Secret Agent Clank is hitting retails stores on June 17th, as we've mentioned before, just in time for a certain Editor's birthday.  So it's probably not going to surprise anyone that Sony has announced that the game has gone gold.  

Included in the announcement are notes about Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark being playable characters, improvements to the game's overall speed, and more detailed textures in the final version.  But what's buried within the announcement towards the end has us most excited:

Download the FREE demo on both the PLAYSTATION Network and PLAYSTATION Store for PC later today. This demo features the first level of the game. It’ll have you sneaking into a museum, dodging lasers, subduing guards three times your size, and even tossing out a tie-a-rang or two.

... demo with the PlayStation Store update today?  Dangit.  Is it 3pm yet?
How about now?
Or now?

Skype functionality was finally added to the PSP's list of bullet points in late January, but didn't really hit home with people since the "official" headsets and remote controls were delayed at the same time.

Sony confirmed today that the Skype-certified talky devices are now available at retail outlets, for an MSRP of $29.99. That's about ten bucks too much, don'tcha think? Considering they were supposed to hit for about $20 in April. For thirty bones, you'll now get a pair of clip-on headphones that offer full stereo sound, an adjustable microphone, a lightweight design and soft ear cushions. Any takers?

The highly anticipated PSP title, Secret Agent Clank, has been confirmed by Sony to be shipping in the Summer at last. The game, which was developed by High Impact Studios, was shown to a handful of San Francisco-based members of the press last week at a Casino Night where they got to wine, dine and gamble with Ratchet's cohort.

Sounds fun, huh? Just think, after having so much fun, they all had to round the night out with the arduous task of writing lengthy previews for their respective outlets. Secret Agent Clank hits PSP's in June 17th.

Talking About Games would like to congratulate DaRatt, the winner of our SOCOM: Tactical Strike giveaway .  DaRatt was the randomly selected winner from our list of entries and will soon be darting his or her way into enemy territory for strategy based tactical combat. Congratulations, DaRatt! 

Don't forget, we're giving away a brand new Xbox 360 Elite as part of our Goozex signup campaign.  If you haven't already joined Goozex, why not take 30 seconds out of your day to register for an account?   That half-minute could be all that stands between you and a brand new 360.

A source close to Sony Computer Entertainment let slip a rather big rumor today: LittleBigPlanet is coming to the PSP. Or at least, Sony is currently developing it for the PSP. According to the source who spoke to CVG, Sony Liverpool is handling the handheld version of Media Molecule's user-generated build-a-level game, releasing later this year on PS3.

As CVG points out, this could open up huge doors: PS3-PSP level swapping, a level editor, multiplayer options, and more. After several hands-on with LBP, I have to say it's going to be awesome. Please, let this be true. I'll buy it again, and again. and again. Sony, of course, has not commented on the rumor at this time.

The PlayStation Blog has let us know that the PlayStation Portable will soon be receiving the 3.95 firmware update. 

The update is a bit light on the features, but they might just pique your interests.  For starters, downloaded PSOne games on the PSP will have customizable control configurations, so if you're tired of X not being the default attack button, worry no more.  You'll also be able to turn off Remote Play, but still leave your PlayStation 3 running (as shown above).  This is useful if you want to queue up some downloads from the (forthcoming) PlayStation Store via your PSP.  Just fire up the PSP, connect to the store, start up your download, and then disconnect Remote Play.  Sweet!

Talking About Games is pleased to give away a copy of SOCOM: Tactical Strike for the PlayStation Portable.  The game's a unique blend of shooter mechanics and real-time strategy gameplay, giving it a very unique flavor.  It's like Advance Wars, but the guns don't make pretty explosions.

So, how do you win?  Just leave a reply to this post telling us why you love your PSP.  Are you a fan of the unique games, like Loco Roco and Patapon?  Are you one of the few people that has a massive UMD collection?  Do you like using the device for its remote media capabilities?  Either way, just tell us!  You've got until Thursday, April 10th at 3pm Pacific Time to get your entry in.  After that, we'll be randomly selecting a winner from the list of entries.  

You must be a resident of the United States in order to enter, and be sure to read our contest rules before posting an entry.  Good luck! 

Seems like we just got used to version 3.90, and Sony ups the ante on us. Released today , firmware 3.93 is a simple technical upgrade, aside from "expanded support for PlayStation Network titles", and new internet radio station options.

At this time, users of the PSP Internet Radio feature will find 20 new internet radio players to enjoy. The new players are organized into more specific styles of music so that PSP users can easily find what they are looking for and listen to their favorite genres.

You should be prompted for your system update the next time it boots up.