Rumor: PSP-3000 In Production Now?

When the PSP-2000, widely known as the PSP Slim, hit the market for the first time late last year, it generated a spike in sales of the sleek handheld device. Since then, sales have continued to climb, further fueled by the arrival of top-quality blockbuster titles like God of War: Chains of Olympus and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII . But Sony has always said the PSP is an ongoing plan, which means a PSP-3000 is almost inevitable at some point. Could that point be coming sooner than we all think?

The big rumor today revolves around this very topic, as forum posters at PSPChina have claimed the PSP-3000 is indeed already in production, and boasts a built-in microphone plus a number of cosmetic alterations. For proof, they tossed up several photos of the device, which you can view here . Obviously, nothing about this report can be considered official, not without a confirmation from Sony themselves, but it's still intriguing. You may recall that Sony and many other publishers and manufacturers said we should expect more big news at Leipzig next month…could the PSP-3000 be among the surprise announcements? If it's already in production, it means it would probably arrive just in time for the holidays, which makes perfect sense. That's about when the PSP-2000 hit, after all.

Even if this is true, though, Sony isn't likely to verify anything until either Leipzig or the Tokyo Game Show in September. If it's false, expect them to deny it quickly. We'll keep you posted with any updates, and in the meantime, speculate away: what will, or what should, a new PSP include?