Report Says Updated PSP Coming Soon

US magazine has the news that Sony will be releasing a flash-memory toting redesigned PSP next year. Sony, naturally, does not want to get involved in the rumours.

Sony may be convinced that its competitors are always stealing ideas from it, but it seems that the company could be taking a page out of Nintendo's book by releasing an updated version of its handheld.

According to unconfirmed and unsourced comments in the latest issue of US magazine PSM, Sony is planning to roll out an aesthetically overhauled and slightly improved PSP next year.

"It will not be the 'PSP 2,'" says PSM, according to a report at Future Publishing stable mate Next Generation. "However, Sony is instead eyeing a page from Apple's iPod strategy and upgrading the existing PSP's specifications while keeping the retail price the same."

There won't be any major hardware modifications, says the mag, so forget about getting another analog nub. PSM does, however, speculate that the updated PSP will come with 8 GB of flash memory - just the thing for storing all those delicious PSone games slated to start rolling out soon. Sony will also reportedly add a camera to the new PSP.

According to the report, this new PSP will look a bit different too, and it will be thinner and lighter.

Sony hasn't commented on the veracity of PSM's report, but with the release date pencilled in for March 2007, we should find out soon enough if the PSP "Lite" is a reality.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games