The Games Convention in Germany is well underway, and so are the big announcements therein. It didn’t seem like there would be much fireworks this year, even some major gaming press didn’t think to attend the event, with Microsoft saying they would shy away from any major news and Nintendo avoiding the event all together. With that in mind, Sony did say they’d have some interesting tidbits for their fans, but they didn’t really have to do much at that point to outshine their industry counterparts. It was expected that most of the announcements would have to do with the European market, and while a lot of what they have released so far is pushed towards that group, we’ve gotten quite a bit thrown the North American side as well.

Sony has announced three major hardware changes and additions for their consoles: an upgrade for the PSP; a new SKU for the PS3; and an add-on for the DUALSHOCK 3 / SIXAXIS controller. First, the PSP is getting another revision not but a year after the release of the PSP Slim (or 2000) which is now labeled the PSP-3000. After months of rumours and a few weeks of detailed speculation they’ve announced that the new hardware revision will be arriving worldwide in October of this year, and will include a brighter, glare-reducing screen, a built-in mic, and Skype installed with the regular software. It will be bundled initially with Rachet & Clank: Size Matters and a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo for a price of $199.99 (USD). So anyone who has been holding out can finally start to think about owning the system, or they can simply hold out for the standalone bundle for $169.99 to be released later this year.

For those still semi-interested in grabbing a PS3, a new deal is being offered to draw you in. They will now be shipping a 160GB PS3 for the holidays, along with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and a voucher for the PSN game PAIN and a DUALSHOCK 3 controller. The bundle is expected to come in November and will come at a price-point of $499.99 (USD). It will be modeled after the new 80GB, which is modeled after the old 40GB meaning that it has 2 USB ports and no backwards compatibility with PS2 games built-in. For those not worried about the BC, this is an excellent bundle with lots of space, a great retail game and a really fun PSN game. For those holding out for a better BC bundle, please start thinking about looking at the recent 80GB Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots bundle before it no longer exists. It doesn’t look like backwards compatibility is going to be around much longer in the PS3.

For those already loaded up with their Sony systems, an attachment for the PS3 controller has been announced that may be useful for those not inclined to have a full keyboard hooked up to their system, but still would like to take advantage of the chat functionality and in-game messaging now available with In-Game XMB. A keypad / Touch Pad for the controller has been announced that will attach to the normal controller and give you access to a miniature QWERTY keyboard that also can be used as a Touch Pad for navigation on the web. One of the great things about this is that it is a generic Bluetooth device, meaning this can be used for any BT compatible device you have such as a smart phone or any other mobile devices you want to get some keyboard functionality attached to. There is no price announced as of yet, but it will be coming in November very near the other two items mentioned here.

On top of all this, Sony has miraculously and thankfully announced that all the new music games being released this year, which includes Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Revolution would all be cross-compatible. Yes, that means that your drums, guitars and any other strange peripheral they pull from the ether will now work no matter which disc you happen to be spinning. This is a bit of a surprise, considering the difficulty with the Bluetooth connectivity from the Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock mess of last year, but it is a welcome bit of news for those of us who already have way too many plastic instruments in their living rooms.

With Microsoft and Nintendo seemingly on the bench for this event, Sony has really come out on top in terms of good news for their fans, and maybe a boost for late adopters or those still unsure about their console purchase of this generation. Although it seems to have gone a step beyond the original concept of continuing on one or two SKUs to stop confusing the customer, Sony is bettering their chances for getting their consoles into homes by evolving what they make available. Some PSP users may feel the sting of a year-old outdated system, but the revisions aren’t necessarily deal sealers for those already playing through games on the portable. For those on the fence, it’s a good push to take another look at the handheld, and keep looking out for some more quality games coming down the pipes.

This week’s News Wrap-Up will cover a bit more of what else has been shown at the Games Convention.