Few details on PSP add-ons, services

A snap-on camera and a GPS device are coming soon for the PSP--but other than that, there's little more that Sony's willing to disclose at this time. While mentioned in passing at the company's E3 pre-show briefing, we know little more now than we did when the company first mentioned the planned accessories at a March press conference in Japan.

New PSP services remain vague at this point as well. The forthcoming PS1 emulator--which will let gamers download classic PlayStation 1 games (for a fee) to play on their PSPs--was highlighted by Kaz Hirai at the pre-E3 briefing, but we remain in the dark as far as details on titles, pricing, and availability of the servce. Similarly, at January's Consumer Electronics Show, Sony had pledged that an updated PSP-friendly Sony Connect service would be available "in March," but that month came and went without any news. A Sony rep at E3 confirmed that the Connect update was "delayed."

In the meantime, there's no true iTunes equivalent for the PSP: an easy-to-use service that offers downloadable music and video. At this point, I wonder if Sony's just holding out for the PlayStation 3 launch. The company clearly wants to position the PS3 as the entertainment nexus of the digital home, and the as-yet-unnamed online service is sure to deliver much more than gaming content. Why sink resources into patching the Connect service for the PSP when the new service can be optimized for the PS3 and PSP--not to mention Sony Ericsson Walkman phones and Sony VAIO PCs?