New PSP To Get Touch Sensitive Controls?

Dan Lee 38 Comments

Sources have spoken to Eurogamer regarding the path Sony is planning to take with the next version of the PSP – it’s going to be roughly the same size as the PSP-3000 and have touch controls on the reverse of the unit.

The development sources – who have seen and used the new PSP – state that although the screen is rich and detailed, the best feature is the touch sensitive area behind the screen. The device is also rumoured to favour flash storage akin to the PSPgo rather than a disc-based solution.

Although this PSP hasn’t been shown to the public at Gamescom this week, it is being shown to publishers.

Intriguing!

Source: Eurogamer

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38 Comments

  1. If it didnt, it wouldnt be worth making. Touch Screen gaming, whether by stylus or fingertip is the future, and present, of handheld gaming. At least the gaming news is distracting me from my University cock-up.

    • Do tell

    • its a nice feature but touch screen still doesnt allow for control of all 3 dimensions in a game simultaneously like dual thumb sticks.

  2. Although the PSP is an amazing handheld it does need to reach out to more people.

    The addition of touchscreen controls is a must, as is a 2nd analogue stick.

    give devs options and they will use them in new and creative ways

    • 2 analouge sticks is a must! also a HDMI out put, and an Android OS for the phone part. job done!

      • HDMI out, very nice. also able to plug a Dualshock 3 would be awesome. That would be an excellent workaround for playing PSP titles on the big screen.

      • You can use a DS3 with the PSPgo, it supports Bluetooth.

  3. touch screen gaming is crap at the moment. Ipod games don’t respond properly. I hope its just buttons, because using a touch screen to move a character is so far rubbish on ipods etc.

    • That’s a bit of a sweeping generalisation; a lot of the games on the iPlatform do have poor controls, but many don’t – you need to remember that there are a lot of games made by amateur developers who either don’t have the time or the know-how to get controls right, so you get a high percentage if rubbish. I’d expect the teams developing for the new PSP to be professional outfits with a much better handle on control mechanisms.

    • “touch screen gaming is crap at the moment. Ipod games don’t respond properly. ”

      Utter nonsense.

    • Dude, thats bullshit. Flight Control, Paper Toss, Angry Birds etc, all brilliant games that run purely on touch.

    • can’t speak for how responsive the touchscreen controls are on the iphone/pad/pod but i agree that controlling many of the games with the touch screen controls looks pretty akward, but get a system like the ds that has touch screen and traditional controls and you’ve got a fantastic gaming system.

      a touch screen alone isn’t ideally suited to games, but a touch screen combined twin dual alanog controls and buttons, would be perfect for games.

      they do need to improve the analog nubs though.

      • Its brilliant, really brilliant in games designed for the interface – which are amongst the best games made in the past year or two, but it doesn’t work very well in multiplatform titles which have been ported to the iPhone and had a virtual joypad stuck on, although I will say some of these are also very good, but occasionally awkward.

    • I’m not a fan of touch-screen gaming. If the touchscreen is on the back then you’re gonna have to use your fingers, which means it’s gonna get scratched to hell within days. Great.

  4. I think touch games are going to get more and more popular as the iPhone spreads around the world. It would be a great addition to PSP, as long as they included a 2nd analogue stick.

  5. “touch controls on the reverse of the unit”

    Say what? :-\

    • My thoughts exactly.

      • The touch controls are only available on the Japanese edition. Something about then requiring it for when you try to unfasten a girl’s bra on the subway train without her permission.

        Welcome to Rapeplay PSP.

      • and don’t complain, it’s cultural.

      • They could replace the R1, R2, L1 and L2 buttons (or maybe just R2 and L2). It would be space saving as well as they wouldn’t have to include moving parts for the buttons.

        They are the buttons I can think of that you don’t see on a controller while you’re playing.

  6. touch controls on the back? that wont work well, and no drive? not while sony have a monopoly on delivering content.

    • oh and put the controls higher up on the machine, having to grip the console high up to keep a steady grip yet putting all the controls at the bottom is an ergonomic nightmare, you have to bend your thumbs nearly double to use the analog nub on the old psp, and the go looks much worse than that.

      put the controls near the top so it doesn’t hurt to play the thing for more than five minutes.

      or put a couple of hand grips at the bottom so you can hold it lower down, like the grips on the dual shock.

      • I’ve never had issues with the go.

        The problem with added hand grips is that it makes the console less and less portable. If the next PSP doesn’t fit in your pocket then it’ll suffer from many of the problems the current one does.

  7. 2nd stick is all we need Sony!!

  8. I tried to play oddworld the other day on my psp, had to give up due to lack of R2 and L2 buttons, using the analog stick instead was a nightmare

    • Press the home button and go to control settings and customize the controls to your liking.

  9. I’ve said for a while that the PSP2 will be modelled more on the PSPgo than the PSP 1000, 2000 or 3000. I’ve read elsewhere that Sony were looking at a disc based system for the PSP2 but developers have told them to scrap it and stick with flash memory.

    If you want to play PSP games on the PSP2 you probably need to stop buying UMDs (or already should have).

    If the PSP2 is going to be as “successful” as the iphone then a couple of things need to happen.

    1. Phone capabilities need to be included.
    2. They must not use the Ericson branding it’s needs to be sold as the Playstation Phone. One of the big reasons for the success of the iPhone is that Apple only have one phone on the market.
    3. All the current buttons must stay and the addition of a 2nd analogue nub is essential (and probably an R2, L2, R3 and L3 buttons).
    4. Touch screen will need to be included as well as a stylus which can be stored in the console.
    5. Cybershot camera needs to be included.
    6. Expandable memory is great for users but they can sell more if they scrap it and make everyone buy larger PSP2s as they release them.
    7. The video and music players need a massive overhaul as does the software to transfer them. It’s need be as simple and quick as possible.
    8. A slide out keyboard would also be useful.
    9. Blackberry style e-mail syncing
    10. A massive app store and the ability to run apps and games at the same time.
    11. The web brower needs an overhaul too.

    They need to make sure there is no reason to need any other small portable device. The probably is the PSP2 would be almost nothing like the original PSP.

  10. There are a lot of comparissons made between the iPhone and the PSP but there’s one major one often over looked.

    A sim free 16GB iPhone 4 £500 (otherwise you need a contract which is likely to set you back £25 a month for 2 years and about £180 for the handset). The PSP is abouy £130 or £175-£200 for the PSPgo.

    If the PSP2 or PSP Phone is going to complete with the iPhone the cost will be far higher than the £180 the original cost at launch.

    • Well put. This is something everyone fogets. You either have to market a phone with full PSP gaming so people accept the high cost OR a games console with no phone features like camera, apps, data connection (except wifi) etc and sell it for a handheld console price.

      • Phones are generally very expensive pieces of technology. Most new phones are around £300-£400 without a contract. If people think the cost of the Go is high then those prices will make them even less happy.

        If there is going to be a PSP Phone then the PSP will need an iTouch equivalent and the current 16GB model which currently falls in line with PSPGo prices. Though if you max out an iTouch memory then you’ll need to buy a new one to get larger capacity.

      • Not necessarily. I mean think of the iPod Touch. Wifi, apps, the next one is expected to have a camera. All it’s lacking from the iPhone is the phone part and the mobile internet. And yet you can get an 8gb one for what, £180? If they do the one without the phone at a handheld price, there’s no reason it has to lack the apps etc.

      • @Spence1115
        You can get a 8GB Ipod Touch for around £150 new nowadays.

    • Exactly, which your above wishlist, just that an expensive wishlist.
      Even the HTC Evo (without the Apple tax) is £400ish

      • I’m know. I’m like everyone else, I want everything for nothing. I could never afford something that featured all that.

        As my PSPgo is less than a year old and my phone contract still has over a year left I’m hoping the next PSP/PSP Phone won’t be out for another year or 2 at least.

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