This is not the end of the PSP because Sony won't release another until the cell is inexpensive to manufacture at the 32 or 22nm size. This will make it easy to port legacy PS3 engines (giving everyone a headstart on development)to the console while having it use the least amount of power possible. That will be about 2010 2011, making the console about 6 or 7 years old. Very similar to the PS2 lifecycle.

Who cares if the PSP western developer support dries up. I've always loved companies like Capcom, Konami far more than most western developers with the exception of Naughty dog. It's not like other consoles(N64, GC) didn't have worthwhile libraries even though their consoles were not market leaders. Quantity does not always mean quality and everyone has different tastes.

It's hard to deny that the 3rd party support for the PSP is drying up even if it's steady in Japan.

Good points, PSP2 with the 22nm Cell and Flash Memory, along with touchscreen would be sweet. That would only be feasible in 2011, most likely in 2012, the PSP would then be 6, 7 years old. Can Sony keep the PSP alive until then?

This has inspired me to show off all my PSP games. I'm going to do it soon.

right now i'm playing psx/gba/snes games and homebrew games like Guitarway to Heaven(best homebrew game EVAH) and i'm watching movies.

from time to time i play burnout legends, disgaea, harvest moon or djmax portable, but that's all. especially since i've finished all games i wanted to play on psp.

Hmm, well it's been moderately successful, at least in sales. I won't go into details about profits.. :p Then again, everybody and your grandma was convinced PSP would wipe the floor with the DS when it came out 3 years ago, Nintendo's handheld succes would be over and done with. Now look at things. So in that respect, I think you can't really call the machine successful.
And besides, we all know software sales are where the money is, and frankly, PSP doesn't get a lot of those. Face it, 95% of the people who buy the thing do so to play pirated, downloadable content, be it movie, music, or games. Sad fact: a lot of those games are ROMS of SNES games.. :s

My guess is PSP will die a quiet and forgotten death. Not now, not this year, probably not next either, but soon enough. Just my two cents.

not really in especially in japan.

square have more than 3 games comming to it.
resistance in america.

it needs gran turismo psp though :(

More likely built in camera, mic, accelorometer, and Flash Memory(don't wanna be seen as copying).  We are  2 months from '09 and it has a decent list of titles to look forward to through out that year already.  Only 1 or 2 years past that doesn't seem like much.  Especially if they can get another team to dedicate to getting it some decent 1st party software. GT comes out in '10 or '11 as a swan song once they are done with GT5. Shouldn't take long just take the last ps2 game optimize and add a few new features.  I wouldn't be surprised if Olympic Team has something to grace it in the next year or two either.

PSP is profitable hardware(if they did launch at a loss i coudln't see it beeing more than $20 to $30 a console given that it's mostly PS2 leftovers as is).  This is the arena Sony should have been in from the get go with PS3.  Having any software sales just helps.  Not to mention the new focus on downloadable software which is an even higher profit margin and is more difficult to pirate which is why we will see PSN integration on this and the next iteration.

Hopefully Cell will make the next a multimedia beast.  This ones multimedia features weren't too hot (No on the fly playlist editing and far too limited video playback).  For the love of god please contract out the web browser.

Homebrew rules.  Not only did it give me a better browser, it made my psp with an 8GB stick the best portable emulator around(just about any system up to saturn and 64).  Still not good enough with MP3's and video though.

Ok so on one hand you don't care that the western support is drying up because you prefer the Japanese developers but you then compare it to another console with dried up support you also favor, the N64, which had basically nothing but western support since the japanese support dried up for it.

Your last sentence is exactly why the PSP's third party support is so seemingly dry. Everyone has different tastes. In other words, not everyone wants damn near every new third party title built for the PSP to be an RPG. In fact, take away the upcoming RPGs from the PSP third party lineup and what do you have? Not much of anything unfortunately. You basically have RPGs, and some fighters and platformers featuring RPG characters.

A few racers which have always sold fine on the console.  Sony seems to be putting the western action games on it via the syphone filter series God of War(i know it was RAD but who payed them to do it) and upcoming resistance retribution.  Not to mention Capcom hasn't announced any of their games yet so here's hoping to RE 4.5, DMC, and a downloadable BC:rearmed.

P.S. I enjoyed the N64 for Nintendo's first party efforts (Smash Bros, Mario Golf, Tennis, Party.) For me Ninty has always been the best in multiplayer experiences(which i believe i've mentioned in other threads).  I was never a fan of the Zelda series for example.