14 DAY TRIAL // Fresh new details from inside sources have appeared concerning Sony's new handheld platform, the PSP2, which will be the next iteration in the current PlayStation Portable lineup, consisting of the regular handheld and the PSP Go.
The PSP started a pretty promising life, but lackluster support from Sony and from third-party developers meant that the handheld would only play second fiddle to the massive success of the Nintendo DS and, in recent times, the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
Sony attempted to reinvigorate the platform with the launch of the PSP Go, a handheld that relied only on digital downloads to get content like games or music, but it also failed to meet expectations.
Now, rumors about an all-new PSP2 have been appearing left and right, with many developers claiming that they are already in possession of development kits for the new hardware.
We've already heard that it would boast more powerful hardware than the current device, but now a new report from Kotaku claims that not only is the PSP2 more powerful, but also bigger, boasting a new screen roughly one inch larger than the current one in the PSP, taking the size up to 5.3 inches.
The new larger screen, which is described by Sony in internal meetings as HD, might give the PSP new abilities as an e-book reader or a tablet computer.
Besides the new screen, a touch panel will be fitted to the back of the device, although its specific purpose hasn't been really detailed by Sony, leaving developers to draw their own conclusions about how they will use it when making new games.
Even if the hardware is more powerful than the current device, the report also says that Sony is still in the process of balancing out the power output with the battery life, and that, at least for now, overheating is a pretty big issue for the PSP2 prototype.
Still, Sony is expected to finalize the design and hardware specs until next year, as the PSP2 is set to be released onto the market in fall of 2011, which is close to previous estimates we reported on.