PlayStation Store comes to US PSPs

In the middle of last week's Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced that it would be launching a PlayStation Store for the PSP and launching all of its upcoming retail games for the handheld in downloadable form at the same time. Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced that US gamers are going to get one of those later this month with new firmware updates for the PSP, as well as the PlayStation 3.

PSP firmware version 5.00 will debut the PlayStation Store for PSP, allowing users to connect the system to a Wi-Fi network and download games, demos, trailers, and more directly to their handhelds. The update will also include a sleep timer while listening to music, an onscreen QWERTY-style keyboard to make browsing the Web on the system easier, and an adjustment to the video-out feature to ensure original PlayStation games make use of a TV's full display size.

For the PS3's next big firmware update (version 2.50), Sony is adding support for an in-game screenshot function. Sony says the function will make it easier for developers to let players take and share in-game screens, but it will apparently be up to the game makers to include the feature in their games. Specific games supporting in-game screenshots will be announced later.

The 2.50 system update also tweaks the way the system's trophies are doled out. In the future, when players are notified that they have earned a trophy, they'll also see the icon associated with the achievement in-game. The new firmware also adds support for features of SCEA's own Bluetooth headset, such as a "High Quality" mode to take advantage of the headset's dual-microphone design. (The headset will be available in stores bundled with SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation and as a stand-alone product later this week.) Other additions include a power-saving mode and video scene search functionality.

[UPDATE]: As for whether SCEA will follow SCEJ in offering all new games through the downloadable service, a representative didn't rule it out.

"We haven't announced any similar plans for North America, but we're continuing to evaluate opportunities to expand gaming content on the PlayStation Store," the representative told GameSpot. "As we just announced, direct access to the Store is coming soon for PSP owners, so it'll be easier than ever to download games. With that in mind, we're focused on delivering as much content as possible that's targeted to the demographic."

[UPDATE 2]: According to Sony Europe's Three Speech blog, the PSP and PS3 firmware updates will arrive tomorrow, October 15. Sony America has not yet revealed when US gamers will be receive the updates, and had not returned requests for comment as of press time.