The Leipzig Games Convention keeps pouring on the goodies, this time in the form of a brand new trailer for Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles from Konami. It's a pretty slick trailer, showing off a ton of different aspects of the game. You see both playable characters, a huge range of different environments and quite a few boss battles. Also you get to see some of the nice in-game cutscenes, which are looking pretty sharp. Castevania ships out on October 24th, just in time for some Halloween vampire killing fun.

The Go! Video Download Service will launch in early 2008, and will be the first official PSP video download service in Europe. Users will not only be able to access Sky's content, which includes sports, entertainment, movies, music and animation -- they'll also have access to third-party channels and content. This is the first time Sky has offered video content through a non-Sky branded service.

Additional pay-per-view services will be provided for new release movies and high profile sporting events. Users will not only be able to download the content from a PC, but they'll be able to download directly to their PSP systems through wi-fi.

"Both truly mobile and with a best in class high-quality screen, PSP delivers a great on-the-move video experience. Working with such a well known content brand, we will be able to offer PSP owners access to the best in cross-genre Sky content, available through the first official video download service. This really will make PSP the standout all-in-one portable gaming, video and music device", commented David Reeves, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. [Update: Kotaku has confirmed that this service is unlikely to ever come to America. "There is nothing really nationwide in the U.S. that delivers video content over the air by subscription. So, until that happens we won't be seeing that in the U.S."]

Sony has officially unveiled PSP's upcoming VOIP service, to be called Go! Messenger. The program will be downloadable and installed into the XMB in a future firmware upgrade. Through it, PSP owners will be able to instant message each other using a "new and intuitive on-screen keyboard." By using a headset, users will be able to voice chat; and by using Go!Cam, video chat will also be enabled.

"With Go!Messenger, PSP is pushing new boundaries, adding unique communication functionalities to all the existing multimedia experiences," said Stephane Hareau, PSP European Marketing Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. "Enabling more than 8.5 Million PSP users across the SCEE region to communicate with each other, through Video or Voice chat, truly confirms the always evolving nature and potential of PSP.''

The service has been developed in partnership with BT, one of the world's leading telecom providers. Sony plans on adding even more functionality to the PSP through Go!Explore and the Go! branded video download service. European PSP owners will have a lot to look forward to -- hopefully, SCEA will follow-up with its own American service.

Can you smell it? It's Leipzig Games Convention ...

And finally, the PSP video download service will be unveiled. Yes! It'll be real! Considering how this will be a collaboration with sky, the service will most likely be for our European friends only. As previously mentioned, sky's programming includes hit shows like 24, Lost, The Simpsons, Deadwood, and more. Stay tuned for more details.

[Thanks, Joel!]

The Games Convention in Leipzig is only a few days away, and it appears that Konami's upcoming Silent Hill UMD demo from the show somehow got leaked for public consumption. Unlike regular demos, this must be ripped into a disc image and run off of a homebrew-enabled PSP. We're not sure if Konami is too appreciative of having early code released to the public, and we're going to refrain from linking to places where it's available for download. However, video proof (seen above) shows that this is, in fact, real.

[Thanks, Joe!]

Whoever's handling the European PSP is doing a fantastic job. The territory has always offered more colors than in the US, and has offered a greater variety of services, such as VoIP. Now, it appears that Europe is going to get three more exclusive services, to be unveiled at the Leipzig Games Convention next month.

We'll be at the GC to offer the latest on-site information. Until then, would you like to make a few guesses on what the new services will be?

[Thanks. Karl!]

NOTE: This editorial is the opinion of Andrew Yoon, and does not represent the opinion of PSP Fanboy, Joystiq or Weblogs, Inc.

Every video game convention, there's a "winner" of some sorts. It's pretty safe to say that the Nintendo Wii "won" the last E3, proving that waving around our hands can be fun. Not only did the Wii prove that the control scheme works, there was an amazing list of exclusives, from Nintendo's own Mario to third party efforts, like Red Steel. Nintendo wowed the crowd at E3 because of the amazing quality and potential of the games for its system.

Did Nintendo pull the big win at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany this year? No. Did Microsoft? No. Sony took the win for this year's show, but not because of a great showing of PlayStation 3 goods (there were none at the show), but because of Konami's absolutely excellent lineup of upcoming PSP games. Yes, you heard me right: PSP "won" Leipzig.

I know you've all been waiting to see some hot PSP-PS3 prawn. And Sony Europe has finally come through by unveiling images of the two systems finally doing the deed during the Games Convention 2006 in Leipzig.

Does anyone else find the color choice of the systems interesting, too? It reminds me of a little PSP ad in Amsterdam that caused quite the stir not too long ago. Just look at the PSP's arm (see USB cable) clutching the throat of the cowering PS3. Yeah, you probably think I'm reaching, eh? Yeah well, I can almost feel the racial overtones emanating from the image like a hot pancake sitting on the frier.

Oh Sony, will you ever learn?

(Via Spong)

The first canonical Metal Gear Solid portable game was unveiled at E3 earlier this year. The idea of a real non-Acid non-graphic novel Metal Gear has made it one of the most-wanted games for the system, even without too much information to work with. The unofficial Metal Gear Solid site has a new preview, with a few new screenshots. The game takes place six years after Snake Eater, and has Big Boss arrested after FOX Unit begins a revolt in South America. With the help of his comrades in the FOXHOUND Unit, it will be their responsibility to stop the bad guys from using their "ultimate weapon." This game will be a crucial part of the Metal Gear series' storyline, as it'll explain how Big Boss went from good guy to bad guy in Metal Gear. With cutscenes in the same style of the Digital Graphic Novel, Portable Ops seems like it'll be an interesting ride, to say the least.

Portable Ops will feature a more distant camera so that players have a better view of their surroundings. Interestingly, it won't be a one-man sneaking mission anymore: you'll recruit and command other soldiers to help you take on your missions. Not only will you have generic soldiers at your disposal, but you'll also get more familiar faces, like Ocelot to join you. But be careful, in Fire Emblem style, if a character dies, they're dead for the rest of the game. There's also multiplayer, in which you can trade your partners ala Pokemon. According to the unofficial site, new trailers for Metal Gear Solid 4 and Portable Ops will be shown at Leipzig Games Convention, so expect more info very soon.

[Via 1UP Boards]