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

In a move that shocked the video game world, Sony announced this week that Phil Harrison would resign from his post as President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. With more than 16 years behind him at Sony, Harrison has been a key figure behind the highly successful PlayStation brand.

“The past 15 years at Sony Computer Entertainment has been the defining journey of my life so far,” said Harrison. “I am grateful to all the PlayStation family for their incredible support, guidance and friendship. It has been a privilege to serve as part of the team and be inspired by them on a daily basis. I am so proud of everything PlayStation has achieved and will continue to support its future in every way I can.”

Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc will take over for the departing Harrison, as well as keeping his additional duties.

“As one of the founding members of SCE, Phil played a key role in the development and growth of the PlayStation business and our industry,” Hirai said. “It is sad to see him departing from SCE, but I wish to express my gratitude for his many invaluable contributions and also wish Phil the very best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Sony Computer Entertainment America would not comment on Harrison’s departure.

No reason was given for Harrison’s departure, but that hasn’t stopped the internet rumor mill from turning. One theory is that Harrison had become frustrated when Sony Japan became unwilling to change their business strategy and adopt a more “casual gamer” approach.

It is also being reported by Gameindustry.biz that Harrison is leaving Sony for a job with the Infogrames American brand, Atari — which is undergoing a major restructuring to try to return to glory.