The Sony PSP Go was supposed to be a big secret, the great surprise of this year's E3 trade show in Los Angeles.

Then, as we reported at the time, news and pictures of the PSP Go leaked all over the internet.

Now, launch has been confirmed for October 1 in the USA and Europe, and at a price that puts it at the high end of the market, in direct competition with the likes of Apple's iPod touch. It's an ambitious target for Sony to aim for. So, how does it measure up?

What’s so different about it?
Let’s start with the design. The familiar control panel now slides out from under the screen, making for a more compact and pocket-friendly package. This gives the new machine the feel of a well made mobile phone, rather than a games console. Built-in Bluetooth technology adds to this impression. Everyone in the Times Online office who has seen it has oohed over it.

The machine comes with 16GB of storage space built in, for music, videos, games and more. Additional storage space can be added via Sony Memory Stick Micro.

The big difference is that there is no UMD drive for games or movies. This is a machine designed exclusively for internet downloads, via the built-in wi-fi.

When can I get one?
The PSP Go will be released in the USA and Europe on October 1. The USA price is $250, but a UK price is yet to be announced.

So, how does it feel?
In a word, fine. Although the controls are differently positioned relative to the screen, they feel instantly familiar from the earlier PSP and PSP 3000. The menu, too, feels like an old friend as it's similar to that used on the PlayStation 3 and the current crop of Sony TVs, with which the PSP Go is designed to integrate.

What’s it like as a multimedia device?
First impressions are that it’s nothing more than adequate. I plugged the PSP Go into my home iMac, where it showed up as an external hard drive, a good start. There then followed an hour of video conversion into various formats and dragging and dropping. None of the files I dropped into the video folder would play. Even though the machine supposedly supports MP4 and AVI, several files that play perfectly on a PlayStation 3 were here invisible or unsupported. I wish Sony would add a few more of the PS3’s capabilities here. In terms of music, MP3s were no problem, but on this evidence, I would not at present swap my iPod touch for a PSP Go, and make no mistake, that’s the price point the PSP Go is going to be pitched at.

Why is it download only?
Although Sony’s official line on piracy is to maintain silence, so as not to draw attention to it, the PSP has proven relatively vulnerable to hackers and crackers, and the volume of pirated games available for download on the internet has affected the console badly. The lack of compelling recent releases is directly attributable to developers’ reluctance to put out games for a platform where they know their work will be pirated overnight, and profits will be at best small, at worst non-existent. This is Sony’s attempt to regain control and lure back the games makers.

Hmmm, not sure about this so far. Is there anything else I should know?
Well, yes. Although Sony is – again – not commenting officially, industry insiders believe that the company is preparing to launch a subscription-based games rental service at the same time as the new machine. For a fixed regular fee, this promises to give players the right to download and play an agreed number of titles per month. Sony is likely to make an official announcement at the GamesCom trade fair in Cologne, Germany, next month, when issues such as the lifespan of rented titles should also become clearer. The games service could also serve as a platform for new developers to make simple games available for download at little or no cost. Think Apple App store. A movie rental service, similar to that available on Microsoft’s Xbox Live, is also a possibility, with Sony at last putting its ownership of a film studio to good use.

Any other issues?
Again, yes. When the PSP Go was unveiled at E3 in Los Angeles in June, the first reaction from retailers was less than positive. Put yourself in their shoes. If Sony does take direct control of software distribution, what’s in it for them if there are no games to sell? A compromise deal has reportedly been reached, under which Sony will sell rental credits, like iTunes gift certificates, via leading retailers.

The verdict
This is a good machine, and it's key for Sony for it to be a success. However, in an age where our phones come with games libraries, and video and music playback, it does feel like it's come a year late to the multimedia party. If I were in the driving seat at Sony, I'd make sure that it played as many file formats as possible, even if it does go against the grain for a company with its own music and film arms. The choice of games on the review console was very restricted, but the screen was bright and the action fluid. Still, at $250, it's going to need some compelling titles available to download from day one.

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