New PSP will be called PSP Go! - sources

By Robert Purchese Published 29 April, 2009

One stick, hundreds of downloadable games.

Reports are claiming the PSP2 will forego a numbered title in favour of a "Go!" subtitle.

Sources also told 1UP that the new model will come in two forms: one with 8GB built-in flash memory and another with 16GB. We're told PSP: Go! will arrive here this autumn.

The report goes on to mention the familiar sliding-screen design which, when extended, reveals a d-pad, one analogue nub and quartet of face buttons.

Furthermore, we're told Sony plans to have over 100 new and old PSP games available to download at launch.

Sony has declined to comment on rumour and speculation.

Late last year, publisher sources told Eurogamer that a separate PSP-4000 model would launch in 2009 before the PSP2, or PSP: Go!.

The Sony E3 conference should reveal all.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • crwoody #1 3 years ago

    Should that be 8GB and 16GB?

  • Rayn #2 3 years ago

    100 new and old PSP games for download...
    If I buy a new generation of hardware, it's most often becuase I want to move on. I can play the PSP games just fine on the existing PSP, thankyouverymuch.

  • toy_brain #3 3 years ago

    It would make no sense for Sony to suddelnly try and do a massive PSP software push, only to announce an entirely new PSP (which is what it would have to be if you added a 2nd stick) just afterwards.
    That would piss off developers no end.

    The lack of a 2nd stick is only a problem because developers keep trying to cram dual-analogue games onto the device. Oddly the DS (which has no sticks at all) never attracts the criticism.... because people dont make games where it would be a problem.

    Design your games the right way and the PSP is fine. Simple as that.

  • Goodfella #4 3 years ago

    [sigh] one thumb nub? really? C'mon, it needs two!

    Why? the one it's got doesn't control well, imo. Having another won't improve things and will alienate existing PSP owners if they make specific games for a 2 x nub PSP.

  • jonsaan #5 3 years ago

    How many psp games are on the store already? A good 50 I think. maybe a bit less. So that statement isn't really suggesting a ton of new stuff is it?

  • swede #6 3 years ago

    8GB/16Gb? Hmmm.. Multi-touch screen? Phonecalls? :)

  • VicViper #7 3 years ago

    This is a non purchase if I can't play the PSP games that I currently own. If the software should be compatible and given the lack of changes to the input hardware its seems that they should be there is no reason for me to switch, if I can rip the UMDs via the PS3 or get a code to get the old libary for free then happy days. Maybe once you rip and download it becomes locked to the console if thier worried about people sharing, whatever as long as I don't have to buy the games again.

    Assuming that any of the current rumour and speculation is true of course.

  • Whatsfor #8 3 years ago

    8mb/16mb? So I can store 2 photo's or 4? Woohoo!

  • JohnnyWashnGo #9 3 years ago

    This sounds more like a hardware revision of the existing model than a new system.

    I was kinda looking forward to seeing new hardware, maybe more powerful than the existing psp.

  • Widge #10 3 years ago

    "Phonecalls? :)"

    Tell you what, I'd use one as a phone... mine follows me around all the time at the moment anyway!

  • patch #11 3 years ago

    The big story (aside from the obvious) will hopefully be a revamp of the Playstation store. As much a pain as not having UMDs will be, hopefully the digital downloads will make up for it. Of course this could all be a ploy to get us to buy more of Sony's ridiculously expensive proprietary memory cards... best get yourself a photofast now!

  • Eraysor #12 3 years ago

    8MB or 16MB?

    Welcome to the future!

    Lack of a second thumb nub kills it for me.
    Edited by 1 at 29/04/09 @ 14:14

  • des #13 3 years ago

    PSP Go! ?

    More like one stick fail...

  • jack_klugman #14 3 years ago

    PSP Go! Away!

  • DFawkes #15 3 years ago

    I was fancying a new PSP, but there's no way now until I know this is either announced or catagorically denied.

  • MKorkia #16 3 years ago

    PSP with no UMD?

    PSP with only download service and internal memory?

    PSP where you have to buy games for 40 EUR that are only 17 EUR at play.com that you can't sell to GameStop?

    New PSP or no new PSP? Maybe not... :-(

    But I can be soooo wrong!... :)

  • chrisjm #17 3 years ago

    sounds more like psp 1.4

  • collateral89 #18 3 years ago

    theres 2 many types to choose from wat do i want psp go,2 or 4000 wats the difference?

  • the_mtfr #19 3 years ago

    Wow a totally new console that can play my current PSP games? I've been waiting for this ever since I bought the PSP, Sony you're a fucking genius.

  • DrDamn #20 3 years ago

    Being able to carry around your full set of games at all times and play what you want without a load of UMD's is the big pull for me. Presumably you also do away with the pretty bad UMD load times.

  • DrDamn #21 3 years ago

    @Raajaa
    I think the legacy is more to do with the millions of PSP's already out there. Why piss off all those people and segment your market like that by having games which only work on one version of the hardware?

  • chronom4n #22 3 years ago

    If the new PSP has only one nub then honestly what is the point? One of the things that pisses me off to no end is the switch on the right side of the PSP, the one that allows you to hold/switch it on/off. Absolutely ridiculous design, the number of times i have accidentally switched off the machine and/or have had to be really careful is just a pain. please one of the redesings should be a seperate on/off switch and hold switch.

  • callum9999 #23 3 years ago

    I've never seen 2 sticks on a PSP as practical. I know holding a console, using 2 sticks and pressing the buttons wouldn't work well for me. On a PS3 controller moulded for your hand, yes, on a flat PSP console no.

  • Fodder #24 3 years ago

    If they do a redesign, it'd be nice if they didn't put the indicator that the battery is about to die in an area that gets covered by your thumb when you're playing. Also shoulder buttons that are designed primarily to be pressed rather than looked at would be smashing.

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #25 3 years ago

    I do indeed mean gigabytes and not megabytes! Thanks for the email, sorry for the mistake. I'm being sick on myself as punishment.

  • Widge #26 3 years ago

    "and the argument for 'legacy games that use one stick won't work with the new hardware' is BS. It can be written so that older games ignore the input of the second stick, if they don't already (game won't know what to do with the instructions given to it if 2nd stick is moved). "

    and what about all the two stick games that come out that owners of older PSPs can't use? If this was to be a successor to the PSP, then a fine argument, but this is just another PSP.

  • Dizzy #27 3 years ago

    Hmmm I am mildly interested. I hope they dump the UMB. Then again I just got a new DSi.... but I will be in Japan end of the year so might sniff out this PSP Go!.

  • Wildsleven #28 3 years ago

    will this psp have improoved graphics and stuff?

  • Bagpuss #29 3 years ago

    "We're told PSP: Go! will arrive here this autumn."


    Everywhere except Europe......remember Sony and Nintendo HATE Europe.

    Easter 2010 launch for Europe....betcha.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #30 3 years ago

    the reason i want 2 analogie sticks has nothing to do with PSP games, it would make PS3 remote play so much better and much more likley an option that developers will support on there PS3 games if they werent so limited by the PSP controller. Also i want PS1 ape escape which was the first 2 analouge stick game and was awsome!

  • Grom #31 3 years ago

    Full multitouch screen would be an absolute killer.

  • bad09 #32 3 years ago

    "Hundreds of downloadable games?

    I think I have one of these already! "

    Ouch! Low blow :)

  • penhalion #33 3 years ago

    Download only. So I don't get to actually own the games I buy then. I think I'll pass.

  • Ryze #34 3 years ago

    THE MARKET WOULD NOT BE SEGMENTED BY TWO ANALOGUES:

    The game would simply be designed with two control configs. One for Old PSPs, and the other for new PSPs. The game could easily be designed to detect the model and seamlessly switch to the correct scheme.

    It's like the following have never happened:

    - MD 6 button control pad
    - Original PSOne DualShock
    - All steering wheels
    - Wii Classic controller
    - Dual Shock 3
    - Wiimotionplus

    Sony have failed again.

    Fools.
    Edited by 1 at 29/04/09 @ 20:47

  • djcool3005 #35 3 years ago

    Unless it has improved graphics like somewhere between PS2 and PS3 graphics and can emulate PS2 games like the PSP can emulate PS1 games then this new PSP is a waste of time. I still have the original PSP-1000 i imported from japan before it came out here and don't intend to buy a newer version. Tbh this sounds like the DSi. A rehash of a console thats really not worth paying for if you already have a previous version.

  • AOFanboi #36 3 years ago

    They should cash in on Nintendo's wisdom and release the 4000 model as "PSPee"... would fit with the PSOne and PSTwo product naming too.

  • zedzee #37 3 years ago

    "Design your games the right way and the PSP is fine. Simple as that."

    I do agree with that statement. Although it seems that Sony has messed it up yet again by only including 8/16GB storage RAM. When you consider that a UMD could potentially hold about 1.8GB worth of data, how many games will one be able to download and store on it?!

    Not many is the answer, so unless the UMD drive is still there in the "Go!" (what a horrible name!), it's doomed to run out of space pretty damn quick!

    I think what Sony should've done was IMPROVE on the UMD and make it not only have more density but also improve its design and work on the media drive's power efficiency, to save on battery power. At the moment, the UMD discs themselves are very delicate and break/get damaged easily and that makes me really frustrated because nothing loads!!

    The other way they could've gone by retaining UMD is to have about 5GB or storage RAM and download the entire UMD contents onto there and have the game play from RAM, while the unit is on and then it can get wiped off. Since the game is always on the UMD, there's no danger of running out of space on any integrated RAM, as is being proposed with the Go!'s 8/16GB RAM.

    That's ludicrous! But then again, when have any Sony PlayStation designs made any sense?!!

  • bad09 #38 3 years ago

    "Although it seems that Sony has messed it up yet again by only including 8/16GB storage RAM. When you consider that a UMD could potentially hold about 1.8GB worth of data, how many games will one be able to download and store on it?! "


    Eh? MS cards will solve that and they are really cheap these days (unless you go for the 16gb monster).

    Anyway doesn't matter to me I have already have 16gb memory for my PSP, and I have a UMD drive to make my own ISO from my games. All that without the truly horrid title Go! on it! :)

    I actually fear the PSP going online now Sony have shown us their intentions in pricing PSP online, new games are going to cost a fortune for the thing!

  • obscured021 #39 3 years ago

    The real question is how long more will they continue to put games on UMD? And how long will it be before the Pirates have this one hack My guess not long!

  • banjo21 #40 3 years ago

    @Raajaa - I think you miss the point. Its a portable device when sat between fat business man on the plane or shopping bag infested mum on the train. It needs less buttons ffs.

    I hate any portable game that requires more than up/down/left/right and max two other buttons at once - racers are ideal on portables shooters are crap. Its a portable not a console, dont try and make a rucksack into a suitcase - its a different tool for a different job.

  • outy #41 3 years ago

    This isn't the PSP2, it's merely a face lift. There must surely be a way to install UMD games already puchased, if not, this system is never going to sell.