Speculation: The Real Deal on Sony's Next PSP Console

217w ago - Sony has contended there is no PSP2 and they are telling the cold hard truth. There won't be a PSP2 coming for at least a couple more years.

That doesn't mean that some new PSP hardware isn't headed our way soon enough. Think more aesthetic changes, more along the lines of DS to DSLite but more substantial of a change.

We are not at liberty to divulge our sources. Rest assured all will be revealed during E3.

Let's take a look at some "Facts" from the Internet:

• UMD is dead. Sorry folks, UMD IS dead, they got this one right...
• Touch Screen. Many say that this is a given as this seems to be the trend the industry is heading towards. Well Sony boasts it's "Like No Other" and that is the truth, Sony doesn't follow trends, it sets them. There will be NO touchscreen in the next PSP.
• "Monstrous Hardware Specs" If that were the case, it WOULD be the PSP2, and the next PSP is NOT the PSP2, it's not the PSP-4000 either. In fact it's something entirely unique.

Now let's move onto the "Fiction":

• Release before Christmas 2009. We don't know an exact release date, but it's much sooner than anyone is expecting. One thing we are sure of is that it's definitely going to be before Holiday 2009.
• Internal HDD. If UMD is dead, how exactly doe people think we are going to get our games on the new PSP? Sure Sony could pack in some form of memory stick with the new PSP, but that isn't practical. As Dave Perry has mentioned in the past, look for some type of solid state memory on board. It will also take some form of removable flash memory.
• Phone included. This one is right also, but it wasn't a hard guess. There will be no built in phone in the next PSP, however you can always use Skype.

Here is a few more things we would like to touch on:

• Sliding Screen. Rumors call this fiction, and unfortunately we cannot comment on this. We have to leave it at that.
• Dual Analog Sticks. Nope, not happening, at least not until the PSP2 which this isn't. Adding a second analog stick would alienate the current PSP lineup, which is going to get much more robust later this year. A lineup, that will play just fine on this new PSP, which is based on current PSP tech.

Last thing we would like to leave you off with is...

We all know E3 is going to be filled with HEAVY announcements, potentially COLOSSAL even if we're lucky. Don't let all the MASSIVE amounts of rumors RAIN on your parade.

PSLS Artist Rendition of new PSP (Concept Art) is below.