14 DAY TRIAL // The handheld gaming market is a very tough one, with customers split between the top two dedicated game consoles, the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable. While the DS rules the casual gaming market with an iron fist, as it has a huge library of games in which almost anyone can find something that they're interested in, the PSP, at least according to Sony, is the choice of hardcore gamers who want a great handheld experience.
But despite being targeted at dedicated gamers, the PSP hasn't really enjoyed the huge sales that the Japanese company was hoping for, which forced Sony to lower its estimates on the unit sales for the last year. This recent downturn in popularity and units shipped has prompted a lot of speculation in the gaming industry about a possible new version of the handheld console.
While the most recent version of the PSP, the PSP-3000, has been launched only a few months ago, it seems that a lot of analysts are predicting that Sony will launch either another version, the PSP-4000, or even a new model altogether, the PSP2, which would feature a variety of new improvements. But although various executives have denied such rumors, there's just no stopping them.
Recently, it seems that a lot of current PSP users have been asked about some new features that they would like in a new version. The latest questions were the most intriguing, as they inquired about the use of the portable device along with a fully-fledged console, like the PlayStation 3. Here are the questions as found in the survey uncovered by Kotaku:
“The following statements concern the way you would like a portable device to interact with a console. Rank these statements based on their appeal to you. (1 = Not Appealing, 6 = Very Appealing)
Use the device to complete side missions for console games (unlockables, etc.).
Transfer media (music/pictures/video) wirelessly from the console to the device (broadcast television, new levels for games).
Use the device WHILE PLAYING the console game as an addition weapon/utility to help the gameplay (second player option, radar for incoming enemies, etc.).
Record console gameplay for display on the device (showing off your high scores or "cool moves" to friends).”
While the interaction between the PS3 and PSP has been something that Sony engineers have tinkered with, implementing this feature with some games, it seems that the company wants to take it a step further and really create a full package with the two PlayStation consoles.