Now there's a thought.

Initially my thought was PSN Points, but then it occured to me that you could actually just throw out cards that're good towards downloading specific titles and then just sell them as if they were games.

This would work a little better as it would give retailers an incentive to market games as they have been. That said though, putting the games onto flash cards would still work better.

To put it simply, while downloading a couple hundred MB title on a broadband connection isn't a big deal, downloading multi-gig files is, at least to a degree, and if you don't have broadband, or low quality broadband, even downloads a couple hundred MB itself becomes a pretty big deal.

Besides that, there are two other things to consider. The first is the simple fact that SDD's of significant size still cost quite a bit of money right now, and if all games were stored on such a drive a large one would be necessary. The second, and probably most important thing to remember, is retailers don't actually make much money off selling game hardware.

Being in the software business I would not expect the president of Acclaim to know this, but retailers only sell portables and game consoles, so they can turn around and sell videogames with a solid profit margin. Well if all games are distributed digitally, than retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, Gamestop, have little incentive to carry the hardware, let alone push it.

It's the old razer and razorblades business model, and for this model to work, retailers need to be able to keep selling razorblades. So completly digitally distributed gaming simply cannot work in this industry.

That being said, Mr. Perry is probably correct about a PSP2 being in development, and his reasoning as to why Sony needs a new PSP is pretty spot on for the most part.

However I would point out that while the iPhone is a factor in all this, the dominance of the Nintendo DS is the main reason the PSP has struggled and will likely continue to do so. All the iphone does to this equitation, is throw in another competitor to take up some of the oxygen Sony has been struggling to get.

So, yes, expect to see a new PSP. Expect it to be a little more powerful, a little more easy for developers with a PC background to develop for, and for it to have expanded functionality for both gaming and non-gaming tasks.

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If Sony launches this as Perry says it is, then I will start counting the months till SCEA and SCEJ go under because this is the worst way possible to not only deal with the PSP's shortcomings but show developers and retailers that when the chips are down, it's time to abandon ship. GameStop..and every other retailer will just cram the PSP and the PSP2 into a 2x4 second of the store..if they don't just tell Sony to go screw itself, 'ala Kay-Bee and Sega. Developers will very likely do the same because the device will never gain any real noticeable marketshare and stick with not only the DS and DSi, but be all aboard when Nintendo launches in about two years it's next gen handheld.

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No popping UMD disk, no power hungry UMD drive, hopefully support for new video formats. If it's cheaper and as nifty as the 'leaked' pictures have shown it to be, I might pick one up. But as it stands the PSP is too expensive for the package, not enough software, although that remote play thing sounds nice...

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Then I realized this is Sony we're talking about here. Of course they'd make a stupid decision like this. I wish them luck in changing the landscape of portable gaming but the only reason iPhone/iPod Touch game sales are so high is because the same people who buy iPhones/iPod Touches are the same people who are willing to spend inordinate amounts of cash on uselessly poor games. They are, in essence, the [i]rich casual[/i] market. Whereas the DS is for the [i]average-to-poor casual[/i] market, not to mention the all-over gamer market. A new PSP is not going to reach either of these people.

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The UMD drive is antiquated, inefficient, and a total drag on what could otherwise be an outstanding device. Removing it will only mean greater battery life, more flexibility, less bulk, and a more elegant experience.

As for backward compatibility, that's a tough one. External drives for ripping games directly to the storage media come to mind, but that's as antiquated as the device itself. Other options like credit programs, etc. come to mind, too; but more than likely UMD supporters will be left in the dust, especially given Sony's attitude toward BC in the PS3. That definitely sucks, but like HD-DVD, it's not as though the player you already own doesn't work. Let's just hope all those moving parts hold up.

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Especially THIS YEAR.

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Games must not be coupled to a given unit - even if you're allowed to download them again, or reauthorize your backups of them with another unit via Sony, I do not want to depend on an external service to use products that I've fully paid for. I'd keep the current paradigm where if you get another PSP, you can pop in your games and memory card and play them.

I know that under a lot of modern licenses the game data is incidental and the gamer buys a revokable, no guarantees license to play for as long as they see fit to allow you - that's bullshit though. If you want to lend me a game, do it for $1-10, not $40-80 because I won't pay that much for it.

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Hell, gaming on the Iphone right now is a joke without a standard interface. I used to like Dave Perry but jeez....what the hell...

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Looking at the longterm, their survival completely depends on making sure physical media is the primary delivery method of every gaming system.

I would be stunned to see Sony drop disc or carts completely.

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"I spoke to a developer who is working on it right now," he said. "I know this developer is already working on it, so that means they have a prototype. That would sound like a fall release to me."

I mean if they're working a prototype as we speak then that means the hardware isn't finalized yet. How can a hardware that's not even in its final stages be ready to ship this fall? What with marketing,ramping up production and whatnot. From what I've gathered before it takes at least a good year for hardware to be properly distributed and manufactured.

Plus the PSP is really selling well nowadays. I doubt they'd jeopardize its performance by announcing a successor this year. An announcement would all but kill the momentum it has.

We all know a PSP2 is coming. Just not now. I'd expect an announcement about it to be made during E3 of '10 or TGS '10 at the earliest with the handheld itself being released maybe a year and half later.

As for a no UMD slot, possible but I highly doubt they'd go the digital-download only route. Seeing as that will alienate a lot of consumers. Heck I have a decent internet connection but I don't want to constantly download my games. A lot of people want to be able to have a physical copy of whatever it is they bought. Not to mention they'd be pissing of a lot of major retailers if they did that...

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The notion of the PSP 2 USED to be exciting. Given that Sony kept pretending the first PSP was a success and drove it into the ground, it's going to take a LOT for me and other people to care about the PSP 2. I've already got a phone that does everything for me and can handle a little bit of tetris. I gave up portable gaming after the Game Boy Micro because the DS still hasn't proven itself and the PSP is a stillborn concept. If I can see some killer games and some hardware that justifies itself for purchase, count me in. And if we can get some improved PS3 connectivity going, we'll have something special for sure.

Quick disclaimer- David Perry is a dumbass and has never made a good game in HIS LIFE.

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I think this guy is wrong, but then again, it wouldn't be the craziest thing SONY's ever done.

Why not ship games on memory sticks? Aren't those cheap enough (to the manufacturer) yet?

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