Sony PSP2 to be in shops by Christmas?
A PSP2, featuring a sliding touchscreen and two analogue sticks, will apparently be in the shops in time for Christmas, according to a source quoted by Pocket Gamer. It’ll also be considerably more like the iPhone.
The forthcoming PSP2 will feature a large touchscreen, which slides back to reveal controls. There’ll also be an ‘app store’ equivalent in the Playstation Store, where users download games digitally, as the device lacks support for the dying UMD format.
Full specs and pricing will apparently be revealed at E3 in June, but going after the iPhone seems to be a strange move for Sony to be making, especially as Nintendo is hammering the company with its low spec, casually-focused DS.
Are Sony really trying to out-casual Nintendo? And what will that mean for gamers? I can answer that second question right now – it’ll mean a prevalence of cheap movie tie-ins, iFart applications, virtual pet games and other miscellaneous shovelware. Sony will rapidly lose its hardcore fanbase, instead capturing a smaller part of a slightly larger market. Meanwhile, the hardcore go unserved in the portable arena.
(via Pocket Gamer)
