PSP hardware refresh coming this year, says report

So it looks like those endless rumors of a newly-spec'ed PlayStation Portable are finally about to come true, with an analyst from Lazard Capital Markets reporting that Sony has in fact copped to just such a device (most definitively NOT pictured above) at its Gamer's Day gathering in San Diego. According to Lazard's Colin Sebastian in a briefing regarding April game sales, "the company also indicated that [in addition to new software titles best left to another fine publication], a video download service and [PSP] hardware refresh are expected later this year." While both tidbits sound like potentially big news, Sony was reluctant to give up any more info on either of these asides -- meaning that you can still let your imagination run wild with magical features before the inevitable letdown. Still, if you've got your credit card in hand and sonystyle.com open in another tab as we speak, it might pay to hold off for a bit and see how this plays out.

[Thanks, Jon D.]

[Joey Villarreal @ May 17th 2007 1:17PM]

Something with flash storage would sweet like an 8 gig psp. Better/easier MAC integration would be nice too

[CT A @ May 17th 2007 1:24PM]

Bluetooth
Homebrew Enabled (Somehow..)
Skype
Download ps1 games (Maybe even psp games?)
Play ps3 games (Using simulation)
touchscreen
webcam
more video support (FLV!!)

what else?

[Paul @ May 17th 2007 1:30PM]

i think everything except the simulation with the ps3 games is possible...and would def be expencive but hey thats why we love sony

[Nathan @ May 17th 2007 1:32PM]

What can we expect from a "hardware refresh"? Does this mean all the new games will only play on the PSP2?

Is it actually a PSP2 in the first place?

Flash memory would be nice, yes, but EXPENSIVE!!!

Sony should just remove the 222MHz underclock. Better framerates, better graphics.

[James Mack @ May 17th 2007 10:14PM]

I assume and hope that this update would be similar to the PS2 refresh ie: smaller form factor.

[Martez @ May 17th 2007 1:44PM]

Better battery life, slightly lower price tag, and making it actually pocketable would make me pick it up in a jiffy. A better interface for music and internal flash storage like Joey mentioned would be great, as well, even if it made it slightly more expensive.

And yes, homebrew-friendly would open the floodgates. Sony should have embraced the homebrew crowd from the start, and it would've been a MAJOR success and still could be.

[Mike @ May 17th 2007 1:54PM]

Faster disk access time, built in memory along with expandability, faster processor, better battery life, better graphics, better screen performance in direct sunlight, original games (i.e., not ports) that are actually worthy of my money. These things and several more are requirements before I'll consider anything.

[chris @ May 17th 2007 1:56PM]

Gee, how about a screen that doesn't suck? Oh, the current one is fine so long as the image isn't moving... but once it starts, you're in motion trail hell!

[hunglikehorse @ May 19th 2007 12:28PM]

WHat the hell are you talking about? Did you drop yours in a puddle or something? I have NEVER seent he problem you describe and I was dealing PSP's on the side for a year. I had my hands on plenty of them.

[Aaron @ May 18th 2007 11:22PM]

I agree about the screen...it's beautiful for still images, but damn the ghosting is awful. It seems to be better in certain games though, so maybe software plays a role in that...?

[ArtVandelay @ May 17th 2007 2:09PM]

The 222 Mhz underclock is already gone, developers have access to full processing if they would like to use it. Right now the drawbacks outweigh the benefits, but judging by the visuals on more recent games, and what I saw of the new FF title more and more are using it.

Personally I think the PSP is pretty much fine the way it is. The only thing I'd add is an internal hard drive, itunes support, and a robust download service(movies, music, games). With 25 million of these on the market the PSP could be the video ipod before the video ipod if they did those things.

[KC @ May 17th 2007 2:13PM]

A TV out jack would be nice. Maybe if it had an expansion slot of some kind that can support GPS/NAV, that would be really nice (remember those on the handspring?).

[Maestro @ May 17th 2007 2:28PM]

I JUST ordered a PSP for entertainment on an upcoming flight...figures..

[Louis @ May 17th 2007 2:31PM]

They really need to confirm or deny this so buyers can determine if they want to wait. I know they want to sell as many PSPs as possible, but a lot of people may not need or want a hardware upgrade that doesn't effect gameplay.

I bought one on launch day, and sold it 2 weeks later. Just now I'm seeing some games that might actually be fun, and I'm thinking about picking it up.

However, I won't get one until I know what the next update entails.

[Joey Villarreal @ May 17th 2007 2:43PM]

Again, Internal memory for cache would be great. Load times would be cut in half! and battery life would be saved. 8 gigs, enough for web, music, games, and cache. I mean why are ipods moving to flash memory? Because 1. Smarter 2.Faster 3.Efficient.

A camera would be nice too

[Muu @ May 17th 2007 2:59PM]

How would embracing homebrew support really add to sales? I still can't but think that it's a very vocal minority that's clamoring for its support (and using them for legitimate causes), and the overwhelming majority does it to play downloaded 'backups.' The battle they're drawing out against the hacks are a futile, never-ending one but probably necessary lest the third-party devs move on to the DS, with a significantly larger userbase (i.e. potential customers) and at least a small hardware barrier to backup usage.

[darkstar @ May 17th 2007 3:25PM]

i would buy a psp if it can support JOOST!!!

[Big @ May 17th 2007 4:03PM]

I never could understand how Sony could seek to fully emulate PS games without having dual analog sticks.

PSP needs two analog sticks and a built in micro hard drive - not too mention a viable keyboard.

I want to be able to use my PSP just like I would use a laptop for email and web browsing.

[trainwrecka @ May 17th 2007 4:10PM]

sony, sony, sony... haven't you learned? the hardware doesn't need refreshing - your software line-up does.

[LeoF @ May 17th 2007 4:27PM]

PSP2 needs a left analog stick. Both analog sticks should feel like a real console analog stick. The current analog stick is a piece of junk. Put a PS2 processor and DVD drive to play PS2 games. I know these things wont happen so I don't give the PSP2 too much hope. Sony surprise me, please!

[bebebebe @ May 17th 2007 11:37PM]

The psp already has a left analog stick. You lose.

[Joe @ May 24th 2007 5:30AM]

LMFAO! You want a bloody DVD drive in a PORTABLE console?!?!

haha! This would NEVER happen, it would defeat the WHOLE point of it being portable!

And I think you mean a RIGHT analog stick, and as if you could have a full sized analog stick?! If you havnt noticed, it sticks out about half an inch. Hardly portable!

[James @ May 17th 2007 4:55PM]

KC: They already have a GPS addon that connects to the top USB port. Not sure if it's out in the US yet, or will be any time soon.

Joey: they have a camera too (again, maybe not here in the States yet). By all accounts it sucks.

Louis: like everybody who has done a hardware update recently (DS Lite, 360 Elite, etc), they don't want to confirm until the very latest possible date so they can move as much of the old stock as possible. What idiot buys the DS Phat when the DS Lite is sitting there on the shelf right next to it with a brighter screen and much smaller form-factor? Who wants an Xbox without a HDMI port? (well, frugal people I guess)

Big: if you use custom firmware you can (in many cases) use an IR PDA keyboard (the kind that usually fold in half). I agree about the second analog stick.

trainwreck: What kind of games are missing? There's piles and piles of decent-to-good RPGs, scads of puzzle games (some of which are awesome, like Puzzle Quest), Ratchet, Metal Gear, a few decent FPS's if you're into that sort of thing... the library might not be quite as robust as the DS, but at this point the hardware is only slightly more expensive (I think it routinely sells for $150, vs $130 for a DS) and has a lot more non-game functionality, some of which is quite good.

The web browser does pretty good for a one-off that hasn't been updated in over a year (not that I would complain if they improved it). They've got an RSS reader, which I guess works well enough. You can watch pretty good looking movies with modern codec support (though you probably have to transcode first). You can listen to MP3s, as long as you're not picky about the playlist. It's jack of all trades, master of none, I guess, but it's still a lot cheaper than a video MP3 player plus say a DS. If they address some concerns in a hardware refresh -- I don't expect a second analog stick, but a smaller unit would be nice -- then all the better.

I say they should shamelessly rip off the GBA SP design -- I have yet to see a better design for a handheld game system. Go for it!

[Collin @ May 17th 2007 5:28PM]

wow. wuts the point? the old psp looks way better. and for only 169? thats a good deal. but wuts this one gunna do? better graphics worse games? sony already fucked up with the PS3 and now theyll just lose more money. i used to love the PS2. but now sony cant keep up with microsoft and barely nintendo. graphics arent everything. its always nice to have good graphics and good gameplay. but sony cant do that.i returned my old psp after 3 weeks cuz NO fun games at all and the fact i cant upload music from a mac. sony really fucked themself.

[Agathos @ May 17th 2007 5:38PM]

@Collin,

Regardless of the fact that you're a high schooler maybe younger, that was the dumbest post I've read this week.

Statements like "sony really f'cked themselves" made by you or any of us are inconsequential.

The PSP has been a successful project for Sony, it's not the phenomenon that the DS is but it's still successful and making money.

And, "the old psp looks way better"!? Are you f'ing serious!? Did you actually beleive the pic in the post was meant to be real!?

Your other comments about lack of games and similar are too incorrect for comment. The PSP has some really great games, with many many more on the way.

[jsmooove @ May 17th 2007 5:51PM]

um yeah the psp can already control ps3 games using remote play if developers choose to support it.

[CT A @ May 17th 2007 6:13PM]

We'll i'm asking them to actually do it in the next psp version and this current one

[Aaron @ May 17th 2007 6:51PM]

What's this nonsense about a touch screen? For what? I've tried playing games on a DS with the touch screen, I hated it. That's why I ultimately decided to purchase a PSP (awhile before the price cut) instead of a DS and haven't looked back.

If you want a touchscreen, buy a DS for crying out loud.

Please Sony, don't muck up my user experience by putting something I don't want (touch screen) on the PSP2. If you do, I will not be upgrading.

But I do hope the firmware frefresh addresses the load times, makes the browsing experience faster/better, and addresses the MP3 player.

I do use my PSP for listening to music. But I have to create folders with a third party app (not Sony's) and manually number each song (1 though whatever) to get them to play in the order I want. The default, even after taking the time to create folders, plays them alphabetically. I don't want them alphabetically, I want them to play in the order I want them to play in.

How about some playlist creation/support Sony?

[Aaron @ May 18th 2007 11:37PM]

Hey. Thanks for being cool and exercising good grammar and spelling, seeing as how I share that fine name of yours...

I agree on the touchscreen issue. No need for it on the PSP. I don't hate my DS, but I do find a lot of the touchscreen utilization to be somewhat clumsy.

As for music, albums will play in the correct order as long as they have the right ID3 tags, but it's a hassle if you want to mix and match songs. Custom playlists are a good idea for a future firmware update. The PSP isn't a bad music player.

[angelsvairwaves1 @ May 17th 2007 8:47PM]

All sony needs is a hard drive/ hi-cap flash drive, support for FULL RESOLUTION VIDEO PLAYBACK, maybe another analog and thats it. It would be a great, cheap PMP if sony would just unlock the device...

[johann @ May 17th 2007 10:56PM]

psp is a decent product. Ultimately i think that the best thing they can do is add a second analog stick and then speed up the load times, so get a better processor. This keeps the price way down.
If you want memory for ps1 games, purchase a memory card. if u want a cheap one just wait for prices to go down, because memory card prices will go down faster than a new psp with the same size memory built in would. Internal memory is great but it might not be great if you dont want to spend a lot.
those are the minimum main things that i think should be done
other than that
Webcam built in would be sick.
A bit slimmer?
No pop out disk loader
ehh with all that i'd get it day it came out.
+some great games are up for release in future
FF7 CHRISIS CORE?!?!?

[Jason Brown @ May 18th 2007 1:12AM]

"meaning that you can still let your imagination run wild with magical features before the inevitable letdown."

it's writers like this that make engadget the worst electronics reporters anywhere. you are paid to report and thats all we care about. if you want to flame, flame with the rest of us don't put your shit into the article. makes me want to kick your teeth in.

[miguel whitney @ May 18th 2007 10:27AM]

Dual Analog sticks!!! the system is useless without them!!!

[Quadsworth @ May 18th 2007 9:01PM]

Augh!!!! I just got my psp TWO days ago, then they release THIS?!?!?! Perfect. Just perfect.

[Aaron @ May 18th 2007 11:38PM]

Hey, don't worry. Sony keeps denying any kind of hardware update in the near future, so I wouldn't stress too much yet. There's been speculation on this sort of update for a long time now. Wait until it's officially announced. They feel that the current PSP still has plenty of life left in it, and I agree.

[tehpwnmstr @ May 27th 2007 12:59PM]

this is


N O T

the PSP 2!!!!
its only a redesign like the slim ps2.

[james graham @ Jun 30th 2007 7:24PM]

Psp2 hope the screen is the new flexible one so it dont break when you drop it....

[Roman Baturin @ Aug 4th 2007 11:22PM]

does anyone know what a PSP2 will look like?