If Nikkei, the Japanese news giant, is to be believed, not only will the PSP2 be announced this week on the 27th, but that this hotly anticipated and better kept secret from Sony will come with an OLED Touchscreen and 3G cellular connectivity. First, let’s talk about the announcement date. Although nobody is expecting to unit to actually go on sale soon, the announcement time does make sense if Sony wants to take some steam out of the recently-announced and soon-to-launch Nintendo 3DS. If Sony can really offer consumers something different and comparable in price, many might deice to skip out on the 3DS and wait for the Sony handheld. Now, when it comes to a OLED touchscreen, I think this one is a no brainer. Sony recently launched a new Cybershot model during CES which also happens to come with an OLED screen. This is a clear indication though it doesn’t prove that Sony is now producing these  in smaller sizes, something that will be perfect for the PSP2. As for a touchscreen, after the iPhone and iPod Touch craze, that is as good as a requirement, especially if Sony wants to draw in more independent developers like those seen on the Apple App store. In respect to the 3G, this again seems like the obvious evolution of the handheld. So many of today’s devices have internet connectivity and the brilliance of an iPod Touch as an example wouldn’t be seen if it didn’t have access to the internet. Now of course, the iPod Touch only has Wifi and not 3G like the original PSP. The difference is with the original PSP and PSPgo, internet connectivity was never a convenient thing, unlike the iPod Touch. Also, Sony needs to offer users something different and the ability to have a 3G data plan in order to play online and download new content at any time will truly set aside the PSP2. If all this holds up though, I’m curious as to which carriers will have access to the PSP2.

[Via Nikkei]