We have no idea at what point this year Sony will ship its next-generation portable game console, or NGP, but the PSP is already looking stale.

That might explain why Sony is cutting the PSP’s price from $170 to $130 on February 27. Sony’s also dropping the price of PSP Entertainment Packs, which include a game, a memory stick and a unique hardware color scheme, to $150. A bunch of new “Greatest Hits” games will sell for $20, including Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and LittleBigPlanet.

A few random thoughts on the price cut news, in no particular order:

• The NGP is a clean break from the existing PSP, using a different method of storage (specialized flash cartridges instead of UMD optical media) and a few new input methods, including a touch screen and rear touch panel. Investing in a PSP now will not help you migrate to Sony’s next portable.
• The PSP Go got a price cut in October, from $250 to $200. I’d say that it could really use another, but with the NGP supporting physical media, the whole idea of a download-only PSP is a lost cause. No one is buying this thing.
• Sony has one demographic in mind as it tries to unload its old portable hardware: teenagers. An upcoming TV ad features a skater punk, a girl clad in braces and a kid in detention.
• I guess that Marcus, the loud-mouthed teen Sony introduced last June as the PSP’s new pitchman, wasn’t a big hit. You can hear his voice at the end of the TV spot, but he’s nowhere to be seen on video. Kevin Butler, Marcus is not.

 
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