The consumer electronics giant Sony has announced a new version of its PlayStation Portable handheld games console that can be used as a telephone, to go on sale in Europe and the United States in mid-October.

The PlayStation Portable 3000, which has been the subject of speculation on technology Web sites, will have a built-in microphone and a new screen that has more colors and is better suited for use outdoors, Sony said at a video games convention in

Leipzig on Wednesday. The PSP already supports the software program Skype, which enables users to manufacture free telephone calls by the Net, but the new PSP, with a built-in microphone, will manufacture the process easier, Sony says.

“We believe that that will set up the PSP as a viable communication device,” said David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

The PSP 3000 will retail for euro 199, or $293, compared with […]

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