Sony PSP 3000 for $129 at Amazon

Kris Erickson • Feb 3, 2011 • Comments ()

With the recent announcement of Sony's NGP and the upcoming launch of Nintendo's 3DS, the pressure is on to drop the price of the existing PSP hardware. Amazon has done exactly that this week, cutting the price of the PSP 3000 core pack to just $129 USD.

The slimmer PSP 3000 model comes with a built-in microphone for Skype communication, along with a reduced glare 4.3" screen. One of the best features of the PSP 3000 is upgraded (AV) video output support. Users can now display their games and movies directly on a large screen TV using component or composite cables. This feature is particularly great for kids when the friends are around.

The other great thing about this UMD-enabled machine is that the huge catalog of game and movie titles are much cheaper now. For example, you can often find games for as little as $10 and recent blockbuster movies for much less. New games will continue to be released for the device for at least another year, in addition to the hundreds that are already available.

Weirdly, this is the only one of Sony's handheld models to be given a price drop. The download-only PSP Go is still very close to its original price, despite having briefly gone on sale during this past Black Friday shopping weekend. We recommend waiting for people who are set on the digital-distribution PSP Go, because it will surely go on sale later this year. however, for those of you (like us) who prefer the versatility of UMD games, this PSP 3000 deal is probably the best you'll find.

Amazon says that the current sale is only for this week, so be sure and order your PSP 3000 while the offer lasts.