Fresh of the official PlayStation blog and Kotaku are images of the upcoming budget model for the PlayStation Portable and official specifications for the the PSP-E1000.

Specifications for PSP-E1000 series

LCD screen: 4.3 inches / 10.9 cm (16:9) full-transparent type, TFT drive. Approximately 16,770,000 colours displayed.

Sound: Monaural speaker.

Internal disc drive: Read-only Universal Media Disc drive.

Interface: DC IN 5V connector. Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0 compliant). DC OUT connector. Headset connector. Memory Stick PRO DuoTM slot.

Power source: AC Adaptor: DC 5.0 V. Lithium-Ion rechargeable Battery Pack.

Maximum power consumption: Approx. 6 W (when charging).

External dimensions: Approx. 172.4 × 73.4 × 21.6 mm (width × height × depth) (excludes largest projection).

Weight: Approx. 223 g (including Battery Pack).

Operating environment: temperature 5°C – 35°C.

Compatible codecs: Universal Media Disc Video: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile Level 3. Music: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile Level 3, Linear PCM, ATRAC3plusTM Memory StickTM For details, refer to the User’s Guide.

Universal Media Disc laser
Wave length: 655 – 665 nm.
Power: Max. 0.28 mW.
Type: Semiconductor, continuous.

AC Adaptor
Input: AC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz.
Output: DC 5 V, Max. 1500 mA.
External dimensions: Approx. 61 × 23 × 84 mm (width × height × depth) (excludes largest projection).
Weight: Approx. 62 g.

Judging from the specs above, the PSP-E1000 basically feels like the PlayStation Portable’s better looking sibling with very little going inside. Aside from the obvious cosmetic changes which includes the now capacitive strip of buttons at the bottom part of the PSP, lack of LED indicators, new placement of the power button/slider, the UMD door that now encompasses the back of the whole unit and the non-glossy matte finish, the PSP-E1000 is exactly the same as the PSP-3000 sans the WiFi.  Here’s a few more shots:

The PSP-E1000 is expected to ship with a new official firmware on board, likely above 6.60 OFW.  As per our recommendation before, if you’re interested in multiplayer games that support adhoc (like the Monster Hunter series), get one of the older models.  If not then this is a great bargain for the price.

The PSP-E1000 is priced at 99 Euros.  No word of the US release date or pricing but we can expect this thing to cost just around $99.

source PlayStation UK, Kotaku