Hirai hints at touch controls in the PSP 2
Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai has confirmed the existence of touch controls in the next generation of their PSP handheld console range.
Hirai explained to the New York Times that they were working to make sure that the PSP 2 is easily distinctive from the DS range or iOS handsets like the iPhone.
He explained: "Depending on the game, there are ones where you can play perfectly well with a touch panel. But you can definitely play immersive games better with physical buttons and pads. I think there could be games where you're able to use both in combination."
"The games being played on Android and Apple platforms are fundamentally different from the world of immersive games that Sony Computer Entertainment, and PlayStation, aims for," Hirai continued. "We don't want gamers to be asking, what's the difference between that and a PSP," he said. "We have to come up with a message that users will understand. It would have to be a product that keeps the PlayStation's strengths intact."