The big, gorgeous, and expansive nature of the Assassin’s Creed games doesn’t quite fit in the palm of your hand. While the PSP version—Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines—isn’t awful, it’s certainly not great. However, enough of the essential fun in Assassin’s Creed does come through to make the PSP version a worthwhile addition to the saga.

A direct continuation of the first game, Bloodlines tells the story of Altair’s quest to end the Templar presence on the island of Cyprus. Though starting off shakily, the story progresses well because Altair’s character is surprisingly developed. While the game gives Maria, the female Templar, a significant role, not enough time is spent on developing their relationship. When combined with very thin mission set-ups, this omission contributes to the feel of a downsized game.

Graphically, Bloodlines is impressive.

Story aside, the meat of an Assassin’s Creed game is running, climbing, and killing. Bloodlines gets the killing part right, but the few locations in the game are too small to truly show off the series’ signature free-running gameplay. Buildings are rarely more than a few stories tall, and even eagle viewpoints are  downsized. Furthermore, the fidgety camera makes running and long jumps an iffy prospect.

Such problems are compounded by the often-sticky controls. Unfortunately, this seems to be a direct holdover from the console versions. Altair gets frequently blocked while climbing and running by invisible obstacles.  By the time you’ve struggled to adjust his direction away from some mysterious block, his running has lost all momentum.

Air assassination's are still thrilling, even on the subway.

In addition, the locations are remarkably sparse when compared to the consoles. Aside from the lack of elevation, there just isn’t enough to do. Each map has barely a handful of side missions, with the focus clearly on the main storyline.

These missions, or the lack thereof, is where Bloodlines misses the boat. On a portable system, Altair’s exploits would have been a perfect fit for a wide array of bite-sized missions set at a rapid pace. Instead, players are left with precious little to do beyond move the story along.

Bloodlines’ presentation is remarkably well done. Although the island of Cyprus is rather bland, with simple stone structures, the character models and animation are very well done. Deserving of special notice, Altair’s voice acting is much improved. This time, Altair sounds like a local, giving him more personality. Even the music, sound effects, and other voices are worth noticing.

Happily, Assassin’s Creed’s combat actually translated perfectly. As before, combat is a waiting game, where Altair guards, and then counter attacks. The violence is still viscerally satisfying and Altair feels every bit the killer badass he was on the PS3.

Blast Factor: There were a lot of compromises made in bringing Assassin’s Creed to the PSP and not all of them were necessary. The visual downgrade and lessened scope are understandable, but the scarcity of missions is not. Despite an opportunity to improve them, the sketchy controls and camera are still issues. On the plus side, Bloodlines does a decent job expanding on Altair’s character in a meaningful way. Combat is engaging, and while the game is far from perfect, it is still worth a look for fans of cloaked assassins.

Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines is available exclusively on the Playstation Portable, and retails for $39.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for review.

In a move that’s sure to make many fans happy–including this guy right here–Capcom has brought Mega Man Maverick Hunter X and Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower to the PSN today, meaning you don’t have to slog through used bins searching for a copy if you would prefer to download it from your couch.

I don’t know much about Darkstalkers, as I have not played this version, but Morrigan is in it, which means it’s probably worth at least looking at for many.

As for Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, I’ve been meaning to get a copy, as the original version is one of my favorite games from the Super Nintendo; just by reading the announcement the level theme for Storm Eagle popped into my head, and it’s back again as I tell you about it. Remixed music, 3-D backgrounds and enhanced effects? You can be sure I’m heading to the PSN to snag a copy as soon as I hit submit on this.

In a move that surprised many, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars came exclusively to the Nintendo DS earlier this year. All these months later though, PSP owners finally have the chance to get their hands on one of handheld gaming’s most critically acclaimed titles. The PSP edition of the game features the same core title, with some new bells and whistles on the graphical side, as well as some new missions. There are other new additions, and not all of those work as well as we would like, but this is still a fantastic game and a necessary addition to any PSP owner’s library.

You play as Huang Lee, a member of the Triads whose father has just been killed in Hong Kong. He’s in Liberty City to deliver a sword–Yu Jian–to his Uncle Kenny, who is vying to become the new leader of the Triads. Huang is ambushed by unknown assailants along the way, and is thought to be dead. You are tasked with finding out where the sword has gone and who killed your father, and like in any Grand Theft Auto game, you will meet a cast of characters with missions for you to carry out on your way to reaching these goals.

While the story is good enough, it’s certainly one of the weaker parts of the title, especially when compared to other recent GTA games. “Weaker” is a relative term though, as almost everything else works incredibly, and there is so much to do outside of the story that you would be forgiven for ignoring your Uncle Kenny’s wishes for hours at a time. The characters you meet are also entertaining, so it’s not like this is a blight on the game or anything–there have just been better GTA yarns to spin in the past.

Despite what screens have led you to believe, this game is fully 3D, and seen from an aerial perspective. The camera rotates at 360 degrees, showing off the 3D models and interactive environment. The little things, like mail boxes, street signs and lamp posts all use realistic physics to react to your crashing and bumping into them. You will crash into a car, and that car will flip through the air just like it would on a home console–this is the moment where you realize just how powerful Chinatown Wars is graphically. It was impressive on the DS, but on the PSP, with a wider screen and higher resolution, the game’s graphics and physics stand out even more. Rockstar Leeds also went back and added some lighting effects, which are especially noticeable at night or when you’re driving around the city.

Chinatown Wars uses a semi cel-shaded style that works very well on the system, and cutscenes, though told through text and character portraits, have that trademark GTA art style down, and they work effectively. The PSP version cut down on the thick black lines that some of the DS characters had around them, and also presents the cutscenes in a much higher resolution that makes the images much, much cleaner. My one issue on the graphical side of things is that occasionally it feels like the game can’t load the road in front of you fast enough when you’re speeding–the entire road just sort of appears in front of you out of a mass of black nothingness. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it does happen, and it resulted in a few crashes into cop cars I couldn’t see until I was literally on top of them. This wasn’t an issue with the DS version, so this may just be a UMD issue.

Though characters and cars may appear small at first, you shouldn’t lost track of what’s going on, and you can tell what is happening on screen. Driving, for example, is easier than you think it would be given you are using a single analog stick; your car can auto-align to center itself, and you can use the shoulder buttons as brakes to make turns more effectively. You can also set your GPS routes to appear on the city roads themselves, which is useful while learning your way around the city–I know I’m always overwhelmed the first few times I boot up a GTA game and have to find my way around.

Rockstar promised this would be the most action-intensive GTA we have seen, and they were not lying. Everything happens very fast, with more arcade influence than some of the game’s console cousins; there are tons of explosions, bullets, police officers, gang members, fires–if it’s dangerous, there’s a lot of it around Liberty City. Ridiculous weapons like the flamethrower and chainsaws are back, and they are a blast to use, especially when you start to get cornered by gang members jumping out of speedy cars. Missions will see you accomplishing a variety of tasks, but there is an emphasis on taking down entire groups of gang members before they can get you, as well as high speed car chases where guns are fired and Molotov Cocktails are tossed out windows to slow your pursuers. If it’s action you are looking for, I’m happy to report that Chinatown Wars delivers in spades. Even better, you can now replay any mission you have completed by checking out the white board in your apartment; you are able to improve your times and scores on these missions from here, which can then be uploaded, along with the rest of your stats, to the Rockstar Social Club, where Rockstar will hold contests for prizes. Those who participate in the Rockstar Social Club will also have access to some exclusive missions down the line, a nice bonus and incentive to keep playing.

What really ups the action in Chinatown Wars though is the new police evasion system. Rather than simply outrun the cops when you cause trouble, you must now actively engage them to impede their chase. When you get a single star (or are back down to one star) you can utilize the old system of laying low, but you will find yourself in far more trouble than that given the level of action in this game. In those cases, you will need to “disable” the cop cars by ramming into them, causing them to crash into buildings, walls, other cars, or just smashing them around with your vehicle while at high speeds. This kind of turns things around, making you more of the hunter than you are used to. Remember, the goal is not to blow up or destroy the cars, so don’t think you will be off the hook by tossing hand grenades out the window at oncoming cruisers. Instead, you just need to get rid of those who are chasing you by taking out their vehicles–they can’t very well catch up with you if they are on foot and you are in a sports car.

THQ has published games based on everything from the silly cartoon antics of SpongeBob, to the more serious yet ultimately just as funny Drake and Josh television series. ‚ Joystiq.com calls the publisher the “unparalleled master of licensed gaming adaptations.”‚  THQ’s presence is undeniable, and their target audience is thirsty for more.

THQ aims to quench that longing with “Up,” a game in development for every imaginable gaming platform, based on the hotly anticipated Disney Pixar feature film by the same name.

Up will follow the exotic adventures of main character Carl Fredricksen and his young sidekick Wilderness Explorer Russell as they trek through the undiscovered jungles of South America. Treacherous jungle terrain, dangerous creatures and the slippery slopes of the Amazonian Tepuis await you in this latest film to game title.

Up will feature both single player and co-op game-play with an additional multiplayer component containing four player aerial combat.

Development of Up is being handled by Heavy Iron Studios, creators of the video game renditions of Ratatouille and WALL-E, the former earning a “Best Animated Video Game award” from the International Animated Film Society.

I was lucky enough to view a portion of the film at Comic Con and without giving any spoilers, I really think the varying character personalities coupled with the extravagant locations will for make a great video game if executed properly.

This spring Up will release on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Games for Windows, and Mac.

If you just cannot wait, a free playable demo is available on Up the video game’s official site here.

More information regarding Up the film can be found here.

The G.I. JOE action figure debuted some 45 years ago in 1964.‚  The humble beginnings of the mighty brand ‚ will reach a new level at next week’s Toy Fair in New York City, where the never before seen G.I. JOE video game will be unveiled.

Set to be released over the summer in conjunction with the feature film G.I. JOE the Rise of Cobra, Electronic Arts and the Digital Media and Gaming department at Hasbro have high hopes for the title.

Mark Blecher, general manager of the aforementioned department has this to say about the future release and its partnership with Electronic Arts.

“EA has tapped the legacy of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga to create an amazing interactive experience inspired by the movie, comic books, animated series and iconography that we hope will resonate with millions of fans.”

Millions of fans? I was never a G.I. JOE fan, even as a kid, but who knows, maybe you’re out there G.I. JOE fans, how else does Hasbro sell all those toys!?

Hasbro promises compelling storytelling, a dynamic set of characters, and over the top action that will please everyday gamers as well as fans of the series.

The official G.I. JOE video game website shows an image of a man in black, dagger in hand, adorned with laser-tag-like goggles and attire.‚  Not very compelling if you ask me.‚  Furthermore, the brief synopsis “Fight Evil Before It Strikes” is border-line clichƒ©.

The very brief information the website does provide doesn’t really paint a colorful image in my head and excite me about kicking some COBRA butt.

According to the game’s website in G.I. JOE the video game you can expect to:

• Assemble an elite G.I. JOE team and call in reinforcements when the mission gets down and dirty.
• Choose from 12 of your favorite G.I. JOEs, each with a unique set of skills and weapons.
• Gear up with the latest in high-tech gadgets.
• Jump into, steal or hijack powerful G.I. JOE or COBRA vehicles, then fire away!

Make of it what you will, but none of those feats seem new or interesting to me.

G.I. JOE is currently in development for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Playstation Portable, Nintendo DS, and mobile devices set for a summer release following the August 7^th debut of the feature film.

About EA, Hasbro, Spyglass Entertainment and Paramount Pictures

EA Confirms Covert Mission to Create Action-Packed G.I. JOE‚® Video Game Inspired by Upcoming Film From Paramount Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment and Hasbro

G.I. JOE Set to Invade All Major Video Game Platforms in Summer 2009

Toy Fair 2009

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that development is underway to bring Hasbro’s legendary G.I. JOE‚® brand to all major console and handheld gaming platforms in summer 2009 to coincide with the theatrical release of the G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA live-action movie from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, which opens in theaters August 7, 2009. EA will unveil a “first look” of the G.I. JOE‚® video game at Hasbro’s Showroom at Toy Fair on February 15-17, 2009 in New York City.

“As Hasbro and Paramount Pictures reignite the G.I. JOE‚® property this year with an all-new toy line and film, EA is excited to play a major role in bringing this icon of pop culture history to a new generation of enthusiasts through interactive gaming,” said Chip Lange, General Manager and Vice President of EA Hasbro. “G.I. JOE‚® offers exceptionally rich storylines and a cast of characters that lends itself incredibly well to creating an over-the-top action adventure video game that will thrill gamers as well as G.I. JOE‚® fans.”

For fans of all ages, 2009 is gearing up to become another watershed milestone in the timeless franchise by introducing even more new ways to engage, immerse and play within the G.I. JOE‚® universe. The G.I. JOE‚® video game will feature an exclusive storyline that picks up where the live-action movie leaves off, allowing players to re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action figure toy line. The game will feature 12 G.I. JOE‚® characters, each with unique abilities and weapons. Adding to the adrenaline rush will be an intense single-screen co-op mode allowing two players to easily unite as a team in a classic struggle between good and evil as they work together to defeat the powers of the COBRA organization. The G.I. JOE‚® video game is under development for Xbox 360‚® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION‚®3 computer entertainment system, Wii^TM, PlayStation‚®2, PSP‚® (PlayStation‚®Portable), Nintendo DS^TM, and mobile devices.

“G.I. JOE‚® has been an icon of action for 45 years,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Gaming and Media at Hasbro. “EA has tapped the legacy of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga to create an amazing interactive experience inspired by the movie, comic books, animated series and iconography that we hope will resonate with millions of fans.”

For more than four decades, G.I. JOE‚® has been one of the premiere brands in the history of boys’ toys. Originating the term “action figure” in 1964, Hasbro’s G.I. JOE‚® brand ushered in a new play pattern that forever changed the scope of the toy industry. The G.I. JOE‚® brand made another revolutionary introduction in 1984 with the release of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA toy line, which introduced a generation of boys to the heroic G.I. JOE‚® forces, led by Duke, and their epic struggle to defeat the evil COBRA organization. The G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga featured a diverse cast of characters – both good and evil – that became a part of pop culture through Hasbro’s toy line, an animated television series and best-selling comic book franchise.

For more information about the G.I. JOE‚® video game and to sign up for updates, visit gijoe.ea.com

About the G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA Film

Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Present, In Association With Hasbro, A di Bonaventura Pictures Production of A Stephen Sommers Film: “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” starring Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Byung Hun Lee, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Saƒ¯d Taghmaoui, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans and Dennis Quaid. The film is directed by Stephen Sommers. The story is by Michael B. Gordon and Stuart Beattie & Stephen Sommers. The screenplay is by Stuart Beattie and David Elliot & Paul Lovett. Based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe‚® Characters. The film is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Brian Goldner and Bob Ducsay. The executive producers are Stephen Sommers, David Womark, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Erik Howsam. The director of photography is Mitchell Amundsen. The production designer is Edward Verreaux. The film editors are Bob Ducsay and Jim May. The costume designer is Ellen Mirojnick. The music is by Alan Silvestri. This film has not yet been rated.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA^TM, EA SPORTS Freestyle^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company’s labels include DW Studios, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.

About Hasbro

Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children’s and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world. ‚©2009 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, and Pogo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. G.I. JOE and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. Nintendo DS and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and PSP are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

In recent years, the‚ Need For Speed series has been going through what you could call an identity crisis. The last few titles have been a mix of track style and open world gameplay, incredibly cheesy cut scenes and action sequences that would even make the‚ Die Hard movies blush.‚ Need for Speed Undercover plays as if someone took all of these ingredients and smashed them together into one game. What results is a fun and entertaining title that get’s it fair share right, but strangely manages to fail–miserably even– at the fundamentals.

Undercover offers players the freedom to cruise around the game’s world–the fictional city of Palm Harbor freely. In theory, the sandbox style gameplay should be a welcome change from the tried and true, point A to point B track race formula, but the developers seem to have missed the point entirely.

Other than driving from mission to mission, there doesn’t seem to be much of incentive to explore the city. There are no hidden missions, no way to hunt down opponents–everything happens in a linear fashion in‚ Undercover. A number of the missions almost scrap the open gameplay by sectioning off an area of the map you’re allowed to go. The true allure of these open world games is to explore, and it seems like‚ Undercover is more interested in a leisurely drive. Palm harbor is an immersive setting, it’s just a shame that the developers at Blackbox didn’t go the extra mile and take advantage of the setting — especially when Burnout Paradise did just that in amazing fashion earlier this year.

That’s not to say that Palm Harbor is void of all life. Yes, the cops are back in‚ Undercover — and yes they’re pissed. While the AI starts off easy going and fun, that quickly changes, and it becomes aggressive and frustrating. In fact, about halfway through, the AI becomes so obnoxiously aggressive that players, especially those new to the series may be tempted to put down the controller.

It’s not like the game is hard either. Apart from the enemy AI, it’s a safe bet to assume that this‚ Need For Speedtitle was aimed at the casual market. It’s not unusual to beat a slew of high performance cars, with a much lower rated car. It’s understandable that with the success of movies like the‚ Fast and The Furious and the incredibly hot street racing scene, the developers would want to open their game up to a wider audience, but the uneven difficulty levels distract from the overall experience.

It would be nice to say that using the game’s new RPG like leveling system helps deal with the horrid AI and uneven gameplay, but in reality, it manages to do the exact opposite.‚  This new system, which borrows heavily from games like‚ World of Warcraft, rewards players for completing missions and races with stat points which can in turn be used to better your driving skills. These stats are also used almost as a rep system; the higher your stats, the more cars and missions are available to you.

While upgrading your “driver level” seems like a logical way to get on an even field with your opponents, the game’s AI seems to ramp as your stats do the same. This tactic of games adapting to the level of players has been done successfully in games like‚ Zelda: The WindWaker,‚ Resident Evil 4 and even this year’s Madden;‚ Undercover’s system comes off as unfair and frustrating.

The fleeting band of Skype and PSP users will finally get their wish in October when Sony finally releases the PSP-3000.

The 3000 will actually be pretty sweet if you swing that way in the portable world. It has an amazing high-res display and maintains the thin profile and light weight from the current PSP generation. The 3000 adds a microphone for voice input in games and chat over the Skype network without an external mic, which we’ve been waiting for for a long time.

“Offering the highest-level contrast ratio, response time, and wider color gamut possible on a portable LCD screen, the new PSP is capable of displaying movies and photos in more natural and vibrant colors on its high resolution 4.3 inch wide screen,” Sony said in a statement Wednesday. “The new LCD screen adopts an anti-reflection technology, which enables users to see the screen more clearly in well-lit places, even when used outdoors.:

The PSP 3000 also has standard definition video-out port that allows users to output gameplay content and videos to a non HD TV. I’m not sure why this is useful, but if you have an old TV, this is good news for you because current PSP units can only be displayed on progressive TVs.

The PSP 3000 comes in traditional piano black and new pearl white and mystic silver colors.

Sony did not mention the price, but Engadget says $291 on October 15.

Begin technical dump:

External dimensions: Approx. 169.4 x 18.6 x 71.4 mm / 6 3/4 x 3/4 x 2 3/4  in (width — height — depth) (excludes largest projection)

Weight: Approx. 189g / 6.7 oz (including battery pack)

CPU: PSP CPU (System clock frequency 1-333MHz)

Main memory: 64MB

Display: 4.3 inches (16:9) full-transparent type, TFT drive, 480 x 272 pixel, Approximately 16,770,000 colors displayed

Sound: Built-in stereo speakers

Main input/output: Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b)(Wi-Fi), High Speed USB (USB2.0) (mini-B), Memory Stick PRO Duo, Analog Video Out, Microphone

Main connectors: DC IN 5V connector, DC OUT connector, video out/headset connector, USB connector, Memory Stick Duo slot

Key/Switches: Directional buttons (up/down/right/left), analog stick, Action buttons (triangle, circle, cross, square), L/R buttons, START button, SELECT button, PS button, POWER/HOLD switch, WLAN switch, display button, sound button, volume (+/-) buttons

Power sources: Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery pack, AC adaptor, USB power supply

Internal disc drive: Read-only UMD drive

Wireless communications Infrastructure mode: Ad hoc mode (connects up to 16 consoles)

Supported codec (in Memory Stick)

Video               
– Memory Stick Video Format
- MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC LC)
- H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile (AAC LC)
– MP4 File Format
- MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC LC)
- H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile- CABAC only -
(AAC LC) / Baseline Profile (AAC LC)
– AVI
- Motion JPEG (Linear PCM or u-Lau)

Audio             
– Memory Stick Audio Format
- ATRAC3(TM)
- ATRAC3plus(TM)
- MP3
– MP3(MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer3)
– MP4(MPEG-4 AAC)
– WAVE(Linear PCM)
– WMA(Windows Media(R) Audio 9 Standard only)

Photo               
– JPEG (DCF2.0/Exif2.21compliant)
– TIFF
– BMP
– GIF
– PNG

Sony Japan has announced that they are indefinitely postponing the release of microphones (and thus Skype) in the PSP.

Citing technical problems with the new PSP’s microphone not meeting Skype’s specifications, the new features had been scheduled to hit shelves in Japan Thursday.

Tokyo, January 23 — Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ), a division of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) responsible for business operations in Japan, today announced that it would postpone the release of two microphone products for PSP (PlayStation Portable), SINGLE PACK (with one microphone, PSPJ-15010) and TWIN PACK (with two microphones, PSPJ-15011), scheduled to be released in Japan on Thursday, January 24.

SCEJ planned to release the microphone along with the introduction of Skype features for the new slim and light PSP (PSP-2000). However, it was found that the microphone did not meet the Skype specifications in part to obtain certification and SCEJ has determined to postpone the release of the microphone. New release date will be announced as soon as decided.

With this, SCEJ has also reached a decision to postpone the introduction of the Skype features and services in Japan, scheduled in late January as part of the system software update for PSP. Solutions to enable users to start using Skype features and services on their PSP are being sought for and will be announced in due course.

As Engadget said all last week, Sony confirmed Sunday that a firmware update for the PSP handheld gaming system will include free telephone calls via Skype.

“PSP users worldwide will be able to start using Skype features and services through a simple system software update scheduled in late January,” Sony Computer Entertainment said Sunday. “After updating the PSP system software, a Skype icon will be added to the Network category in the home menu. PSP users who do not yet have a Skype username can register by clicking the icon and following the instructions. PSP users who already have a Skype username can immediately sign in by clicking the Skype icon and entering their username and password.”

Full list of features:

• Free voice calls between Skype users
• Skype contact list management (view existing contacts, add new ones)
• Skype presence (see which friends are online and available to talk)
• SkypeOutcalls to make calls to landlines and mobile phones anywhere in the world (requires the purchase of Skype credit)
• Optional SkypeIn number that lets users receive calls on Skype from landlines and mobiles anywhere in the world (requires the purchase of Skype credit)
• View and modify Skype settings and account details (including username creation, SkypeOut settings, voicemail settings and call forwarding)

Skype allows users to make voice calls among other users free of charge over the Internet. There are more than 246 million members.