SkyPSP. No it’s not a mistake, it’s something that Sony lists on the site dedicated to this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Apparently, free Skype calls will be added to the plethora of features the PSP entertainment system currently boasts with.

On Sony’s CES site there is a clear indication that the PSP will soon be transformed into a phone: “Call friends, talk trash to fellow gamers or catch up with acquaintances via Skype for PSP system.”

While this will definitely NOT going to dethrone Nokia’s N95 or the almighty iPhone from customers’ preferences, the arrival of free calls on the PSP shows just how much is Sony committed to seeing its tiny handheld last. In September this year a lighter, redesigned PSP (dubbed PSP 2000) made its debut on the market and a price drop was also operated in the US and Europe, giving more credit to Sony’s statement that a console’s life spans for about 10 years.

Speaking of Europe, a few months ago, Sony had announced the formation of a new partnership with European TV network BSkyB in order to bring downloadable content on the PSP. The target population for this subscription/pay-per-view service is made up of more than 2 million PSP owners in the UK and Ireland.

It will be interesting to see how Skype calls will be implemented in the next firmware upgrade for the portable console. However, the hardware difficulties related to the implementation of this new capability in the PSP are also to take in consideration: Sony will have to redesign the headphones (or the console itself) to allow a microphone.