At long last, Sony has determined that is no longer in their best interest to pursue the advancement of the ATRAC codec. After more than a decade of development, it is becoming more and more obvious that market demand and consumer interest in the format is waning. Recently released Sony portable audio devices no longer support it, and now the Connect music store is shutting down and moving away from the codec as well. A Sony Connect Europe press release reports:

To Our Valued Sony CONNECT Customers,

Today Sony announced its intent to move to a Windows Media Technology platform for Walkman® products in the United States, Canada and Europe. We strongly believe that the decision to embrace a more open platform will enable us to provide you with a better music enjoyment experience. As a result of this change, we will be phasing out the CONNECT™ Music Service, based on Sony’s ATRAC audio format, in North America and Europe. Specific timing will vary by region depending on market demand, but will not be before March 2008.

All of Sony’s new Walkman music and video devices will be supported by a very wide range of third party services around Europe.

We are fully committed to helping you through this important transition away from a proprietary music service. In the coming weeks and months, we will keep you closely informed of the status of the CONNECT Music Service phase out in your country, and provide you with the best possible guidance on how to successfully transfer your music library to an MP3 or Windows Media-compatible format. Periodic updates will also be posted on the CONNECT music store and on the Sony Europe customer service site, http://support.sony-europe.com

We recommend that you use any outstanding promotional vouchers or account credits prior to March 2008.

Thank you for all your purchases and feedback so far, and for your continued support as we work to complete this transition with as little disruption to you as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Sony CONNECT Europe Team

Click here for further FAQ’s regarding this subject. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts and feelings.

What does this mean for ATRACLife? Well, as mentioned in the forums, our team will move on to a new domain, dubbed Sony Insider. Stay tuned.

Come September 20, 2007, the newly “redesigned” PSP (PSP-2000) with a reduced size and weight by 33% and 19% respectively will be available for your gaming pleasure. While we countdown to its debut day, Famitsu has released a comparative pictorial between the smaller PSP-2000 and the current PSP-1000. Enjoy the pictures exclusively from Famitsu!

PSP-2000 (top) vs. PSP-1000 (bottom)

more pictures after the jump…
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The console war continues…. as writers of Forbes notes: “you’ve been hit with a disruptive attack. A competitor you dismissed has successfully changed the game in your industry. Analysts and investors are clamoring for your response…or your head. What should you do? “

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So, it’s now official. The higher capacity 80GB version of the PS3, first announced during this year’s E3 Media & Business Summit is now available for sale in North America for US$599/C$649. Alongside South Korea, the US and Canada will be the only region (at the moment) to retail the 80GB PS3. As shown in the stock picture above, the new 80GB PS3 for North America will come bundled with Motorstorm.

With the advent of the 80GB variant, Sony has also reduced the price of its 60GB PS3 to US$499 accordingly. Sony predicts that with current demand levels, the supply for the 60GB PS3 will run out sometime in Fall. Note: Sony is no longer producing the 60GB model of the PlayStation 3 for the US market. When all the product stock remaining is sold, the only available model of the PlayStation 3 in the US will be the 80GB, $599, version of the console