Isaiah's Tech

Sony hasn't officially announced the price for their NGP gaming handheld so that means it's time for everyone to speculate on it. The latest rumour on the street says that Sony intends to launch the gaming handheld for $250 and $350. The cheaper model will be without 3G connectivity, while the more expensive one will feature it for Internet on-the-go. That's really all there is to it, so you might as well start saving now.

[Slash Gear]

This is the day that's been marked on my calendar for a while. It's Sony's press conference where they kicked things off by announcing the upcoming PlayStation Suite. This functionality will bring PlayStation content to other devices and will be available before the end of the year; this includes Cross Platform and Cross Device and that basically means it'll bring the content to Android phones and tablets (think XPERIA Play / PlayStation Phone). Sony also announced that they'll be launching the PlayStation Store for Android devices and, yes, that's definitely for the XPERIA Play - as long as all of the other Android devices which is pretty amazing.

Of course, we had to wait about a half hour for the juicy stuff. What you see above is what we know as the Sony PSP 2 but they kept on referring to it as the NGP (Next Generation Portable). It features a 5-inch OLED touchscreen display with a 960 x 544 resolution, a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, a quad-core Power VR SGX543MP4+ GPU, dual analog sticks (thank you!), dual cameras, 3G / WiFi b/g/n / Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support, GPS, a six-axis motion sensing system, and even front / back touchpads. Unlike the original PSP and PSP Go, this new gaming handheld from Sony will use flash cards for games which looks quite similar to SD cards but they might be slightly different. The NGP will be available this holiday season (in black and white) so it's still about 9 months away or so.

Sony was quick to tell us what games would be headed to the NGP, including: Killzone, Call of Duty, Reality Fighters, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance, Hot Shots Golf, Metal Gear Solid, and Uncharted. Some of them got a demo and some of them didn't but it's good to see that they'll definitely be keeping a great line-up when it comes to the games. Engadget mentioned that they look pretty darn good, but they're not PS3 level graphics which was a rumour that was clearly too good to be true. Sony went through a lot of boring stuff that was probably important but I really didn't feel like throwing them into the post. If you want a recap of the whole event then just head over to the link below! And no, you won't find a true name for this product, everyone that got on stage called it the NGP. We'll definitely be seeing this again at E3 later this year! Check out the official word from Sony here.

[Engadget]

We've been hearing PSP 2 rumours for a while now and what you see above could be the first photo of it. The next gaming handheld device from Sony should get official in two days but the photo above could be extremely accurate. It's got a large touchscreen display, dual analog sticks, but I can't find the front-facing camera on this one. Obviously, it's unconfirmed right now but it's apparently a Sony-made picture. Either way, things will be official in just two days folks!

[Kotaku]

Bloomberg has just mentioned a few bits of information regarding Sony's near future. Apparently, on January 27th Sony's event in Tokyo will definitely be about the next PSP (PSP 2) and then at MWC, which takes place in a few weeks, we'll see the official announcement of the PlayStation Phone - could be called the XPERIA Play. There's not much left to tell you here so we'll really just have to wait for the official announcements.

[Engadget]

Sony is rumoured to be announcing their PSP 2 in the next few weeks. Apparently, the public event will be taking place in Tokyo, Japan on January 27th. Rumoured specs haven't been confirmed yet but it should have a touchscreen display, a trackpad, a microphone, a front-facing camera, and dual analog sticks. It likely won't have 3D capabilities but let's hope that the battery will run a lot longer than Nintendo's 3DS does. Mark the date on your calendars people!

Update: Kotaku has mentioned that Sony is telling a few people that the PSP 2 is as powerful as the PS3. I would love for this to be true, so let's hope this really is the case. I might actually buy one if it's that powerful.

[Electronista]

Two photos coming from vg247 may have just busted open the rumour mill regarding the next-gen PSP. Apparently, the pictures you see above and below are being dubbed the PSP 2. The blurry photos actually don't tell us much so thankfully there are big bright red arrows and labels. In prototype form, the PSP 2 is rumoured to feature a microphone, a front-facing camera, dual thumbsticks, a rear-facing camera, and a trackpad on the back. However, these photos are reportedly an older prototype because the new prototype does not slide, like the PSP Go. Do you believe these?

[1 UP]

Although it's not what is pictured above, there are new rumours for the next-generation PSP. Apparently, the PSP2 is going to feature a touchscreen display, two cameras (front and back), WiFi, "trademark physical PlayStation buttons" (I hope that means two thumb sticks), and possibly 3G. Apparently, there are already "finished units" floating around in the UK and games are being made in Britain right now. The PSP2 is said to be "fucking powerful" and it's based on a four-core Cell CPU (for comparison's sake, the PS3 has an eight-core Cell CPU).

Although Sony was hoping to get the PSP2 out this year, it's now scheduled for a 2011 release. Some games will likely be teased before the year ends though. Sadly, there's a "99 percent" chance that this won't be revealed at E3 - they're likely saving it for TGS.

[vg247]

Take this rumour with a grain of salt. We already know that Sony will be showing off their PlayStation Move at E3 this year, but apparently they'll be showcasing something even better than that. The latest rumour states that Sony will be pulling the curtain on the PSP 2. This rumour is being started because of "a significant increase in marketing spend" for the end of this year and with PSP Go sales not going so well they [Sony] have to have something else up their sleeve, right?

[Kotaku]

According to the latest rumour, there will be a PSP-4000. We already know about the PSP Go, but this one will be a little bit different - more like the PSP's we already know and love. This one will be a part of the PSP-1000, PSP-2000, and PSP-3000 line-up; it'll be the direct successor to the PSP-3000, and this means that it will have the UMD slot. This comes from a source who told us about the PS3 Slim earlier this year.

Personally, I think Sony is doing this because there could be a lot of people out there that don't want their UMD games to go to waste. Maybe it'll also feature a sliding screen? We'll just have to wait and see.

[Crunch Gear]

The rumours continue about the infamous PSP2. The PSP Go hasn't even rolled out yet and Eurogamer has claimed that they have scooped up some specs for the true successor of the PSP. According to the source, the PSP2 will be "built around a newer version of Imagination Technology's PowerVR SGX543MP and is now being codenamed "Hydra". Hydra - a quad-core chip - will deliver 133 million polygons per second and will support OpenGL 2.0 and DirectX 10.

It's just a rumour, so don't get too excited yet. What would really be exciting is if it had 2 thumbsticks!! If this is slated for a late 2010 / early 2011 release date, won't this technology already be outdated? That's what I'm wondering.

[Gizmodo, Slash Gear, Kotaku]

Were you one of the many PSP Go fans out there who couldn't wait to get their hands on the new 480MHz CPU? Well, that sucks for you because Sony Computer Entertainment has just cleared up the whole situation. According to them, the "Maximum clock frequency mentioned here is for the USB device, not the CPU." It's okay, I'm sad too. Looks like the 333MHz CPU is here to stay, unless Sony surprises us.

[Engadget]

According to the latest news, the sliding screen, etc. is not the only new feature in the PSP Go. The processor is actually 40% faster than the original. The PSP-3000 contained a 333MHz CPU, meanwhile the PSP Go reportedly has a 480MHz CPU. We don't know what it'll be used for yet, but the CPU bump shouldn't be taken as a bad thing.

[Joystiq]

The PSP Go has been "confirmed" to be announced at this year's E3 (in 2 or so days), but here's the first leaks. I really hope that this is not official because I was hoping that the next PSP would have 2 thumb sticks instead of one. It looks like it is official though, since it's dated as a June 2009 Qore video, which would be perfect for E3. The PSP Go! looks like it will have 16GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, and an undisclosed memory slot, but it could be the rumoured HG-Micro. Just in case you're still interested in the PSP-3000, no worries because they will both be on the shelves at the same time - at least for a little while. Look out for the official announcement in just a couple of days.

[Engadget]

How could you forget about the PSP Go!? Well, it looks like it could be using the Memory Stick HG-Micro that was announced at CES. The transfer rate on the HG-Micro is 60MB/s, which makes it about 40MB/s faster than the Memory Stick Duo. We'll see if this news turns out to be real. Well, it looks like the PSP Go! Rumours could be true, since news / rumours just seems to be picking up.

[Joystiq]

Yes, this is the latest rumour on the street. The new PSP will be called the PSP Go! The Go! will have a touchscreen and will be UMD-free. It will also reportedly have 8 / 16GB of flash memory built-in, and 2 thumbsticks for your gaming. The PSP Go! is said to be announced by Sony at this year's E3, so it would be a disappointment if this doesn't happen. The Go! is said to be available before this year ends (perhaps Fall). Pricing is, of course, still unknown. Don't forget that the image above is still just a mock-up. The screen could be sporting an 800 x 480 resolution and I hope that it has multitouch. We'll have to see if these rumours are true, come E3. This looks exciting!!

[Tech Radar, Electronista]

Yes, the PSP 2 is "real," and that's according to Insider Source. Apparently, Sony reps have already shown off the so-called PSP 2 and someone has mentioned some of the physical features. This includes: rounded edges, dual analog sticks, a small sliding screen, similar size and thickness as the current PSP and no UMD drive. No, this reoccurring picture is still not a real picture of the rumoured PSP 2, so don't get your hopes up. Patapon 2 looks like it is the test dummy for the PSP 2 and if it fails, they could scrap the PSP 2 as a whole and bring back the UMD. We'll see happens at E3

This is yet another so-called "confirmed" news. Remember that PS3 price cut? Well, it looks like that $100 USD price cut will be announced at E3 this year by Sony. Like the PSP 2, we'll see what happens at E3. I'm excited and I really hope it's a big event for Sony.

[PS3 QJ]

The iPhone has it, BlackBerry will get it, and the Nokia N97 could have it pre-installed. Skype is being implemented in some our smartphones today. Nintendo wants to join this VoIP trend mentioning that it is a "possibility." The Nintendo DSi camera is not all that great, but it's better than nothing, right? Skype on the DSi will obviously come with no costly contracts, so it would definitely be a good free addition to your gaming handheld. Only time will tell and Nintendo DSi fans are probably hoping this dream comes true, even if DSi owners are a bit young - besides Beyonce.

If the Nintendo DSi gets Skype, I wouldn't be surprised to see the PSP 2 with it as well.

[Tech Radar]