Organic LED display rumoured for PlayStation Portable 2

It is thought that electronics manufacturer Sony will be jumping on the LED display bandwagon by installing an Organic LED (OLED) screen in the upcoming PlayStation Portable 2 handheld games console.

The previous iterations of the PSP have featured traditional LCD screen technology but, as the market comes into direct competition with smartphones and sales of standalone devices have fallen, the firm is hoping that an LED upgrade will be enough to give it the edge.

At the moment many new mobiles use OLED displays, but until now handheld consoles have remained tethered to traditional alternatives. Even Sony’s partnership with Ericsson has not yet produced a smartphone with LED technology onboard, so the firm has a limited track record of fitting it to consumer devices.

When the PSP2 launches on January 27th 2011, it will be going head to head not only with the Nintendo 3DS but also various high end mobiles like the iPhone 4, which now have access to hundreds of thousands of miniature games that can be downloaded directly to the handset for just a few pence in most cases.

What the PSP2 will have over its rivals is definitely the LED display, since it can provide much better contrast levels and colour reproduction. Of course it will not be able to display the glasses-free 3D like Nintendo’s offering, but, given the various questions that have been raised about how this tech will impact younger gamers, it looks like Sony is better off sticking with 2D for the time being.

It is not currently known just how large the PSP2’s LED display will be but because of the nature of this technology, it is likely to be very thin and considerably more power efficient than previous models, which is a real asset for a portable device.