Sony says Japanese PSP Skype service coming this month

Japanese PSP users may very well finally get the chance to turn their Sony PSPs into a web phone later during the month. Sony has announced that it will make their handheld’s Skype service available to customers in the Land of the rising Sun soon. More telecommunications details follow after the jump.

Sometimes, it pays to wait patiently for a service to be made available to you. After having gone through a bit of a delay due to microphone issues, Sony has announced that it will make the PSP Skype service available to users in Japan sometime later during this month.

Apparently, the very same microphone that failed to meet Skype specifications has now passed the requirements. It may now be sold, but on one condition: that it be sold with the recommendation that it be used within 10 centimeters of a user’s mouth.

Sony’s plan is to start selling the Skype microphone on March 19 in Japan for 2,500 yen (approximately US$24). The web-based phone service is Sony’s bid to boost the appeal of its PSP, which is reportedly running behind the Nintendo DS in terms of sales in Japan.