New PSP to Have Touch Controls on the Back?
Most of the news coming out of the Gamescom convention in Germany is from official announcements, but some of the most exciting tidbits comes from purported backroom meetings featuring a new version of the Sony PlayStation Portable handheld gaming console.
A new PSP has been rumored for years , so that part isn’t necessarily surprising. But rumors are sweeping through Gamescom that Sony has a PSP2 prototype that has touch-sensitive controls on the back of the device instead of in the display.
Eurogamer says that "three separate development sources" have confirmed the new PSP will be about the same size as the current model, but with a much better screen. The sources differed on the potential release date for the device, though, ranging from 2011 to much later.
While it sounds strange to put touch controls on the back of the device, it actually makes quite a bit of sense for handheld devices. Using a touchscreen has a major drawback in that using fingers to select items causes the hand to obscure parts of the screen . That's particularly problematic for fast-paced games. Putting the touch controls on the back, where the fingers naturally rest when holding a device in hand, allows the user to navigate by touch while never blocking the screen.
