Sony confirms new PSP

Sony has officially confirmed that a new and improved Playstation Portable (PSP) handheld is on the way in September.

Announced at the E3 2007 games show, the PSP will be both slimmer and lighter than the current model which has sold 25 million units since it launched in December 2004.

Unusually for Sony, it will ship simultaneously in Europe, Japan and North America.

The new model will still retain the key controls and the large 4.3in display but be 33 per cent lighter and 19 per cent slimmer. It will weigh in at 189g compared to 280g for current PSPs and measure 18.6mm compared to 23mm.

The new model will also sport a video-out port which will allow users to play games, watch UMD movies or movies from Memory Stick Duo on their TVs. It will also allow gamers to temporarily store game data from UMD discs to reduce load times during gameplay. The unit can now be charged when hooked up to a PS3 or, PC via USB, when transferring data.

It will come with a choice of black, white or silver cases. There is no word what the new PSP will cost though.