PSP Slim & Lite as it is known in the PAL territories is the current model of the PlayStation Portable handheld game console released and manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. At E3 2007, Sony released information about a slimmer and lighter version of the PlayStation Portable.[http://uk.playstation.com/psp/news/articles/detail/item71810/Get-the-skinny!/ PSP, PlayStation Portable News Articles: - Get the skinny! ] The new PSP is 33% lighter (reduced to 189 grams ounces from 280 grams ounces) and 22% slimmer (reduced to 18mm from 23mm) than the original PSP system. The model numbers have changed to PSP-2000, following the previous region-based numbering scheme (cf. the PSP-1000 numbering scheme of the "old" PSP model).

It was released on September 5, 2007 in Europe, on September 6, 2007 in North America, September 7, 2007 in South Korea and September 12, 2007 in Australia.

Dimensions and weight

The PSP Slim & Lite offers a 22% slimmer and 33% lighter system than the original PSP system. Internal changes to achieve this include the removal of a metal chassis (used to reduce damage in the event of sudden trauma to the system resulting from the user dropping the system on a hard surface), improved WLAN modules and Micro-controller, and a thinner and much brighter LCD.

Hardware improvements

The PSP Slim & Lite offers several other tweaks and improvements from the older generation. To target the original PSP generation's poor load times for UMD games, the internal memory (RAM and Flash ROM) was doubled from 32 MB to 64 MB, which also improved the web browser's performance.

Battery

To make the PSP slimmer, the capacity of the battery was reduced by 1/3. Due to more efficient power usage, the run time of the PSP is still the same as the older model. Older model batteries will still work which extends the amount of playing time. However, the battery cover on the newer model does not fit over the older battery due to its bulkier size. The batteries take about one and a half hours to charge and last roughly 4.5–7 hours depending on factors such as screen brightness settings and volume levels.

In mid-December 2007, Sony released the PSP Extended Life Battery Kit, which includes a 2200 MAh battery with a battery cover that fits over the bulkier battery included; initially only available in North America.Fact: date=December 2007 The kit comes with two new battery covers, one black and one silver. In March 2008 the Extended Battery Kit was released in Japan. However, unlike North America the batteries are sold individually with one specific cover. There are three separate kits, one with the black cover, one with the silver cover and one with the white cover. This means that North American Star Wars PSP owners, whose PSPs were in black and silver colors, can now get the Extended Battery Kit with color matching cover by importing the White Extended battery kit over the internet. This would also resolve some users discontent with the Darth Vader silk screen, since the Japanese white kit comes with a plain white cover.