Sony’s new PSP Go!, with its nifty slide-out control panel and proper pocket-size portability is certainly a highly desirable item. But what price to pay for such riches?

Sony announced at the E3 that the unit would launch at 249.99 US Dollars/Euros. We speculated there and then that the rip-off British price point would probably be the same in Pounds Sterling, and online retailer Amazon seems to have taken that to heart. They’re already listing the item for pre-order at £249.99. The chancers...

However, $249.99 is only around £155 at today’s exchange rates. So that’s a near £100 disparity from the get-go. Meanwhile the Euro equivalent works out to be around £220. High street retail giants Game and GameStation are plainly hoping it’ll be there or thereabouts too – each is currently listing the Go! For £229.99.

Of course Sony Europe has yet to announce the official UK price, but we’re wondering if Game and Gamestation have already had an early heads-up – both were showing the pre-order price as £179.99 earlier on. That’s how much the original PSP cost, by the way.

So is this just hopeful punt by Game and GameStation, or is this sudden price hike at Sony’s behest? Guess we’ll find out soon enough. We know how much we’d rather pay, though.