Sony has formally announced its plan to knock $30 off the price of the basic PlayStation Portable package in the US. The PSP Core Pack will now retail for $170.

Sony said it had been able to "engineer savings for the consumer at this stage of PSP's lifecycle", but the now cheaper-to-make handheld games console hasn't resulted in Sony pruning the prices of the PSP Entertainment Pack or the PSP Value Pack, both of which bundle accessories and software with the PSP, battery pack and AC adaptor that comprise the Core Pack.

Sony Computer Entertainment America also said it was re-released PSP games Daxter and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror at the budget price of $20.