlayStation Network, and Jack's spewing out figures again. I bet he's boring as hell in the board meetings.

20:08
50 PSOne classic titles coming to PSN, with Final Fantasy VII launching today, though I'm not sure he's talking about the PSP here.

20:16
Looks like we're filtering over to the PS3 now, with a montage video that could give you epilepsy. Rockstar's announcing its PS3 exclusive, Agent, and Assassin's Creed 2 is getting even more E3 stage time.

20:26
We’re onto the PS3 big time now, but Ubisoft dropped in a casual bit of tasty Assassin’s Creed info. Playing the PSP version (Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines) when connected to your PS3 will unlock six extra weapons for the Italian renaissance assassin in the console version, and all the games will be with us before the end of the year.

20:29
Okay, so it's a bit out of our remit, but what the hell. A teaser trailer of a hot new Square Enix game follows the extended footage of Final Fantasy XIII. Can you guess what it is? It's Final Fantasy XIV! And there's a big chicken thing you can ride. Weird.

20:47
After a lengthy display of a motion sensitive PS3 controller that kinda paled in comparison to the X360 Natal system that's taken E3 by storm this year, we're looking at a new, highly customisable PS3 racers, ModNation Racers.

20:48
This looks like it's going to be a PS3 only game, allowing you to create your own drivers, cars and tracks. But this would be sweet on the PSP (or the iPhone, for that matter. In fact, especially on the iPhone. Oh well).