PSP2 Rumor Thread - Reveal on Jan 27th?

Apr 2, 2009
2,147
Eurogamer.es is reporting that PowerVR technology from Imagination Technologies will form the basis of the still-in-development PSP2. The site claims to have insider sources that reckon that a quad core iteration of the low-power SGX543MP chip, codenamed "Hydra", will be present in the next generation handheld, not to be confused with the forthcoming PSPgo.

The chip itself appears to be very close indeed to the enhanced GPU experts say resides within the iPhone 3GS, providing a generational leap in performance over older PowerVR MBX processors found in the previous models. The same technology is also found in select netbooks such as the Dell Mini 12, as part of the new low power Poulsbo chipset. The single core version of the chip has been demonstrated at CES running Quake 3 Arena at 30FPS.

The obvious difference of course is that the SGX543MP is a multicore processor, available with anything up to 16 cores on tap. According to the original report, PSP2 opts for a quad configuration offering notional specs of 133 million polygons per second, and 4Gpixels/sec fillrate, assuming that Hydra operates at the chip's low-end of 200MHz (higher speed variants are also available, presumably for desktop use). While specs like this are always subject to interpretation, these figures are a ballpark match for the original Xbox. However, PowerVR's tech includes tile-based deferred rendering, which should provide a nice performance boost.

Also of interest is the fact that Imagination Technologies itself describes the chip as a GP-GPU, meaning it has the ability to operate as both CPU and graphics processor in one handy package, similar to projects being worked on by Intel and AMD. It may well be that PSP2 will centralise all of its processing into a single chip, thus saving power and providing other efficiency savings from a programming perspective (lightning fast interaction between game logic and graphics, for example).

So just how plausible is the original Spanish Eurogamer report? Having shared with us some of the more "off the record" information about the source of the info, it's a likely proposition, not least because Sony is hotly rumoured to have been the mystery "major international consumer electronics company" mentioned in this press release issued back in November last year.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-psp2-features-quad-core-gpu-blog-entry

i'm seeing talk about this, and depending on when sony wants to launch, we could be looking at a psp that goes well beyond the power of the lowly xbox, and closer to the power of the 360 :cool:
 
http://www.vg247.com/2011/01/12/source-sony-to-announce-psp2-in-tokyo-on-january-27/

VG247 has learnt that Sony it to hold a “business overview and strategy meeting” in Tokyo on January 27, and has been told that Sony will use the event as a reveal platform for PSP2.

Nothing is known of the meeting’s content, but we do know that only “very select press” are attending.

Sources have said this morning that PSP2 will be announced at the showcase.

Sony has declined to comment on the chatter this morning.

The console, which is currently under wraps, is expected to be released later this year.

Going by the codename VITA, PSP2 has been in the hands of developers for at least a year. VG247 published the first images of a development kit last November.

Netherrealm Studios and EA have openly said they’ve been working with the machine.
 
Bloomberg: Psp2 to be revealed next week

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/19/bloomberg-sony-psp2-to-debut-next-week-playstation-phone-at-mw/

It's nothing that runs counter to the ongoing whispers we've heard so far, but according to Bloomberg and its pair of sources, Sony Computer Entertainment's Tokyo event on January 27th is indeed the platform from which it'll unveil the next PSP, and next month at Mobile World Congress will be where we finally meet -- officially, that is -- the PlayStation Phone. Next week's press conference will also reportedly "outline a strategy to use its networked entertainment services to share games, movies and music among handheld products, TVs and other devices." Not much else to say at this point, so just sit back, relax, and wait for the other guys to do their presentation, first.