Site Spreads Naughty PSP 2 Rumours

Rumours about a successor to the PlayStation Portable have been circulating for well over a year, but it all kicked off yesterday when Made2Game, the new blog of former TSA news writer Wotta, published a story apparently citing an incoming official announcement from Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai.  Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?

The story has since been taken down, but it said (text taken from here):

According to our tipster, the PSP2 merges the line between phone and gaming device, featuring Google Android based software running the latest build customised by Sony to suit the hardware. We hear the device will also include SIM Free mobile network coverage utilising 3G and EDGE support for gaming on the go.

Other specs show the device is around the same size as PSPGo but is wider thanks to an impressive AMOLED capacitive screen which provides a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.

As reported earlier in the week the PSP2 also features a touch sensitive pad on the rear named “PSP Move” allowing for gesture like input.  Under the hood, the PSP2 boots with a 1.2Ghz SnapDragon processor as well as adopting the nVidia Tegra Web processor which promises to deliver “hyper-realistic 3D graphics”.

Other notable features include a built-in camera supporting standard XVGA resolutions and directional microphone.

The article was disclaimed by saying that the information was provided by a ‘tipster’, was a rumour, and that it should be taken with a ‘large’ pinch of salt. Still, the story was pushed to N4G (where it currently sits as ‘failed’ with a ‘temperature’ of over 500 degrees, the measurement used to distinguish the ‘heat’ of a story, and, in turn, the number of hits the site gets from the story) and grabbed a fair bit of attention in the process.

Whilst it’s clear that Made2Game thought there wasn’t a huge amount of truth to the story, here’s where it all gets interesting.

After the story was pushed out, another site, 3XG.co.uk, published this story.  “We decided to test how easy it is to spread a ridiculous rumour around the Internet and who picked it up,” says the site.  “We decided to send an email from a random list of clever sounding names with no citation and no qualification what-so-ever to see if game websites and journalists would pick up the story – without researching it or questioning our source.”

It seems that 3XG were trying to trick other sites into publishing the story.  The email the site sent out to other sites is as follows:

BREAKING NEWS: TGS 2010 – PSP2 Announced

In a shock and awe presentation today Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kazuo Hirai announced the arrival of the latest hardware to enter the Sony family, the PSP2.

The PSP2 merges the line between phone and gaming device, featuring Google Android based software running the latest build – Ginger Bread which has been customised by Sony to suit the hardware, along with SIM Free mobile network coverage utilising 3G and EDGE support for gaming on the go.

The device is similar in shape to the PSPGo but is wider thanks to an impressive AMOLED capacitive screen providing a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The PSP2 also bizarrely features a touch sensitive pad on the rear of the device dubbed “PSP Move” allowing for gesture like input.

The horsepower has also been upped with the PSP2 booting a 1.2Ghz SnapDragon processor and adopting the nVidia Tegra Web processor promising to deliver “hyper-realistic 3D graphics”.

Other notable features include a built-in camera supporting standard XVGA resolutions and directional microphone (all ideal for Skype), plus two analogue sticks and a third responsible for 3D sound.

At first glance, and given the context of this particular post, it’s reasonably clear that the majority of the email has been seen in rumours prior.  However, there are parts of the email that look convincing and the plot, at least in the case of Made2Game, appears to be a little deeper and darker than just an enthusiastic editor wanting to spread the news.

A follow-up post on Made2Game last night suggests that they were told “Gamespot had an article in pending”, lending some weight to the transmission, and that the email itself came from “the name of someone with whom [Made2Game] have trusted and worked with in the past.”  This is, according to Made2Game, an email pretending to be from a member of Wotta’s previous site, which said that the story was sat ready to go on the Gamespot site.

Is it all sounding a bit scarier now?

Our news team here isn’t infallible, and we don’t claim to be – for example, do we now have to doubt what’s really behind this story?  If an email like that appeared to come from a member of TSA’s ranks we’d perhaps give it the attention it deserved.  What 3XG have done might have raised a few smiles at their HQ, but on a personal level it all seems like a step too far.  Not that we’re assuming this is the last time someone will try to catch people out, of course.

A reply to Wotta on the 3XG site claims that they “knew that this might cause friction” but “do not mean to burn bridges.”   Seems to me like that boat’s already sailed, especially as they’re claiming they’ve been sending similar emails for “60 days” and who knows what else they’ve got planned or already sent out.  Don’t believe everything you read, guys – if the PSP2 does get announced at TGS, during TGS is the first place you’ll hear about it.

Disclaimer: this article is the personal opinion of the author and does not constitute the editorial opinion of TheSixthAxis.