Sony's PSP2 Coming Soon!

 


Sony Next Generation Portable

We heard rumors about the PSP2 for ages. The NGP has been announced, so how does it compare?

 
Sony had a press conference last night and revealed the next PlayStation Portable, for now its called the NGP or Next Generation Portable. For months there has been  rumors and speculation about what the hardware would look like and include, put now we have the real thing.

But how does the reality of the NGP stack up against those rumors? Were all of the alleged features actually included? Let's take a look.

 

No More UMDs

The exact specifics of how games will be delivered to the NGP remains to be seen -- it'll be some combination of flash-based memory cards and digital downloads -- but UMDs are definitely out. We know the battery won't last much longer than the PSP's, but we can still hope for quicker load times and a quieter system. Even if that doesn't turn out to be the case, at least UMDs are gone.

 

Touchscreen / Rear Touch Panel

Check and check. Another of the recurring rumors we've heard for some time was that not only would there be a touchscreen, but that there would be a rear touch panel of some sort, too. Strange as the latter might sound, it is a part of the NGP. Little Deviants put it on display: In order to move characters around an environment, you interact with the terrain by touching the part of the rear touch panel that matches up with what you want to change on-screen. As an added bonus, both the screen and rear touch panel are multi-touch, meaning you can use more than one finger at a time to interact with the system.

 

Next Generation Portable Screen

 

OLED Screen / Bigger Screen Than PSP

The PSP Go carried a 3.8-inch screen, while the three previous models of the PSP were 4.2. Either way, it's a big step up to the NGP which is equipped with a 5-inch OLED (organic light emitting diode) that, by all accounts, looks terrific. It also sports a resolution of 960 x 544 compared with 480x272 that all four iterations of the original PSP were packing.

 

3G

3G will indeed be available -- for those who want it. Although it wasn't made abundantly clear during the press conference itself, Sony has since clarified to explain that there will be at least two SKUs of the NGP: One with 3G and one without. Both will have Wi-Fi built-in, so opting for no 3G won't completely cut you off from accessing online functionality. The 3G service will come at a cost, however, although the specifics of what carrier will be supporting it and the exact prices aren't settled at this point. If the Kindle and iPad are any indication, you'll most likely have to pay a premium for a 3G-equipped device, too.

 

Dual Analog Nubs

As pictures of the NGP plainly show, this turned out to be correct. And it should come as no surprise, really, as the omission of a second analog nub on the original PSP was one of its most oft-complained about elements. NGP game developers should now be free to map camera controls to the second stick, as well as create first-person shooters that actually work on the handheld.

 

 

Next Generation Portable rear touch panel

 

Front and Rear-Facing Cameras

Following in the footsteps of the DSi and iPhone 4, the NGP has a camera in both the front and back. It's not too surprising given that seemingly every device out there has at least one camera, but this could have some use for a creative developer out there.

 

As Powerful as a PS3

This was probably the most far-fetched of the rumors we'd been hearing, and it's also the most difficult to really judge. No one was really expecting the NGP to pack the power of the PS3. But with a much smaller screen, it seemed somewhat feasible it wouldn't look too different than what we see on the current generation of consoles. The games definitely looked good, and Sony made sure to have several demonstrations of content from the PS3 played on the NGP (including the Lost Planet 2 intro and a Metal Gear Solid 4 tech demo). The jury is still out on this one, but even if the NGP's graphics never quite match those of the PS3, they still look damn fine for a handheld system.


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PSP successor: Sony's Shuhei Yoshida unveils the Japanese firm's Next Generation Portable - or NGP - gaming device in Tokyo today

PSP successor: Sony's Shuhei Yoshida unveils the Japanese firm's Next Generation Portable - or NGP - gaming device in Tokyo today

Front-runner: The NGP will be the first hand-held gaming device to feature 3G wireless connectivity

Front-runner: The NGP will be the first hand-held gaming device to feature 3G wireless connectivity

As well as featuring 3G wireless connectivity, a first in a portable games device, the NGP will use a five-inch long OLED touch panel. A standard smartphone screen is 3.5 inches long.

THE NGP: WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Wi-fi and 3G connectivity
  • Five-inch long OLED touch panel
  • Rear panel touch pad
  • Motion sensor
  • Front and rear cameras
  • Dual analogue sticks
  • Oval design
  • 182.0 x 18.5 x 83.5mm

It will also have a back touch pad and a motion sensor for more intuitive use.

Sony promises that the new machine will offer on a portable the same image quality and features currently available on home consoles like Sony's PlayStation 3.

'The key will be pricing of the device,' said Nobuo Kurahashi, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities.

'If the company prices it cheaper than Nintendo's 3DS, it would be positive.'

Nintendo is launching a 3D version off its DS model next month.

Both Sony and Nintendo hope their hand-held consoles will fend off rising competition from smartphones and tablets.

Advanced: As well as featuring 3G wireless connectivity, a first in a portable games device, the NGP will use a five-inch long OLED touch panel

Advanced: As well as featuring 3G wireless connectivity, a first in a portable games device, the NGP will use a five-inch long OLED touch panel

 

Eagerly awaited: A security guard keeps photographers at bay as the NGP is unveiled

Eagerly awaited: A security guard keeps photographers at bay as the NGP is unveiled



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Prince Malachi is the founder of The Oracle Network and the Streetwear brand Y.A.H. Apparel

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