According to unnamed developers, Sony is readying a new iteration of its PlayStation Portable. Whether you call it the PSP 2 or PSP-4000, the rumored new version sounds like the most radical change to date.

That's because it's going to drop the battery-draining, bulk-adding UMD drive, according to word from Acclaim chief creative officer David Perry. Similar rumblings from Eurogamer say that Sony has dropped the UMD reader, adding a "sliding screen" that may mean a more compact piece of hardware.

Citing an anonymous "development source close to Sony," Eurogamer also says that the next PSP—which Sony may opt to simply call the PSP-4000—will arrive with games that can be played using only the shoulder buttons for playing while the sliding screen is in its closed position.

Eurogamer points to titles like LocoRoco for the PSP that could be played using only those buttons, but that game does use one of the face buttons for gameplay. The outlet mentions that "most controls will be inaccessible" while closed.

The new PSP is speculated to hit later this year.

Developer backs up PSP-4000 chatter [Eurogamer]

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