Sony Teases PSP GPS Dongle and App (Looks Good So Far)

[wraggster]

Today Sony's PSP guys gave us a heads-up on what's next for the portable. Two years after launching in Japan, we're finally going to get GPS action for the PSP on this side of the pond. Happily, it looks like we'll be getting a much better package than Japan for a change.

Due in the next 12 months (hopefully by Christmas, but not likely), the US PSP navigation software will be all new and much sexier, powered by Tele Atlas with a solid, easy-to-use UI and great-looking maps. The coup de grace is full 3D walkthroughs of cities, supposedly first in the portable class, at least in the US. Sony is aiming for it to be cheaper than most GPS setups too, like $100 to $200, and you can run it off UMD or memory stick. Plus, it'll come with a carmount.

Overall, it's pretty exciting stuff that could really break open the GPS market. Beyond navigation, Sony is thinking about treasure hunts, friend locaters and other geo-coolness.

Sony is also cooking up a keyboard that would plug into the bottom, the A/V and headset jacks, and would fold up to protect the screen when you're not using it.

http://gizmodo.com/392541/sony-tease...ks-good-so-far

[Buddy4point0]

I'm gonna get this when it comes out.
I'll get all the sweet gps stuff, a car adapter for my psp and everything else, even a big (huge possibly[16-30 gig] modded memorycard/harddrive) and install all this to my car!

[urherenow]

hmmm... so it lives.

Been wanting GPS for so long, the misses probably won't bat an eye when I ask to buy this one

[AdamRav]

The GPS software works really good, i definetly recommend buying this when it finally comes out for the US.

[Baboon]

The GPS software works really good, i definetly recommend buying this when it finally comes out for the US.

To be honest I thought the PSP software and GPS was pretty crap! It has trouble locking on to sats, losses signal all the time when your on a journey, takes age to re-lock on to a sat once you lose signal (which seems to happen even if its cloudy outside lol) etc etc.

I sold my 290 a while ago now and have since bought a proper sat nav system (which is sooo much better than this poor psp add-on). IMO the psp gps290 is really just a geeks gimic/toy.... Whats the point? For just a little bit more cash you can have the real thing!

Sony should have released this and jumped on the band wagon ages ago... now the hardware (and I presume software) just seems outdated. ...AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! lol

[Baboon]

Hmmmmm yummy spam.

[paladinja]

Looking at that screenshot, all I want to see is the heat signatures of my intended targets and a flashing blip indicating Jack Bauer's exact position. ...what, it's just me?

[motormaniac]

yea it looks nice. cant wait