Color Ur Playing

New PSP Colors Set To Hit Japan In March

Ah yes, the wonderful system that is the PSP. Ever since its release back in 2005, Sony has been steadily gaining ground in the handheld war against Nintendo, especially with such fantastic games like Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty and Vice City Stories, and most recently, the two enhanced ports of the first two Star Oceans. Yet Sony has been hemorrhaging money ever since the release of the PS3, reporting a $2.9 billion annual operating loss over the past fiscal year, and what do they decide is the best option to make that up? Why, color coding the new PSP-3000 model, of course!

Codenamed “The Carnival Colors,” the colors that will be newly available in Japan are aptly named “Radiant Red,” “Vibrant Blue,” “Bright Yellow,” and “Spirited Green.” In addition, each color will have its own accessory bundle, which includes a matching pouch, wrist strap and 4GB memory stick, all in the same hue as the PSP. No word yet if these new colors will eventually make their way stateside, but with Sony’s major losses, you can bet those carnies will show their vibrant selves by the beginning of the summer, if not earlier.

With this being the first “major” release by Sony since it announced the kick in the balls it received from the PS3, It makes me wonder if this was in the company’s best interest. The PSP has been available to the public for four years now, and within those four years, we’ve seen three different hardware releases; PSP-1000, 2000 (slim and lite), and 3000. The 3000 has already seen some colors added to its repertoire, so, why more? And “Carnival Colors?” Seriously? Come on, Sony. Colors aside, I feel as though if you wanted a PSP, you have already bought one, especially since no high profile title has been released since Crisis Core. Sony needs to focus on way to recover from their losses, not simply try to impress us with pretty colors (although a name like spirited green really gets me hot). Maybe Sony should put a little more effort into their PS3, considering the PSP has outsold the PlayStation 3 by nearly double (10.47 million units vs. 5.7 million units). Maybe some carnie-colored PS3s? Or perhaps you should cut your damn prices, maybe people would buy your system and see how truly amazing it can be? Just don’t pull a SEGA, Sony, or I’ll fucking shank you.