We already knew that a new PSP was rumoured to be in development, and now we have some official looking shots and leaked interview footage that pretty much confirms the speculation. Coming just two days before E3 is due to kick off all these leaks may have just ruined Sony’s big surprise, but if that’s the only big thing Sony was planning for their E3 press conference then it would have been extremely boring to sit through.

The buttons in the image above are said to slide back in under the screen when not in use, leading to a much smaller and lighter design. The biggest change though, although it has really been a long time coming, is the absence of a UMD drive. Games will be provided through digital downloads, which can be saved to memory sticks or the handheld consoles 16GB of flash memory. While it is apparently not intended to replace the PSP-3000 (much like the DSi and the DS) it is pretty much the last nail in the coffin for the UMD format.

Other little tid-bits include the ability to rent videos through PSN - just like the PS3 - and has new games such as Gran Turismo, LittleBigPlanet, Jak & Daxter and Metal Gear Solid lined up for it. It will also apparently arrive by Autumn, but we don’t know if that means a worldwide release or not.

The age of the Internet means it’s pretty much impossible to stop any secrets being released before they were intended. Even with all this information in hand it will still be interesting to see Sony demonstrating it at E3. Plus we will also get official confirmation on what’s true and what’s not; although due to it being so close to E3 I’d be greatly surprised if any of the information turns out to be false.

If you’re interested in seeing how the PSP Go’s size compares to the other big handheld players on the market then Kotaku has some interesting size comparisons.

Remember that rumour I wrote about back in February? That a PSP2 may be in development?  Yes, that’s the one. Anyway, an unnamed source has added to these earlier rumours by revealing that it should be in the shops by Christmas.

While the source repeats what we already know - like how the PSP2 will have a sliding screen (with game controls hidden behind it) and touchscreen capabilities - it also revealed some new things. Aside the above release window the source mentions that the PSP2 will finally have two thumbsticks.

Sony won’t comment on the rumours, and you’ll have to take these rumours with a pinch of salt anyway, but with Nintendo’s new DSi it would make sense for Sony to do is own update for the PSP. Hopefully Sony will announce something at this year’s E3.

PSP 2 coming pre-Christmas will be an iPhone beater - Pocket Gamer

A few days ago a rumor popped up that the next iteration of the PSP may come with a sliding touch screen (see the concept above). It’s just a rumour of course, but now Acclaim’s David Perry is saying that the PSP2 is real and they already have a prototype. Not only that but it apparently doesn’t have a UMD drive.

Earlier today Perry wrote this on his twitter account;

“I hear Sony finally has the PSP2, and thank goodness they’ve removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive.”

Later he spoke to Kotaku about his comment, saying that he had “spoke to a developer” who is working on the update right now. He believes that Sony would initially sell games on memory sticks to please retailers, but would eventually move to a full download only system. Bear it in mind that this is pure speculation, but it would make sense considering that Sony has ramped up availability of downloadable games through the Playstation Store during the last year. Of course, a download only store would also allow for the full back catalogue of the PSP so you wouldn’t be missing out on any older UMD only games.

Put this down as a rumour for now, but Perry believes we will see a PSP2 as early as this autumn. I would certainly agree that Sony need to ditch UMD however, as it’s not exactly been the most financially viable move they could have made. UMD films failed miserably, and consumers are starting to come around to the idea that downloads are a far more efficient way of playing the latest games.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should put off buying a PSP if you’re thinking about buying one. It could be a while before a new PSP hits the market, so you should get good use out of any PSP you buy now. Plus, with some great games in the line-up can you really afford to miss out? £110 is a pretty good deal right now.

UPDATE: Sony says that the UMD business is “critical to us this year and beyond”, although Sony is “making a concentrated effort for digital distribution” (source).

I’ll be honest; I’d largely gone off the PSP and it’s been a while since I even turned mine on, but this weeks announcements have plucked up my interest in Sony’s handheld again. A number of announcements for new PSP games have come out of this year’s Destination Playstation meeting; including PSP versions of Assassin’s Creed, LittleBigPlanet and Rock Band. The best announcement? A Hannah Montana PSP entertainment pack including a Lilac PSP (I’m totally not kidding!).

Also announced were Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, versions of Madden and Tiger Woods and, um, new Petz games. I bet you can’t guess which one of those I’m least excited about.

Here’s a rundown of the games announced:

• The Hannah Montana PSP Entertainment Pack is “part of a new focus on expanding the PSP market to female gamers” and includes a new Disney Interactive Hannah Montana game, a UMD containing a selection of Hannah Montana episodes, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, and - the icing on the cake - stickers! Hopefully this pack will not the light of day outside North America
• The Assassin’s Creed PSP Entertainment Pack will include a completely new original game set in the Assassin’s Creed universe, a black PSP and more goodies to be announced at a later date.
• Ubisoft are bringing a new line of Petz games to the PSP, and that’s about as much as I can stomach writing about it.
• A PSP version of LittleBigPlanet will be made in conjunction with the PS3’s versions developer MediaMolecule. The game offers new Sackboy adventures and environments, but with the same creating and sharing experience that made the first game so popular. As I don’t own a PS3 I’m fairly excited about this.
• Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, which is also in development for the PS2, will bring the racing action of the PS3 versions to snowy Alaska. Players will have to avoid collapsing ice bridges and avalanches in three different altitudes. You will also be able to customise your vehicles with different parts, pimping your ride out while you take it online to face others. Check out the trailer here.
• Rock Band Unplugged will use the PSP’s directional pad and buttons to play along, along with wi-fi support (but sadly no online multiplayer) and a “fully featured” online store.
• Madden NFL 10 will give allow you to build your own formations and plays, and that’s about as much as I know about American Football. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 will be pretty much the same as always, and have both on and offline play.

So there’s plenty for the PSP owner to get excited about this year, and that’s just the games that have been announced. I wouldn’t get too excited about Petz though, unless you’re about eight. If so then stick with it my friends, the good games will come when you grow older. It’s not all shovelware crap, I promise!

Destination PlayStation News: LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm, Assassin’s Creed, more coming to PSP - Playstation Blog

I first mentioned that Metal Gear Solid would be making the jump to the iPhone back in December, but now we have a trailer and some further information to go along with that.

Metal Gear Solid Touch is basically a retelling of the story from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, but from a different perspective.  From the looks of it though it’s a little more than an on-rails shooting gallery, as you’ll play the game from over Solid Snake’s shoulder and use your fingers to do all the work. You can move the reticule by sliding your finger across the screen, tap to shoot and zoom in and out by pinching the screen; which should be familiar to all iPhone owners.

Advancing through the game will also, wait for it, unlock wallpapers for use on your iPhone!!! Sounds exciting, huh? Whatever, it will still sell by the truckload…wait…truckload? The game is download only so maybe that’s the wrong word to use here, but screw it.

There’s no release date or pricing structure yet, but we should know that pretty soon.

I previously posted a rumor about the possibility of a new Nintendo DS Lite but Nintendo have now officially confirmed it. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, speaking last night at Nintendo’s autumn press conference in Tokyo,  announced an updated version of the DS Lite called the Nintendo DSi. While it has the small ‘i’ in there - like any modern gadget that wishes to be cool must have- it also sports a range of other new additions. There’s now two cameras (they’re a disappointing 0.3 megapixels though)  and SD slot to save those photos on. There’s also the digital music player I mentioned the other day, which is part of the reason Nintendo are improving audio in allowing you to adjust pitch and playback.

The DSi removes the GBA slot (which I’m not too fussed about as I’ve never used it) but in return makes the screens 17%  bigger (3.25 inches) than the original DS Lite and it also makes the handheld thinner than its older brother. There’s now an in-built browser (so you don’t have to buy one anymore) which will allow you to download games and keep them on your DSi. This will come along with the new DSi shop, which will allow you to use points to purchase games; 1000 of which customers will get for free until March 2010. Speaking of downloads they’ll also be improved wireless capabilities, but I’m not too sure what that means.

Sounds fancy, right? I don’t really see all that much to get excited about myself. A 0.3 megapixel camera is not going to get you a decent enough picture that you’ll be proud to have in your collection, and a digital music player seems pointless when your mobile phone can do the same thing (or you could just get one of the many mp3 players out there that do the same thing but much better).  Iwata says that it’s a “third platform”, meaning that it’s not meant to replace the DS Lite but complement it. I guess that means I’ll stick with the original Lite for now.

The DSi is coming to Japan from November 1st but won’t be available until Spring 2009 over here in the UK.

Hit this link to see the DSi in action, or this link for a comparison between the old and new.

I’m a little late in posting this news so forgive for that but I figured that this was newsworthy enough to post about anyway so here it is.

Nikkei Net Interactive, a Japanese business news website, is reporting that Nintendo are set to release a new iteration of the hugely successful Nintendo DS later this year. The updated version of the handheld will apparently feature a built-in camera and music playback, plus improved wireless capabilities allowing the handheld to connect to ‘information terminals’ in a bid to expand non-gaming features.

While a camera would open up new gameplay options I don’t see the point myself as the already installed mic is nothing more than a gimmick that many games don’t bother using or it’s not a massive part of gameplay when they do (plus it makes you look like an idiot when you’re shouting into it on the train). Plus, cameras and music playback are already basic features of any new mobile phone hitting the market - especially in Japan where mobile phone usage is extremely high.

In Japan the new DS will apparently be priced below 20,000 yen as the current DS price there is 16,800 yen. It will be launched in Japan first and will have to sell “several hundred thousand units” before being released overseas, which would probably be easy to do for Nintendo so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see one on our shores within a year or two.

Nintendo have not outright denied the rumor. Instead, they had this to say:

“We are always developing new products. However, since nothing has been announced officially, we are unable to comment at this time.” - Famitsu (Via Kotaku)

Take it as pure speculation right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be true. With Sony having released an updated version of the PSP (and another update due for release in October) it would make sense for Nintendo to update their own handheld. We don’t even have to speculate how it would sell as anyone with common sense will know they’ll sell by the truckload.

Nintendo To Debut Camera-Equipped, Music-Playing DS In Late ‘08 - Nikkei Net [Subscription required] (Via Kotaku)