Games: Sony Unveils Next Generation PlayStation Portable

[RyougaZell]

From andriasang:

Sony Computer Entertainment made formal announcement today of its next generation PlayStation Portable system. The system currently goes by the code name "NGP," or "Next Generation Portable" and will make its debut by the end of the calendar year.

In its press release announcing the hardware today, Sony made note of the following features:

OLED Screen
The system's 5 inch OLED display and high performance CPU and GPU will allow for high quality visuals.

User Interface
Front and rear touch panel allow for such interactions as touch, grab, grace, push and pull via finger movements.

Super Oval Design
The system's shape was designed to fit comfortably into users' hands.

Dual Analog Sticks
Two sticks will allow a broader range of games to be brought to the portable format.

Live Area
This is a space provided to all NGP games. Players will be able to access information on games through here, and can view an activity log of others that could trigger real time communication between players.

Near
NGP will have location-based services, one of which is a pre-installed app called Near. Players can use this to find what friends in the vicinity are playing now or were playing recently.

New Game Medium
NGP uses a new game medium, small flash memory cards that are dedicated for NGP software titles. The cards can store the full game along with save data content and add-on game content. The flash format will also allow sony to provide higher capacity in the future.

Cameras and other Interfaces
The system has rear and back cameras and three motion sensors: gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass.

PlayStation Suite
PlayStation Suite, announced today, is a cross platform framework that will bring PlayStation content to Android mobile devices. All PS Suite titles released on Android devices will be playable on NGP. Sony says that it believes this will give the system the casual experiences that typify the mobile market place.

The system's announcement came at today's PlayStation Meeting 2011 event in central Tokyo. For all our coverage from this event, see our event index page.

Sony has opened an official site for the event. This has specs and system images, and a concept video.

The full specs, as shared by Sony today, are as follows:

CPU
ARM CortexTM-A9 core (4 core)

GPU
SGX543MP4+

External Dimensions
Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)

Screen (Touch screen)
5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED, Multi touch screen (capacitive type)

Rear touch pad
Multi touch pad (capacitive type)

Cameras
Front camera, Rear camera

Sound
Built-in stereo speakers, Built-in microphone

Sensors
Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass

Location
Built-in GPS, Wi-Fi location service support

Keys / Switches
PS button, Power button, Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left), Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), Shoulder buttons (Right/Left), Right stick, Left stick, START button, SELECT button, Volume buttons (+/-)

Wireless communications
Mobile network connectivity (3G), IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1x1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)

Source

Between this and the 3DS... time to get new portables.

[Xelbair]

I hate sony, when i just decided to save money for 3DS they release info about PSP2/NGP ... Will have to save even more money then.

[Ryllharu]

New Game Medium
NGP uses a new game medium, small flash memory cards that are dedicated for NGP software titles. The cards can store the full game along with save data content and add-on game content. The flash format will also allow sony to provide higher capacity in the future.

So...NDS carts?

I like the idea of an OLED screen. Cameras...bleh. So many places I can't take it.

[RyougaZell]

So...NDS carts?

I like the idea of an OLED screen. Cameras...bleh. So many places I can't take it.

Seems so.

And in the live feed they said it has retro-compatibility... via downloading that is.

[Xelbair]

hmm it seems to be like pendrives or memcards than DS carts, interesting idea - they are probably also a hardware key required to play games too.

[UChessmaster]

I always assumed the PSP2 would also be a cellphone :/

[RyougaZell]

I always assumed the PSP2 would also be a cellphone :/

PlayStation Phone

[UChessmaster]

Yeah, but that`s a PSP one though, all the more reason to expect the PSP2 to have it :P

[Kraco]

Reading those specs the promised 4-5 hours battery charge seems quit optimistic. The battery technology is really trudging behind all the other technology that's really running forward.

But then again, I'm not a console person so my interest is purely academic.

[Archangel]

Seems unhackable, thus i remain uninterested for now

[Animeniax]

Seems unhackable, thus i remain uninterested for now

What if it has everything you need/want already?

[RyougaZell]

Seems unhackable, thus i remain uninterested for now

Go get a 3DS then. It hasn't been released yet and it was already hacked -____-

[Shadow Skill]

My money is going towards a 3DS. The PSP was never sold on me and I don't think the PSP2 will be sold on me as well. From some articles I read, seems Sony is just beefing it's handheld up by word of mouth without any actual evidence it can do what the PS3 can do and better. If Sony can put a PS3 in to a handheld, I am sure they would have miniaturized their PS3. So for now, It's the PSP all over again. No real library and definately not going to do what Sony says it can do.

[Kraco]

Has Sony actually itself made the odd claim PSP2 can do what PS3 can do? It seems more like something out of the mouth of a silly fanboy or somebody lacking even the most rudimentary understanding. Considering how well PS3 and Xbox360 are still doing with their aging hardware and how they aren't going to be replaced for a while still, I'd say PSP2's specs should be decent enough (with the exception of the ridiculous unchangeable battery - you'd think only Apple could get away with such a thing).

[darkshadow]

Yes sony has said so, and I believe superficially it can, as in most people will be fooled into thinking that "omg this looks just like the ps3 version".
What's going on on the background, will be a major difference between what a ps3 and x360 can really do obviously. It's entirely possible to build a handheld with ps3/360 like specs, but not only would it cost ~2000+, it would also need a small nuclear reactor to not die within 5 minutes.

[Shadow Skill]

Yes, Sony has claimed it is basically the PS3 in handheld form with some upgrades even.

The article I read was on the 1up website.

It says battery life still sucks. The graphics will most definately have to be scaled back in order for the PSP2 to be able to support a few hours of game play. Same thing happened with the PSP. I'm surprised they havent tried to invent a new battery pack.

Superficially means nothing. Actual game play is what matters. Sony does have a history of lying about their systems.

It's like when the PS2 was first released and they claimed 500 million pixels on screen or something. When it came to an actual game with graphics, the PS2 got what, 2-4 Million pixels on screen? Far less than X-Box and the gamecube. Mind you, they had good games, so they sold like 120 million PS2s.

That's the same thing Sony is doing with the handheld.

I also have to wonder, the PS3 is a pain to develope for and if the PSP2 is basically the PS3 in handheld form, wouldnt the PSP2 have the same developing issues?

I am not a fanboy of any system, since I own all cept the Gamecube cause when mine broke I never purhcased another one lol.

Ending rant now.

[darkshadow]

"Superficially" doesn't exclude gameplay, since gamemechanics are the core, playing killzone 3 on a psp2 isn't going to be magically a different shooter just because it's on a handheld. Superficially means the things it's actually able to process.

And lol @sony inventing a new battery ;D.

[Buffalobiian]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Li ion batteries are reaching their peak, and a new medium would have to be developed. Seems like power saving is a lot easier than making new batts.

I myself have never been a fan of portable gaming.

[darkshadow]

The lol was not at "inventing" a new battery but at sony doing so.
Li-ions have already kinda peaked, but inventing a suitable replacement is hard and expensive work, which scientists have already been doing for years. They are slowly getting there though.