According to Develop and several other media outlets, Sony has already started shipping around PlayStation Portable 2 Dev Kits to developers. Apparently, these developer kits show off the raw power that the portable handheld will hold and some sources are even indicating that they can run titles at a smooth 60FPS.

Netherrealm Studios told IncGamers that they have “ a PSP2 in the house and we’re looking at the engine, like what can it support. Always a big thing for us is the performance. We’re running at 60 fps, what can we do and do we have to build all the art assets over.”

Currently, most believe that the PSP2 is scheduled for release in 2011 and that Sony is pushing the product earlier than normal to developers in order to produce an overly impressive launch lineup, which isn’t usually the case for any platform. Considering the incredible success the original PSP has had on the market, this should hopefully do wonders for Sony’s marketshare. It’s undeniable that Nintendo’s 3DS will crush sales records upon its release, but Sony has been able to chip away at the pie for quite some time now.

This is definitely going to be an interesting race to watch.