Sony reveals PSP/PlayStation 3 working together at E3 conference
PSP will communicate with the new console's games over local network, as well as via USB and memory stick
While Sony's spotlight at this year's annual E3 games extravaganza is definitely shining on PlayStation 3, it isn't going to let anyone forget about its handheld marvel.
To that end, the Japanese manufacturer has offered some intriguing hints as to how PSP will fit into the PlayStation 3 landscape, as well as announcing a new 'Greatest Hits' range of PSP games.
Speaking at its annual pre-E3 conference in Los Angeles, Sony's president of worldwide studios Phil Harrison explained how you'll be able to use the PSP to enhance your PlayStation 3 games, by running the same game across both consoles at the same time.
He demonstrated the concept in action with the PlayStation 3 version of F1, where a PSP positioned just to the side of the screen acted as a wing mirror; the TV and PlayStation 3 portrayed the main racing action, while the PSP revealed who was coming up behind.
Sony hopes this PSP/PS3 inter-operation will become common in future games, with aggressive exploration in the area promised.
Other additions on the horizon include the add-on camera, due in the autumn, and the GPS unit, due winter.
At the same event Sony America's president Kaz Hirai revealed an upcoming PSP Greatest Hits range – essentially a budget range for the handheld – that will launch with five worthwhile games such as Hot Shots Golf, Twisted Metal, Wipeout Pure.
The Greatest Hits range will initially launch in America at $19.95; there's no European dates or prices yet.
Hirai also demonstrated how you'll be able to buy old PlayStation games such as Ridge Racer over the network using PSP. The default mode is to show the old PlayStation game in the middle of the PSP's widescreen; by hitting a button on PSP you'll be able to zoom in to stretch the image across every glorious inch of the PSP's screen.
Incidentally, Sony says it has now sold 17 million PSPs, with nearly six million of them finding a home in Europe. And Japan and Asia is now in third place for sales of Sony's consoles after North America and Europe. If you've ever wondered why that kookie Japanese strangeness from yesteryear seems to be giving way the likes of B-Boy, now you know.
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