At issue are scanlines, the phenomenon pictured left, which inspired a user on the PlayStation.com forums to take comparison shots.

Sony has issued a response on the issue, and the scanlines are the result of the new LCD itself. "By improving LCD response time to reduce ghosting, the horizontal-line phenomenon becomes more visible," reads a Sony Japan statement on PSP Fanboy.

For miffed owners of a shiny new PSP, the outlook isn't good. "Since this is caused by hardware characteristics, there is no plan to fix it with system software update."

Sony Computer Entertainment America also put out a statement echoing the statements of the mother ship. The PSP-3000 has been on the market for one week in North America.