It's one of three concepts he did; including an "Xbox 720" which looks like - I dunno what the hell it looks like. And a "PSP2" that looks like a reading glasses case, until you roll out its OLED screen.

Remember: These are not real. The design isn't created or commissioned or endorsed by Sony or Microsoft. But these may be for sale in the Phillippines, who knows.

Tai Chiem's Gaming Systems of the Future [Core77 via UberGizmo]

This source repeats earlier rumours surrounding the design of the system - such as the fact it features a sliding screen (which reveals game controls) and also boasts touchscreen capabilities - while also mentioning some other stuff, such as the release window and the fact that, once you slide the controls out from under the screen there will be a D-pad, face buttons and two thumbsticks.

Yup. Two thumbsticks. Finally.

As of writing, Sony have yet to respond to requests for comment. Though you have to wonder, with the rumours increasing in number and gradually zeroing in on a common set of features, whether Sony will have something to reveal at E3 in a couple of months.

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

"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."

Perry said he is excited about the news.

"I've been pounding on Sony for a long time to make the PlayStation Portable relevant and not to let Apple stroll away with the portable game market," he said. "Look at what Apple is doing now. Why are so many investors investing in Apple game development? Trying to pitch a PSP game to investors right now is brutal."

The idea of a UMD-free PlayStation Portable begs the question of how games will be loaded onto the device.

Perry believe it will be done through digital downloads and direct connect to a computer.

The ultimate goal, he says, is for the PSP to go 100 percent digital. Not only would that allow Sony to have a more direct connection with their customers and get a larger piece of the sales pie, it would essentially kill the used game sales market.

As a stopgap to keep retailers like GameStop interested in selling the PlayStation Portable 2, which they make little to no money on, Perry thinks that Sony would at least initially sell games for the device on Memory Sticks, as they currently do with some movies, or with pre-paid cards.

As for backwards compatibility, it stands to reason, Perry says, that all current PSP titles would show up on PlayStation's online store.

While Perry insists that the PSP2 is real, and already been developed for, a lot of the details about distribution and release are more speculative on his part.

It does make sense that games will one day go digital only, it seems inevitable. But is now too soon for something like the PSP?

"I hear Sony FINALLY has the PSP 2. And thank goodness, they've removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive. I'm excited!" Perry wrote on both his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

It is unclear if he has seen the rumored new Playstation Portable himself or is just hearing rumors through the development community.

This rumor is the latest in a series of rumors to hit the net in the past month or so, including one from IGN and another from VG247.

If it's true that the Playstation Portable 2 won't feature a UMD disc drive, than I'd say it's likely it will instead rely on Memory Sticks and downloads through the Playstation Network Store. The bigger question is whether such a device could be backwards compatible, and if so how it would work.

There has been an awful lot of news about the PSP coming out lately, so I think it's a safe bet to say that we can expect something from Sony about the next iteration of the Playstation Portable at E3.

Update: We've talked to David Perry to get a few more details on what he knows and how he knows it.

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]

As IGN points out though, things like an iPhone-esque multi-touch interface wouldn't come as a surprise to virtually anyone. It's practically guaranteed to have one, so we'd consider this more than a safe bet — it's an inevitability.

Sony's been fishing for public opinion recently on what PlayStation faithful would want from a follow-up to the original PSP, surveying its customers on potential hardware features. These included a touchscreen, naturally, as well as a smaller form factor, Bluetooth support, and built-in storage, among many other things.

With the PSP's fifth birthday rolling around this December, a full-fledged hardware update wouldn't be out of the question, just unlikely. With the company focusing on software updates for the current PSP and a transition to digital distribution still ongoing, plus a money losing PlayStation 3 still weighing down the PlayStation business, we'd think a proper PSP2 is still some time off.

But I guess it depends on what your definition of "on the horizon" is. With a good 18 months between the announcement of the first PSP and its ship date in Japan, we'd think 2010 at the earliest. Who wants to take bets?

Rumor: PSP 2 Coming Soon [IGN]

Kotaku reader Charlie forwarded us details on the survey, which asks a the participant to rank a suite of currently unavailable features from least to most desirable. Some of the more interesting technical aspects it looks like Sony is looking into are things like touchscreen functionality, built-in GPS features, Bluetooth wireless support and internal data storage.

Most of that we've heard in rumor form at one point or another. Possible features we have heard less conjecture about include services like an "e-comic/book download" via the PlayStation Network and social networking functions for the PSP, including Home support.

The survey asked about possible PSP features including, but not limited to:

• Was smaller, yet retained most of the current PSP's screen size
• Offered social networking functionality on the XMB
• Included a keyboard for easer internet browsing and communication
• Offered Bluetooth wireless support for easy pairing with other devices
• Had a touch screen
• Had an improved screen for more dynamic graphic displays
• Offered the ability to find others near you who want to connect for online gaming
• Offered an e-comic/book download service through the PlayStation Network
• Included a hard drive for memory storage

We're checking in with other sources to see if there's any truth to these feature adds, but expect that much of this fall under speculation.

He says that numerous development sources have it all totally wrong! According to Koller, all Sony are doing is "pushing developers away from its "Universal Media Discs" and towards digital distribution of games via the PSP store". That's all!

In other words, Mr. Koller would like us all to believe that a number of developers who develop for the PSP could not differentiate between this "push" and developing for an all-new handheld.

Not the strongest "no plans" denial we've seen, then, but it gets points for its creative "explanation"!

Exclusive: Sony PSP2 Rumors Bogus, No New Handheld Gaming Gadget Coming (SNE) [Silicon Alley Insider]

If correct, this means Sony's second handheld console is, what...a year away? Two at the most? Sounds about right, when you consider the original PSP launched in 2004. Five-to-six years is a healthy lifespan for a handheld.

Still, that's all pie-in-the-sky stuff at the moment. It's for the distant future. Closer to the present is news that, in the meantime, Sony plans another iteration of the current PSP, the PSP-4000. Due for release in late 2009, no other details were mentioned, though with a new PSP on the horizon any changes would surely be minor ones.

PSP-4000 in 2009, PSP2 later [Eurogamer]

They claim that a recent announcement by Britain's Imagination Technologies - in which the company boasted of having licensed their "high-performance graphics processor core to a major international consumer electronics company" - actually meant Imagination had inked a deal with Sony to supply the graphics processors for a PSP successor. That's according to EETimes' sources, at any rate.

On the one hand, it's certainly plausible: Imagination are also the team behind the iPhone's graphics processor, though the one mooted for the PSP2 - the unannounced SGX55x - is obviously more powerful. But on the other hand...this is some vague, vague stuff.

Anyway, neither party is going to come out and provide confirmation on this, so don't bother waiting for any. Instead, spend your time wondering what this news/rumour even means to you, since it doesn't hint at a release date and concerns a processor that's not even out yet!

Has Imagination added Sony to Apple consumer design win? [EETimes, thanks Bruce!]

Screw cloning Harrison, if only we could patent or trademark that shiny noggin of his! Then we'd own him. Phil Harrison®, All Rights Reserved.

HAND-HELD WITH TOUCHSCREEN [US Patent & Trademark Office via Register Hardware]

Let's just say we had mixed results. So hit the jump to vote for your favorite of our best picks. Then laugh to your heart's content at everyone else.

Genuinely Great Ideas

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Now for more entries...

People Who Just Swapped Analog Sticks/Added More

The Chick Who's Not So Hot But Wears A Lot Of Make-up So We'd Probably Hit It

Haha, Very Funny

The Penis Guys

WTF

Thanks to everyone for entering! There's nothing like offering no prize and barely any recognition to bring out the best (and worst) in people.

[lead image]

Thanks Timothy!

So it's with this altruistic motive that I am hereby announcing the official Kotaku PSP2 Design Challenge. Quite simply, you draft an incredible PSP2 design (like this bad boy), and the readers will vote on their favorite. While I am unable to procure an official prize, know that the winner will be solely responsible for driving at least one Kotaku staffer completely mad. Let the games begin! (Email all entries to my address on the side of the page ASAP.) Oh, and here are four bonus shots of the latest entry by Paul Tobeck:

For those who like to indulge in the imaginary, here's the entire spec list:

How about we just take the old body, 32GB SSD and OLED screen and call it a day? Oh, and to any other PSP2 designers, this model is still my reigning champion. Can you dethrone it? Shoot me an email on the side of the page with your renders.

Thanks Nicolas!

Back in March, we brought word of a new and improved PlayStation Portable. But what good are the rumblings of new hardware without some of the details? Today, thanks to several sources close to Sony, we bring you that nitty gritty as the redesigned Playstation Portable nears completion.

Keep in mind this isn't Playstation Portable 2, but rather a redesign of the original, so it will be sporting the same internal hardware. But that's about the only thing that hasn't changed. The new Playstation Portable will have a much slimmer design, thanks mostly to a new LED screen that will deliver an ultra-crisp image but take up far less space. That LED also helps pump up the battery life of this sexy new model, which can last as much as four times longer than the original PSP. While the new PSP still makes use of the UMD drive, it will be a faster version and to help speed up loadtimes and gameplay, the portable will come packed with 8GBs of internal flash memory. Finally, the PSP's much maligned buttons have been revamped and the D-Pad has gotten a major overhaul, giving portable gamers something more like a Playstation 3 D-pad to play with.

The company is still trying to decide whether or not they want to include a built-in camera, as they weigh whether the cost of adding the device will be worth the benefit to gamers. Our money is on no camera because of the competitive price issues. Those of you holding out for a touchscreen are, unfortunately, going to have to wait, though word has it that it will most like make an appearance in Sony's next portable gaming device. While the new PSP will remain black, Sony is still trying to decide whether it will have a glossy or matte finish.

The final price for this new PSP hasn't been set, but Sony is hoping to sell it for under $170 or so. Manufacturing should commence in the upcoming weeks, and the product is going to be officially unveiled at this year's E3. The sale date being tossed around is August, but don't be surprised if it's pushed back to September. What's this reworked PSP called? It doesn't have a name as of yet, but may we suggest "PSP Slim"?

Sony Computer Entertainment of America declined to comment on "rumor or speculation."Brian Ashcraft

While no real details were discussed, Maguire did mention that the PSP's main strength will remain intact, with no changes planned for the size of the display.

When GamesIndustry.biz followed up with Sony after the event, however, they were told that Maguire was simply referring to the company's general strategy regarding console development.

"In the longest term, of course we are always looking at ways to continue our platform development, and this normal business practice is what Ray was referring to."

And not only that, it looks like it's coming later this year. There have been rumors ever since the DS Lite hit that Sony was also planning a redesign of its portable. Some of those rumors have ground in reality, some of them are just wishful thinking. Nothing official has been announced, and Sony has shot down any chatter regarding a redesign saying it's not happening. With all this, PSP2 looks to be a pipe-dream — Like it's not happening.

Apparently, it is.

Various third party and highly placed sources state that the PSP2 is coming. Speculation is swirling around the industry, and third party publishers are hoping to tie their games to the PSP2 launch. Thing is, Sony has yet to pass along any information about when that will be. Meaning we won't see big third party titles at launch.

Word has it that a big announcement will most likely hit at E3 with Sony unveiling the redesigned portable. An announcement of launch date (which should be sometime 4th quarter) is entirely possible as well. The redesigned product apparently does exist as this is what we've heard so far:

• The screen is gorgeous
• The loads are faster
• Improved buttons
• Internal flash — 8GB
• Possible touch-screen
• Possible built-in camera
• Uses UMD

The recent blockbuster success in Japan should prove that the PSP is anything but dead and deserving of a make-over. Stay tuned! Brian Ashcraft

Take a look at the "specs":

PSP (COBALT)
- All Metal & Ruggedized Rubber Build
- 200% Brighter Screen
- Dual Analog Controllers
- Visual Battery Display
- 8GB Flash Drive
- Wifi (a,b,g)
- Bluetooth V.2 (A2DP, AVRCP)
- Firmware 4.07

I'm not sure which fake specification I like better—the already determined firmware version or the 200% brighter screen. Both are hilarious! Good times. Michael McWhertor

Rumormill: PSP2, Codename Cobalt, Pictures, Details Leaked [Gizmodo]

According to game site Evil Avatar, the latest issue of PSM says Sony is going to roll out a new PSP in Japan next spring. Here are the details:

• Sony reached a deal with Samsung to purchase 8GB flash memory chips which will be built in according to industry reports.
• Miniature hard disk drives are out.
• It will be streamlined and thinner and lighter
• Sony is still expected to include a camera (still/video) of undertermined resolution as a buit-in feature of the new PSP.

These PSP 2: Electric Boogaloo rumors have been circulating for months now, and confirmation from PSM doesn't necessarily mean confirmation from Sony. Stay tuned and enjoy your current PSPs! Brian Ashcraft

More Here Thanks, M!