Today at the E3 Media and Business Summit, Sony announced its plans to release a redesigned version of its PlayStation Portable handheld game system this fall. The new PSP will be 33 percent lighter and 19 percent slimmer than the original PSP model. It will also come in a new optional silver finish.

But perhaps the most welcomed new feature will be the handheld’s new video output capabilities, allowing owners of the newer PSP to output movies, games, photos, and all other PSP applications to a TV screen. Furthermore, it will also have improved battery life and a faster UMD drive – resulting in improved load times for games and movies. Two bundles were announced for the new device:

It will also be available Ice Silver, bundled with the game Daxter, a 1GB Memory Stick Duo flash memory storage card and the “Family Guy Freakin’ Sweet Collection” UMD video for $199.99. Also available will be a special limited edition white PSP with Darth Vader silkscreened on the back that will come bundled with Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade, also for $199.99, coming in October.
Sony has reportedly shipped more than 25 million PSPs since its launch, but has been unable to take away the spotlight from Nintendo’s DS system, which has shipped more than 40 million units worldwide.