PSP2 -- Engadget

PSP2 posts

PSP2 to be based on iPhone-esque PowerVR GPU, rival original Xbox in power?

by Paul Miller posted Jul 7th 2009 at 3:24PM

PSP 2 is ready and UMD-less, claims Earthworm Jim developer

If Sony's PSPgo was some halfhearted attempt to quell incessant PSP2 rumoring (and our favorite PSP2 mockup render, above), it certainly doesn't seem to have worked. The new rumor out and about is that the inevitable PSP2 will harbor a PowerVR GPU along the lines of what's present in the new iPhone 3GS. The SGX543MP cited has four cores, with a rating of 133 million polygons per second at the low-end 200MHz mode that seems likely for portable use. GamesIndustry.biz calls this a "ballpark match" for the original Xbox, with some additional Dreamcast rendering enhancements for avoiding wasting time on hidden elements in a scene. They also point out that Imagination Technologies calls the chip a GP-GPU, capable of handling computing tasks in addition to graphics, and potentially giving the PSP2 the power savings of not needing a separate CPU to operate. Sure, it's all a difficult to pin down rumor at the moment, but if anything these sort of specs show what's possible for a new generation of handheld gaming when the likes of Sony and Nintendo are ready to give it to us. Now about a second analog stick...

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]

Video: Sony's PSP Go leaks out before E3, is obviously a go

by Darren Murph posted May 30th 2009 at 12:12PM

Look up there, folks. That's the future of Sony's hopes and dreams in the handheld gaming sector. With just hours to go before the company's official E3 2009 press event, it looks like the pieces are all coming together. First a UMD-less game release, then a highly credible mole giving the PSP Go a name, and now -- live action shots. The images here were sourced from an obviously slipped June 2009 Qore video, and aside from giving us a look at the slider-based system (which, let's be honest, looks a ton like the questionably successful mylo), we're also told that it'll tout 16GB of internal memory, built-in Bluetooth and an undisclosed memory slot. If all goes well, it'll ship this Fall for a price to be determined, and it's actually not slated to replace the PSP-3000, as both of 'em will attempt to live on store shelves harmoniously... at least for awhile. Oh, and don't worry -- we'll be on hand in LA to bring you all the impressions we can muster early next week.

[Via PlayStation Forums, thanks Matt and A1]

Update: Video is now after the break! Thanks adizzy615!

Update 2: Official press shots have emerged. [Via Engadget Spanish]

Update 3: A few more official specifications are flowing from the full Qore video (pardon the sync issues). Here's the dirt:

3.8-inch display (resolution is undisclosed)
43 percent lighter than the PSP-3000
16GB of Flash storage
Bluetooth built-in; supports handset tethering and BT headsets
No UMD drive
Memory Stick Micro slot
New Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and new Metal Gear Solid (!) on the way
Full PlayStation Network support (movie and TV rentals / purchases)
Integration with PlayStation 3 (works the same as the PSP-3000 does)
Sony views each of its products as "10-year lifecycle products," so the PSP "needs to live on."

Gallery: Sony's PSP Go leaked!

Continue reading Video: Sony's PSP Go leaks out before E3, is obviously a go

Next PSP to rely on Memory Stick HG-Micro for storage?

by Donald Melanson posted May 1st 2009 at 5:13PM

You can be sure this won't be the last PSP rumor to surface before E3, but the word going around now is that the so-called PSP Go! (or PSP2, or PSP Slide...) won't rely primarily on some internal memory for storage as previously speculated, but on something like Sony's new Memory Stick HG-Micro format, which is about 40MB/s faster than a standard Memory Stick Duo card. That word apparently comes from some "sources close to PSP development" that have spoken to PC World's Game On blog, who seem to also be suggesting that the Memory Sticks would effectively replace UMDs as a game delivery format, and not simply be used for downloaded games and whatnot. All of which certainly seems reasonable enough, even if it's still far from being anywhere close to official.

[Via Joystiq]

Sony unveiling UMD-less PSP with slide-out buttons at E3?

by Ross Miller posted Apr 28th 2009 at 11:05PM

Whispers of a new or revised PSP have been growing decidedly louder as of late, and now 1UP's gotten a ton of new details from what it claims are "sources directly involved with the new system" -- our favorite kind of people, actually. Here's what they were told: UMD is out, replaced instead with options for either 8GB or 16GB of built-in flash memory. Also nixed is any hope of a "PSP-4000," with Sony opting instead to use a subtitle. Three rumored names include PSP Slide, PSP Flip, and PSP Go!, the latter of which borrows from Sony's pre-existing Go! brand and suggests there might be a built-in camera à la PSP-3000's Go!Cam peripheral. The same D-pad, analog nub, and face button configuration remains, but they now slide out from the bottom of the unit (see mockup, pictured). Expected launch is September for Japan and late October / early November for US, and coming with 'em are over 100 classic and new downloadable titles including Gran Turismo Mobile as a headliner. Sony's supposedly going official with all this during its E3 press conference in early June, and for now they're opting to give the staple "does not comment on rumors or speculation" response. That's one mighty intriguing rumor -- we can only hope it pans out.

Latest PSP2 rumor covers familar ground, adds pre-Xmas release date

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 7th 2009 at 1:42PM

Not that we needed much more evidence that 2009 would be the year 'o PSP rumors, but Pocket Gamer is now reporting that it has heard from an "insider source" who says that the PSP2 will indeed be released before Christmas of this year. That source, who's supposedly a "developer working on the new hardware," also backs up some of the earlier rumors about the design of the device itself, saying that it will be more like the iPhone than the current PSP, and that it will boast a sliding touchscreen that conceals the buttons and dual analog controls when it's closed. Not much more than that, unfortunately, but who know's what next week's rumor will bring? We're personally hoping for a surprise Atari Lynx rebirth to really shake things up.

Sony plays catch up with hackers, mulling over PSP 'virtual console'

by Ross Miller posted Mar 4th 2009 at 2:34AM

We're pretty sure a good lot of you with PSPs have used them for, shall we say, less than reputable means -- like playing 16-bit era games using emulators. Soon, there might be a more legit outlet for that fix, as Sony's head of US marketing for PlayStation hardware John Koller tells MTV Multiplayer it's looking to bring classics from before Sony entered the arena to the handheld, à la Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console. The company's also expanding North America's library of PSOne downloads to eventually match the plethora of titles available to the Japanese market. It's all part of a greater initiative to make more digitally-distributed, download-only titles, which we wholeheartedly support -- now, about those pesky UMD-less PSP2 rumors...

[Via Joystiq]

PSP2 rumor surfaces once more, sounds awfully familiar

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 6:33PM

The PSP2 rumor mill has certainly been cranking overtime as of late, and it doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down, even if it isn't exactly churning out many new rumors. This time, however, they're apparently be backed up by a developer source "close to Sony," who again says that the PSP2 (or PSP-4000, as it's also being called) will ditch the UMD drive and add a sliding screen that covers most of the controls when it's closed. According to the source, that would still let folks play games like LocoRoco that only use the shoulder buttons when it's closed, and Sony is reportedly keen to get developers to create more games that can be played in that state. No word on a release date from the latest source, unfortunately, although Eurogamer seems to be sticking to its earlier report that it'll launch by the end of the year.

[Via GameDaily]

PSP 2 is ready and UMD-less, claims Earthworm Jim developer

by Ross Miller posted Feb 26th 2009 at 7:22AM

We've lost count on the number of times we've heard from a friend of a coworker of a cousin whose girlfriend's stepfather happens to work at Sony and they're all but ready to launch a UMD-less PSP in 17 different color options bundled with a portable version of Street Fighter IV. Typically, we remain skeptical, but when it's veteran developer David "I made MDK and Earthworm Jim" Perry, we'll give him the floor to speak. Earlier this week, his Twitter account updated to say he's heard the PSP 2 is done and minus that disc drive. He later reaffirmed that comment to GameDaily, saying he can't reveal his source (naturally), but he feels certain UMD is gone. Is his source bunk? He's certainly a guy who'd know a guy, but we've heard this story far too many times to take a leap of faith now.

[Via Joystiq]

Read - David Perry's Twitter
Read - GameDaily

Sony scouting a tester for unreleased new product?

by Darren Murph posted Feb 21st 2009 at 6:06AM

While the rumors of a PSP2 and PSP Phone have calmed down of late, they're never truly dead. According to a fluent Japanese speaker translating a Sony Japan job listing for GameSpot, the company is on the hunt for an "evaluator / assessor for a new game machine." More specifically, that elusive machine is said to be a "part of the PlayStation or PSP series and their peripherals." The listing goes on to state that the lucky winner will "be part of an advisory staff that will play PlayStation series software on this new machine and check its functionality," and they'll also be able to "test game machines not yet released or new functionality of PS3 peripherals before they are released." From there, it's up to your imagination to determine what exactly this could be alluding to, but we're setting our expectations remarkably low as to not be disappointed.

[Via GameSpot]

Sony PSP2 rumors debunked, probably not for the last time

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 17th 2008 at 5:10PM

OK, guys and gals, we hate to break it to you -- John Koller, Sony's Director of Hardware Marketing has said it in plain English: "no plans for a PSP2 are underway." Apparently, the company is pushing developers towards the PlayStation store for their primary point of sale, a move that some people have taken to mean that the companies have been secretly developing games for some sort of new platform. Of course, in the light of some similarly "cryptic" statements we reported yesterday, some folks might continue to be ~~gullible~~ skeptical. Which is fine, as long as nobody asks us when the device pictured above will be released. 'Cos it won't be. Evar.

Sony to release new handheld sometime in the future

by Joshua Topolsky posted Dec 16th 2008 at 11:31AM

According to Eurogamer, sources close to Sony say that sometime in the future, a new PlayStation Portable will be released. While there's been no official word, the game site is reporting that there could be an update to the current PSP (which might be called the PSP 4000), and in the not-too-distant future (2010 or 2011), Sony will introduce a completely new model, confusingly dubbed the "PSP2." David Reeves, SCEE president has recently been quoted as making vague, suspicious statements such as "there are currently no plans for a PSP2," and "I go to Tokyo quite a lot and no one has referred to it - I think they have their hands full at the moment." Nice try Reeves, but If you keep up these kinds of thinly veiled allusions to a new system, we suspect it's only a matter of years till this cat's out of the bag.

[Via Yahoo!]

Note: The above post is sarcasm. It also saddens us that we had to add this note.

Imagination Technologies said to have signed on with Sony for PSP successor

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 26th 2008 at 8:01PM

Well, this is certainly interesting. While Imagination Technologies itself isn't going any further than to say that it has signed a licensing deal with a "major international consumer electronics company," EETimes.com is reporting that the company in question is, in fact, Sony, and that the deal concerns Imagination's PowerVR architecture being used in the successor to the PSP. More specifically, according to EETimes' unnamed sources, the PSP 2 will be using Imagination's SGX55x core, which itself, of course, still hasn't been officially announced either. As EETimes notes, if that turns out to be the case, it would certainly be quite the coup for Imagination, especially considering that its PowerVR MBX technology has already found its way into the iPhone, among other devices.

[Via EETimes.com, thanks Rob E]

Joystiq answers questions about Sony's slimmer PSP

by Darren Murph posted Aug 31st 2007 at 9:56AM

Those patiently awaiting the slimmer PSP, codenamed PSP-2000, will probably enjoy (or be exceedingly envious) of Joystiq's hands-on with the forthcoming device, but regardless of what emotions it evokes, we're givin' it to ya straight. Hordes of readers submitted questions about the impending PSP, and nothing provides the answers like a good bit of time handling the actual unit in question. So go on, tag the read link to catch an early glimpse of the PSP Lite, and who knows, maybe one or two of your own burning questions will be addressed, too.

Sony's new PSP is slimmer, includes video output

by Paul Miller posted Jul 11th 2007 at 2:20PM

It's not quite the PSP 2 some might've hoped for, but Sony is giving its handheld console a serious refresh in the form of a slimmer, lighter and faster "updated" PSP. The new unit still includes the 4.3-inch LCD and UMD, but is 33 percent lighter, 19 percent slimmer, has sped up game load times and improved battery life. The only real "new" features is a video output capability to allow you to play your PSP games on a big screen TV. You can score one in September in the original Piano Black, a new Ice Silver color, and a Star Wars Battlefront special edition. The latter two PSPs come in $199 bundles with related games and a 1GB Memory Stick in the case of Ice Silver. More pics after the break.

Update: Also worth noting is the fact that this new model "is equipped with enhanced feature to temporarily store game data from UMD, reducing load time during game play." No complaints about that!

Continue reading Sony's new PSP is slimmer, includes video output

PSP clockspeed upped to 333MHz after 3.50 firmware update

by Conrad Quilty-Harper posted Jun 23rd 2007 at 2:04PM

Sony has admitted that it sneakily upgraded the PSP's clockspeed to 333MHz (from 266MHz) in the version 3.50 firmware update that was released last month. This admission is confusing for a couple of reasons: for starters, Sony originally underclocked the PSP in order to increase the stated battery life of the console. Does that mean they'll be forced to decrease the stated battery life, so as to avoid false advertisement? It's also rather odd that developers are only now being granted access to the extra MHz oomph, prompting mutterings of a new PSP model which -- as one Joystiq commentator points out -- could take as long to appear as games that take full advantage of the 333MHz clockspeed. Or, maybe this upgrade simply enabled the PSP to cope with all that "remote play" malarkey that 3.50 enabled. That would be the logical assumption.

[Via Joystiq]