You can file this under rumors, but there is a rumor going around that the NGP or what I like to call the PSP 2 is going to be coming out in Europe....this year....this fall!

Sources have told MCV that development deadlines have been set to ensure key Western releases are finished before the end of the summer for deployment in the autumn.

Online leaks even suggest the console will launch on Friday, November 11th. This would make the hardware roll-out for the follow-up to PSP Sony’s first simultaneous global games hardware launch.

When Sony first revealed the device in January boss Kaz Hirai said the launch would see NGP "begin rolling out this year".

SOURCE: MCV UK

Surely by now you have heard of Sony's latest creation the Next Generation Portable, Codename: NGP, also known as the PSP2. Unfortunately if you weren't in Japan at the time of the announcement you didn't see the announcement. The good news is that Sony has now released the video of the announcement which I embedded below.

By now most of us have heard about Sony's next monster handheld the NGP. Powered by two massive processors (GPU and CPU) and the plethora of other wonderful features, one has to wonder.."How's the battery life?"

During a recently interview with Sony head of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, 1UP was able to get a fairly decent answer. If you've owned an original PSP you may know that the battery times varied from a few hours to as much as 10 hours depending on usage. According to Yoshida, the PSP2 will "be about the same as the original PSP." Pretty impressive given the CPU/GPU running this monster.

1UP also asked what the cost will be, but unfortunately Yoshida was fairly tight lipped about the subject but was able to say that it will be "affordable."

Sony has finally announced the PSP 2, although, it won't be called the PSP 2.   They are calling it the NGP or Next Generation Portable.  The console will be backwards with PSP games, but won't have a UMD drive, so only PSP games that are available for PSPgo, will work.  This will also include minis, PS one classics, video and comics from the PlayStation Store.  Sony will be using a proprietary (I assume) memory stick for games on the NGP instead of bringing back UMD.

The screen on the NGP seems to be pretty nice as it'll be a multi-touch 5 inch OLED display.  Also one of the rumors was that the device would have a multi-touch pad on the back, which turned out to be true.  Also included in the device will be dual analog sticks and two cameras (front and rear).

It will be a 3G enabled device as well.  No details on if that will be a subscription based 3G to connect it online, if it will be required (doubt it), or what it will even be used for.

How much will it cost? Sony's response was "affordable"

When is it coming out? No official release date yet.

What games will be coming out for it? Again, nothing was officially announced, but there was talk of these big titles coming to it - Killzone, Uncharted, Resistance, WipeOut, LittleBigPlanet and Call of Duty.

Here are the full detailed hardware specs on the NGP:

• CPU: ARM® Cortex™-A9 core (4 core)
• GPU: SGX543MP4+
• External Dimensions: Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
• Rear touch pad: Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
• Cameras: Front camera, Rear camera
• Sound: Built-in stereo speakers, Built-in microphone
• Sensors: Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass
• Location: Built-in GPS, Wi-Fi location service support
• Keys / Switches: PS button, Power button, Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left), Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), Shoulder buttons (Right/Left), Right stick, Left stick, START button, SELECT button, Volume buttons
• Wireless communications: Mobile network connectivity (3G), IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1x1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode), Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR （A2DP/AVRCP/HSP）

And now all the official screenshots that Sony has released: