PSP Go launching with 225 downloadable games

On Thursday, the 16GB PSP Go will finally launch at a price point of $250--just $50 less than its bigger brother, the 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim. To help hype the digital-download-only handheld's debut, Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that some 16,000 pieces of PSP Go-compatible content will be available on October 1. The vast majority will be television episodes, some 13,300 in all. Next up is movies, totaling 2,300.

As for games, some 225 titles will be on tap on day one, including games already released on UMD and the PlayStation Network, as well as PSOne titles formatted for the PSP. Catalog titles will include God of War: Chains of Olympus, Daxter, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Tetris, Fieldrunners, Madden NFL 10, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.

As for new games, four titles released this week--Beaterator, MotorStorm Arctic Edge, PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe, and the long-awaited Gran Turismo--will be available to download on the PSP Go. As for future games, SCEA hardware marketing director John Koller told GameSpot that after October 1, his company will try to make as many new UMD releases available on the PlayStation Store.

"We can't say 'all' because there are legal restrictions in converting some titles to digital, but on the whole, we expect a substantial amount," explained Koller. "I think what consumers can expect is to go onto the PSP store and see a large amount of previously released UMD content and see day-and-date releases of new games."

To help PSP Go owners get games on day one, Sony is also beginning to sell PlayStation Network Game Cards for downloadable games at retail outlets. The first round of cards will offer codes to download Gran Turismo, Daxter, MotorStorm Arctic Edge, God of War: Chains of Olympus, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2, Patapon 2, Secret Agent Clank, Twisted Metal: Head On, SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 2, and NBA 10: The Inside.

Though hailed by Sony as the next evolution of its handheld platform, the PSP Go has not been untouched by controversy. Last week, Sony revealed that North American PSP owners would not get free digital copies of PSP games they had already purchased on UMD. In Europe, current PSP owners who upgrade to the PSP Go will be able to download three games from a restricted list gratis.