Oh facepalm, Sony. Facepalm. The PSP 3000 is looking really hot, with a built-in microphone and an improved screen, but there's a trade-off, and it's not a good one. Yes, for all the new PSP's sexy features, there is one thing that simply won't ever improve -- the crummy battery life, which will actually be reduced by up to thirty minutes.

I adore my PSP, but if I could have any improvement, if I could choose just one thing to fix, it would be the handheld's battery. My PSP can't last me an entire office shift, or even half a plane ride, while the Nintendo DS can chug along for hours and hours without breaking a sweat. The last thing I need to know is that the PSP 3000 will have even less life. 

"Battery life will decrease by a small amount. It's about 20 minutes, maybe 30 minutes, and that's because there's a larger power draw with the brighter screen," confessed SCEA's John Koller.

Half an hour may not be a big deal to some, but when we're talking about the PSP, half an hour's power can make a difference. I already push my old school PSP to the limit, so this news has hampered my interest in upgrading somewhat. Having a prettier screen is useless if I don't have the juice to handle it.