Playstation PSP 2

[squaredgirl]

Will it come in pink?

MOD EDIT: Can you please put a little more effort into your post? This is a spam post in a post count section. Tell us more about your thoughts on the PSP 2, or something. Thank you.

 

[Ohri-Jin]

Nice post Spawn !

Now we need to find out about:

Price
Battery life
Price of games

They could always update the ps3 software which you can compress games on make them suitable for the psp2...bit farfetched I know lol...

So the psp2 will be full hd ? nice

Im pretty sure it will cost more than the 3ds so it will cost more than the ps3..
Sometimes I wonder why they still make handhelds..

 

[Linnaete]

Greater hardware power will surely mean that the PSP 2 will cost a bomb, no matter what kind of model variation you're going to get it on. As for the assertion that the PSP 2 will be as powerful as the PS3...seriously? Let's be realistic here. How powerful can you actually made a handheld at the moment? Can you honestly make it match the power of the PS3, which is supposedly the most powerful console at the moment? I doubt it. Besides, what is the point of making it as powerful as the PS3? Aside from the fact that I will need to take out a small mortgage just to buy one (and I probably won't) when it comes out, why have your two gaming machines compete with one another? Besides as the PSP has shown in its battle against the DS, power does not equate greater success.

 

[Rey]

After reading all that I find this pretty pathetic. It can run Uncharted 3? Does that mean by remote play or will UC III will come out as a Psp2 game aswell? That would be weird though. Will the multiplayer be as powerful as the ps3? I dont think so. I find this weird also that this PSP2 is just as powerful as a ps3. So in reality it is like a PS3 handheld? What the hell? Is that a joke? Not saying I wont buy it but yeah it will be costing a lot of money. Not sure if it is worth it when I already have a ps3. All this being said I am absolutely shocked that it is just as strong as a ps3. Also I still prefer the 3DS overall. Like Livi said power is not always better.

 

[Ayumi Hamasaki]

Personally I think it looks cool.

And also personally I love my PSP-GO because I live in the middle of nowhere and I could finally get the games I actually WANTED, instead of the ones that Wal-Mart decided to get in, so I'd be glad if they did downloaded games again. Plus it's easier to carry and switch between games that way too.

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

This thing is able to run Metal Gear Solid 4... even the 360 couldn't manage that without it being drastically scaled down

It also has Lost Planet, Yakuza 4, Monster Hunter 3rd, Dynasty Warriors, Dungeon Defenders and Call of Duty then new titles TBA including Uncharted, Killzone and Resistance.

Holy shit, it's going to cost a bomb.

 

[Martel]

I think they'll probably wait and see what the 3DS' sales are like before they announce the price. The 3DS is extremely expensive, and it's going to be interesting to see just how well Nintendo do. If Nintendo don't sell many 3DS at their outrageous price, Sony sure as hell don't stand a chance with their handheld at a higher price...although I think it's a given that it'll be more than the PS3 costs now, regardless of how well the 3DS does. Probably around £300 at least.

Whether or not I buy one depends on the games, really. I refuse to pay over £200 for a handheld, so it's unlikely I'll get one of these when they first come out, but when they drop it price...

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

Sony need to learn from the PSPGo, I'm not entirely sure whether it was the whole digital media thing or the price of the handheld that made it fail but it needs to be looked at. Personally I think it was more the price, £230 for a handheld it ridiculous when you could buy a console for £20 more or even cheaper if you look in right places.

Problem is, it's not JUST the handheld you'd be paying for, it's the games too and if Sony stick by their line up set to be revealed at E3 then it's a hell of a lot of money just for a handheld. It pretty much NEEDS to be less than £200.

 

[Sultan]

Sony formally revealed the heavily-rumored PSP2 in Japan today. The device has been codenamed NGP for "next generation portable." It is set for release by the end of 2011. Pricing information was not provided.

Critical Details

She's a beaut.

NGP will use a new game medium, a small flash memory based card, dedicated for NGP software titles. The cards will store full game titles and add-on game content or save data. Sony notes that they'll be able to provide higher capacity cards in the future to allow developers to store more game data. The device also supports PlayStation Network Trophies.
The NGP contains a touch screen on top and a touch pad on the bottom. This will allow players to interact with games through "touch, grab, trace, push and pull" moves of the fingers.

The Release Date and Price

Sadly, the release date and price were not revealed. However, Sony did say that the NGP would be out for the 2011 holiday season.

The Games

The NGP's debut party saw Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet and Call of Duty take the stage, but most were just tech demos. So far, more than 10 third-parties are listed a supporting the NGP. Click here to read more and see them all.

The Interface: LiveArea

The new interface.

NGP, the successor to the PlayStation Portable, is getting an all-new interface. Dubbed LiveArea, the program acts as a hub page for games, and like the XMB before it, LiveArea allows users to hop between the different parts of the PlayStation space. Want to know more about the live message boards and 3G connectivity? More on LiveArea.

PlayStation Suite

The touch pad back.
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Ever wish you could play PlayStation games on your smartphone or tablet? Sony aims to do precisely that with PlayStation Suite, their new unified gaming platform for Android 2.3.
Cleck here for more on PlayStation Suite

Hardware Specs

CPU:
ARM Corte-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)





http://psp.ign.com/articles/114/1146358p1.html

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There you have it folks!

 

[Ohri-Jin]

Yoshida on PSP2 pricing: “It’s not going to be $599″

January 27th, 2011 @ 16:25
By Johnny Cullen

So none of this, then. Unless it’s actually higher than that. In which case, as you were.

SCE WWS boss Shuhei Yoshida has said it’ll avoid a repeat of its E3 2006 press conference by not pricing its next-gen PSP successor, codenamed NGP, $599.
“It’s not going to be $599,” he told Game Informer.
Yoshida does admit that pricing has been a big concern for Sony since project work on the handheld began in 2008.
“From the very beginning of the project — since 2008 — pricing was one of the considerations that we had. Hopefully when we announce the price, people will see the proper value.”
The comment follows that of earlier remarks from SCEE head Andrew House, saying the price of the machine will be “affordable”.
NGP releases this year in Japan. Catch up on everything from the event here.


Source - http://www.vg247.com/2011/01/27/yoshida-on-psp2-pricing-its-not-going-to-be-599/#more-142043

Uncharted PSP2 gets shown off at Tokyo event

January 27th, 2011 @ 14:07
By Johnny Cullen

GameSpot’s gone live with a direct-feed capture of this morning’s Uncharted demo for PSP2.
SCE WWS boss Shuhei Yoshida was there on stage demoing it live, as the new handheld, codenamed, NGP, got its debut in Tokyo. Watch it below the break.
Uncharted is one of many first-party titles coming to the platform, including LBP and Killzone

Click on link to see the video.

http://www.vg247.com/2011/01/27/uncharted-psp2-gets-shown-off-at-tokyo-event/

 

[Setzer Gabbiani]

The NGP AKA - PSP2 is blazing a trail on the internet right now, and rightly so. The first true sequel to the very advanced PSP, picks up many of the pieces Sony left behind with the original PSP. First off the console is unbelievable and many of the games shown display graphics that are on par and In some ways better than their PS3 counterparts; with the exception of some environmental changes which are negligible, this is an evolution of portable gaming.

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One of the more impressive features on the PSP2 is its touch pad it functions intuitively and tracks both heat and touch, a simple tap or slide and the onscreen character reacts immediately. The possibilities are potentially limitless with this device. The touch screen catapults Sony’s tech beyond the likes of Apple & Nintendo, the sheer processing power is way beyond anything we’ve seen on a device this size.

I can see Sony expanding the way PS3 users us the PSP2 (NGP), One of sony’s publics hint towards the PS3 expanded play, what that means is if a gamer purchases the collector’s edition of Dead Space 2 it includes a copy for PSP2 (NGP), and houses the full version plus some add-on missions, which when completed can unlock new content in the PS3 version of the game and could continue the PS3 campaign on the PSP2(NGP).

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The PSP2 (NGP)has been rumored to allow gamers to continue their PS3 games saves now its looking more like reality, though no official announcement has been made, the games being released for the NGP makes this look fairly probable. At the Show MGS 4, Lost Planet, and Yakuza 4 were all previewed. The NPG has revealed it’s self as a Portalable PS3 full equipped with all the features of any modern portable device, and more.
The system will feature a digital card reader, a new format that will allow for game saves and ad-ons to be stored right on the card, UMD’s are a thing of the past.

The system has been directly integrated with the PSN and has almost every social networking feature available; You can read the full specs on the PSP2(NPG) right here. When I ask about further integration with the PS3 one developer told me “if you have a PS3 you will need an NGP”, not sure what that meant but apparently Sony has big plans to cross promote their new console with the Playstation 3 integration. It’s clear that the NGP has the graphics and rendering capability that are close to those found of the PS3, we expect this to be a hit among gamers when as more gets revealed, you are going to be blown away by what they see, it’s truly the portable PS3.

Here‘s the full specs sheet on the PSP2(NGP) read-em and try not to drool, not sure how they fit everything in one device, but it looks pretty cool.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced its next generation portable entertainment system (codename: NGP), which delivers the ultimate portable entertainment experience. NGP will make its debut at the end of the year 2011.

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NGP is designed to offer unparalleled interactive entertainment that is only possible on PlayStation®. This new system offers a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context, made possible by leveraging SCE’s experience from both PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®3 (PS3®) entertainment systems.

Deep and immersive gaming is at the core of PlayStation’s DNA, and NGP is the latest embodiment of this vision. By having both Wi-Fi and 3G network connectivity, together with various applications, NGP will enable infinite possibilities for users to “encounter,” “connect,” “discover,” “share” and “play” with friends wherever they are. Within the device are a range of features that provide a genuinely cutting-edge, next generation ultimate portable entertainment experience.

l Stunning OLED and Revolutionary User Interface
NGP incorporates a beautiful multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display (OLED) as the front display. A high-performance CPU / GPU combined with OLED enables rich, visually striking graphics never seen before on a portable entertainment system, for both games and other digital entertainment content. The new system also incorporates a unique multi-touch pad on the rear, and together with the front touch display, NGP offers new game play allowing users to interact directly with games in three dimension-like motion, through “touch, grab, trace, push and pull” moves of the fingers.

l Super Oval Design and Dual Analog Sticks
While succeeding the basic design philosophy of PSP, NGP adopts the Super Oval Design form factor, created to fit comfortably in users’ hands. For the first time, a portable entertainment system will feature two analog sticks, which enable a wider range of game genres to be brought into the portable experience.

l LiveArea™
Every game title for NGP will be provided with a space called “LiveArea™” where users can share the fun and excitement with other players. Users will have access to the latest information of games provided from SCE and 3^rd party developers and publishers through PlayStation®Network. Additionally, NGP users will be able to view an “Activity” log that is constantly updated with accomplishments from users who are playing the same game, which in turn can trigger active real-time communication among users.

l Near SCE will also provide location-based services on NGP as part of the basic features utilizing PlayStation Network. The new application called “Near,” developed specifically for this service and the network, will be pre-installed in the system to let users find out what their friends in the vicinity are playing now or what they were playing recently. Users can meet their friends and new players virtually, regardless of what games they are playing, simply by sharing their game information across different dimensions of time and distance.

l New Game Medium
NGP adopts a new game medium, a small flash memory based card, dedicated for NGP software titles. Taking advantage of the flash memory feature, this innovative card can store the full software titles plus add-on game content or the game save data directly on to the card. By adopting flash memory based card, SCE will be able to provide game cards with higher capacity in the future, allowing developers to store more game data to deliver rich and immersive games.
NGP will also come equipped with two cameras on its front and rear, as well as three motion sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass, all of which are designed to enable users to enjoy the world of entertainment that is linked with real life experiences.

PlayStation®Suite (PS Suite), announced today, will also closely coordinate with NGP. The newly developed and released game content for Android™ based portable devices can also be enjoyed on NGP. As a result, users will have access to not only the most leading-edge content, but also some of the more casual experiences that typify the mobile market place.

SCE will vigorously promote NGP towards the launch as the next generation portable entertainment platform and deploy various measures to further expand the portable gaming market.

＜ Next generation portable entertainment system ( codename: NGP) ＞
CPU ARM® Cortex™-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）

With the announcement of the PSP 2 or NPG, every one is screaming about the systems specs, after reviewing the power behind Sony’s new portable device ourselves, we noticed some interesting new details. Though, a few of the specs are unknown The GPU & CPU have revealed some potential that could reveal many of today’s consoles.

Of what’s know,n Sony has implemented a new processor called the Cortex-A9 Multicore Processor. Here’s what it does.

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“The Cortex-A9 MPCore multicore processor provides a design configurable processor supporting between 1 and 4 CPU in an integrated cache coherent manner. Each processor may be independently configured for their cache sizes and whether the FPU, MPE or PTM interface will be supported. In addition, the processor in any configuration may expose the Accelerator Coherence Port (ACP) permitting other non-cached system mastering peripherals and accelerators such as a DMA engine or cryptographic accelerator core to be cache coherent with the L1 processor caches. Also integrated is a GIC architecture compliant integrated interrupt and communication system with private peripherals for increased performance and software portability and may be configured to support between 0 (legacy bypass mode) or 224 independent interrupt sources. The processor can support either a single or dual 64-bit AMBA® 3 AXI™ interconnect interface. The Cortex-A9 MPCore multicore processor includes an enhanced version of the silicon-proven ARM MPCore technology for scalable multicore processing.”

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What this means, Sony hasn’t said if the will use the 32-bit or 64bit architecture, but if Sony has decides to use the 64B processor in the PSP 2, the games could load just as fast, if not faster than the same game on the PS3 & Xbox 360 (With comparable size and Performance being consider) that are close in file size. This provides good hope for those concerned about load times and is a sure bet for improved rendering and smooth animations and textures. Though processor offers both a 32-Bit & 64-bit architecture, judging by the games previewed, ( Animation are extremely smooth, and polished) so I’m guess Sony went big and decide on the 64-Bit. Over all, games will look and move more realistically output lag and environment popups should be reduced on most games, though developers are more at fault when this happens. This also means more polygons processed give the GPU can Handel it.

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Since we mentioned it lets take a look at this new GPU from ‘Imagine Technology’. Sony is yet to state a few details on how they intend to scale the GPU for the PSP 2(NPG), but one thing is sure if they max out the cores the graphics processing will come close to that of the PS3 and could have out performer the Xbox 360. Here are the tech details on the SGX543MP4+ or PowerVR SGX543MP4+GPU used in the PSP 2(NPG).
“One of the unique features of the recently announced POWERVR Series5XT architecture is that it enables highly linear scaling of all aspects of GPU performance, specifically vertex shading, pixel shading, primitive setup and overall GP-GPU functionality, whilst maintaining full software compatibility and with virtually no overhead in bandwidth usage. “
Ok, this means the system is easy to developer for and much of the basic image processing is done by the GPU(“Developers Rejoice!”) it also means that image processing is done quickly and smoothly and that image output happens faster, which makes for some very clean and smooth animations and could get that much loved 60fps, on most titles with high resolution graphics.
This is where the PSP 2 gets scarily powerful. Right now the XBox360 can produce 500 million Polygons per second, with a fill rate 16Gpixels. The PS3 can produce even more Polygons and has an even faster fill rate, Now here are the specs for the GUP used in the PSP 2 (NPG), this is amazing.
“At 200MHz core frequency an SGX543MP4 (four cores) will deliver 133 million polygons per second and fill rates in excess of 4Gpixels/sec**. Higher frequencies or a larger number of cores each deliver more performance. At 400MHz core frequency an SGX543MP8 (eight cores) will deliver 532 million polygons per second and fill rates in excess of 16Gpixels/sec.”
We do know Sony is using the 4 core GPU, but if the core frequency is increased to 400MHZ, the PSP 2 could reach upwards of 300 million polygons per second. On a portalable device that’s never been done, even the PS2 & Original Xbox didn’t reach those levels.
Another impressive feature is that the PSP2 out puts a native 1080p Resolution, the PS3 Outputs at the same, and the XBox360 Outputs at 720p and is upscaled to 1080i-then buffered once to achieved what many consider to be 1080i-Plus, but not quite 1080p. Here are a few more stats for you tech savvy gamers.
POWERVR SGX543MP features:

• maintains the highest performance per mW of any embedded graphics core, a key benefit of POWERVR SGX
• highly linear scaling (over 95% efficiency) of performance in both geometry (vertex processing) and rasterisation (pixel/fragment processing)
• dynamic load balancing and on-demand task allocation at the pipeline level
• no fixed allocation of given pixels to specific cores, enabling maximum processing power to be allocated to the areas of highest on-screen action
• scalable GP-GPU compute power, which can be fully utilised through all Khronos APIs including OpenGL ES 2.x, OpenVG™ 1.x and OpenCL™
• use any number of cores from 2-16, even or odd
• no additional work for software developers; using one driver stack for all SGX cores means applications see a common SGX architecture via the standard APIs regardless of number of cores used

no additional CPU load when using multiple cores or loss of performance

http://www.thegameheadz.com/Games/PSPgo/PSP2NGP/tabid/342/PageIndex/1/Default.aspx

The NGP will have a battery life of around 4-5 hours, it has emerged today. Sony have also noted that the price will be “affordable”.

An unidentified source has told Eurogamer that the battery life of the device will be between four and five hours, adding that six to eight hours was Sony’s original target for the system.

Sony have also made a statement about the price of the new device. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s Andrew House said:

“I can’t put a ballpark on it in terms of figures, but what I would say is that we will shoot for an affordable price that’s appropriate for the handheld gaming space.”

http://www.ripten.com/2011/01/27/ngp-battery-life-4-5-hours-price-affordable-sam-n/

Here is the Sony Press Conference video aired in Tokyo.

 

[Sultan]

Looks like we might be getting a less expensive version after all:

________________________________________________

Not all of Sony's NGP handhelds will contain 3G connectivity.

According to a report from Eurogamer, Sony will release two separate versions of the NGP this year, one with 3G capability and one without - something that was not made clear during the announcement presentation.

"The first thing to clarify, which I'm not sure the presentation did a perfect job of doing today, is that all of the devices will have Wi-Fi capability; a separate SKU will have 3G," SCEE boss Andrew House said.

He later explained Sony is currently working to secure 3G partnerships and that there will indeed be a cost to use the service.

When asked, a SCEA representative wouldn't confirm the accuracy of the report to IGN, but said, "We will announce further details when ready."



________________________________________
http://psp.ign.com/articles/114/1146665p1.html

 

[Tmoo]

less expensive, but still expensive. i'm expecting the 3g version to be a bit higher + contract.

 

[Fusionist]

From what I understand, it's still gonna be a while before we see the NGP at retail since it's still in the prototype stages apparently, but looking at everything they plan to include into the system, it's gonna be a huge amount.

I can easily see this starting at least 300.00 dollars American. I mean, you're a paying for a whole lot of functions, so a high price is justified for what it has. I just don't get what happened to the days of just making a simple game system xD

No way am I gonna grab it until it falls to 200.00 at least. I got both my PSPs at 100.00 a piece with about 2 years between them, and that still makes me wince.

In terms of the 3DS, for me, I know it won't be a case of either or. It may take a long time, but I do see myself owning both the NGP and 3DS eventually.

If nothing else, the NGP looks alright design wise. I'm not a fan of the slider concept used on the Go!, so I'm glad they didn't go with that.

 

[Setzer Gabbiani]

SCEE boss: NGP will be "affordable"

Sony Europe chief Andrew House has pledged that the console maker’s targeting “an affordable price” for the Next Generation Portable (NGP) following its unveiling in Japan earlier today.

While House remained tight-lipped on an exact price point, he did say the machine would cost in the region of what Sony deems as “appropriate” for the handheld market.

"I can't put a ballpark on it in terms of figures, but what I would say is that we will shoot for an affordable price that's appropriate for the handheld gaming space," House told the chaps at Eurogamer.

Unsurprisingly, he also expressed the company’s desire to launch the pint-sized piece of kit at a price which turns a profit, though couldn’t say for sure if this would be the case.

"Ideally we would want to have our hardware be profitable, in addition to our software," he added. "We've experienced both sides and we know which one we like to be on!"

NGP launches in Japan this winter.

http://www.psu.com/SCEE-boss--NGP-will-be-affordable--a010518-p0.php

Hirai says Sony chose to "forgo 3D" on NGP

Sony originally flirted with the idea of incorporating 3D support in the NGP, though ultimately opted “to forgo it for the time being,” revealed Kazuo Hirai, president and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI).

Speaking to the chaps at PC World in Tokyo earlier this week, the executive said that talks with numerous publishers swayed the console maker off the idea of including the swanky tech in its PSP successor.

“We looked at the possibility of doing 3D on the NGP,” said Hirai, adding, “We decided to forgo 3D, at least for the time being.”

Elsewhere, the Sony Games bigwig refused to budge on the subject of pricing, though did say that the firm has been more selective when considering the number of features included in the platform.

“That’s something we spent a lot of time on this time around with NGP, to make sure that we don’t go off the deep end,” he commented.

NGP is scheduled to ship in Japan later this year. A western date has yet to be pinned down.

http://www.psu.com/Hirai-says-Sony-chose-to-forgo-3D-on-NGP--a010528-p0.php

PSP2 and the PlayStation Phone: Sony Competing With Itself

2010 was the year of the motion-controller. The majority of the year was spent speculating about Sony and Microsoft’s motion-controller offerings, while all of Q4 was spent sifting through the launch software and putting the hardware through its paces.

It’s becoming increasingly evident that 2011 will be the year of mobile gaming. The iPhone and Android smartphones are quickly gobbling up consumer interest with shorter, smaller, more simple games — made available ever-so-easily through the iPhone App Store or Android Market. These smartphones pose a major threat to Sony and Nintendo and their stronghold over the handheld markets, with portable consoles facing a serious chance of extinction due to the emerging mobile gaming scene, causing gaming analyst Michael Pachter to predict that the PSP2 will be “dead on arrival”.

Both the PSP and Nintendo DS have sold extremely well, but sales are fizzling out everywhere but Japan, where these handhelds remain a hot sell. To ensure that they stay relevant in this realm of the industry, Nintendo is preparing to launch the Nintendo 3DS. The 3DS is not just another upgraded version of the Nintendo DS. The shell of the product may look similar, but the specs under the hood are anything but. Couple that with a glasses-free 3D screen, a strongly supported launch line-up, and Nintendo has got themselves a real winner – with the platform holder boldly predicting sales of 4 million in the first month.

Sony, on the other hand, has been slower on the draw, and if recent rumors and leaks are anything to go by, the consumer electronics giant will be somewhat confusingly splitting their approach in creating another mobile gaming device.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play aka the PlayStation Phone

During the PSP’s five-and-a-half year life, fans have clamored for a PSP Phone (why, I have no idea, remember the N-Gage?). Leaked images recently surfaced showing that Sony has listened, and will be releasing a part-PlayStation, part-Android smartphone with slide-out controls similar to what has been seen on the PSPgo — Sony’s most recent redesign of the original PSP. The goal here would be to take on the iPhone and other smartphones head-on by offering a better, more traditional control scheme, utilizing Sony’s know how in terms of developer and publisher relationships and their wealth of first-party development studios, as well tapping into Sony Ericsson’s experience in the mobile market.

The “PlayStation Phone” would have instant appeal to gamers wanting to upgrade their current phones, but is it really enough for people to abandon their precious iPhones? Then there’s the point that since it is a phone, it would have to be tied to a major wireless carrier, which could limit the consumer reach significantly. Then there’s…

The PlayStation Portable’s successor, the PSP2

Sales for the PSP have slowed dramatically everywhere sans Japan. This is mostly due to the software offering; Japanese developers are still very much supporting the handheld in their native region. The rest of the world? “Not so much” would be the understatement of the year. 2010 may have seen some major releases on the platform with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Valkyria Chronicles and God of War: Ghost of Sparta, but for 2011, the only releases are, again, franchises that fare much better in the land of the rising sun.

Then there’s a little thing called competition. The PSP’s direct competitor was always the Nintendo DS, but with the Nintendo 3DS on the horizon, the PSP stands little chance. If Sony is to compete in this space, the Sony Ericsson whatever-it-is just wont be enough for many reasons: not everyone wants a phone in a gaming device, the games won’t have the level of depth to them that 3DS titles would offer, and smartphones are historically very expensive and/or tied to carrier contracts. A PSP2 would effectively negate any of those issues, and offer a more gaming-focused option more along the lines of what Nintendo is doing with the 3DS.

As for the PSP2 itself, if recent information is to be believed, the PSP2 will be formally announced on January 27th at a special press event in Tokyo, Japan (Sony is definitely holding an event that day, but no official reason was given) and it is said to be as powerful as the PS3. Photos leaked earlier in the year of a supposed dev unit show the PSP2 in a PSPgo-like sliding form-factor, two analog sticks, the usual face-buttons and D-pad, a touch-panel on the rear of the unit, and other odds and ends like rear and front-facing cameras and a microphone. Those last couple of features, namely the cameras and microphone, almost surely mean there will be some sort of voice/video chatting feature built-in. One rumor suggests that the PSP2 could “maybe even incorporate a phone, but not as a primary function”. This is where the confusion really begins to set in…

A PlayStation Phone and a PSP with a phone? We call it confusing.

Having two similar, yet very different products on the market is sure to confuse consumers. Aside from specifications (which aren’t official at this time), the fact that one of them is a phone is the only clear difference between the two devices, or is it?

The pictures leaked of the PSP2 show a rear and front-facing camera and a microphone, all of which are indicative of some sort of face-to-face video calling/conferencing similar to the iPhone’s Facetime application. So, aside from the PlayStation Phone having 3G carrier data support, there isn’t much that it can do (from what we can tell), that the PSP2 couldn’t. It plays games and other forms of media and it makes calls, so why would one choose a PlayStation Phone over a PSP2? Or a better question might be, why would Sony make a device (the PSP2) that would make their other upcoming device (the PlayStation Phone) almost irrelevant? Or better yet, why would Sony make a device that competes with another one of their devices for market share?

In an overly crowded handheld market, pushing a new device will be especially risky, pushing two could be potentially suicidal. President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Chairman of SCEA, Kazuo Hirai, recognises the issue, telling the New York Times: “We don’t want gamers to be asking, what’s the difference between that and a PSP?” He then continued, hinting at a plan to help inform consumers: “We have to come up with a message that users will understand. It would have to be a product that keeps the PlayStation’s strengths intact.”

Unfortunately, Sony’s track record with effectively marketing to consumers is rather spotty, so their message may not be entirely clear to consumers, many of whom know little about the finer details of the gaming scene. On top of that, resources and part of their marketing budget would have to be dedicated to explaining to customers the difference between a PSP2 and PlayStation Phone.

Sony. Competing with itself like.no.other.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia smartphone that has been dubbed as the PlayStation Phone has been completely dissected. Even without an official unveiling, we know what the specs are. On the other hand, we’ve got the PSP2 which hasn’t suffered from the leaks the same way the PlayStation Phone has, so we really have no idea what might be packed under the hood. According to industry sources, though, it’s coined as being as powerful as the PS3 by Sony themselves.

Anyone who strongly considers themselves a gamer would go for the device that is more powerful, more gaming-focused and more likely to stay relevant longer. That’s the PSP2. But that is going to take away from the gamers who would have likely bought the PlayStation Phone. In this economy, very few will own both. Making two devices aimed at the same audience is a bad business decision. Sure one could argue that there are a ton of different models of TVs out there — it’s nice to have choices. But these devices are far more than just a way to display content, they’re platforms for which the content will be created for. Significant investments are made by publishers, developers, even consumers to support not just the device itself, but the platform. No matter how you slice it, these two devices are going to be each other’s competition, and if one falls flat on its face, it may have already done damage to the other device’s potential userbase.

Timing might be the biggest culprit here. 2-3 years ago when the iPhone was first launched and fans were begging for a “PSP Phone”, the Sony Ericsson Xperia “PlayStation” phone would have likely been a major success. The PSP was far along enough in its lifecycle that a second device with different features could have been more interesting to consumers who did or didn’t own a PSP. It also would have likely kept the iPhone’s growth in the gaming sector at bay, but the moment has passed, Apple are increasing supporting the game market, recently bringing an update that included “Game Center” to create an achievements network for iOS devices.

At this point, the PSP2 is said to be revealed before the close of January, and the PlayStation Phone is still yet to be officially unveiled – possibly at the Mobile World Congress in February. Had Sony announced the PlayStation Phone during the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, and the PSP2 during E3 later this year, it might have been a more sound strategy. If the announcement of the PSP2 does indeed happen before the announcement of the PlayStation Phone, the PSP2 could completely cast a shadow over the PlayStation Phone, eclipsing it as a viable platform in consumer’s eyes. At least for gamers, which would be the target consumer for both devices. On the plus side, announcing the PSP2 in just two weeks time might be Sony’s best chance to steal some of the thunder that the Nintendo 3DS is generating. Either way, gamers, not Sony, will be faced with a choice.

http://playstationlifestyle.net/2011/01/14/psp2-playstation-phone-sony-competing-with-itself/

Update

NGP allows "same quality as PS3," says Hideo Kojima


Metal Gear Solid mastermind Hideo Kojima’s added considerable weight to reports that the NGP’s innards pack a powerful punch, and teased that we can expect details on his company’s new project at E3.

The Kojima Productions boss told attendees at Sony’s press conference in Japan earlier today that the PSP successor will finally allow him to accomplish his dream of what he calls “cloud computing.”

"On NGP, we can enjoy the same quality as PS3,” he said, backing up claims that the new device will be able to push out visuals on par with its big brother.

"When we launched Peace Walker for PSP, this is what I said: In the near future there will be a world of cloud computing... I really believe that you can have a portable MGS and Peace Walker was an experiment for the cloud computing future. NGP allows this cloud computing."

Specifically, Kojima described his desire to cobble together a game where you start playing it on your PS3, before slapping it in your NGP and continuing the experience while you’re out and about.

"What I'd like to realize is playing on your PS3, and when you go out, you put the game on your NGP, and when you come back home, you can once again use your PS3 and large screen TV,” he commented.

"This dream is going to come true in the near future. And right now, I'm working on this project of the dream. I'm sorry, I can't reveal this now. But we'd like to present what we're doing at E3.”

Sony confirmed a late 2011 release date for NGP in Japan, though details on a western release have yet to be divulged.

Source

 

[Tmoo]

i don't doubt that the psp2 would be able to emulate the graphical quality of most ps3 titles. depending on how far they push it, a developer might even achieve FFXIII standards (seeing as the screen is smaller, hence allowing some leeway for the difference in power between the two systems). emphasis on might.

but screw all that, gimme a nice big world to explore and i'll be happy with my dual analogs. i might actually pick up the inevitable monster hunter on the ngp if it supports them. hell, port FFXII to the ngp and i'll be all over it.

"but can it run crysis?" - derp.

 

[Setzer Gabbiani]

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The NGP will release this year in Japan and next year in the rest of the world according to 01.net, a French tech site with a history of reliably reporting leaked Sony information. That same site leaked accurate specs of the NGP weeks before the device's unveiling in January.

According to 01.net's information, non-3G models of the NGP will be priced competitively with the 3DS. Meaning we can expect that the low-end model will cost around $250-$300. In order to reach that price window some sacrifices had to be made. While earlier reports pegged the new handheld as sporting 512MB of RAM, the newest information suggests that Sony has cut that number in half to 256MB. In order to compensate for the loss, the company reduced the size of the OS footprint in memory. 26MB of the 256 is high-speed RAM that can be used for certain tasks that require quicker access to system memory. The 128MB of graphics memory are still in place; however the planned 16GB of internal flash memory have been removed in favor of cheaper external storage.

While none of this information has been confirmed by Sony, 01.net's track record with Sony information lends credence to their claims. One way or another, we'll find out at E3.

http://www.1up.com/news/ram-cut-internal-memory-removed

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

FUCK YEAH, EXTERNAL STORAGE. I can't wait until this little fucker is hacked. Though, I am somewhat disappoint at the cut in RAM.

 

[Terra Branford]

NGP! Ah, I called it NPA for some reason xD

I have seen what it does at its tech demo. Touch screen, motion, camera, reallife camera feed, paper/object to 3d life and a lot more. It looks amazing, but I wouldn't pay a lot of cash for a handheld system...

 

[Setzer Gabbiani]

Sony now has a new name for the NGP, the PSP Vita. Here are some information that I found about the new name for Sony's upcoming handheld console.

http://www.modojo.com/features/2011...red_name_for_ngp_inspire_wii_sized_criticism/

http://techcorner.com/featured/more-evidence-for-the-psp2s-final-name/


Update#1

PlayStation Vita; Vita meaning life in Italian. The name is very interesting considering Sony seems to not want to use PSP for reasons I see involving pop culture and the lagging of the PSP brand in comparison to Nintendo DS systems. There's been rumors going around suggesting that PSP2, or NGP's retail name is PlayStation Vita. There is significant domain filings from the past that prove this is a legitimate PlayStation name. Sony's registration for PlayStatation.NL, which is now UK.PlayStation.com, is registered by domain company ASCIO TECHNOLOGIES, INC.. Companies like Sony tend to use 3rd party domain companies instead of filing domains themselves to keep major projects under-raps before media can uncover it. With their track record, ASCIO is an official domain registering partner of Sony, and it just so happens that PlayStationVita.com is registered with that very company. We can safely assume that PlayStation Vita is a possible name for NGP. This does not confirm however that Sony will be indeed using the name as NGP's replacement. View the domain filing "who is" listings below citing the ASCIO domain company. Sony's E3 2011 press conference will reveal all.

http://www.dualpixels.com/profiles/blogs/playstation-vita-is-an

Update#2

PS Vita Launch Titles Revealed!

The launch titles for PS Vita (NGP) have been 100% confirmed for release. Listed below are the games:

Uncharted NGP

The eye-popping demo of Uncharted showed the Vita’s touch functionality and graphical muscle in its best form. The visuals for the portable version are very similar to the full PS3 version.

Little Deviants

There is much more to Little Deviants than its cute name. It is also showcases an interesting way to use the rear touchpad on the NGP device. Players control the deviants by moving their fingers across the touch panel, which raises the screen ground and causes them to roll. It almost feels like you are putting your finger into the game world itself.

Call of Duty

Gamers have not seen Call of Duty on a portable platform since 2007. Now, this award winning game is coming to Vita and will most likely showcase top graphics and excellent gameplay that the series is famous for.

Lumines NGP

There is not much information on Lumines NGP, but Q Entertainment is likely to have several impressive surprises up their sleeve.

Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations is being released for the 3DS, Vita, PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. More on the game is expected to be revealed during E3.

Mortal Kombat

All gaming fans have heard of Mortal Kombat. It is only natural that this popular game was added to Vita, and hopefully it will feature some impressive graphics and control options as well.

Lego Harry Potter (5-7 years)

The popular Lego sequel will be heading to numerous platforms, including the Sony Vita.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

PES 2012 will be as close to real-life football as you’ll get on a portable console. Konami has published several details about the game that can be accessed from their website.

Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition

Super Street Fighter IV has been confirmed for release on June 7. Although there has been no information regarding other consoles, it is certainly coming to Vita.

F1 2011

This is the ultimate game for all racing fans. The performance power of Vita combined with the quality of the game should make F1 2011 an impressive experience.

Hot Shot Golf Next

It is a series of golf games for portable consoles, along with modes such as miniature golf and its ability to maintain a realistic engine with precise control in tandem with the unrealistic design.

FIFA 12

FIFA 12 will have a few new features. The “Impact Zone” is a feature that will allow players to make contact with other players in a variety of methods. An “AI Vision Game” was also talked about, which would make passing more realistic during the game.

Wipeout

Wipeout became famous for pushing the PS3 specs to the limit. Hopefully, we'll see the same level of performance on the PS Vita.

http://www.pspgweber.com/982/ps-vita-launch-titles-revealed.html

Update#3

NGP Price, Release Date and Launch Lineup Announced

The NGP was revealed almost half a year ago, and we know practically nothing about it right now. The launch lineup has not been confirmed, the full third party support list has not been given, and more importantly, the price and the release date have not yet been revealed. And I’m ready to bet my index finger that they’ll announce it during their conference. The NGP will most probably be priced somewhere between $249 – $299, and the release date will either be Fall 2011, or Q1 2012.


The launch lineup will most probably feature a host of first party games, along with a few third party ones, which will most probably be yearly releases. Right now we know that Reality Fighters, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Sound Shapes, Little Deviants, WipEout 2048, Hustle Kings and Super StarDust Delta will most probably be launch titles. Sony will most probably confirm these to be launch titles for the system (though there is a slight chance that Golden Abyss might be a launch window game), along with other games like Call of Duty NGP, which was announced the day NGP was announced, and maybe even FIFA 12 and/or PES 12. Other games like Madden and NHL might also make it to the NGP.

http://gamingbolt.com/sony-e3-press-conference-exclusives-biggest-rumours-and-expected-announcements

Update #4

NGP is dead: PlayStation Vita name confirmed, 2011 global launch and prices confirmed

SCE boss Kaz Hirai has finally confirmed what’s been clear for a while: NGP’s full name is PlayStation Vita.

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The Vita name means “life.”

Hirai announced that US provider AT&T will be a service partner for Vita.

He also announced details of a new feature called Party, which will enable you to use headset and microphone chat. Near is a social connection tool for Vita that allows to track and chat to friends, compare trophies, make recommendations and more.

SCEA sent out a press release after Hirai’s announcement to confirm that the handheld will arrive by year’s end in Japan, Europe and US.

Prices for the Wi-Fi flavour are ¥24,980 in Japan, $249 in the US and €249 in Europe. No sterling price.

For the 3G version, it’s ¥29,980, $299 in the US and €299 in Europe.

In total, 80 titles are in development for Vita from first and third-party developers, according to SCEA WWS boss Scott Rhodes.

http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/07/ngp...ta-confirmed-as-new-name-for-ngp/#more-177033

Update#5

PlayStation Vita Just Might Be Region Free

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This could be good news for anyone looking forward to the PlayStation Vita; IGN report that according to Michael Denny, Vice President of Sony Worldwide Studios Europe, the device will be region free, “to the best of his knowledge”.

The PlayStation Vita will come in two models – one with Wi-Fi capability for $250 and one with Wi-Fi/3G capabilities for $300. Further pricing details can be found in this post. As of now, we still don’t have concrete release windows for the PSVita in different regions of the world.

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/06/09/playstation-vita-will-be-region-free/