If you're looking to buy someone a PSP, or if you just want another one for yourself, then this just might be the perfect time to buy one because the new PSP bundle is about to be released a few hours from now.

The new Entertainment Pack holiday bundle, which carries a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $249, includes a black model PSP along with three freebies: a movie, a game, and a 1GB memory stick. The bundled movie is Lords of Dogtown, a movie about the surf and skateboarding trends that originated in Venice, California during the 1970's. The bundled game, on the other hand, is ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails. The game has been recently entered into the PSP's Greatest Hits line.

The Entertainment Pack sounds like quite a bargain. According to Sony, if purchased separately, everything in the bundle would set you back around $300. With the extra $51, you can still buy another game or two, or maybe get the bundle gift-wrapped for that special someone you're giving it to.

Sony have announced a new PSP to add to the current range of colors which now span White, Black and...Pink. The must-have boys' toy is to make an impact on female gamers as a fashion icon as well as a portable gaming device, MP3 and video player. The Pink PSP doesn't just come with just a new paint job, but with pop/punk star Pink's UMD video, the pink PSP system itself, carrying pouch, wrist strap and a 32MB Memory Stick Duo.

The Pink PSP doesn't come as an all-pink bundle though, with fashionable white iPod-style headphones and remote control not taking the fashionable effeminate color. The bad news for anybody reading this is that the Pink PSP will only be sold in Europe for the moment, retailing at €229, or £169.

The Pink PSP will go on sale on October 27th and in case you are wondering, you will not find any details of this on any Sony website at the moment. News of the pink PSP comes from an official Sony press release which since pulled from the company's website, presumably because it wasn't supposed to be released yet.

The company also plan to release a Pink version of the ageing PS2 console in Europe which comes bundled with two pink DualShock controllers and a pink Memory Card. The limited edition pink PlayStation 2 will hit shelves on November 8th this year, and if you want one, as with the Pink PSP, we advise you pre-order to avoid disappointment. And who said gaming doesn't cater for girls?

Dave Mirra BMX Challenge is one of the many creations that will prove to one and all that mean machines do not only come in four-wheeled gas gobblers, it could also come in an engine-less, two-wheeled package. The upcoming game features 17 levels set in nine environments and supports wireless play for up to four players. You also get to ride custom-made bikes.

This coming October is definitely going to be one special month for Dave Mirra. Not only because the Dave Mirra BMX Challenge is scheduled for an October release, but also because he and his wife, Lauren, is expecting their first bundle of joy in the same month. Since October is still far from now, here are some of the game's screenshots for you to gaze at while waiting.

    

    

    

    

    

  

How expensive is it to develop a game for a game platform?

• Last year in Japan, the average cost to develop a game for the Sony PS2 is $1.2 million.
• For the Sony PSP, it's only $541,000.
• But for the Nintendo DS, the average cost is a measly $342,000.

Now compare these numbers with some familiar facts.

• The PSP came out and sold for about $250 ($249 or so), while the DS came out at $149 or so.
• New games for the PSP cost around $50. New games cost about $35 for the Nintendo DS.
• Nowadays, you can find bargain bundles. A PSP bundled with a game (usually a "not-so-popular" game) can go for around $199. But a DS bargain bundle goes for about $149.

In terms of price, it seems like Nintendo is the way to go.

But the PSP is a powerful multimedia device. It's a technological heavyweight. Those strengths will help explain these facts:

• Last year, Nintendo exported only 7.34 million DS units while Sony exported more: 11.36 million PSP units.
• Within Japan, Nintendo did amazingly well: Nintendo sold 4.25 million DS and DS Lite units. Sony sold 2.61 million PSP units in Japan last year.
  

Does this mean the Japanese go for price? While the rest of the world (especially the USA and Europe) are more likely to go for expensive technology? Maybe.

Is this important? Well actually. I don't care about it one bit. Why? Because all this talk of "PSP pwns Nintendo DS sucks" and "PSP suxxorz LOL bye" doesn't change the important things. Gaming is on the rise. This is according to a report released by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association or CESA (it makes a report every year about the state of the Japanese console game industry; the sales figures in this article came from their report).

Total worldwide gaming sales (both hardware and software) have grown since 2004 because of the DS and PSP. They resurrected the dying handheld market, and in the process, they rekindled interest in gaming (for example, people who would never have bought a console found it easier to buy the affordable handheld units, and now that they realize how much fun they're having, they're waiting for the next-gen consoles).

So, after all the spamwars and flamewars and all the forum hating, both the DS and the PSP are to be thanked for this healthy upsurge in gaming sales. This is a sign that we should all hold hands. Can't we all just get along?

Back in April, Xodiac21 released the third version of his LUA homebrew game called Sonic Avol 3. If you would recall, that version was dubbed "Nowhere Else To Run". It sported an improved interface, much to the delight of Sonic-playing PSP owners. The game's concept is pretty simple, you just have to press the 'X' button to kill the enemies, and dodge their attacks by pressing the arrow keys. Simple and fun, just the way we like it.

Fast forward to now, Xodiac21 took a quick break from working on his Sonic Avol 1-4 bundle, and sent us a teaser of the said pack, which would include the soon to be released Sonic Avol 4. As this is only a "Pre-Release", he removed the Sonic Avol 4 source, but you'd still see it on the menu.

Now feast your eyes on these Sonic Avol teaser screens: 

 

Download: [Ultimate Sonic Avol Pre-Release]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

UPDATE 1: Having analysed the image in Photoshop since reading the comments below, I still think the inscription reads 1.3MP. As far as pricing goes, my statements on the $50 price point were merely conjecture (as should be apparent in the article). We'll be contacting Sony for clarification on both issues shortly. Thanks for being vigilant guys!

I've also since been informed by people in the know that a 1.3MP camera could in fact be capable of simple facial recognition.

The PSP camera is one elusive little gal, she's often hidden in shadows and known to move so fast it's almost impossible to get a clear shot of her, but we've managed to track one down. As you can see from the inscription on the device it's likely it'll be a 1.3 mega pixel camera, and it's pretty teeny too. The camera resolution suggests that you won't be taking snapshots and printing them out at huge sizes for friends and family, but it should work well enough with the PSP's relatively low screen resolution. Now that we've actually got a good look at the device we've got to wonder just what sort of gameplay functionality, if any the device will have. Unlike the PS2 Eye Toy we won't be able to move about in front of this camera, and since our fingers will be busy pushing buttons that leaves only our faces, and it's unlikely that a 1.3 mega pixel camera has the sensitivity to pick up subtle facial expressions. Whether or not this confines the camera to video conferencing and multimedia applications is anyones guess, as is the price on this baby, but it's unlikely to cost more than $50, especially when you consider the Eye Toy + 1 game bundle costs about that much.

So what do you guys think, will gamers snap it up, or leave this peripheral in the dust?