We cast a huge shadow of doubt over Kotaku's supposed findings of a slimmer PSP. We know it's happening ... we just don't know when, or how. Rumor Reporter has seen its fair share of video game rumors -- and has for the most part, thoroughly debunked them, Mythbusters-style. They've earned their credibility, and we find that their redesigned PSP concept makes a lot more sense:

"My undisclosed sources tell me that Kotaku's report is mainly factually inaccurate ... [but a] new slimmer PSP is indeed in the works." The redesign, according to Rumor Reporter, supposedly has a slot loader replacing the UMD drive. The entire system will have "an even 'cleaner' look, much like the DS Lite." The system will feature the same sized screen (something Sony has been adamant about), but will have a "sidekick-esque" flip-screen, reducing the overall size of the system.

This "probable" rumor concludes with the same prediction that Kotaku made: the redesigned system will cost consumers the same price as the current model. However, unlike Kotaku, Rumor Reporter is stating that the system will only have 4GB of memory, as opposed to 8GB. With E3 only a few weeks away, we'll see which one of these redesign rumors are the most accurate.

We're sure that a PSP remake is coming ... but when? Kotaku, in a "rumor" from "several sources close to Sony," suggests that a thinner PSP will be unveiled at E3 next month. The system will supposedly feature a new LED screen that delivers a crisp image in a new, thinner size. Due to new screen technology, battery life will also increase, up four-fold. Amongst other features is a faster UMD drive, 8GB of internal flash memory, and a revamped D-Pad. All of this is supposed to come in at a surprising cost: only $170, the same cost of the system now.

Sound too good to be true? Maybe. We contacted Dave Karraker from SCEA and he commented: "This is pure rumor and speculation, for which we don't comment."

We honestly find many of these details to be much too extravagant, especially at such a low price. (How much money would Sony lose on each system sold? 8GB of memory alone would make the $170 price much too costly for the manufacturer.) We'll have to wait until E3 to see if Kotaku's bold claims have any weight to them.

Kotaku has a story about a PSP mahjong game that has some ... saucy imagery in it. It isn't an adult game persay, but it got me thinking: do gamers want adult games? In this month's EGM, they predict that 20 years in the future, gamers won't be playing adult titles on anything but the PC. While this seems like a believable prediction, is our society so puritanical that we can't accept adult gaming in the mainstream?

On the flip-side of the argument, one could point out that the popularity of adult movies has exponentially grown the past few years, and this may have a trickle effect to gaming. Also, gaming has yet to wriggle free of its "just for kids" perception. Once today's gamers are adults, doesn't it seem like the potential for adult games having success would be much higher? Will today's God of War sex mini-game be tomorrow's XXX portable gaming pornucopia? Is the concept of adult gaming appealing to you, or gamers as a whole? Let us know in the comments!

Sony recently dropped the price of PSP down to $170 in an effort to revitalize the ailing PSP market. Did it work? According to Kotaku, the plan has worked quite spectacularly: "In the the first two days following the PSP's price drop there was a 300 percent increase in the number of the portables sold."

Unfortunately, Kotaku hasn't provided a source for their information, and without specific numbers to work with, the authenticity of such a claim becomes a lot shakier. However, we'll play the optimist: with both system and games reaching mass market affordability, PSP is bound to bounce back in the handheld wars.

More surprisingly, it appears as though the UMD is not dead. Apparently, UMD movie sales were actually up 35 percent from 2005 to 2006. "That jump in sales enticed Target to bring the format back to their stores."

These are interesting developments for PSP, especially if true. The handheld wars are certainly getting far more interesting, now that Sony's recommitted to the fight.

Occasionally, game details slip out of Gamestop's website, like drool from a bulldog's mouth. This is such an occasion. Visiting Gamestop's Manhunt 2 page reveals story details on the mysterious Manhunt 2. What do PSP gamer's have to look forward to in this macabre title? Let's have the game description itself tell us.

"An experiment at a secret research facility has gone catastrophically wrong. Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper are the only surviving subjects. The Pickman Project will stop at nothing to hunt them down and stop the truth from getting out.

Demented screams echo around the dank asylum that has caged you for the last six years. You open your eyes. A white-coated body slumps to the floor through your shaking hands. A bloody syringe slips from your arm. Waves of confusion and paranoia crash over you. You have no idea who you are or how you got here.

The door to your cell is open. One choice. One chance. They took your life. Time to take it back."

Pickman Project? I wonder if Miyamoto is behind this.

[Via Kotaku]

Michael Fahey from Kotaku has lost his mind. In a consumerist rage, he went out and bought both the DS and PSP versions of Puzzle Quest. Luckily, his insanity proves to have a use, since he's able to compare the two versions. Which system came out of the bloody cage match a winner? Lucky for PSP owners, Puzzle Quest is best on Sony's portable. Better graphics, better sound and better AI make the PSP version the clear choice to buy if you have both systems. On the downside, they mention that the PSP Puzzle Quest has load times, but anyone who plays PSP (or any disc based system) should be used to that by now.

[Thanks Colin]

Penguins are as popular as sugar substitutes lately and so it's no surprise that Sony Pictures is making a penguin movie called Surf's Up. It's also no surprise that a game based on the movie is being created. Especially since screens and info on the game were part of the leaked Ubisoft files from last year. Ubisoft seems to be doing a lot of licensed games lately, we'll have to see how this week's TMNT turns out to garner an opinion on whether they're interested in making them more than just cash-ins.

[ Via Kotaku ]

Kotaku seems to think so. In a news post today they stated that various third party highly placed sources definitively confirm that the PSP2 is on the way (though it won't look like this). Apparently, third party publishers want to have games ready for the PSP2's launch, but Sony hasn't yet given them the kind of info they need to start creating games. This isn't a strange practice as with any system, the first party companies get the dev kits and system specs first, but hopefully they don't wait too long to send out that info. The rumor is that clear info on the PSP2 will hit at this year's E3 with a possibility of the system launching as early as the end of this year.

The system is said to have a beautiful screen (no change there), faster load times, better buttons, 8 gig internal flash, UMD support, and the possibility of a touch-screen and built-in camera. Kotaku didn't list their source specifically (why would they, no one wants to lose a job), but they were right about Sony's Home, so there's always a possibility this rumor will hold true as well. I personally think it's too early for a PSP2, but if it supports my old games I'd definitely upgrade.

The Japanese have a popular trend of turning inanimate objects into cute women. They've previously done so with Windows (among other operating systems) and planes. But the PSP's time has finally come and multiple artists are making renditions of PSP-tan.

The idea is to make a girl that is cute, but a visual representation of the PSP and I think the example to the right does a good job. There aren't a lot of PSP-tan renditions out there though, so I command our readers to make their own versions and I'll put them up on PSP Fan Art Friday!

[Via Kotaku]

We showed you the offending EB Games ad. Then, DS Fanboy rather maturely copied the story from us, refusing to partake in a fanboy mudslinging battle. (And thankfully, no one tried to impersonate me in the comments! Thanks, guys.) It will certainly be interesting to see what kind of sensationalistic spin DS Fanboy will put on this rather silly "debate" from G4's Attack of the Show. While we wait, check out what the editors of our rivals, Kotaku and Destructoid, had to say about the future of the handheld battle. While they complain about the lack of good games for our system, let me point out that I am exhausted from having reviewed seven games in the last week, many of them being quite good. I guess silly things like "facts" don't bother the most opinionated of fanboys.

This very-obviously fake design is a loving homage to gaming's past. The Game Boy is the first handheld gaming system I've ever owned, and it's incredible to see how tech has evolved since then. ModSoul, the designer of this clever creation, also enhanced this baby with something PSP owners have been clamoring for a long time: dual analog sticks.

[Via Kotaku]

Our eagerly-anticipated Silent Hill Origins may be in a little bit of trouble. The game's developer, Climax, recently laid off 14 of its workers in order to "integrate into a single management structure." (Source: Gamespot) According to Kotaku (you should already put on your "doubt" visors), the main reasoning behind the lay-offs was to "salvage the disastrous development of Silent Hill Origins for the PSP." The article continues to state that "the game had been cut extensively... shriveled down to a handful of much smaller levels and three to four hours of gameplay... Konami was understandably disappointed... and employees were told there were "no assurances" that the Origins project would continue."

While it would be disastrous if this rumor were true, I'm going to take a leap of faith and say it's untrue. The Kotaku report states that a working engine wasn't made available until June, which sounds false considering the game's incredible graphics engine (which was playable). Secondly, I highly doubt the folks at Konami would allow for a high-caliber project like this to fall apart, especially with their other high-profile PSP titles coming down the pipeline. Lastly, a developer in supposedly as much trouble as Climax wouldn't also be working on another high-profile game: Oblivion for the PSP. Climax is a relatively prolific developer: a few layoffs most likely won't affect the future of any of the games in development.

[Via PSP-Vault]

It seems like Sony is starting to make a habit of taking freeware games and bringing them to their video game systems. First it was Flow on the PS3, and now it's Cave Story on the PSP.

However, I may be going out on a limb here, but I think it's safe to say Cave Story will receive some drastic graphical improvements before it reaches our hands. At least I hope it does. The game is being developed by Variant Interactive and should be released in 2007.

In case you're like me and have never heard of this game before, it's about a boy who wakes up inside and "delves into the rocky tunnels in search of clues to his where abouts and his identity. Meanwhile, a mad doctor makes use of an enchanted crown to enslave a race of rabbit-like creatures, known as Mimigas.

As the boy travels through the cave, searching for an exit, he meets Sue, a mimiga unlike all the others. Soon he is caught up in an adventure beyond imagination as the fate of both human and mimiga races hang in the balance," according to Variant's website.

How do you guys feel about having to pay for a freeware title, even if it's been upgraded?

[Via Kotaku]

The Kotaku Rumor Mill has churned out some pretty nifty PSP rumors. Here they are, bullet-pointed for your reading pleasure:

• We knew that David "God of War" Jaffe is developing a PSP game that would make you cry (something that porn can't do). However, the Rumor Mill suggests that his new adventure will go all Half-Life on us, becoming an episodic adventure. Each "episode" supposedly comes in at a whopping 700MB!
  
• Well, if each episodic download is 700MB, that would be much too large for most Memory Sticks. It seems like Sony might be making a hard drive for the PSP. Kotaku and myself don't seem to think that'll happen.
• The PSP will be able to stream music and video from the PS3 via any wi-fi connection, a la Location Free Player. Sounds a great bonus for PSP owners, especially if they're paying $600 for the system, a price which might be too cheap.

Remember kids, these are just rumors, so that means that they might not come true. But if they did come true, which one fancies you the most?

Turns out that when a gamer becomes upset, publishers make with the bribes! At least that's how it went in this case when Matt sent a letter to Capcom complaining about some of the features in Monster Hunter Freedom for the PSP. According to his letter to Kotaku, he was greeted by a very friendly customer service associate who took his address down and soon after sent him a rather splendid BBQ utensil set.

Anyone else have some decent customer service stories? Some not so decent stories?