Da Daily Dank

It wouldn't be a Sony hardware launch without leaks foreshadowing an
announcement. That was even one of their key jokes at E3 2009 --
acknowledging that everyone knew what to expect from PSP Go before it
was properly unveiled. And now history is repeating itself, because
though Sony hasn't said anything on the record, word is out that a
second generation PSP is on the way.


But as with any news of this sort, it can be hard to tell which rumors
to believe -- it's a safe bet that some of what you've heard is
accurate, some is exaggerated, and some is wrong. So in an attempt to
cut through the noise, we rounded up what we've heard about the new
system, talked to a couple developers familiar with it, and put
together a breakdown of what we expect to see from Sony once they
officially show it off.

What Makes This One Different?

When the original PSP shipped, Sony had the most powerful handheld on
the market and drove home that point as much as possible -- marketing
their games as ambitious, graphically impressive, and in many ways on
par with home console titles. Depending on your perspective, this was
either counterintuitive to the concept of a portable system (where many
players only play games for a few minutes at a time), or a breath or
fresh air that allowed for more substantial games.


From what we've heard, Sony is maintaining a focus on these kinds of
games for the new system, with the system described as roughly half as
powerful as PlayStation 3, and as such far more powerful from a
computing perspective than Nintendo's 3DS.


Combine that with a screen described by one developer as "like the
iPhone 4's retina display, but better," and it seems pretty clear that
the platform is being built for high-end games. We can confirm the
rumored Uncharted spin-off game is real and in development as a
showpiece game along these lines.


But unlike the first PSP, Sony is also including various
control/interface options to allow for less traditional game concepts.
According to developers we talked to, the feature list includes a touch
pad on the back of the system to allow touch controls without fingers
obstructing the screen, front- and back-facing cameras which will
likely lead to augmented reality games, left/right and front/back tilt
controls similar to those in the PS3's Sixaxis, and dual analog sticks
to fix one of the main complaints of the original PSP's setup.


Essentially, the system seems as if it's been designed to allow
developers to be as traditional or as outside-the-box as they choose.

And Sony Loves 3D, Right?

Given how much marketing Sony has put behind PS3 3D games in the past
couple years, it's unusual to think that Nintendo's portable focus is
3D, and Sony's is not, but that's what we're hearing.


A cynical view here could suggest that Sony is pushing PS3 3D to help
sell 3D-enabled TVs, and thus they don't have as much of an interest in
doing that with their portable system, while an optimistic one could
point out that not having 3D features in the handheld will allow
developers to focus more on the graphically-ambitious traditional games
that the original PSP was known for, since they won't have to spend
development or hardware resources making things work in 3D.

What Will It Look Like?

Back in November, website VG247 posted photos of a development kit
version of the system showing a design with a sliding base similar to
the PSP Go, which led many to[..]ume that the system's final design
would be similar. VG247 later updated their story, saying that the
final design will be more along the lines of the original PSP.


We've heard similar things, and that there have been at least five
different looks for the development kits in developers' hands.
Seemingly, Sony is returning to the non-sliding design in part because
they want to distance themselves from the bad taste PSP Go left in
players' mouths.


Further distancing itself from the original PSP, the new system will
also not use UMDs, but instead use Flash-rom carts, which will help
publishers manufacture games more quickly should they need to ramp up
production when a game sells out.



But When I Turn It On...

One of the main interface changes is that now each game will have its
own space that you visit before you jump in and start playing. Think of
it like what you currently find on PSN, with the ability to look at
friends lists, download bonus content, and find other options relevant
to whatever game you load up.

Is It Really Called PSP2?

Poke around online, and it's clear that a lot of people[..]ume that's
the name -- us included, if you look at the title of this article. But
according to developers, Sony refers to the hardware under the codename
"VITA." Realistically, we can't imagine seeing the name VITA in stores;
it likely just exists so insiders can talk about the thing in secret.


From that perspective, "PSP2" seems like a safe bet. There's always the
possibility that Sony could go with a different name, though, perhaps
in part to position themselves favorably against Nintendo's 3DS.
Remember that when Microsoft named their second Xbox, they didn't want
to be viewed as Xbox "2" compared to PlayStation "3," so they came up
with Xbox "360" instead. Since Nintendo's system has a "3" in the
title, Sony might not want a "2" in theirs.

When Will We Hear More?

According to trade website MCV, Sony will formally announce PSP2 -- or
whatever it ends up being called -- on January 27th at a press
conference in Japan. 1UP is attending that event, though Sony won't say
what it's for at this point, but these things don't get much more
obvious, especially considering it makes sense Sony would want to get
the word out before Nintendo puts 3DS on sale.


Current rumors peg the system to then launch in late 2011, but we don't
know for certain on that front. If true, that will put it right in the
middle of one of Sony's busiest holidays for PS3, with games like
Uncharted 3 and The Last Guardian hitting stores at around the same
time.