People love talking about a redesign of the PSP. Heck, PSP Fanboy ran a contest to see fans make up their own crazy contraptions. Well, a very believable scan of PlayStation Magazine seem to suggest that Sony's working hard on one, and it's coming very soon: March 2007, two years after the US release of the handheld. The article states that Sony's taking a page from Apple (very much like Nintendo), and will provide the same core functionality, while providing a new aesthetic and non-game affecting additions. The biggest changes appear to come in size and memory: the theoretical system will have 8GB of hard disk space, be smaller, and have a retooled UMD drive, all at the same price as the current model. EyeToy will also be integrated into the system, and function as the upcoming external version for current PSP owners.A redesign has worked wonders for the DS, and Sony's portable can certainly benefit from the same image boost that Nintendo received when retooling their handheld. Sony just has to remember one thing: ensure that a redesign doesn't interfere with current PSP owners from playing future games. Also remember, until Sony confirms otherwise, we're taking this story as a rumor.
Read - Page 1 of magazine scan
Read - Page 2 of magazine scan
[Via QJ]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-17-2006 @ 8:38PM
jake said...
redisighn!?!?! too late sony...way tooo late!
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8-17-2006 @ 9:51PM
PodMonkeys said...
They're nuts to expect the customer, and the game developers to put that much money into the first PSP, only to replace it so soon. Unless of course the system is completely backwards compatible. Only then would a new version be acceptable without seeming like too much of a jimmy-kick in the customers' nether regions.
Too late, in that Sony should have put more thought into creating the PSP right the first time, or at least a bit
better. I think most of their problem has been in how they handled homebrew, games versus movies, gaming versus media device, etc, but a second stick is such a no brainer. Battery life versus cpu speed should have been questioned from the start.
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8-17-2006 @ 10:43PM
VJ said...
Hey, dont I get any credit? I posted the link to that article in the comments section of the GPS article you put up. *crys*
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8-17-2006 @ 10:48PM
Andrew Yoon said...
I gave you a star. It was deleted just cuz I WAS writing the story while you sent in the tip. I hope the star makes the boo boos go away.
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8-17-2006 @ 11:03PM
VJ said...
haha yes the boo hoos are all gone now! I love my star!
In regards to the article:
Im actually very pleased a re-design is on the cards, tho it IS still a rumour. The PSP is a great system but I did think there were a few flaws which held it back as a media palyer, mainly its size and lack of memory. So if these two flaws are corrected, im all in favour.
Hopefully it will still suport MS Duos tho, and I'll definitely trade in my PSP for the new design if its true. Gonna need all the room i can get for those PS1 downloads.
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8-17-2006 @ 11:28PM
justice said...
why did i spend $250 on my psp when they just go and redesign everything from the joysticks to the game format? now i have to get rid of my original, which will drop in value rapidly, and try to pay for a new, more expensive one. i might be jumping the gun here but i want to use the machine i payed for!
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8-18-2006 @ 12:04AM
Xavier said...
QJ said it was an 8 GB flash drive, not hard drive. I like the idea of a redesign, especially with more onboard memory. Something more important than the memory would be to add a second analog stick.
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8-18-2006 @ 12:13AM
Andrew Yoon said...
Adding a second analog stick would be horrible. Why? Because then gamers that have original PSPs won't be able to play games that are designed with two analog sticks in mind. Once again, redesigns work when they don't completely alienate the current userbase. I mean, it's not like you need a new DS Lite to play new DS games. If they added a second analog stick, it's essentially telling people to buy a new one to play newer games.
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8-18-2006 @ 1:19AM
killa said...
WTF is so good bout the PSP ok it's good for the road but that's all
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8-18-2006 @ 3:06AM
Azureus said...
No offence guys but read the article carefully. It says it'll get a redesign not a whole new console. Meaning they will still be able to play the UMD games right now and anything the PSP now can do. The only thing i see different is that it has an buildt-in EyeToy and a new flash-drive/hard-drive.
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8-18-2006 @ 3:34AM
leaping frog said...
8 Gigs of flash, No way will the PSP have 8 gigs of flash, that's even more expensive then the PSP right now. I think that this is stupid for there to be a second PSP because I thought PSP was built on lastibility, it would be like paying $600 for a PS3 then see a superior redesign 2 years after, I mean $600 is an insult and if sony does that right after I get my PS3 there will be no sony headquaters anymore, And I ain't joking.
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8-18-2006 @ 5:26AM
mike said...
link no worky
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8-18-2006 @ 10:11AM
Gonzo said...
8Gig Hard Drive: yea that really should've been there to begin with.
Smaller: perhaps small enough to fit comfortably in my pocket, which is always a plus for a portable system.
What I would like to hear about:
A retooling of that analog nub.
I'm sure many disagree but the screen is a bit too shiny. I see myself too much and I'm not very pretty.
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8-18-2006 @ 10:14AM
Gonzo said...
Most exciting news for me:
8Gig Hard Drive: yea that really should've been there to begin with.
Smaller: perhaps small enough to fit comfortably in my pocket, which is always a plus for a portable system.
What I would like to hear about:
A retooling of that analog nub.
I'm sure many disagree but the screen is a bit too shiny. I see myself too much and I'm not very pretty.
And my question wouldn't have to be weather it's too late but too soon. I'm not going to buy a new psp in March unless sony really takes a note from Nintendo and releases it for less than $150 but we all know that's not going to happen.
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8-18-2006 @ 11:13AM
pixelator said...
As usual, the bitching over good news.
People, this is a revision. If the main points are right, this will allow the new PSP to download more content and be a bit more appealing (slimmer, slot-loader, camera). JUST LIKE NINTENDO DID WITH THE DS LITE.
Think beyond your own noses for a second, eh? How many Gameboy/Color/GBA/SP/DS models have there been? Hasn't hurt their marketshare, any. In fact, a refresh is exactly what the PSP needs. Maybe that's why we're also hearing rumors of $149.99 for the current model. It's going to be two years old in Japan in three months. By March it'll be 2 here, as well. Nintendo replaced the Phat after only a year with the Lite. And like with this new PSP, owners of the older hardware can still play new games.
I think 8GB of flash is a lot, too, but you never know what Sony might have stockpiled or how they'll do it. They've been making PDAs, computers and other small devices for a long time.
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8-18-2006 @ 12:04PM
pixelator said...
Looks like the links are down - ooo, more likely they're real! o.O
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8-18-2006 @ 12:51PM
Tobor said...
While they are at it, how about revising the LCD as well? The motion blur was so annoying, it was a major reason I sold my PSP. 8 gigs of memory and a new screen, and I'm back on the bandwagon.
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8-18-2006 @ 1:13PM
pixelator said...
As much as I'd like to see a new or revamped screen as well (it just needs a higher response time than 25ms), I doubt it'll happen. The contracts they signed with Samsung and Sharp may not allow for such a running change, or for substituting a new part entirely.
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8-18-2006 @ 1:28PM
ZENegade said...
I agree that a slot-loader could be plausible becuase hell all one has to do is remove the disc from the plastic casing.
It isn't going to be more expensive, it clearly stated it was going to be the same price.
I am very much looking forward to this, as it is going to be just in the nick of time. See, I got a PSP on launch day and a 2 year product replacement warranty from BEST BUY. This means I can "accidentally" drop my PSP come February and get a new, sleeker design in March for FREE!!! This is a smart move by Sony, especially the built-in memory capacity. It would be even more vicious if it had motion sensing capabilities so that it better ties in with the PS3.
...A boy can dream can't he?
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8-18-2006 @ 1:51PM
Anthony said...
Legally, they cant add anything to it that differs the specs from the previous version, and still call it a redesign. ie. if they add a hard drive, or any kind of memory bay to it, it has to be called a successor. But even that wont get me to even buy another Sony handheld. sadly, they should have thought of all of this long before the launch.
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