Tech Shout!

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced a new firmware upgrade for its PlayStation Portable system. The newly released version 3.30 update enables PSP users to play compatible games online, surf the Web and download podcasts at more than 7,000 T-Mobile Hot-Spot locations, including select Starbucks coffee shops, Borders bookstores, Hyatt Hotels, and more than 70 airports across the United States.

This is a limited promotional offer that includes six moths of Wi-Fi network access to T-Mobile HotSpot starting at the initial log-in on the T-Mobile HotSpot network for PSP owners.

PSP owners will now be able to access compatible online games via the PSP’s Wi-Fi functionality when they enter a T-Mobile HotSpot location. In fact, the first game title to take advantage of this new online access will be Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters.

Besides, T-Mobile is also offering PSP owners an option to purchase a subscription at a special rate. These details can be obtained from T-Mobile itself. In order to access the six month promotional period offer, PSP owners will have to log-in to the T-Mobile HotSpot Network by March 28, 2007.

According to Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America, “This new offer enables SCEA to take portable gaming and entertainment to a new level of mobility and convenience for PSP owners. With T-Mobile’s service, we’re making it possible for the PSP community to connect in new ways and access the online content they want in more places than ever before. More and more PSP users are going online to challenge each other in multi-player games, and we can now make it more convenient to access online gaming as well as the Internet, showcasing the rich feature set that PSP has to offer.”

The PSP system firmware updates can be wirelessly downloaded directly to a PSP system using a Wi-Fi connection, or can be downloaded to a PSP system from here through a USB cable. It can even be installed using the upcoming UMD software.