Sony announced today at CES, the PSP “slim” models (i.e. newer PSPs) will support Skype VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) software in January. This will allow PSP owners to actually talk to other PSP users and the millions of other Skype users. It also allows them to talk to any phone anywhere for a small SkypeOut fee. I bet you’re saying, we’ve seen games on cell phones before, why is this such a big deal? I believe this is a huge step in the portable gaming world as it will allow you to do what PC gamers have been doing for years: Talk to your teammates. This opens up many multiplayer games for the PSP that weren’t really feasible such as tactical shooters, strategy games, and even MMORPGs. These genres do well when guilds and clans form and communicate via voice. With the number of WiFi hotspots increasing daily, coverage won’t be as big an issue as people may think, although it is a weak spot. (no pun intended)

All in all, I believe today’s announcement is the beginning of something exciting in the portable gaming world. We’ve seen the benefits of networked gameplay on the Nintendo DS, and now with official Skype support on the PSP, we’ll see even more benefits. Now you can surf the web, read RSS, listen to music, watch videos, play games, and talk to your friends on Skype. The PSP is a juggernaut of a device.

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