According to Acclaim developer David Perry, the new PSP – the PlayStation Portable 2 – will not include a UMD disc drive.

In recent statements made by the developer, it’s unclear whether or not Perry is just reiterating rumors he heard himself, or if he’s commenting on genuine information that he received from the inside. Says David Perry on his Twitter and Facebook accounts, “I hear Sony FINALLY has the PSP 2. And thank goodness, they’ve removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive. I’m excited!”

In the case that the PSP 2 doesn’t utilize a UMD disc drive, then chances are the hardware will utilize PSN downloads and Memory Sticks to handle software. UMD backwards compatibility would still be an issue to be resolved, however.

Now, there’s been a ton of speculation, most of it completely unconfirmed, with regard to the forthcoming new PSP. The best we can probably do at this point is fall back and wait patiently for Sony to make an official announcement as to hardware features. Don’t get all crazy yet – everything’s speculative!