The PSP 2200mAh battery is not new to the market, but bundling it with a pair of covers is. Meet the PSP Extended Life Battery Kit: a battery, two plastic covers, and a lot of packaging. What the kit does provide for PSP-2000 owners (besides an awkward bulge) is about 80% more battery life -- just 20% for those using the original PSP, and no bulge. Unfortunately, Sony couldn't find room for a 'Ceramic White' cover, so those affected will have to settle for the junkyard van look.

A price has yet to be listed, but expect the battery kit to retail in the $40 range.

Due to the overwhelming success of the PSP, Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu surveyed 68 of its retail partners for their thoughts on the state of the PSP. The survey revealed a number of interesting factoids. For example, Piano Black is the best selling system (17.4%) while Rose Pink is the worst (6.9%). Unsurprisingly, Crisis Core ended up being the top seller of the month, which caught 62.7% of retailers off guard -- they couldn't predict sales would be so strong.

Although Crisis Core sold so well, it was actually the 1seg, retailers report, that inspired the most PSP sales. However, in spite of the system's current success, 43.3% of retailers surveyed do not believe PSP momentum will continue.

The retailers are worried about the lack of big titles coming up for the system. More games like Monster Hunter are (obviously) needed. Some other suggestions included: games that support the 1seg (how would that work?), record functionality for the 1seg, and new colors that look different than DS's offerings. Supposedly, Japan's software lineup on PSP leaves something to be desired as well.

For the complete report, make sure you check out PSPHyper.

The PSP Slim & Lite has been reliably mysterious. Sony, in all of its territories, has done a fantastic job of keeping everyone in the dark of when their systems are going to come out. Case in point: the white PSP-2000. Well, retailer play.com has listed a release date for the white non-Darth Vader system: October 26th.

It's the first time we've heard of a release date for the system. The system should satiate those that have been patiently waiting for a non-black (or silver!) system in the territory.

[Via Pocket Gamer]

Once again, the homebrew community is teasing and taunting Sony by adding key features missing in their official firmware. This proof-of-concept "TV Out Example" will let your homebrew-enabled PSP-2000 the ability to output games content full screen, no borders! Even more surprising is that it'll even work with the composite cables, allowing those without ED/HDTVs to enjoy the wonder of playing PSP games on the TV. Certainly, if this ragtag team of enthusiasts can do it, Sony can as well? We're hoping that the official firmware development team doesn't take this lightly and follows pursuit as soon as possible.

[Via PSP Hacks]

Day 1 is over (we're busy picking our first winner) and Day 2 of our Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron PSP-2000 bundle is ready to kick off. Along with our friends at PSP Fanboy and PS3 Fanboy, we're giving away the second of five brand-new limited-edition Darth Vader PSP-2000 systems this week. These Ceramic White systems feature Darth Vader's menacing profile on the back, and are a must-have for the dedicated Star Wars nerdcore. Not only that, the package includes the brand new PSP-exclusive Star Wars Battlefront game.

So, how do you enter? First, find out what the PSP Fanboy team thinks about Star Wars Battlefront (Andrew, Jem, Nick, and Colin) and then leave a comment answering one. simple. question ... did Greedo shoot first? Be sure to leave a comment on the corresponding giveaway posts at PSP Fanboy and PS3 Fanboy, for a total of three entries today. We'll select one comment from all three sites at random tomorrow morning before we give away another PSP-2000.

Of course, there are rules. You must be a US resident, 18 years or older. Limit 1 entry per person per site ... or else (that means three entries spread out, no more)! This entry period ends at 11:59am ET tomorrow, so get your entries in before then. For complete rules you can shared with your loved ones, click here. And much thanks to the fine people at LucasArts for the great prizes.

Don't be afraid to admit it: you want the new PSP-2000. With its slimmer figure, lighter weight, TV-Out functionality, and faster load times, it's a remarkable improvement over the PSP Phat. But, haven't been able to snatch a system for yourself? Don't worry -- we got you covered. Along with our friends at PSP Fanboy and PS3 Fanboy, we're giving away one of five brand-new limited-edition Darth Vader PSP-2000 systems each day this week. These Ceramic White systems feature Darth Vader's menacing profile on the back, and are a must-have for the dedicated Star Wars nerdcore. Not only that, the package includes the brand new PSP-exclusive Star Wars Battlefront game.

So, how do you enter? First, find out what the PSP Fanboy team thinks about Star Wars Battlefront (Andrew, Jem, Nick, and Colin) and then write down one thing you learned from their previews and leave it in our comments section, as well as on the corresponding giveaway posts at PSP Fanboy and PS3 Fanboy. We'll select one comment from all three sites at random tomorrow morning before we giveaway another PSP-2000

Of course, there are rules. You must be a US resident, 18 years or older. Limit 1 entry per person per site ... or else (that means three entries spread out, no more)! This entry period ends at 11:59am ET tomorrow, so get your entries in before then. For complete rules you can shared with your loved ones, click here. And much thanks to the fine people at LucasArts for the great prizes.

Don't be afraid to admit it: you want the new PSP-2000. With its slimmer figure, lighter weight, TV-Out functionality, and faster load times, it's a remarkable improvement over the PSP Phat. But, haven't been able to snatch a system for yourself? Don't worry -- we got you covered. Along with our friends at Joystiq and PS3 Fanboy, we're giving away one of five brand-new limited-edition Darth Vader PSP-2000 systems each day this week. These Ceramic White systems feature Darth Vader's menacing profile on the back, and are a must-have for the dedicated Star Wars nerdcore. Not only that, the package includes the brand new PSP-exclusive Star Wars Battlefront game.

So, how do you enter? First, find out what the PSP Fanboy team thinks about Star Wars Battlefront (Andrew, Jem, Nick, and Colin) and then write down one thing you learned from their previews and leave it in our comments section, as well as on the corresponding giveaway posts at Joystiq and PS3 Fanboy. We'll select one comment from all three sites at random tomorrow morning before we giveaway another PSP-2000

Of course, there are rules. You must be a US resident, 18 years or older. Limit 1 entry per person per site ... or else (that means three entries spread out, no more)! This entry period ends at 11:59am ET tomorrow, so get your entries in before then. For complete rules you can shared with your loved ones, click here. And much thanks to the fine people at LucasArts for the great prizes.

Don't be afraid to admit it: you want the new PSP-2000. With its slimmer figure, lighter weight, TV-Out functionality, and faster load times, it's a remarkable improvement over the PSP Phat. But, haven't been able to snatch a system for yourself? Don't worry -- we got you covered. Along with our friends at Joystiq and PSP Fanboy, we're giving away one of five brand-new limited-edition Darth Vader PSP-2000 systems each day this week. These Ceramic White systems feature Darth Vader's menacing profile on the back, and are a must-have for the dedicated Star Wars nerdcore. Not only that, the package includes the brand new PSP-exclusive Star Wars Battlefront game.

So, how do you enter? First, find out what the PSP Fanboy team thinks about Star Wars Battlefront (Andrew, Jem, Nick, and Colin) and then write down one thing you learned from their previews and leave it in our comments section, as well as on the corresponding giveaway posts at Joystiq and PSP Fanboy. We'll select one comment from all three sites at random tomorrow morning before we giveaway another PSP-2000

Of course, there are rules. You must be a US resident, 18 years or older. Limit 1 entry per person per site ... or else (that means three entries spread out, no more)! This entry period ends at 11:59am ET tomorrow, so get your entries in before then. For complete rules you can shared with your loved ones, click here. And much thanks to the fine people at LucasArts for the great prizes.

The next big console success in Japan is ... the PSP?!

Color us shocked, but the one-two punch of the redesign and Crisis Core has made a serious impression on the Japanese. The slimmer PSP-2000 has sold over half a million units in less than two weeks. With numbers like that, you'd think that there was a brain training game somewhere hidden in the system.

We predict good things to come as a new Gundam game hit Japanese store shelves yesterday. We hear that they're somewhat fond of that franchise.

Shiny founder Dave Perry has been very vocal about consoles as of late. After estimating Wii's death clock, the Earthworm Jim designer has set his sights on Sony's PSP.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Perry refers to redesign as a "head in the sand" move while saying that Sony should "restart the PSP program" and specifically calls for the removal of UMD in favor of digital download.

Perry also suggests that the transition to an UMD-less PSP would be relatively painless, asserting that it would be easy to create software to authenticate and re-download for free titles you already own.

While we agree that digital distribution is on the rise, we're not sure if there's financial benefit for the consumer. A 1.0 GB memory stick can cost over $30, and then you still have the buy the titles (which may not drop in price should they go download). If you want to carry more than a few games around, you're going to need multiple memory sticks. If Sony does heed Perry's advice (and we see no evidence as to why they would), maybe they could replace the UMD slot with a decent hard drive, instead.

So, you want a fancy new theme on your PSP-2000? Well, who can blame you? You've had the thing for all of a week now, it's time for a change. So let's get started!

Upgrade!: First things first, you're going to want to update to the 3.70 PSP Firmware. Just go all the way to the left in that XMB menu and hit "Network Update." (Tip: Make sure your PSP is able to connect to the internet, otherwise this will go poorly.) Follow the instructions to update your firmware.

The M33 team has done it again. The PSP Slim can now run M33's 3.60 custom firmware. The new firmware has "all the features of 3.52 M33, except the 1.50 kernel support". This means that some homebrew that was developed specifically for 1.50 (e.g. homebrew games that would go into the GAME150 folder) will not work with the custom firmware.

The installation is complex, requiring a Pandora Battery and Pandora memory stick, a non-Slim PSP with firmware 1.50 or custom firmware that supports 1.50 kernel, and of course, a PSP-2000. As always, this is not for the faint of heart nor anyone who hates carefully reading and following instructions, as there is always a possibility of bricking your brand new PSP-2000. As such, use at your own risk. Full instructions for the installation can be found here.

Download M33's custom 3.60 firmware here (scroll down to the bottom of the first post).

[via DCEmu, thanks everyone who sent this in!]

For those of you that have wanted to jump on the PSP-2000 bandwagon, this might be your best chance. EB Games/GameStop are offering an extra $20 of trade-in value when you give them your PSP. The deal expires 9/13, so you'd best get a move on now.

[Via CAG]

We're somewhat enamored by the Korean advertising campaign for the New PSP (aka PSP-2005). This ad shows a butterfly lifting the new lighter system, emphasizing that it weighs only 189 grams. This is a far more effective ad than Japan's.

Also, it appears that the Korean PSP isn't just losing weight, it's becoming cheaper. Korean gamers can now pick it up for only 178,000 won (appx. $190).

[Via PSP-Vault]