PSP v2.0 firmware arrives stateside on 8/12

is reporting that Sony will officially release the PSP's v2.0 firmware in America on August 12. Of course, by then, pretty much everyone planning to make the update will have grabbed the readily available Japanese upgrade file; as a practical matter, the only significance of the August 12 date is that you'll be able to download the firmware flasher using the Network Update option on your PSP's main menu instead of manually saving it to your memory stick. So there's no real reason to wait, unless you're one of those conspiracy theorists who's holding out for an official release because you believe that all Japanese-upgraded PSPs will turn themselves on at the stroke of midnight on August 12, forming a distributed artificial intelligence network determined to enslave humanity. But honestly, how is an American firmware update going to help you if that happens?