Rumor: PSP2 Going Quad Core

Plausible rumors and Sony console systems seem to go hand in hand, and the latest report is focused not on a PS3 Slim or the PSP Go, but on a full fledged PSP successor. According to a Eurogamer.es report translated by Digital Foundry, Imagination Technologies is working on the hardware for the PSP2.

The site is claiming that the PSP2 will be based on PowerVR technology and will feature a quad-core iteration of the low-power SGX543MP chip codenamed "Hydra." The GPU would be similar to what is contained in the iPhone 3GS and is similar to technology in certain netbooks. The PSP2 is believed to be designed to handle 133 million polygons per second and 4Gpixels/sec fillrate, something roughly as powerful as the original Xbox, but with tile-based deferred rendering.

Imagination Technologies describes the chip in question as combining the capabilities of a main and graphics processor all in one. A centralized processing system would benefit from being more energy efficient and easier to program for.

This report has a more than passing chance of being true, considering that Sony was believed to have signed a license agreement with Imagination Technologies in November 2009. It's yet another drop coming from the steady leak of rumors from Sony.