Even after last week's GDC, where Sony insistently denied rumours of a redesigned PlayStation Portable in the making, the same rumours stubbornly keep on coming. Or at least they do on Kotaku, who claim that there's "no denying it" and that the new PSP2 could be released this year. According to their "various third-party and highly placed sources", third-party publishers are already hoping to sync their games with the launch of the PSP2 - even though they have absolutely no idea when that will be, since Sony is still in the denial phase.

That (passing?) phase might come to an end at this year's chopped-down E3, where Sony is expected to unveil the redesigned portable console. Actually, redesigned and technically enhanced, because Kotaku's hearsay lists the following features for the supposed PlayStation Portable 2:

- The screen is gorgeous

- The loads are faster

- Improved buttons

- Internal flash - 8GB

- Possible touch-screen (ed. - how original... again)

- Possible built-in camera

- Uses UMD

Keep in mind that all this is coming just days after Sony has last denied the age-old "redesigned PSP" rumour. According to IGN's report from GDC, "Sony officials refuted the idea that that PSP was in need of a DS Lite-style remake, stating that the system will see no physical alterations. The design will stay the same, but the way [it] interacts with consumers may change".

Downloading movies directly to the PSP is one of the most desired features, although other websites are less pretentious and only foretell a new set of colors being made available for the PSP in the future. The platform is sure to go through some more changes, we just need to wait and see how drastic they turn out...

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)