PSP 2, PSP 4000, whatever you call it, the internet has been abuzz over it for the past several months; a casual search for "PSP" turns up a number of items. But today, hoo-boy, do we have a doozy.

Straight out of 1UP comes a rumor from "sources directly involved with the new system" that Sony is going to put an end to the speculation once and for all-- at E3.

And as for which name they'll go with? Try neither-- word is that Sony's going to forgo their traditional console numbering in favor of a subtitle. "PSP Slide," "PSP Flip," and "PSP Go!" have been bandied about, but with the European PSP becoming the recipient of a line of Sony "Go!" branded add-ons (including video on-demand service "Go!View" and the 1.3 megapixel "Go!Cam")... well, you do the math.

1UP's Smoking Man (who may or may not actually smoke) also revealed that the redesign will come in a whopping two SKUs: You can take your pick from 8GB or 16GB of internal flash memory, which will be used in favor of the discarded UMD drive.

So, with no UMDs to speak of, what will there be to play on the system? Word is that Sony is planning to launch the unit with 100 classic and new PSP titles for download, including Gran Turismo Mobile. Hopefully some worthy-yet-overlooked titles from early in the PSP's lifespan will be included among those ranks. I'm looking at you, Mega Man Powered Up and Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X.

One hot item people have been buzzing about is the inclusion of a second analog stick, which would bring the portable that much closer to its console equivalent. Sorry, folks, but no dice; the PSP Go! is said to remain consistent with what has come before. The familiar control pad, face buttons, and analog nub are said to be part of a panel which slides out from beneath the unit's screen.

Finally, as far as the rumor goes, word is that Japan will be Go!ing places in September, with the U.S. having to wait for a late October or early November release.

When asked about these details, Sony officials reportedly chased away any and all journalists with a broomstick that had been used to sweep up fresh dog poo. It was a horrible sight, and we lost many good men that day.

Ok, so they just said they don't comment on rumors and speculation, i.e. the same old song and dance. Admit it, you like my version better.

Undaunted, 1UP continues to speculate: "we wouldn't be surprised to see Sony borrow many design features from their Mylo 2 handheld Internet device, which is seemingly dead in the water. This could provide an 800x480 pixel touch screen for the system, as well as a camera on the system's backside."

They also throw in that, in order to help assert itself over Nintendo's DSi and Apple's iPhone (hmm, maybe they should call it the "iPSP" instead?), "Preloading every PSP Go! with a copy of LittleBigPlanet would certainly make some waves."

Hah, as if. Awesome though that would be.

Image courtesy of Wired's Game|Life.