The ultimate PSP rumour rundown

The maxim 'Don't believe everything you read' is particularly applicable when dealing with the internet. And the PSP has got its very own corner of the Web we like to call the 'PSP rumour mill' where facts, fanboy frippery and misinterpreted truths all collide to form rumours.

Pocket Gamer exists in another corner, which we like to call 'Reality'. Here we've assembled what we think we'll call the PSP Rumour Refinery, a place to sort PSP facts from PSP propaganda. So sit back and prepare to turn off your nonsense filter while we lend you ours for a rundown of the most interesting recent PSP rumours.

Rumour: nVIDIA has the contract for PSP2

An advertisement on the nVIDIA website for eDRAM engineers a month or two back had the online games journalism contingent scrambling over one another to make claims that this could only mean that nVIDIA had secured the contract to develop the chips for the PSP2.

Is it true? We're inclined to say: maybe. Although this job advertisement in no way confirms anything, Sony's relationship (or even contract) with nVIDIA could spill over from the PlayStation to the PSP2 (if one is in fact planned). However the eDRAM chips in question could just as easily be for a revised version of the Sony mylo, or even a new Sony VIAO PC.

Rumour: Skype is coming to the PSP

A small line of code found embedded in a decryption of the latest PSP firmware refers to Skype, the peer to peer (P2P) telephony software already popular with Mac and PC users. It is possible that some sort of full blown Skype functionality could follow in a future firmware update.

Is it true? Very likely. References to the PSone emulator (POPS) and the PSP's GPS add-on were both found in previous decrypted firmware versions and have since emerged as new functions for the PSP. The appearance of this Skype reference is hard to ignore in the face such a precedent, but until there is a little blue 'S' on the XMB dashboard of Pocket Gamer's PSP (we have to toss the device around the office, like witches sharing one eyeball), we'll not know for sure.

Rumour: Yahoo is teaming up with the PSP

In a recent article a mention was made of Sony's plans to "announce deals with software companies and internet service providers to try to reverse the dismal performance of its PlayStation Portable."

Among the companies named (within the first four lines of the article) was the internet giant Yahoo, causing widespread speculation and rumour mongering (not a pretty sight). Before you could say 'yeah and Nintendo is being bought by Apple' with a sardonic smirk, a rash of stories had pimpled the internet.

Is it true? Might well be, particularly if combined with a Skype-related push that also encompasses PS3's growing online focus. But hardly a big deal, or rocket science.
Rumour: PSP accessing stuff on PS3 from anywhere

Much has been said of the PSP's ability to sync with the PS3 and it can certainly do that. However, the much-hyped location free access is yet to show its colours, and so far the connectivity has been limited to a handful of options such as throwing movies from the PS3 to the PSP and downloading PSone titles on the PS3 for use with the PSP. Big promises have been made about how PSPs will be able to link to PS3 from any internet connection in order access content stored on its HD.

Is it true? Almost certainly. Although this feature has not yet surfaced, it has been promised from Sony directly. It thus seems likely that the location free connectivity will come to fruition, albeit fashionably late as is Sony's style these days.
Rumour: Next PSP will have a 60GB hard drive

When Samsung introduced their new line of 1.5 inch 60 GB hard drives, rumours started to mount about their possible inclusion inside a future iteration of the PSP. The speculation was not completely unfounded but the reason for it may lie in a translation error. So far neither Sony nor Samsung has had anything more to say on the subject.

Is it true? We are going to cowardly sit on the fence with this one. It is common for third party manufacturers to provide hard drives and DVD drives for consoles, but there is no solid indication that Samsung will have anything to do with a future iteration of the PSP, if in fact one exists.
Rumour: God of War is coming to the PSP The smash hit Ancient Greek bloodbath-'em-up (if it's not a real genre it should be) for the PS2 has had fans crying out for a PSP version for some time now. Confusingly, PSP developer Ready at Dawn has recently announced (cryptically) an as-of-yet unannounced PSP title. A visit to the page dedicated to the unannounced game features a Daxter banner which is then filled with blood before the words 'coming soon' appear in the very familiar G.o.W. font.

Is it true? We say yes. Within hours of the original advertisement (pictured above) going up on Ready at Dawn's site, the font of the words 'Coming Soon' was changed to something a little less revealing. Even if this is not confirmation of a PSP God of War, chances are that Sony will be keen to get such a high profile unit shifter onto their handheld system (although whether that's the kind of game PSP needs is another matter).
Rumour: Sony is thinking about a PSP phone In the post festive shopping hangover, the PSP's temporarily raised profile saw a splurge of PSP2 mock-ups parading about the web variously claiming to be leaked from official sources. It did not take Sony long to rebuff these claims with a few automatic sounding press statements. Among the most interesting mock-ups was a ">PSP-Sony Ericsson hybrid.

Is it true? Probably not. There has been no evidence to suggest that such a device will ever emerge, though much of the PSP community must be wondering 'What if'? With the possibility of a paring between Sony and Skype, it looks as though the PSP may become a makeshift mobile, anyway. Will handheld games devices end up incorporating mobile phone functionality into their core feature set, in the same way that mobile phones are rapidly incorporating games into theirs? Probably, but not for some years – they're different business models, and phone technology will probably be in everything else (laptops, PC, TVs, toasters) by then, too.
Rumour: The PSP will disappear completely by 2008 Some cynical torch carrying witch burners are damning the PSP to bargain bin hell already. The device has so far failed to match the phenomenal success of the DS, and has often been criticized for failing to offer few new or interesting titles, and for over-delivering in the half-hearted PlayStation knock off department. As such, retailers such as EB games have been helping to dent the PSPs profile in expectation of poor sales, by offering a high exchange incentive for the device when buying a DS Lite. There are some who believe that if this pattern continues the PSP will be all but obsolete by 2008.

Is it true? No. It's true that the PSP has had a hard time up against the quirky as you like DS, but that's little reason to assume Sony will simply throw in the towel. Expect 2007 to be a time of groundshaking PSP revelations: Sony is not the type of company to fold in the face of competition.

And we've been here before. The original Xbox sold only a fraction of the PS2 and some analysts derided it as a failure, but that didn't derail the Xbox 360. The Xbox introduced Microsoft to the console world successfully, and considering the much closer gap between the PSP and the DS in terms of sales, there is no reason to see the PSP as anything but Sony's successful entry into the handheld world. With some 25 million sold, Sony will definitely not throw the investment away without at least trying its luck in round two.

Anyway, that's what we think, but what do you, our esteemed readers, believe? If there are any really juicy rumours we missed or if you think our PSP Rumour Refinery is on the blink, let us know in the comments below!