John-ShepardIt's certainly one of the biggest pre-E3 rumors currently circulating, and one research firm has already bought into the hype. …or perhaps they have some inside info that we don't.
According to DailyGamesNews , Macquarie Research believes Sony will announce a revamped PSP at E3, and it will indeed be UMD-less. Sony, of course, has denied any and all rumors associated with a PSP2, PSP-4000, or the most recent PSP Go!, but that can't stop us from thinking and considering. We really don't know what Sony plans to do with their sleek little handheld, but here's the assessment from Macquarie:
"We expect Sony to announce an improved PSP including a sliding touch screen with only download games offering (no UMD disc) as well as expanded PSN offering. We don't think this will be well received, but we are worried the pricing might be well above the existing model's US$199 price point. No price cut for PS3 is expected, but we think it likely the slimmer model is announced at the same current price of US$399 and with a price cut of US$100 closer to the holiday season."
Hmm…a higher price might not go over well unless the new unit boasts plenty of brand new functionality. Then there's that tidbit about the PlayStation 3; they clearly don't expect a price cut, but they do say the possibility of a new Slim model does exist. And we have to go along with the idea of a price cut for the holidays; we've been saying that for months. When Sony's press conference rolls around next week, we'll probably have all the answers we need but for now, let's just sit back and ponder…
