PSP-4000 in 2009, PSP2 later

By Tom Bramwell Published 16 December, 2008

Devs already working on PSP2 games.

Sony plans to refresh the PlayStation Portable product line with a PSP-4000 model in late 2009 and launch a true successor - a PSP2, if you like - later.

Publishing sources, speaking to Eurogamer, were unable to provide any further detail on next year's update, which will presumably follow this year's PSP-3000 in taking an iterative approach. The PSP-3000 launched this October and followed a 2000-series model, the first Slim & Lite, in September 2007.

Even fewer details were available on the PSP successor, but we're told that developers are already working on games.

Sony has not ruled out either scenario, despite SCEE president David Reeves' assertion in MCV last week that "there are currently no plans for a PSP2". "I go to Tokyo quite a lot and no one has referred to it - I think they have their hands full at the moment," he said, non-committally.

Sony UK told Eurogamer today that it would not comment on rumour and speculation.

PSP-3000 bundles currently retail for GBP 129.99 the UK following its October launch, and despite sporadic software support and fewer platform-exclusives than Nintendo's DS, strong sales in Japan have propelled it to sales of over 30 million according to Sony's corporate sales website.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (51) 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 3 years ago

    Hopefully the PSP2 won't be full of ports, and will have two analog sticks. I must admit that if they make it powerful enough to emulate PS2 games it'll be an insta-purchase.

  • bad09 #2 3 years ago

    "Even fewer details were available on the PSP successor, but we're told that developers are already working on games. "

    We can only hope, most devs didn't do that much with the first one ;)

  • Widge #3 3 years ago

    Well the 4000 would have to be pretty special to make me buy one if a successor is coming. Hoping UMD is still present in a new PSP (which it probably will be), also (dare I say it) a harder machine to hack too please.

    PS2 emu would be fantastic.

  • Moz #4 3 years ago

    it's prediction/wishlist time again folks:

    i'd hope the PSP2 comes with a 16GB flash drive to store downloaded games with an option to save them on PC/PS3 for when you have too many games to fit on it.

    Other then just a decent improvement on processing power and memory

  • Mr_Dodger #5 3 years ago

    Hopefully the PSP2 won't be full of ports, and will have two analog sticks. I must admit that if they make it powerful enough to emulate PS2 games it'll be an insta-purchase.

    So which is it? :p

  • Beano #6 3 years ago

    @Mr_Dodger : He is talking about physical ports (memorystics, USB, headset, etc.) and not game ports.. gee :D

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #7 3 years ago

    Could be a PSP4000 and PSP2 in one maybe?

    Like the DSI?

  • Eraysor #8 3 years ago

    I'm just saying I'd rather they put PS2 emulation in so they wouldn't have to port so many games; they could spend their time developing new ones, whilst exponentially increasing the size of the games catalogue.

  • mrpon #9 3 years ago

    Install UMD games to the memory stick would be nice.

  • moggsy #10 3 years ago

    @ Widge

    Hoping UMD is still present

    Why?

  • Widge #11 3 years ago

    I have UMD films and like UMD films. I could live with UMD actually if they get DivX working good on it, but like the sharpness of the UMD's picture over an .avi.

    Plus having stuff on UMD means I could save on space for music. If the thing comes with 16GB or 32GB of space on it, I could fill that in a heartbeat with music. Would rather have all that to hand and games/films on physical saving on space.

    Wonder if they'd use some sort of bluray/umd hybrid to open up a bit more space?
    Edited by 2 at 16/12/08 @ 11:54

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #12 3 years ago

    Id hope UMD is still present as id still like BC, since PSN on PSP has launched i mostly by games through that and prolly would in the future but sometimes the prices isnt quite right and id prefer to get the cheaper box product.

    Retailers wouldnt really support a product that they couldnt sell box product games for so im sure UMD will still exist, or a blu ray version of it perhaps ;)

  • keyboardmonkey #13 3 years ago

    Move the freakin Power switch please mr Sony! Damn my chubby hands

  • mrpon #14 3 years ago

    +fucking 1 keyboardmonkey!!, turned off during Burnout maybe?! Arrggghhh!!

  • tonynibbles #15 3 years ago

    The list of features is pretty clear it seems. At least from what people want.

    If PSP2 is 2010/11 though - PS3 emu please.

  • Beano #16 3 years ago

    Dual sticks are almost a certain for PSP2 - but I also hope they will drop the UMD drive (to make it lighter and thinner) and use a clam-shell design. But no dual-screens please.

  • Retroid #17 3 years ago

    Allow homebrew and go after piracy, possibly by restricting on sizes of addressable data.

    THERE YOU GO, INSTANCE PURCHASE AT CASTLE RETROID

  • Zomoniac #18 3 years ago

    So will PSP2 come out before GT for PSP?

  • dirigiblebill #19 3 years ago

    Touch screen. Same buttons and D-pad, but more prominent and responsive - give the D-pad a circular base to make diagonal inputs easier. Remove the sticks entirely - I feel developers would be better served by not being invited to tailor PS2/360/PS3 shooters and action games to a cramped approximation of the Dualshock template. No more sort-of-OK-but-not-brilliant hand-me-downs from the home formats. 8GB hard drive (plus expansion slots). No UMD drive. Retail doesn't give a fuck about the PSP anyway, so take them out of the equation and make all the games downloadable.


    Hmmmmmm.
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/08 @ 12:33

  • BadBoyBonner #20 3 years ago

    i'd hope the PSP2 comes with a 16GB flash drive to store downloaded games with an option to save them on PC/PS3 for when you have too many games to fit on it.

    Sounds like half the peoples PSP already - well maybe in an 8GB memory stick kind of way....

    Personally there isn't 16GB of PSP stuff that I would actually want to play - still rate the DS way above it - and the show stopping screen on the PSP is becoming the norm in loads of handheld devices - was a thing of beauty at the time though.

  • space_ace #21 3 years ago

    gran turismo mobile, psp2 launch title - confirmed :)

  • Santino #22 3 years ago

    soon there will be more psp models released than games for the system

  • Redeye #23 3 years ago

    'No PSP2 in the works.'

    'But we're making games for it already!'

    'Quiet, you.'

  • JahB #24 3 years ago

    as long as i can get a snes emulator to work on it, i'll happily buy a psp2.

  • dirigiblebill #25 3 years ago

    The PSP-has-no-games argument: amusing better-informed people since 2007.

  • Thunderbolt #26 3 years ago

    Widge

    'Wonder if they'd use some sort of bluray/umd hybrid to open up a bit more space?;

    Are you suggesting blu ray on the new PSP because that would be awesome.

  • carrotcake #27 3 years ago

    PS3 ports. Portable Tekken 6, Street Fighter IV, Little Big Planet, etc please

  • Widge #28 3 years ago

    They're working on PSP LBP already.

    Mini BluRay I was thinking as far as UMD goes. UMD is crammed to busting at the moment I believe. Games like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy fill them right up.

  • DrDamn #29 3 years ago

    I'd like to see it have a sizable HDD or solid state drive (160Gb HDD or 16/32Gb solid state). Lose built in UMD and sell a UMD drive as an add on (*). That will allow new buyers to just download titles from PSN and old buyers to copy their old UMD games onto the drive.

    Should reduce the size of the machine to be more manageable and any next gen hand held which doesn't allow you to carry your games collect around with you all the time on the machine = fail.

    (*) Alternatively a connection cable to connect up your old PSP to the new one and transfer that way :).

  • ps3owner #30 3 years ago

    PSP successor = PS3 as handheld ;)

  • iago71 #31 3 years ago

    Wouldnt suprise me if there was a stils/video camera on it that would integrate with games etc. I guess it depends on how successful DSi works out in Japan. Touch screen too probably and who knows?..... Integrate it with their phone technology!!!

  • Goffee #32 3 years ago

    I'd be surprised if any of these Devs are British, does anyone one of them do PSP now?

  • Dizzy #33 3 years ago

    >I have UMD films and like UMD films.

    So you are the one buying "all" those films.

    >The PSP-sells-no-games argument: amusing better-informed people since 2007.

    Better?
    Edited by 1 at 16/12/08 @ 14:05

  • Beano #34 3 years ago

    "PSP successor = PS3 as handheld ;) "

    *) Asbestos gloves not included

  • penhalion #35 3 years ago

    PSP2 should come with a user SDK like Microsofts XNA. This would immediately avoid any cracking and justifiable hacking. It would also allow for great indie games to be made for the PSP2. Sadly I sense the usual sony proprietary tech. attached to it. Like barnacles on a ship.

    Release proprietary crud, watch it fail, rince and finally repeat.

  • DrDamn #36 3 years ago

    @Goffee
    Well Media Molecule are.

  • chessboxer #37 3 years ago

    A PSP2 would need:

    2 analogue sticks
    DivX Certification
    Bluetooth 2.1 or higher
    A good battery
    Wireless Dual Shock 3 support
    An internal non-proprietary HDD would be nice (160GB like the iPods), even better if it's upgradeable in a similar way to the PS3
    An HDMI output would be awesome too along with some sort of HD disc drive (Mini Blu-ray supports up to 7.5GB giving the possibility of games being slightly bigger than the 360's - I know that DVD DL is 8.5GB but a 360 game cannot be more than around 6.8GB due to mandatory code from MS).

  • Cloudane #38 3 years ago

    The PSP really should be £99 - for the stand alone model - now.

    Sony missed their chance to have a great Christmas; they could have drop the PSP to £99-109, the PS2 to £69 and the PS3 to £269-279 but NNOOOO!! they bloody didn't.

  • SeesThroughAll #39 3 years ago

    Hmmmm... A newer PSP capable of emulating PS2 games...

    PS2 games on PSN confirmed.

  • DaDon123456 #40 3 years ago

    PSP2 is the only way forward for Sony
    PSP 4000? Now thats just ridiculous!

  • Capn #41 3 years ago

    ...BUT I JUST BOUGHT A PSP.
    Just my luck..
    Hopefully Q4 of 09..Or delayed, til 2011.

  • Law07 #42 3 years ago

    So Sony just said to not buy the PSP until PSP2?

  • napalm68 #43 3 years ago

    Oh yeah, if it is BC and can do PS2 games it would be a no brainer for me.

    Built in HDD this time though...

  • Daikon #44 3 years ago

    I still kind of want to get a PSP - just to play Final Fantasy Tactics ^_^
    Was planning on getting a PSP-3000 but the interlacing problems with the new screen have stopped me from doing so.
    The DS doesn't have issues like that, why should the PSP?

  • dirigiblebill #45 3 years ago

    The PSP-sells-no-games argument: amusing better-informed people since 2007.

    Better?

    You betcha sweet ass we are.

    /shields up
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 12:08

  • des #46 3 years ago

    The only way that Sony could get full PS2 "emulation" on PSP2 is to put full PS2 hardware in PSP2 and add more memory,better texture filtering options,aa hardware,..etc for PSP2 games.
    I would get that...

  • DryHeat #47 3 years ago

    If i was sony i would:

    1) 2 Sticks
    2) 2/3 Memory card slots. 1 for games/software and 1/2 for memory. With 1gb/2gb sticks hopefully by then should be cheap enough to sell with games installed.
    3) Replace UMD with 2 to 3 upgrade slots. Camera, GPS, Phone, Memory etc..
    4) Copy Apple and allow people to program software for PSP2. Allow people to download and buy software for PSP.
    5) Touch Screen.
    6) OS which allows apps to run in the background similar to widgets.
    7) Fold-out/slide out keyboard. Keyboard can be used as a cover to turn PSP into a clamshell. The keyboard can also be attached/rotated to the back of the psp if you don't want to use it.
    8) Play PS2/PS1 games.


    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 11:31

  • rhinoxious #48 3 years ago

    The problem with PS2 emulation is both power and money related.

    Later PS2 games tend to stream levels, music etc off the disk almost continuously. To sell those games on UMD discs without significant work would kill the battery (space issues aside)

    Let people run rips directly from memory cards? Then where's your profit margin?

  • TsunamiRR #49 3 years ago

    Sony keeps preventing me from buying a PSP. Why release a new model every year? Is like, I wont buy this model, cause a new one will come out. MEh...

  • dirigiblebill #50 3 years ago

    Just buy the cheapest, you big girl. As the proud owner of a phat, I can tell you that there's not a whole lot between it and the 2000/3000. Screen is still brilliant (if slightly less so), battery life is still adequate, D-pad still sucks, etc.

  • the_stig #51 2 years ago

    hey, guys, some of your wishes have been forefilled, sony have made a new psp, called the PSP GO!, but some ppl dont like it. look it up yourself at playstation website.