While certainly not a major surprise, as most of us knew it would come eventually, Electronic Arts has confirmed the existence of the PSP2 in a recent interview, being one of the developers with early access to the device. This was then backed up by a Sony executive, who confirmed that select developers have access to the current build of the PSP2.

What remains shrouded in mystery is just how far along this prototype is. With the expectation being that the PSP2 won’t see release until late 2011, it’s more likely the device is an early to mid build, as opposed to being in a near finished state. Though with all the early hype surrounding the Nintendo 3DS and the track record Nintendo has with handhelds, Sony may be furiously prepping the PSP2 for release as soon as possible, to provide some opposition to the 3DS, which will launch early 2011.

Enhanced Portable Gaming, Part 2

While specifics of the PSP2 are unknown at present, we can say that the device is likely to have a larger screen, that said screen will be a touch screen, and that the system will undoubtedly have even more processing power than its predecessor, which boasted near PlayStation 2-level power. It is also likely to feature integration with the recently confirmed PlayStation Phone, as well as the PlayStation 3, and possibly the PlayStation 4 looming on the horizon.

While the chances of taking down Nintendo in the handheld wars seem slim, Sony is in a great position to continue to carve out its own niche in the portable gaming space, by offering the only platform that can play console quality games on a portable device. The PSP was by no means a slouch in sales, and if the PSP2 can match or better them, it should prove to be a great success for Sony and fans of portable gaming, even if it does nothing to slow the handheld dominance by Nintendo.

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