Sony has always been a staunch supporter of its 10-year platform lifecycle, and the PSP is no exception. SCE worldwide studios exec Shuhei Yoshida has told Edge Magazine that the holiday 2011 arrival of NGP will not signal the PSP’s demise.

“[NGP] can’t replace a platform that has already been on sale for seven years now. In terms of pricing, we can’t sell the NGP for the same price as a PSP. The PSP has become very affordable and popular, especially with younger generations,” noted Yoshida.

“I think the NGP needs time to mature and get adopted by users. “So, for the time being, both platforms will coexist,” he added.

While there will be a time when we have to say goodbye to the PSP, we’re siding with Sony here — it still has a year or two of shelf life left, especially with big-hitters like The 3rd Birthday on the horizon.

Follow this author on Twitter.