It's never clear how a company plans on implementing a given patent, but Sony's patent application for a haptic touchscreen composed of "tactile pixels" lists former Sony Computer Entertainment chief Phil Harrison as the inventor and makes several references to potential use in "a game device" and to "game events," so it's a safe bet that it was at least developed with the PSP in mind. The patent app describes a sophisticated haptic feedback system that goes well beyond the basic rumble of today's device -- the pixels themselves are able to move up and down between two positions, providing direct feedback to user actions. That's certainly an interesting idea, but like all patent news, we're not going to hold out hope for it to surface in a consumer device anytime soon -- but we're willing to be surprised, you know?

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Look, we've heard our fair share of PSP phone rumors, and there's really no reason to trust this one any further than your average baseless musings, but if Marketing Week's "sources in Japan and Korea" can be trusted, Sony's PSP phone could be hitting shelves as soon as Christmas 2009. What does seem clear to these shady sources is that Sony won't be forking over the PlayStation branding to its Sony Ericsson partnership, and instead will build its PSP phone all by its lonesome. Other "details" from "analysts" are slightly less legit-sounding, with some stating it would be "relatively easy" to work phone features into the PSP since it already includes WiFi. Um, ok. Still, reasonable or not, this is clearly a rumor that will never die -- until Sony builds the dang thing, in which case we can start talking up a sequel.

[Thanks, Alex]

Kaz Hirai took to a Tokyo stage today to give us a peek at the Playstation's future, and he let slip a couple of interesting tidbits. First, Sony will be launching a new program called "Life with Playstation" that will give users real time news and weather, using a globe metaphor reminiscent of the Wii's News Channel. Of course, since the PS3 has considerably more horsepower under the hood, the globe is a rendered weather satellite image showing cloud patterns, and it also supports geo-tagged photos and other content. Kaz also previewed the video-download service set to launch next month at E3, which will allow you to download or stream video to the PS3 and PSP. The store looks a lot like the current PlayStation Store, and it looks like HD rentals will run around $6 while SD purchases will clock in around $13 when it launches in the States this summer. We'll learn a lot more at E3, presumably, but for now we'll just settle for a decent screen shot of that globe interface.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

If you just can't get enough of what Sony Europe execs are saying, here's another mouthful just days after hearing from David Reeves. This time we've got SCEE's VP of publisher and developer relations Zeno Colaço shouting out on the state of PSP, and overall, his comments weren't that surprising. Most notably, he mentioned that the developer community needed to be "revitalized" so that it would get behind the PSP in a big way. When asked about the current dearth of games for the handheld, he commented that such a scenario happens "when you rely on a business model that relies on 25% games from Sony and 75% from other publishers." He continued by stating that Sony "probably suffered" from being unable to completely recover when third-party developers refocused efforts away from the PlayStation Portable. Hungry for more? You know where to head for the full interview.

[Via GamesIndustry]

Sony Europe president David Reeves has never been one to shy away from making bold statements in the past, and he's now come out and weighed in on another touchy subject, with him flatly telling attendees at the DevStation conference in London that "there is a piracy problem on the PSP." What's more, Reeves went so far as to admit that it "sometimes fuels the growth of hardware sales, but that "on balance", Sony is "not happy about it." To that end, Reeves says that Sony will soon be unveiling new ways to combat piracy on the handheld, although he unsurprisingly isn't getting a whole lot more specific than that at the moment.

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Sony's firmware development for its game consoles is bearing fruit on two fronts today. First, the PSP firmware 4.00 network update is up and dancing for your XMB Googling pleasure. Next, and more importantly, Sony has confirmed in-game XMB and trophies in PS3 firmware 2.40 -- details promised shortly. Tap tap tap... ok, not that shortly.

[Thanks, 94 taurus owner]

Read -- PSP 4.00
Read -- PS3 2.40

There's no indication of an exact release date just yet, but word just dropped on the official PlayStation blog that the PSP will be getting a boost to firmware version 4.00 "soon." That'll bring with it the addition of Google search directly form the XMB interface, which Sony says "replicates the Google Internet search experience." Apart from that somewhat notable upgrade, the only other new feature they're talking about at the moment is the ability to change the viewing speed during playback of videos stored on a Memory Stick. Not exactly the upgrade we would have guessed for a milestone like 4.00, but we can always hope Sony has a couple of surprises up its sleeve.

It seems a bit of a crime against the PSP's aesthetics, but apparently some folks out there really, really want to do PS1 emulation right. Acid Modder "Electro" managed to finagle L2 and R2 buttons onto his PSP. He rates his hack a 4 out of 5 difficulty level, which basically means we aren't going near this one, but if you know you way around a soldiering iron, his tutorial is fairly detailed. You'll end up with some pretty tiny buttons up top, but it sure beats mapping those L2 and R2 to the analog stick or something even more convoluted.

Proving once again that old gadgets die hard (some, at least) Sony Japan is introducing fancy new paint jobs for two of its oldest -- and most successful -- products. Come July 3rd, the venerable PS2 will be hitting shelves with a new job, a new outlook on life, and a "red cinnabar" paint job. The refreshed system will run you about ¥16,000 (or around $153). Meanwhile, that metallic blue PSP we've seen is making its way to Japanese gamers on July 17th, sans Madden '09, for ¥23,800 (or $227) for the Value Pack, or ¥29,800 (or $284) for the a decked out bundle including a 1seg tuner, 1GB Memory Stick, and handsome matching carrying case. Check out a closeup of the handheld after the break.

[Via Impress]

Read - PS2 "red cinnabar" press release
Read - PSP "metallic blue" press release

Straight from the "spotted at the mall" files, one eagle-eyed tipster has shared a picture snapped at a local shopping venue where the presumably astounding PNP was being kept under lock and key. This marvel boasts the iconic PSP shape, obligatory D-pad, dedicated On / Off button (let's see your Sony do that... in this manner) and four puzzling buttons to the right of the "display" mounted in the middle. Yeah, it was only being sold for around $10, but you'd have to slip a Hamilton in our pocket before we'd mar our collection with this filth.

[Thanks, Enrique]

If you've got a PSP-2000 and a hankering for some VoIP on the run, Sony has finally brought its Skype-friendly PSP headset to US retail. Unfortunately, it won't work with those original fatty PSPs, and at $30 you've gotta ask yourself how much you'll really be using it for -- the original price was set at $20. That said, it's undoubtedly the easiest way to get up and running with Skype and in-game voice chat on the PSP, since it used to require two separate accessories to pull it off. Oh, and if you're Skype curious, be sure to check out the how-to guide over at PSP Fanboy.

See that PSP case floating in our tears of ennui? What do you think it's called? If you said fat steaming turd of hyperconsumption... ding ding ding, you'd be right. Otherwise known as the overpriced pouch of fermented rat bile, this PSP sack of festering nipple sores from Cyber Gadgets costs ¥1280 or about $12.35. Ziplock baggie, 7 cents.

[Via PSP Fanboy, thanks Penny]

We're still trying to piece together why in the world Sony would choose matte bronze as the color for its latest PSP Slim, but now that it's out, we're focusing our attention on just how long it takes these so-called limited edition units to actually sell out. The Value Pack it comes bundled in includes a Japanese version of the handheld, 32MB memory stick, cleaning cloth, a case, AC adapter, battery pack and an AV cable for good measure -- unfortunately, a can of black spray paint actually isn't in the box. A last minute exclusion due to shipping regulations, we're sure. Grab one if you're into it for $278.97.

[Via DCEMU]