PSP to finally become a communications device with Skype

On a site dedicated to building up excitement over its announcements at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, Sony inserted language all but confirming the rumors of Skype for PSP.

Sony's site gives new credence to rumors of Skype for the PlayStation Portable -- rumors which date back to June 2006: "Call friends, talk trash to fellow gamers or catch up with acquaintances via Skype for PSP."

Traces of VoIP functionality were found earlier this year in the PSP's firmware 3.10 on QJ.net, with a decryption of the update pointing to a nonexistent file called "skype_plugin.prx."

Both Sony's and Nintendo's handhelds have been considered by software companies as potential Wi-Fi voice-over-IP sets since their inception, but few plans have come to fruition.

Last year, rumors emerged of Vonage developing Wi-Fi calling services for PSP, which were never confirmed. Such services may eventually see the light of day, now that Vonage can move beyond the patent infringement cases that bogged down the company in 2007.

Some VoIP telephony software has already been made available for the Nintendo DS, such as HelloDS, utilizing the Wi-Fi and built-in microphone capabilities of the diminutive system. But these amount to little more than homebrews at present, with no major software or telecommunications company support.