Slim PSP rumours surface

LAST WEEK WE speculated that the next PSP might come in the form of a VOIP telephony device.

This week others are suggesting that the next iteration of the PSP will be a slim line device coupled with a bulky addition of flash memory.

PS3/PSP
Kotaku has the alleged scoop on the PSP slim.

It will be based on the original PSP hardware but will come in a slimmer shell.

The slimmer PSP has been put on a diet with the aid of a new LED screen, which should take much less space, and will also aid the battery in lasting four times longer than the original phat PSP.

To help speed up load-times, a long maglined feature of the PSP, and thus gameplay, the slimmer portable will come packed with 8GB of internal flash memory. This has been a rumour for over a year now, and must seriously have some truth to it if it's still floating around.

Finally, the PSP's much maligned buttons have been revamped and the D-Pad has gotten a major overhaul, giving portable gamers something more like a Playstation 3 D-pad to play with. A camera may or may not be included depending on price.

Some other mixed news for the PS3 this week, with the PS3 has become PAL's fastest ever selling console, shifting 1 million units since its launch in March 10 weeks ago. This beats records previously held by the Playstation and PS2 and probably represents the importance of a better games line-up, though it still wasn't too hot.

As far as first-party software goes in PAL territories, Sony also confirmed to Gamespot that Resistance: Fall of Man was the top seller so far, having shifted some 600,000 units, and Motorstorm is in second place with a total of approximately 500,000 sales.

Just don't mention Resistance to the Church of England.

Similarly to Microsoft, Sony has been hinting at price drops for the PS3. Sony president Ryoji Chubachi, said the company "does not rule out the possibility of lowering the price" of the PS3.

In a statement to Next-Gen, Sony Computer Entertainment America has denied that the layoffs reported in the week are directly linked with trailing Playstation 3 sales.

SCEA laid off 80 to 100 workers, mainly at its headquarters in Foster City, Calif. Karraker declined to offer details surrounding the specifics of how the employees were informed.

Gizmodo has a review of the PS2 to PS3 controller converter, if you're in need of one.

In the past week, new services for both the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP have pumped up their online presence, making it a perfect time to take a second look at the two handhelds' Wi-Fi features. Quite simply, when it comes to additional Web-based services, Sony is the frontrunner, so says TGDaily.

Wii/DS
Bloomberg reports that the Wii/PS3 sales ratio continues to grow at a frightening pace in Japan.

Nintendo sold 251,794 of its newest game machines in May, outselling Sony's Playstation 3 consoles five to one, Tokyo-based research firm Enterbrain Inc. told Bloomberg. The PS3 trailed the Wii by four to one in April.

Similarly, the PS3 to Xbox 360 ratio is just as huge - the 360 only sold 11K units.

Nintendo's handheld DS player also outsold Sony's Playstation Portable five to one in May, Enterbrain said. The company sold 620,670 of the touch-screen players, compared with 123,673 PSPs.

With all those DSs sold Japanese gamers are probably holding out for more battery storage - try this, a battery replacement that almost doubles the size of your portable gaming system.

Joystiq brings us reason to have all that battery power, DS Zelda. Phantom Hourglass is nearly here and you can see the first Japanese commercials here.

Alternatively you could watch Twilight Princess being completed in 6 hours. Enjoy.

Representatives from Oslo, Norway-based developer Opera Software have officially announced that the Nintendo DS Browser, the handheld port of its bespoke product, has been released to retail and Nintendo's online store for the standard DS and DS Lite. Now you can have Opera on your Wii and DS. Along with your PC, mobile, etc.

Dr. Julio Bonis awoke one Sunday morning with a sore shoulder and couldn't figure out what he'd done - until he remembered his Wii.

It was not quite tennis elbow, he decided. "The variant in this patient can be labeled more specifically as 'Wiiitis,'" Bonis, a family practice physician, wrote in a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine.

We're only surprised it took this long. Read here for more.

Good news for Myst fans. It's coming to the DS.

Eurogamer has the latest low-down on the Wii Virtual Console games - along with two ten-out-of-ten reviews.

Rumour has it E3 will bring Smash Bros, Mario Galaxy release dates along with a preview Mario Kart Wii.

Not only will these games be detailed...it's possible a Wii hard drive will also be unveiled.

Xbox 360
With monthly sales of its Xbox 360 lagging far behind Nintendo's Wii (and the PS3 in Japan), Microsoft is reportedly considering a dramatic price cut for its next-generation gaming console. In an interview with Bloomberg News (via Toptechnews, David Hufford, a director of Xbox product management, said that the 'sweet spot' for the gaming console market is $199. Read £199 for those of us in the UK.

Bill Gates has revealed that his vision for the future of gaming involves a new control system where players swing a bat or racket as they would in real life - but said it won't be the same as the Wii.

"That's a 3D positional device," Gates continued. "This is video recognition. This is a camera seeing what's going on."

Thus the control system would employ motion capture via the 360's camera. Seems an amalgamation of Sony's eye toy, with Wii's successful Wiimote.

The PS3 and Wii may be 'owning' the 360 in Japan, but Eternal Sonata did briefly top Amazon's Japan charts last week, reports Joystiq.

Following rumors of Gears of War heading to the PS3, Epic Games came out with a statement shooting the whole thing down. Our favourite VP at Epic Games, Mark Rein, said, "This story is complete bull****. I emailed the site and asked them to take it down. We're very happy with our relationship with Microsoft. If it weren't for them Gears wouldn't be the huge hit it has become." Shooters learning from GoW are being directly utilised on the battlefield - the US army are employing 360 pads to control SUGVs (Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles).

If you're looking for a new router and you're a lover of the 360's sleek design, look no further than your Spanish friend; Amigo. Amigo's R622AG Wifi router looks distinctly familiar. µ

See Also
PSP gaming phone spotted
Further PS3 slatings and PSP 2 whisperings
Sony PS3-based PSX appears on the horizon
Games industry flashes wad, swaggers