EA Exec Patrick Soderlund Confirms PSP 2
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Sony doesn’t have a lot to say regarding the PSP 2 or the Playstation phone. A large number of rumors are running around but there’s very little proof to back the existence of the products. Or in the case of the PSP2, there wasn’t any until now. That’s because an exect from one of the biuggest gaming publishers, Electronic Arts, went right ahead and admitted that his team has interacted with and seen the PSP 2.
According to Yahoo, senior vice president of EA Patrick Soderlund was recently asked whether he had “any exposure at all” to the PSP 2. Whether caught by surprise or simply frank by nature, Soderlund stated that “well, obviously as a developer we have had that” and then added that he’s not allowed to talk about it. But, oops, he just did talk about it, even if for a mere couple of seconds. That’s more than enough to let us know that the device Sony is not rushing to confirm or deny is actually in the works and should start shipping towards stores in a future that’s hopefully not so distant.
A mock-up of the PSP 2
This is also not the first time someone mentions that the PSP 2 exists. Back in September, the executive producer of the gaming studio that makes Mortal Kombat simply went ahead and let people know that a PSP 2 was being tested out and seemed a “pretty powerful machine”. So what are the chances, really, that two people came up with this type of declaration, or slip, call it what you wish, and that the PSP 2 is not in the works? Close to none, if you ask me.
Sony, as always, is sticking by the same response. The company won’t comment on rumors or speculation and it’s perfectly understandable that it doesn’t want to admit that a potentially impressive product might get released on the market three, four months from now. It would spoil all the fun. But as more time goes by its becoming clear that the PSP 2 isn’t just an invention and a rumor. In a recent statement, a Sony executive mentioned that a product is currently in the works but details regarding it won’t be revealed for the moment. Some people thought that he was talking about the Playstation phone. Right now, it’s not exactly clear if it’s possible he was referring to the PSP 2, or both. Or maybe the PSP 2 will have phone functionality? You can never know for sure. According to previous rumors the PSP 2 was said to have a larger display, dual analog sticks and a touchpad on the back side. The Playstation phone has a completely different set of features, according to speculation.
It would be interesting though, seeing as both the PSP 2 and the Playstation phone are said to be in development, that the two devices are one and the same. A while back, Sony’s Peter Dille mentioned that the WiFi connectivity of the PSP does impose some limitations and that people might feel better being freer to communicate. While smartphones were, according to him, gaming tools for killing time rather than serious gaming devices, he admitted that some consumers are forced to carry the PSP and a phone around and that the vision of a device that can offer all the entertainment users want while at the same time prove accessible always won’t be fulfilled with a WiFi-only device. Although farfetched, I can’t help but consider the possibility that the PSP 2 and the Playstation phone are the same thing but different names, info are leaking through different sources. Take this with a major grain of salt and feel free to mention whether you think this is possible or not.
Since the rumor mill was already started, more information is becoming available as we speak. Several Kotaku sources revealed that the new PSP will resemble the older PSP Go meaning that it won’t have an UMD drive but rather, flash storage. On top of that, the device should have 1GB of RAM and get closer, as specifications to a full-blown gaming console, like the Playstation. Sadly, we still didn’t get more concrete information or any details regarding a potential release date. We can say exactly the same about the Playstation phone. While you can be sure that the PSP 2 exists, the Playstation phone remains a mysterious, highly anticipated device. What do you think about the PSP 2? Would you prefer to see a PSP 2, a Playstation phone or both released in 2011?
