Three seperate anonymous sources have told Eurogamer that Sony is showcasing an unfinished next-generation PSP to publishers at the moment. According to the sources, the device is comparable in size and design to the PSP-3000 and features touch controls on the back.
The rumours suggest that the controls on the reverse of the unit are the primary input method. Sony has been demonstrating the unit using several first-party games and is said to have settled on its business model already.
One source expects the device to launch before the end of 2011, but others were skeptical, saying we wouldn't see the handheld for at least a couple of years. It is believed that Sony has rejected a disc-based storage system in favour of flash media support following developer feedback.
Sony declined to comment when Eurogamer contacted them.
The news follows the recent rumour that Sony Ericsson is planning to launch a PlayStation branded smartphone running Google's Android 3.0.