Sony announcs "NGP", doesn't know what pockets are.

[adam_grif]

Via Kotaku

The PSP2 is finally here. Sony revealed its brand new PlayStation Portable at an event in Tokyo today, giving us our first official look at the PlayStation maker’s next bold foray into handheld gaming. Here are the first details.

Sony confirmed many of the features of the PSP2 that we’ve already heard in the form of leaks, rumour and speculation. The PSP2 features a high-resolution, touch-sensitive screen that’s larger than the original PSP screen, tilt-sensitive SIXAXIS controls, dual analogue sticks, front and back-facing cameras, and a touch sensitive back panel.

The device features built-in WiFi and 3G wireless connectivity. Sony boasts that the new PlayStation Portable is as powerful as a PlayStation 3.

For now, Sony is officially calling the new PlayStation Portable by its codename, Next Generation Portable or NGP. It will be out this holiday.

Size comparison too large to post.


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Is reportedly approaching the graphical capabilities of the PS3. I'm anticipating the meltdowns when they eventually decide to talk about price, although I suppose they could always shock everybody by releasing it at 249.99 and haemorrhaging north of fifty bucks per unit.

[HMS Sophia]

Why a touch sensitive back face? "Yes, you can play using the touch panel... but you can't see the screen"
Looks... great? I doubt its as powerful as a PS3, but whatever. Its not my cup of tea.

[HeadCreeps]

Sony announcs "NGP", doesn't know what pockets are.

As far as I'm concerned, the larger the screen, the better. The PSP Go was a colossal failure and one of the leading reasons was the smaller screen. Of course, the higher price and the requirement of downloading all your games were the biggest reasons. And lack of piracy support.

More Kotaku

There's a new PSP! And it needs games. Lucky, then, it's getting some, and it's starting at the very top of the PlayStation tree. With Uncharted.

Other games shown off or revealed so far at the PlayStation Meeting 2011 in Tokyo include PSP2 versions of Killzone, WipeOut, Resistance, Monster Hunter, LittleBigPlanet, Hustle Kings and...Hot Shots Golf.

In other PSP2 game news, owners of current PSPs will be pleased to hear that digitally downloaded titles will be compatible with the new handheld, so your digital library can come along for the ride.

It's unclear whether these will be ports of existing PS3 games or all-new entries in the series. We'll update as soon as get more info!

Nothing in that list stands out to me. Maaaybe Monster Hunter, but I've managed to evade playing that series so far and I'll probably keep doing so.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Why a touch sensitive back face? "Yes, you can play using the touch panel... but you can't see the screen".

You hold it with the screen facing you, resting it between your thumb and palm from the sides, and manipulate the rear panel without seeing your hands by reaching behind it.

You know, rather like most people who can type very quickly are doing so without looking at the keyboard.

[adam_grif]

The PSP Go was a colossal failure and one of the leading reasons was the smaller screen. Of course, the higher price and the requirement of downloading all your games were the biggest reasons. And lack of piracy support.

The slightly smaller screen had nothing to do with the failure of the PSP Go, the failure of the PSP go had to do with the lack of backwards compatibility with existing PSP games and the outrageous launch price. They could easily keep the exact same size display they have for this new PSP, 5", with a slider design. The PSP2 should have been a slider design to keep size down, but as it stands they would have to rework the protruding analogue... whatevers.

[HeadCreeps]

Oh, I didn't know the higher price and lack of backwards compatibility was the main problem! Thanks for pointing that out!

The smaller screen being a colossal failure is my own idiotic opinion. It's definitely one of the leading reasons I consider it a failure.

[HMS Sophia]

Why a touch sensitive back face? "Yes, you can play using the touch panel... but you can't see the screen".

You hold it with the screen facing you, resting it between your thumb and palm from the sides, and manipulate the rear panel without seeing your hands by reaching behind it.

You know, rather like most people who can type very quickly are doing so without looking at the keyboard.

....
That actually sounds pretty cool... And i'm an idiot obviously :p

[DaveJB]

Sony has apparently ditched the UMD format for the PSP2, and is going with cartridges instead. While that's going to cut back-compatibility with UMD-based PSP games (not sure if it's back-compatible with downloaded ones), that might actually give it the edge over the 3DS in battery life, assuming the PSP2's CPU and GPU aren't too power hungry.

[adam_grif]

Eurogamer is reporting 4-5 hour battery life for the NGP, putting it exactly on part with the 3DS.

This is going to be like the worst handheld generation ever. $250+ pricetags and 5 hours of battery life

If only battery tech didn't advance so slowly. Iwata and Co were explaining why the 3DS was so power hungry in the latest Iwata Asks, they basically said that the screen has to be significantly brighter to create the perception that it's the same level of brightness as a conventional screen since only half of the light is hitting each eye. This combined with the added horsepower necessary to actually render games in 3D, and it's a power hog.

[Lord Woodlouse]

I'd probably only use 3D at home, or to show off to people, with the 3DS. Apparently games run smoother with it turned off, as well as saving battery power.

I like this device, but it does seem a bit too big. To me a portable gaming device is something you're supposed to be able to carry around with you and play when you've got some time to kill. I think this thing would be handy for going on holiday with and that's about it.

[Zaune]

This is going to be like the worst handheld generation ever. $250+ pricetags and 5 hours of battery life

Not only that, it's probably going to be the last handheld generation. $250 buys a laptop that's only slightly bulkier to carry around than a PSP2 and lets you do your homework, dick around on Facebook and watch movies as well as playing games. Sure, the PSP2 might have better graphics and performance for gaming, but that's hardly going to be a dealbreaker for something that's not likely to be most people's sole or primary gaming platform.

[adam_grif]

I'd probably only use 3D at home, or to show off to people, with the 3DS. Apparently games run smoother with it turned off, as well as saving battery power.

It varies game to game. The Dead or Alive game on 3DS is apparently horribly designed, and the framerate is halved to 30 when in 3D mode, 60 in 2D. No other game has a change that drastic, Kid Icarus for example is 60 in both modes. Some people are suspecting that the extra power will be used for anti-aliasing in most titles.

Note that when in 3D mode, you get a free pseudo-AA solution just by being in 3D since the two renderings of the scene at each time will often not have things at precisely the same angle, and the two images blended by your brain will smooth some of the jaggies out.

Not only that, it's probably going to be the last handheld generation. $250 buys a laptop that's only slightly bulkier to carry around than a PSP2

The primary draw of these systems was always and will always be the exclusive games on them. I don't think netbooks will kill handheld gaming, but it has already been partially transformed by the iPhone/Android model. They have carved out a niche that (so far) has only had a minor impact on the traditional handhelds, but this is something that can change in the future if those platforms get supported with more and more high quality traditional games.

For the iPhone the biggest hurdle is the inherent terribleness of touch-only controls. If I play one more game with the screen covered in virtual buttons I'm gonna snap and kill somebody.

[DaveJB]

That and the fact that playing games on most modern phone can quite easily cause their battery life to sink like a stone. Even moreso, if you also have the phone in 3G mode. Short battery life is less of an issue for handheld consoles than it was back in the days of the Game Gear and Lynx, thanks to the inbuilt rechargeable batteries, but it's a much bigger problem for mobile phones, since you don't just lose your gaming device when the battery dies, you also lose what's probably your primary communication device as well.

[General Zod]

For the iPhone the biggest hurdle is the inherent terribleness of touch-only controls. If I play one more game with the screen covered in virtual buttons I'm gonna snap and kill somebody.

That's not an argument against touch-only controls, that's an argument against virtual buttons. Unfortunately most devs haven't figured how to work around that yet.

[atg]

For the iPhone the biggest hurdle is the inherent terribleness of touch-only controls. If I play one more game with the screen covered in virtual buttons I'm gonna snap and kill somebody.

That's not an argument against touch-only controls, that's an argument against virtual buttons. Unfortunately most devs haven't figured how to work around that yet.

How would you work around it then? How would you play, say, Sonic on the iPhone without the virtual buttons?

[General Zod]

For the iPhone the biggest hurdle is the inherent terribleness of touch-only controls. If I play one more game with the screen covered in virtual buttons I'm gonna snap and kill somebody.

That's not an argument against touch-only controls, that's an argument against virtual buttons. Unfortunately most devs haven't figured how to work around that yet.

How would you work around it then? How would you play, say, Sonic on the iPhone without the virtual buttons?

The buttons are just lazy porting. Look at the iPhone version of Mirror's Edge for example. You swipe your finger from side to side to move in either direction, swipe up to jump, swipe down to slide and pinch for special moves. There's no reason a developer couldn't adapt that to older titles that rely on very few button inputs. Games that need buttons for precision controls probably shouldn't be developed for the iPhone.

[adam_grif]

There's no reason a developer couldn't adapt that to older titles that rely on very few button inputs. Games that need buttons for precision controls probably shouldn't be developed for the iPhone.

That's the point though. Certain kinds of games are simply inappropriate for a touch-only control mechanism, which is why a system with buttons is still desirable for gaming. Touch + Buttons is obviously the best of both worlds, which is why we're seeing that with both 3DS and NGP. If those kinds of games are things people like (and they are), then there will continue to be a market for those, even in the face of the iOS taking off like it has.