Rumour: PSP 2 to feature touch-controls on back of device

Sony’s main press conference at GamesCom this week proceeded with hardly a mention of the PSP, other than the sales figures it had accrued worldwide.

There was no mention of previously-unannounced titles, or of the big ones we already know of like God Of War: Ghost of Sparta.

This all appears to be just the quiet before the storm, as unnamed developers talking to Eurogamer have told the website that they are currently working on titles for the PSP 2, and have spilled the beans on some of the design aspects of the new portable.

The most interesting part is that the new touch-sensitive controller (which we reported on a few months ago) is located at the back of the device, ensuring the screen doesn’t become smudged by fingerprints or suffer from fingers obscuring your field of vision.

The prototype model apparently resembles the shape of the PSP3000, with Sony currently leaning towards a physical-based medium for the games, like the UMD drive in the original.

The release date, however, remains elusive, with developers sending mixed messages.

While one dates the device as a 2011 release, potentially putting it in a straight fight with Nintendo’s 3DS, another is sure that it will be a number of years before it sees a release.

Would a touch-based controller on the back be a smart feature, or would it just get in the way? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this latest edition of the PSP 2 rumour train in the comments thread below.