Sony Closing PSP VoIP Service

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and telecommunications operator BT will close Go!Messenger, their free European PSP service for instant messaging and voice/video calls, at the end of March. "Although it proved a popular concept, achieving a significant number of registrations, it didn’t gain the number of regular users that BT and SCEE were aiming for," says a Sony spokesperson on the official PlayStation forums. Jointly developed by SCEE and BT, and launched last February 29, Go!Messenger enabled users to make voice calls with their PSP, and even video calls with an extra Go!Cam (PSP Camera) accessory. PSP owners could also send instant/video/audio messages to each other with the application. The company notes that users will still be able to use the Go!Cam peripheral to take pictures and movies, and that "future products will be available that will take advantage of Go!Cam." Sony also points out that an alternative VoIP service for the PSP, Skype, which allows PSP users to make free calls to other Skype users and paid calls to phones/mobiles, will still be available to users.