With a just about a month to go before this year's E3 Gaming Expo, rumors regarding sony's next PSP are becoming feverish. The name of the next device is supposed the be the PSP Go! (with the exclamation point), and it is expected to ditch the proprietary UMD drive in favor of digital distribution. Granted, this has been just a rumor, but I think that there is definitely some truth inside all of the speculation.

First, Sony has to do something; they are getting cleaned up by Nintendo's DSi and Apple's iPhone. The PSP Go! and the "Sidekick Style" form factor would definitely help the PSP stand out in a crowd of gimmicky gadgets. Both Nintendo and Apple have thoroughly embraced the concept of digital distribution for games, and if the Playstation Network does not catch-up quickly, it will be the death of the device.

Second, Sony is playing with concepts such as the digital only release of Patapon II and the availability of 20-40 PlayStation games that will be available only through digital download. Combined with the recent announcement of the Memory Stick HG-Micro, successful digital download and storage of media is certainly becoming a reality for Sony.

E3 is June 2-4, 2009. If a new PSP is not announced, I think you can call it over for the little handheld that never did. If it is announced, and it is small, lightweight, and can actually fill a gap that my iPhone or laptop can't, you can probably count on me to give it a chance.