With its upcoming PSPgo, Sony is betting that you like sexy, shiny new gadgets more than you like saving a few coins.

That’s not to say that we dislike it. In fact, the PSPgo is attractive, playable and pleasingly compact. The fourth entry in the PlayStation Portable line is considerably more toteable than its predecessors. It’s about half the size of the original PSP; to access the controls, the bottom section slides forward with with a smooth but firm mechanism that seems sturdy enough to resist clumsy gamer hands. For such a tiny device, it’s surprisingly playable, too.

Drawbacks? It won’t work with any USB peripherals you might already have for your older PSPs — and you’ll have to re-purchase any UMD games you own, since they won’t work with the PSPgo.

So the real question is why you’d buy a $250 PSPgo instead of a cheaper Nintendo DS or PSP 3000 — or a pricier but far more capable iPod Touch.

Continue reading Wired’s review of the PSPgo, by game gadget gearhead Nate Ralph, over on Wired.com Product Reviews. And don’t miss our gallery of mouth-watering PSPgo closeup photos.

Photo credit: Jim Merithew / Wired.com