Rumor: PSP redesign coming before March 07

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 17th 2006 at 7:58PM }

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]

Tags: apple, camera, ds lite, DsLite, eyetoy, hard disk, HardDisk, playstation magazine, PlaystationMagazine, psp, redesign, rumor, scan, umd

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

jake @ Aug 17th 2006 8:38PM

redisighn!?!?! too late sony...way tooo late!

PodMonkeys @ Aug 17th 2006 9:51PM

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.

VJ @ Aug 17th 2006 10:43PM

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*

Andrew Yoon @ Aug 17th 2006 10:48PM

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.

VJ @ Aug 17th 2006 11:03PM

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.

justice @ Aug 17th 2006 11:28PM

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!

Xavier @ Aug 18th 2006 12:04AM

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.

Andrew Yoon @ Aug 18th 2006 12:13AM

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.

killa @ Aug 18th 2006 1:19AM

WTF is so good bout the PSP ok it's good for the road but that's all

Azureus @ Aug 18th 2006 3:06AM

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.

leaping frog @ Aug 18th 2006 3:34AM

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.

mike @ Aug 18th 2006 5:26AM

link no worky

Gonzo @ Aug 18th 2006 10:11AM

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.

Gonzo @ Aug 18th 2006 10:14AM

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.

pixelator @ Aug 18th 2006 11:13AM

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.

pixelator @ Aug 18th 2006 12:04PM

Looks like the links are down - ooo, more likely they're real! o.O

Tobor @ Aug 18th 2006 12:51PM

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.

pixelator @ Aug 18th 2006 1:13PM

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.

ZENegade @ Aug 18th 2006 1:28PM

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?

Anthony @ Aug 18th 2006 1:51PM

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.

pixelator @ Aug 18th 2006 3:34PM

"Legally, they cant add anything to it that differs the specs from the previous version,"

There's no such law. They can come out with whatever they want, and call it whatever they want. If the additions don't affect gaming or keep the older version from playing newer games, they don't have to call it a new system.

Thus the unlikelyhood of a second analog stick or removal of the UMD drive in favor of flash.

Anthony @ Aug 19th 2006 5:08AM

pixelator I am sorry to burst your bubble. But if they still want to to be dubbed PSP they cannot change any specs on the system, items can be upgraded, but not changed. the psp has 32megs of on board memory for firmware. It cannot change from 32megs to 8gigs and still be called a PSP redesign, ie, the ds and ds lite is still the same system, the specs havent changed. Just upgraded. Specs refer to hardware specifications that match the successor. There is no problem calling it the PSP2 if they want. But that would mean Sony would release 2 handhelds in 3 years (seeing if it comes out next year) meaning, the first launch and generation of the portable was unsuccesfull. Idk if that makes much sense but there are laws there in place to protect the consumer. Thats why when an upgraded version of a dvd player or sound system comes out it usually has a model number like my old bose is a VX711, the newer one with newer features is VX812, note the difference, even though they are relatively the same (except the newer one has a slightly higher output) they have to be under a different name and different SKU number.

pixelator @ Aug 19th 2006 2:27PM

You're not bursting my bubble, because you don't know what you're talking about. Upgrading the internal memory of the PSP isn't going to require Sony to name the PSP something else, or require them to refer to the new product as something other than a revision.

"ds and ds lite is still the same system, the specs havent changed. Just upgraded."

And that's what upping internal storage would be. An UPGRADE. You would be able to store apps internally and save games, just like the difference between an XBOX 360 with or without HD.

"meaning, the first launch and generation of the portable was unsuccesfull."

So according to you - the GBA, SP, SP+, Micro, DS and DS Lite weren't all new devices, eh? All were failures? And yet Sony ups the internal flash on a device and somehow that alone makes the PSP unsuccessful.

Whatever, Nintendo boy.

h0mi @ Aug 28th 2006 2:11PM

Old post I know, but...

"But if they still want to to be dubbed PSP they cannot change any specs on the system, items can be upgraded, but not changed."

Tell that to Linksys who continues to release new revisions of their hardware with lesser specs. The wrt54g and gs models had the amount of RAM and ROM memory cut in 1/2, yet they were still free to call it the "WRT54G" and "WRT54GS" models. No need to call it anything else.

As long as the revised PSP is compatible with the older ones, there'd be no problems. The slimmer PS2 lacks a HD (meaning you cant play that FF game in it) and some older ps2 or ps1 games won't work in it, but it's still a PS2. Not PS2.5, not a different model.

pixelator @ Aug 28th 2006 2:43PM

Exactly.

There will likely be *some* sort of name change, like 'PSP Slimline' or something along those lines. Like DS Lite or PS2 Slimline.

Bottom line, it's still going to be called a PSP and not a PSP2 - and there's no 'law' (that still cracks me up) that requires them to do so even if they DID change it substantially.

Michael @ Aug 30th 2006 3:34PM

OK id just like to say yea they shud have thought of all this way before but how in the world can they make affordable for a handheld with an 8 gig flash drive espically if they make it again with the kind that only works with the PSP so you have to buy one of theirs bcuz a 8 gig flash drive costs more then a regular psp does now so its just stupid to think they would do that

and i dont understand the ppl that say ull still be able to play the newwer games with the old psp if this 1 is gunna have 2 anologs bcuz if it has 2 the new games will be designed for 2 and since u cant use two anologs in the old 1 u cant play the new 1s so how do u figure u can...