PSP2 has 2x processing power of 360

At this stage it’s impossible to know what’s true and what’s not about Sony’s new PSP machines, but Kotaku has gone live with what it claims are further specs about the PSP’s true successor, the PSP2.

It reports that the device houses twice the RAM of Xbox 360 – 1GB to be exact. The current model has just 64MB or RAM, the same as Nintendo’s Wii. The CPU clock speed has not been revealed, but if it does indeed better the 3.2 GHZ CPU found in Xbox 360 then expect some seriously impressive visuals.

Reiterating the belief that the device houses a rear-facing touch panel, it adds that it also boasts two analogue sticks, meaning that ‘proper’ FPS gaming will be a possibility on the device for the first time.

Apparently the prototypes doing the rounds come in two flavours – one with a similar configuration to the standard PSP and another more like the sliding design of the PSPgo. Sony is reportedly yet to decide what route it will eventually go down with the new device.

It’s also said to be UMD-free, meaning it will follow the download-only path laid out by the PSPgo. This may seem bizarre, seeing as the PSPgo has not been a sales success, but that perhaps misses the point.

Part of the PSpgo’s problem is that users looking to upgrade have no way of carrying over their existing UMD collection. A new machine will have no back-catalogue, removing what is a very large barrier.

And the success of iPhone has proved that a lack of physical media is no barrier to success. As long as Sony can keep its software prices low, this could yet prove a winning strategy for the platform holder.

VG247 is claiming that the new portable is currently going under the codename of ‘Veta’. Earlier this week Engadget claimed that the second mystery PSP, which is being widely referred to as the PlayStation Phone, has the codename of ‘Zeus’.

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