PSP to get EyeToy, GPS, video chat - and PSone downloadable titles

Sony has a host of updates to the PlayStation Portable planned over the coming months, with an EyeToy camera, a video and voice chat service, a GPS receiver and the ability to download and play a range of PSone games all on the way.

The updates were announced at the firm's PlayStation business briefing this morning, and indicate Sony's commitment to turning the PSP into a de facto portable network access device as well as an entertainment device.

The EyeToy camera, which is silver and will connect to the console's USB port, will be launched in September along with an EyeToy Play title and video chat system, while free video and voice-over-IP services will appear in October.

The GPS system, meanwhile, will be supported by games as well as by standard global positioning applications - with a new Everybody's Golf title set to be one of the launch titles for the GPS peripheral.

One of the most intriguing updates to the system, however, comes in the form of a new digital distribution service which Sony is planning, which will allow users to download games and applications directly to their memory cards.

An early use of the system will be to distribute a range of classic PSone games, which will be playable on the PlayStation Portable. No details have yet been announced regarding which games will appear in the range, and whether they will need to be extensively re-coded to appear on the system.

Finally, at the more minor end of the spectrum, Sony has also announced that it intends to launch a firmware update for the PSP in the near future which will introduce Macromedia Flash compatibility to the web browser used in the device.