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Report: Sony will unveil new PSP at E3

New details are emerging on the new gaming handheld, which 1Up reports will be officially unveiled at E3. Launch predictions: September in Japan; October or November in U.S.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
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David Carnoy
2 min read
Artist's rendition of the PSP Go. 1Up.com

For the past couple months, we've been covering the ongoing rumors that Sony is prepping a new PlayStation Portable.

Well, more details are emerging, with game site 1Up.com reporting that Sony will trot out its new Universal Media Disc-less PSP at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June, targeting it for a September release in Japan, followed by a U.S. launch in October or November. While the potential name for the new unit hasn't been confirmed, there are indications that it might called the PSP Go.

As previously reported, the new PSP will allegedly slide open to reveal its controls. But those hoping for dual analog sticks may be disappointed--word is the new PSP will retain the same control scheme, as depicted in the mock-up above. Whether or not it has a touch screen is still up in the air, as 1Up says (much as I had previously) that it wouldn't be shocked if Sony borrowed "many design features from their Mylo 2 handheld Internet device, which is seemingly dead in the water."

1Up claims that the new PSP will come in two configurations: one that features 8GB of internal memory and another that has 16GB. There will be a memory card expansion slot, but that old-school UMD drive will disappear, with Sony moving toward a digital-download delivery system for games. "Since the UMD is going away, Sony will have over 100 classic and new PSP titles available for download at launch (Gran Turismo Mobile is said to be one of the premier launch titles)," 1Up says.

Apparently, Sony is looking to E3 to reinvigorate the PSP platform, which has seen fairly strong hardware sales but has lagged in the software department and now must contend with Nintendo's DS refresh, the DSi, and iPhone gaming.

Recently, Sony announced that such titles as Rock Band, Soul Calibur, LittleBigPlanet, Tekken 6, and MotorStorm would hit the console, and earlier this month, Sony Computer Entertainment America's director of hardware marketing, John Koller, told GameSpot that more than 50 percent of the PSP's 2009 lineup had yet to be announced.

This all sounds good, but naturally, we'll wait until we see official specs and pricing for the next-generation PSP before we get too excited.

What do you guys think? If these rumors are true, should Nintendo be worried?

(Source: 1UP via Kotaku)