PlayStation development’s head honcho Shuhei Yoshida recently had a discussion with Games Industry in which he admitted that Sony realizes the PlayStation Portable “is getting a bit old.” Despite this, the device is still looking at a strong game lineup in the near future with releases such as Monster Hunter, Valkyria Chronicles 3, Patapon 3 and even God of War: Ghost of Sparta. However, with the recent news from a Mortal Kombat developer that the PSP2 is already in the hands of developers and that it’s a “powerful machine,” it will be interesting to see when Sony lifts the lid off of things.

“Yeah, there’s no denying that – it’s about six years since the launch of the PlayStation Portable. When we launched PSP it was the newest, biggest, brightest thing that we had – and after five or six years, and releasing many games, there’s no denying that people start to see that it’s getting a bit old.

“But we’re always trying to expand the market – now our focus is on shifting to a younger audience and a more casual audience, and we’re making games for that audience. In terms of looking at new technology, it’s always the case that as soon as we look at a new platform or new tech, our R&D teams start looking at what’s new in the general space.

“So yes, we have been looking at new technologies, and looking at the options that we have. It’s not the right time for me to say anything about it.”

The PlayStation Portable 2 is a hot discussion topic with a lot of rumors and speculation regarding what type of features and innovations the device will bring to the table. Will it offer backwards compatibility support likes its main competitor does? Will it offer a form of touch screen as well? Obviously with no set information available right now, it’s hard to say, but it’s definitely something to look forward to.

Considering Nintendo has already unveiled its next step in portable gaming with the 3DS, it’s only a matter of time until Sony unveils the PSP2.