Official word from Sony PR is that the inner hardware of PSPgo units remains the same as the past two hardware revisions, apart from the obvious inclusion of a built-in 16GB flash storage device. But sometimes, as we’ve learned in the past, official word is not the end-all be-all. According to a recently published FCC filing, the PSPgo sports a CPU clocking in at 480MHz, a near 42 percent increase over the original clock speed of 333MHz. When was the last time an FCC spec sheet pulled a ruse on us? That’s a tough one.

What Sony plans on using the extra bump in resources for is anyone’s guess, but with rumors abound that point to digital PSN downloads beyond the realm of games, such as iPhone and iTouch-esque applications, this is a hardware upgrade that makes sense. Not to mention, Nintendo packed a beefed up CPU as well as additional RAM in the DSi, meaning Sony wouldn’t be the first to make such a move.

We’d assume, however, that when the PSPgo ships initially it will be locked to a standard 333MHz clock — making Sony’s assertion of the core hardware being the same theoretically, albeit not technically correct. The PSP was originally capped at 222MHz, until a firmware update – version 3.50 specifically – made clock frequency changing functions available to development studios. If this “hidden” potential — as we’ll call it — offered by PSPgo units is being unlocked down the road, it makes sense for Sony to stay coy on details at this point in time.

At any rate, additions like these certainly make the $249 price point of the PSPgo more palatable.

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