The wait is over - the PSP 3000 officially went on sale October 14. While the model is improved with a new design and features, one of its biggest attractions is the firmware.

Version 5.0 is available to all PSP models and enables direct access to Sony’s online PlayStation store over a wireless connection. From the handheld you can download games, movies and demos right to your PSP. This is a major improvement as you once had to download content to a PC or PSP and then make the transfer.

Some say that this new freedom gives indication at the end of UMD. With Sony arming its online store with new content and the fact that Memory Stick Duo cards are cheap and widely available, one could assume that UMD is now a meager storage medium that just doesn’t get the job done any more. Nothing is official but it wouldn’t be surprising if the format was discontinued in the near future.