Rumor: New PSP Confirmed, Will Compete With iPhone

It may be called the PSP-4000, or it may be known as the PSP 2, but either way, it seems inevitable that a new iteration of Sony's handheld will be on store shelves before the year is out.

Apparently, despite Sony's refusal to comment on a new model, PocketGamer has received inside confirmation that a new version is indeed coming, and it may be designed to rival the iPhone. In fact, their source revealed that not only will the unit arrive before Christmas 2009, but it will also feature traits that place it in direct competition with Apple. This new PSP will boast a large touchscreen - just like the iPhone - but Sony's gadget will also include the necessary gaming extras: the ol' familiar D-pad and, what everyone has been clamoring for, dual analog controls. Basically, this means that the new PSP will be able to handle both the standard handheld games that avid fans desire - titles like Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and God of War: Chains of Olympus - along with the simpler, more casual games that are currently available on Apple's Store. Furthermore, the new PSP titles will be on the PlayStation Store in the form of digital downloads, as UMD will fall by the wayside. Yeah, we figured that if a new PSP was to come, UMD wouldn't come with it.

Obviously, none of this is officially confirmed, but we expect to see the unveiling, if there is one, at E3. Obviously, the world of handheld electronics has exploded over the past decade and it's continually changing; this radically different PSP may be Sony's recognition of the current market situation. Perhaps the question gamers have is, should they be competing with Apple in the first place...?

4/7/2009 Ben Dutka

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Cpt_Geez
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:02:03 AM
Reply

Cool II cant wait until E3, if the new psp comes out this holiday season imma have to pick one up. Im wondering how much the lauch price will be.

Last edited by Cpt_Geez on 4/7/2009 11:02:24 AM

0 up, 0 down

crapreviews
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:02:17 AM
Reply

yay a new psp again. well guess once it is reveled it will be time to sell my current Blue psp lol

0 up, 0 down

Jed
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 12:49:04 PM

I really liked the blue psps. If you ask me they are the best looking ones yet. Even if this is true I would still probably hold on to my red psp

0 up, 0 down

crapreviews
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 3:45:58 PM

yeah i do like having the blue psp. still to this day people be like "thats a psp? where did you get that color?" lol

0 up, 0 down

cheeseburger
Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 4:34:54 PM

oh shit i just bought a psp slim and lite

0 up, 0 down

Ed_Wayne
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:08:33 AM
Reply

Should they be competing with Apple, you ask? Well, by the sound of this article they will be competing with Apple and Nintendo. Hardcore stuff like God of War and Crisis Core will still be available but they will also be able to go very casual too. If this is true thenI think it's pretty cool. I just want to see some PS3 games and stuff at E3. I like PSP but PS3 is the system that I play everyday.

0 up, 0 down

crapreviews
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:11:07 AM

i dont play my psp as much as i used to but it will be nice to see what will come from this new psp design if it is true.

as far as the ps3 im hoping to see tons of new info on games

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kevinater321
Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 11:11:50 AM

same :P but when LBP comes i wil probs play it waayy more often

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MadKatBebop
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:20:08 AM
Reply

I will totally bye this but I love the UMD and I hope I don't have to re bye games digitally I already own on UMD to play on the new one.

2 up, 0 down

crawdaddy
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:23:38 AM
Reply

Again, Sony is going to screw up. Just like dropping the hardware B.C. with upscaling on the ps3. What about all the people who would like to have the new psp, but own lots of umd games and movies ect... on umd's. Just throw those people out the door Sony. Besides we don't need a psp i phone. We need a great psp gaming machine. If Sony wants to compete with i phone then make something like it, but don't use the psp for it. Get your heads out of your a$$es Sony once and for all.

2 up, 1 down

Highlander
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 12:15:29 PM

Two PSP SKUs, one with UMD, one without.

Call them the PSP-4000 and PSP-Touch. The 4000 is a little thicker and heavier and has all the features of the touch but includes UMD. The PSP-Touch is a UMDless PSP featuring all the new features (touchscreen etc...) as well as all previous PSP features excluding - of course - the UMD.

It's just a theory though...

1 up, 0 down

Hubley
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 2:16:08 PM

they will probably give you a code for each game or movie that will allow you to digitally download them

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 4:59:19 PM

@Hubley

When you use a PSP connected to a PS3 to view downloaded video from the Sony PS Store, your PSP has to be activated for video. If not, it won't download it. Also if you copy a video file from someone else, the system is supposed to prevent you viewing it unless you view it on the device it was originally downloaded to. So, I can put a video on my PSP and watch it, but if I hand the memory stick to a friend to watch on their system, it shouldn't work, because their PSP isn't the registered device for the content.

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Akuma07
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 3:02:54 AM

i dont think Sony is stupid enough to throw out umd's with the current generation. maybe with the psp2. but thats a ways off.

im just waiting for the next model to drop so i can nab it, and FINALLY get all those psp games ive wanted for years.

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yak4life85
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:32:29 AM
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Sounds like I'm finally gonna pick up a psp later this year.

2 up, 0 down

telly
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:49:03 AM
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I'm definitely interested, but I'm not sold until I know three things:

1) graphics capabilities
2) how comfortable the dual stick set up will be in your hands
3) price

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alexmac77
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:51:07 AM
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Well, it should be twice as good as the iphone. Assuming Sony still uses a physical media drive, it should be many times better than any digital downloaded games on the iphone. I already believe that the PSP-3000 beats the iphone, except for the phone part. maybe they will incorporate an Erricsson type device.

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Troy Powers
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:55:39 AM
Reply

Slap in a 32GB flash drive, and basic phone capabilities and I'm sold. I'm not big on portable gaming, but if I can use it as a phone and mp3 player, I just might give it a shot.

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AnonymousPoster
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 12:01:14 PM
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If PSP goes all digital (with plenty of DRM nonsense, no doubt), I'm not coming with it. I do hope this is fake.

I will never buy a system where I'm spending money exclusively on intangible data.

I love my PSP, but no, I don't shell out for games without getting something physical in return.

3 up, 0 down

camaro300zx
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 12:06:39 PM
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With a price tag of $399.99

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convergecrew
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 12:10:05 PM
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Im a bit skeptical about how the memory aspect is going to work--removable flash memory or a pre-installed one? This could make all the difference in how convienient the UMD-less system will actually be.

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Naga
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 12:28:29 PM
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I swear Sony should do a portable toaster disc drive for the psp it would be awesome

2 up, 0 down

MadKatBebop
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 1:00:15 PM

For real man that would be off the chain!

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Banky A
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 12:22:30 AM

Amen.

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Jed
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 12:44:18 PM
Reply

Sounds pretty cool, but how will I play my umd games? I don't think customers would appreciate Sony dumping umd support. I don't that they will go with 2 skus, ala The Highlanders idea.

I'm surprised that I didn't consider it before, but it looks like they will use sixaxis tech if they want to compete with the iPhone.

all in all a very good sounding rumor, it's not too good to be true

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NoSmokingBandit
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 2:42:25 PM
Reply

Every iPhone game i have played has annoyed the hell out of me; touch screens do not work as the only input method. I still dont understand how apple is now a competitor in the game market. Wouldnt this psp compete better against the ds? Physical controls + touchscreen seems an awful lot like the ds...
Either way, this is all just interface stuff, im more interested in the guts of the machine. Cpu/ram upgrade? Is this actually a NEW psp, or just the old one with even more features?
I'll be keeping an eye on this though, im sure Ben will keep us updated when the spec sheets roll around.

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ThugNificent101
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 2:49:01 PM
Reply

they may not release the next psp with a umd drive, and if they dont, im curious to know how sony will handle the distribution. maybe they will release games via some type of memory device that you can simply transfer to your psp flash drive(assuming they add one) or play directly from the memory stick that the game came on.

Its possible that they can give a code to people who already have the game as well so that they can download it from the playstation store, but how they would go about it is questionable. It doesnt seem very... Sony like

Last edited by ThugNificent101 on 4/7/2009 2:51:07 PM

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Orvisman
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 3:29:40 PM
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I like in general.

I, however, still think Sony should include UMD for backward compatability. New PSP2 games can be download only.

1 up, 0 down

xnonsuchx
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 3:53:54 PM
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RUMOR of a CONFIRMATION? How sweet! :-)

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Ultimate_Balla
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 4:34:53 PM
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If The "No UMD" Thing Is Confirmed True, Then I Won*t Purchase It!

3 up, 0 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 4:46:28 PM
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i doubt they'd make it UMD-less, especially since Sony said that they very much like the UMD format

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Shatterday
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 5:11:17 PM
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UMD isn't a big selling point for me
i think a good question is why do people say that the iphone is competing with handhelds anyway... i haven't seen anything spectacular on that thing

damn... while we're asking questions, who the hell took my itouch? i lost that thing back in january... bastards

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kevinater321
Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 11:21:15 AM

SAME

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Kangasfwa
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 5:34:01 PM
Reply

A UMD-less PSP is stupid idea and Sony knows it. If anything, new games will debut simultaneously on the Playstation Store and at retail.

On the PSP "Slide"
http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/02/11/this-fan-made-psp-redesign-is-sexy/

(the artilce says the "slide" is a fan design)

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Jian2069
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 5:50:46 PM
Reply

new psp

just what we need :
how about you work towards fixing all the faulty blu-ray drives sony...

1 up, 3 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 6:00:09 PM

too be honest i haven't heard any complaints on faulty blu-ray drives and if there are, stand-alone one's aren't sony's problem, only the ps3's

2 up, 1 down

Orvisman
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 10:30:08 AM

What faulty BluRay drives? You make it sound like RROD epic proportions.

1 up, 0 down

Infinite7
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 6:48:50 PM
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My question is how are you going to be able to transfer all of your UMDs and saves to the drive? I can't transfer my saves from the 1000 to the Lite.

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LyleCapua
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 7:53:08 PM
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Who puts "rumor" and "confirmed" in the same headline? Ben Dutka, that's who.

0 up, 1 down

Alienange
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 9:12:34 PM

The "rumor" is that Pocketgamer claims to have "confirmation." What's wrong with that?

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NoSmokingBandit
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 10:47:25 PM

Ben is so awesome that he is both 100% sure and yet not sure at all at the same time.

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lionfire
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 11:31:02 PM
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i will be getting it...as long as i have a job.

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End of line
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 12:14:45 AM
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Dammit, not looking forward to carrying around an iphone and a psp "slide". Here's hoping for mobile functionality as a premium psp sku, if it does i'm selling my iphone in an instant.

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Advent Child
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 1:40:10 AM
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I dunno. I wouldn't put much stock in this. Too many things changing at once is bad for business. Adding all that and taking away is just too much I think. Especially when they have said they will support the current model for many years to come. Adding one feature like dual analogs I can imagine, but dual analogs, a touchscreen, and taking away UMD just sounds like a bad business move.

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TH3G4MEMASTER
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 5:38:38 AM
Reply

Oh YES!!!!! Finally a psp that actually does something !!What I mean is the psp 2000 was basicliy the same as the 1000 just a bit slimmer and had skype the psp 3000 which only had an extra microphone but if the new psp has touch capibilities then it will change the life of the psp forever!!! that's why i still have the psp 1000 but when this new psp comes out i will be the first person in the shops!!

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jamrock
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 10:01:39 AM
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I think you guys are over complicating the psp. The UMDs are going to be done with, if you want to play it then you have this psp to do it with. As far as getting the games to the psp its going to work like any other PSN download. Memory wise sony has aways been good with coming up with new tech for there systems. A while back didn't they mention some new tech they where working on for the psp, this might be it. I'm all for the digital download it cost less than UNDs.

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Orvisman
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 10:34:02 AM

"I'm all for the digital download it cost less than UNDs."

They won't.

The Warhawk and Burnout Paradise downloads on PSN have always been on price parity with the disc version. Expect the same for PSP2 downloads.

1 up, 0 down

bamf
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 6:52:40 PM
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Sony is bringing out the Sony Ericsson Idou (pronounced I Do, concept name) multimedia phone fairy soon, it has a 12mp camera and that will be competing with the iPhone. So I don't know about this rumor? Even the PSP phone isn't going to happen so I can't imagine a PSP with phone capabilities built in, its too big for a phone and I can't see Sony shrinking the size of the screen.

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giant123
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 6:53:22 PM
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NOOOOOOOOOOOO! i just got my psp =[

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HamsterBoy
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 7:57:48 PM
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I can tell you that the UMD Drive is not going anywhere. Sony has backward compatibility criteria that must be met. I've seen the spec and I don't know who at PocketGamer is leaking this miss-information but that is exactly what it is; MISS-INFORMATION. The PSP2 is not slated for release until 2Q 2011; market pressures notwithstanding. Sony is committed, I REPEAT, committed to the UMD therefore the PSP-4000 WILL have a UMD Drive and there will NOT be 2 skews for two different PSP-4000 iterations as only ONE iteration per localized PSP will exist in any given market other than various color variants that will be assigned by Sony proper in the various PSP vertical markets.

Sony is also committed to providing the end-user with the most advanced yet functional portable gaming solution possible while allowing the end-user to leverage their investment. Sony looks forward to meeting its obligation to gamers world wide.

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crawdaddy
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 @ 9:48:55 PM

So do you work at Sony? Where do you get your info? Can you back it up? If not quit spewing b.s. that no one could know because Sony is not saying.

3 up, 1 down

somethingrandom
Thursday, April 09, 2009 @ 12:38:35 AM
Reply

Sony does not need to maintain backwards comptibility. If you want to play a UMD game, you can still use your original PSP. It is not very big and doesn't have lots of cables, so you don't have nearly as much hassle keeping it and using it as you do an older console. I do however think games should be maintained at a retail level with a memory stick format instead of just digital download. This of course, is only my position if they don't increase the availability of PSN cards, and don't implement a method for all PSP users to have internet anywhere, independent of WiFi (like most cellular phones have).

0 up, 3 down

crawdaddy
Thursday, April 09, 2009 @ 3:28:59 PM

So, I should carry around 2 psp's; one with all the nice new features, and one with the umd drive.

1 up, 0 down

Minishmaru
Thursday, April 09, 2009 @ 3:26:43 PM
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If anyone can give Apple competition, Sony can :)

0 up, 1 down

HamsterBoy
Thursday, April 09, 2009 @ 11:20:24 PM
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crawdaddy - you're an absolute bipolar idiot.

You moan when you're told about Sony maintaining the UMD and then you moan when you are told that Sony may exclude the UMD from the next iteration of the PSP.

Sony HAS announced that the UMD isn't going anywhere and this information is already within the public domain;

re: John Koller's (Sony Europe) March 3 2009 announcement and I quote "Sony remains committed to the UMD."

AND

Mr. Koller's March 24th 2009 comment; "With the PSP-3000, it's a product that can either download content or use UMD. And I think that showcases our view of the content world over the next few years. PSP is a high-margin platform for us. And we look at the big rush of software that's coming as driving a lot of business."

I suggest that you do a little research prior to acting like a complete idiot on a public forum that is here to serve Sony customers with valuable information and insight.

Last edited by HamsterBoy on 4/9/2009 11:21:03 PM

0 up, 2 down

SnipeySnake
Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 12:51:01 AM
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Blu-ray UMD....xD

1 up, 0 down

HamsterBoy
Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 2:36:02 AM
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Blu-ray UMD.... LOL =)

1 up, 0 down

MadKatBebop
Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 7:32:54 PM
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Blu-ray UMD would be so cool!

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dhall0749
Saturday, April 11, 2009 @ 1:40:28 AM
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so how does this compete with the iphone? it sounds its going to be competing against the dsi and ipod touch unless the new psp has a camera and its own phone service(not skype) the iphone is in its own league apples to oranges.

c'mon sony my psp should be able to transport me from texas to japan by now jeez LOL

0 up, 0 down

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