Though the upcoming PSP Go does away with the battery-sucking UMD drive of previous PSP models, Sony has confirmed that the fall-due hardware redesign will not offer any substantial improvements in terms of battery life.

"We have adopted an embedded battery to realise a smaller and lighter PSP system," Sony product manager Adam Grant explained on the European PlayStation.Blog.

"The battery life is equivalent with the current models meaning approximately 3 to 6 hours for gameplays and approximately 3 to 5 hours for playing back videos."

Grant also reaffirmed that Sony is indeed planning a goodwill program for those that own physical UMD-based games, which aren't compatible with the PSP Go, and touched on some of the new features found in the download-only device:

Game sleep function: You will be able to operate the XMB (XrossMediaBar) while suspending the gameplay temporarily.

Bluetooth function: This is going to let you use your favourite wireless head phones to listen to music, play games and watch videos.

Clock and calendar application: We have included a clock and calendar application which can be viewed both when the sliding panel is open and closed.

Packing 16GB of internal flash memory--users can store additional content on an inserted Memory Stick Micro or USB-connected PC--the PSP Go will arrive in North America and Europe on October 1, priced at $250 / 250 euros.