Rumblings of a true next-generation PlayStation Portable just won't go away, with the latest chatter pegging next month's E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles as the likely venue for its unveiling. Meanwhile, sales of Sony's current PSP models — including the new PSP Go — are taking a turn for the worse.
Gaming site MCV says it has a "senior industry source" who claims that unnamed gaming publishers are already "laying the ground[work] for an offensive on a brand-new iteration" of the PSP, with one publisher "waiting on a specific announcement from the platform holder" — i.e., Sony — "before it can reveal its future PSP plans."
So, what's Sony saying about all the PSP 2 rumors? "No imminent plans," according to MCV, which ran the latest buzz past a Sony rep.
Despite the denials, rumors of a supposed PSP 2 have been circulating for months, with the latest round of speculation coming in early April after a series of sightings of the term "PSP 2" in various online resumes.
Of course, Sony already released a new version of the PSP — the compact, UMD-less PSP Go — last fall, but sales of the pricey handheld ($249, versus $169 for the larger PSP 3000) have been disappointing, to say the least.
Indeed, in its latest financial report, Sony admitted that it sold just 9.9 million PSPs overall in its last fiscal year, down from 14.1 million PSPs sold in 2008, according to PC World — not the trend you'd hope for after putting a flashy new PSP on the market.
Granted, Gamasutra has noticed a spike in PSP sales in Japan with the release of one of the most anticipated PSP titles in a long time, "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker." (Heck, I might dust off my own, long-neglected PSP 3000 for that one.)
According to the PC World report, however, Sony expects the PSP situation to get worse before it gets better, with the consumer tech giant's own bean counters projecting PSP sales of just 8 million units for the coming fiscal year.
At the same time, Sony's handheld competitors are stepping up their own respective games, with the iPhone and iPad gaming markets booming and Nintendo set to show off a new DS with a 3-D display at June's E3 gaming convention.
While Sony is denying the PSP 2 rumors for now (although the "no imminent plans" thing sounds a little evasive to me), that doesn't mean we can't indulge in a little healthy speculation. My own personal PSP 2 wish list is already a matter of public record, including a new, higher-resolution display with "cutting-edge" graphics, and a new control scheme with a second analog stick. To that, I'd also add trophy support (not sure why I didn't mention that before).
Of course, this all assumes that we're talking about a true, next-generation Sony PSP, not just an update to the current, six-year-old platform.
Anyway, what about you: Think it's high time Sony unveiled a next-gen PSP? Will we see it unveiled at E3 next month, or do you think it's too soon after the release of the PSP Go? And what's on your PSP 2 wish list?
Despite the denials, rumors of a supposed PSP 2 have been circulating for months, with the latest round of speculation coming in early April after a series of sightings of the term "PSP 2" in various online resumes.
Of course, Sony already released a new version of the PSP — the compact, UMD-less PSP Go — last fall, but sales of the pricey handheld ($249, versus $169 for the larger PSP 3000) have been disappointing, to say the least.
Indeed, in its latest financial report, Sony admitted that it sold just 9.9 million PSPs overall in its last fiscal year, down from 14.1 million PSPs sold in 2008, according to PC World — not the trend you'd hope for after putting a flashy new PSP on the market.
Granted, Gamasutra has noticed a spike in PSP sales in Japan with the release of one of the most anticipated PSP titles in a long time, "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker." (Heck, I might dust off my own, long-neglected PSP 3000 for that one.)
According to the PC World report, however, Sony expects the PSP situation to get worse before it gets better, with the consumer tech giant's own bean counters projecting PSP sales of just 8 million units for the coming fiscal year.
At the same time, Sony's handheld competitors are stepping up their own respective games, with the iPhone and iPad gaming markets booming and Nintendo set to show off a new DS with a 3-D display at June's E3 gaming convention.
While Sony is denying the PSP 2 rumors for now (although the "no imminent plans" thing sounds a little evasive to me), that doesn't mean we can't indulge in a little healthy speculation. My own personal PSP 2 wish list is already a matter of public record, including a new, higher-resolution display with "cutting-edge" graphics, and a new control scheme with a second analog stick. To that, I'd also add trophy support (not sure why I didn't mention that before).
Of course, this all assumes that we're talking about a true, next-generation Sony PSP, not just an update to the current, six-year-old platform.
Anyway, what about you: Think it's high time Sony unveiled a next-gen PSP? Will we see it unveiled at E3 next month, or do you think it's too soon after the release of the PSP Go? And what's on your PSP 2 wish list?
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