Yesterday IGN, citing several credible sources, reported that the long-rumored Playstation Portable 2 is coming soon with a multi-touch screen, Bluetooth support, integrated GPS and a hard drive.

Today citing their own source close to Sony, MCV reports that "what we thought to be credible websites are making up stories about PSP2 and how it allows you to teleport across the globe, travel through time, and will be powered by the horns of baby rhinoceroses."

"Needless to say, we don't comment on rumour or speculation, but this is nonsense.”

The only thing better than an anonymous source, is an anonymous source lacking the backbone to put their face with the backhands they want to deliver to a publication. The best part is that despite the acrimony, MCV never gets around to having their source really deny the PSP2 rumor.

Personally, I hope that Sony doesn't plan to chase multitouch tech, and instead look into dual thumbsticks for any possible new iteration of their portable.

PSP 2 rumours are “nonsense" [MCV]

We don't feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing. We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else.

Isn't PR fun, kids? It's great for us—we love when spokespeople mouth off—but how is this helping Microsoft in any way? Michael McWhertor

Upgraded Version of Xbox 360 to Be Introduced by Microsoft [New York Times via Daily Tech]

I'm staying out of this one, but I would appreciate some inflammatory comments from both sides. *Looks at Xbox 360 crowd* Are you ready? *Looks at PS3 crowd" Are you ready? Let's get it on! Michael McWhertor

Xbox 360 vs. PS3 Graphics Comparison [Gamespot]

Earlier today, in a bit of theatrical teeth-gnashing, Lik-Sang announced they were shuttering their online store because of Sony's multiple legal actions against them for selling Playstation Portables from Asia to people in Europe. Now, I don't in anyway support the lawsuits Sony filed, I've purchased my share of games from Lik-Sang, but I think Lik-Sang was a bit over the top in their response.

"Fighting multiple lawsuits in different countries at the same time and paying high premiums to expensive lawyers is an overwhelming situation for a small company like Lik-Sang. Launching separate court actions with separate claims and different judges is completely unnecessary, except for the fact that it helps reaching one single target: outspend Lik-Sang to death. 'Pay Beyond.'"

And then, after a few hours, comes Sony's response filled with typical outrage and bluster, but also a few interesting tidbits. In the statement, sent to Games Industry, Sony points out that while they have successfully sued Pacific Game Technology, which owns Lik-Sang, they haven't received a dime and that the company didn't bother to show up to court to fight it.

"Lik-Sang did not contest this case (i.e. they did not turn up and therefore incurred no legal costs). We have been awarded substantial costs against Lik-Sang which have not been paid," the statement claims.

"We would therefore strongly deny that our actions have had anything to do with this website closing (we assume the legal entity is still trading), and would suggest that this release is sour grapes on behalf of Lik-Sang which is aimed to belittle Sony Computer Entertainment and the British judicial system that found against them."

OK, I get that, but then Sony claims that the oodles of PSPs that a number of SCE execs purchased through Lik-Sang were just purchased for "investigatory" purposes.

"The purchasing of PSP consoles by SCE employees would be for investigatory purposes. We would also like to express our surprise at a company releasing personal information about its consumers, as this is contrary to data protection principles around the world."

Oh, customer privacy. Good one. It's like watching a tennis match. Come on Lik-Sang, what do you have to say about that... oh and how about printing those execs' credit card numbers too. Brian Crecente

Sony denies responsibility for closure of Lik-Sang [GI]

The paper quotes Dr Versitz Piroska, the lawyer acting for MGE and Mithis, as saying: "A number of complaints have been filed with the Budapest police with regard to the illegal removal of software and hardware connected to the Battlestations: Midway, Joint Task Force and other games... [with complaints of] unlawful penetration into Mithis' computers, copying, sabotage and deletion of games' data and infringement of IP rights."

According to The Sunday Times, Budapest police have confirmed the basic details of the story, indicating that two investigations are proceeding on two separate subjects: "on suspicion of breaching of authorship rights law."

Today, SCi seemingly issued a statement saying that the newspaper may be confused, but doesn't appear to actually deny what the newspaper reported.

In a statement given to Gamasutra by SCi head of communications, Chris Glover, the company suggests that The Sunday Times has confused the games Battlestations: Midway and Joint Task Force as a single title and that the majority of complaints referred to in the article do not therefore relate to Battlestations: Midway. Indeed SCi suggest that there ware no specific allegations against the company.

SCi has admitted that in November 2005 the company exercised its contractual right to take over development of the game, following dissatisfaction with MGE. According to SCi, MGE then demanded compensation and when none was forthcoming made an official complaint to the authorities in Budapest, relating to the ownership of intellectual property rights.

Jane Cavanagh, CEO of SCi Entertainment said; "We would never normally comment upon such relatively minor matters and have only done so to clarify the position. We wish to correct what we believe are a number of misleading statements and material inaccuracies, particularly in this instance as allegations raised in the article appear to relate to a totally different and unrelated company or companies."

In my experience, when a company is under investigation for illegal hacking, theft and sabotage and they didn't do it, they usually just say so.

Very odd stuff going on over there. Brian Crecente

Breaking: SCi Denies Theft Reports on Battlestations: Midway [Gamasutra]

In an interview with Edge Magazine, Richard Huddy, European Developers Relations Manager for ATI, said that while the PS3 has lots of brute force, it s unrefined.

Q: You make it sound so unrefined!

A: [Laughs.] Well, yeah, but the tragedy is that it is unrefined. There's a lot brute force in there - I'd be the last person to admit it, but the truth is that the 7800GTX is a pretty powerful piece of hardware, but it's not very elegant, it hasn't got the kind of: 'Well, how do we design this to be the best possible console we can build for this money?' Instead it's been put together at the end of quite a complicated process. We have two very different design processes. If Microsoft had come to us and said: 'All right, what are we going to do about this graphics chip, then? Let's sign the contract and let's go', but then we'd got two thirds through and they'd said: 'Look, you guys aren't going to deliver - now what are you going to do?' and then walked away from us, they would have ended up with a design very much like the PS3 in some essential characteristics - it would have had to use bought-in components. And our GPUs instead are custom-designed components, and that's one of the fundamental reasons why I think Xbox 360 technology is likely to outperform PlayStation 3 technology by a pretty healthy margin in the long run.

ATI Says PS3 is Unrefined [Gamers Report]