In a recent video interview with Gamespot, John Koller from Sony US spoke at length about the technical improvements the PSP 3000 will be offering.

Clearly responding to a difficult question, Koller was at least forthright enough to answer quite honestly - the extra brightness, response time and colour depth of the hardware update is going to impact the system’s battery life. From the expected play time of three to four hours from the standard battery included with the system, gamers can expect their new console to last 20 to 30 minutes less than previous models.

"Battery life will decrease by a small amount," Koller admits. "It’s material, but it’s about 20 minutes, maybe 30 minutes, and that’s because there’s a larger power draw with the brighter screen."

While the update will be very welcome, especially by existing PSP users keen to take advantage of the built-in microphone and better outdoor visibility, these are exactly the same users who are going to suffer due to decreased battery life. In the interview, Koller goes on to mention the extended battery will still be available for users to buy, but it does beg the question that if Sony are so keen to improve the PSP, shouldn’t the battery life be addressed on the factory floor?

The gaming giant could do itself a huge favor by including the higher capacity battery along with the console, and instead of attempting to gloss over this inevitable shortcoming, it could spin up the fact that the PSP 3000 will have up to 7 or 8 hours of game time thanks to the new battery and brighter screen.

As it is, gamers looking to pick up the new PSP 3000 should bear in mind they’re likely to have to set an extra 20 bucks aside for a worthwhile battery life.