A recently published advertisement for a LittleBigPlanet-themed PSP case from Accessories4Technology may have unintentionally confirmed existence of a PSP-4000. Specifically, the advert makes mention of compatibility with 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 series PSP models. While Sony has yet to officially announce a fourth generation PSP separate from the go line, it's no secret that such a product has been heavily rumored in the past. Talk of the supposed 4000 was reportedly one of the hot topics among Japanese game developers at this year's Tokyo Game Show. This, coupled with the fact that Sony has a historically dubious track record of keeping premature information regarding new PSP iterations under the rug, makes it hard to us to simply put this down to being your typical print snafu.

All that being said, it certainly won't be a surprise to us if  more details to trickle out within the coming months, eventually leading up to an announcement and subsequent product unveiling. In the meantime, we've contacted Sony for comment.

Licensed Accessory Maker Name Drops PSP-4000 [eXophase.com]

According to developer talk recounted by Edge at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Sony’s next PSP iteration will include a UMD drive, despite the company’s renewed focus on digital distribution. It was originally assumed by many that the PSPgo was Sony’s first step towards moving to a digital only platform but recent murmurs out of Tokyo suggest that this is not the case.

Specifically, Edge says several prominent developers remain “convinced” that UMD will play a leading role going forward, with digital taking the backseat for the foreseeable future. This, coupled with the fact that Sony is not mandating that third-party studios release titles digitally leads us to believe that the day when physical based media is fully abandoned in the portable space isn’t coming anytime soon.

PSP-4000 To Support UMD? [Edge]

PSP-4000 To Include UMD Drive - [eXophase.com]