The New PSP Is Go! This Fall?

The oft-rumored new PlayStation Portable has a name and a release window, according to a report by 1UP.com.

Everyone seems to have a “secret source” for rumors about Sony’s new PSP these days, but at least all the speculation is getting a bit more specific. 1UP.com’s recent report, full of information gathered from “sources directly involved with the new system,” is the most detailed set of rumors yet, revealing the potential name of the system, the nature of the hardware, and a possible launch window.

Now, “PSP2” would seem like a logical choice for a name, but Sony apparently seems to think that numbers are totally for squares. Instead of PSP2, 1UP ventures that Sony will be opting for the more spunky PSP Go!, though they say PSP Slide and PSP Flip were also tossed around.

“Slide” would certainly fit, because, as has been rumored before, the machine will have a screen that slides up to reveal buttons, a d-pad and an analog nub (or maybe a control panel that slides down, but you get the idea). There will not, according to 1UP’s sources, be a second analog nub. No word of a touch screen, either.

As for the most popular rumor about the new PSP – that it won’t have UMD and be totally digital distribution-oriented – 1UP’s sources said that the system will come in two SKUs, with eight or 16 GB of internal flash memory and no, no UMD. For games, Sony is planning on having over 100 old and new PSP games available for download at launch, with Gran Turismo Mobile rumored as a launch title.

Sony will be announcing the system at E3 in June. It’s planned for a September release in Japan and an October or November launch in the U.S. That’s, of course, according to rumors.