Sony uncaps PSP clock speed

Here's some interesting news for PSP owners. Earlier today, Sony revealed to GamesIndustry.biz that the new firmware upgrade for the PSP (v3.5) will remove the restrictions placed on the system's clock speed.

Up until now, the PSP was capped at 266 MHz, and could only be uncapped via the use of homebrew applications. However, firmware 3.5 removes the restriction and allows the PSP to run at its max clock speed of 333 MHz. This means that developers will now be able to code good-looking games that run at a higher framerate. (I'm looking at you, Valhalla Knights)

Personally, I don't see the point behind this. For one thing, if this is how SCEA hopes to compete with the DS, they can pretty much forfeit the handheld gaming war. Not only will uncapping the system not make much of a difference, it also means all PSPs running on 3.5 and above will be drained of their battery much faster. This is the reason the limit was imposed in the first place.

A desperate move. One that I highly doubt will do more good than bad, but I'd like to give Sony the benefit of the doubt.