PSP2 is the NGP

Next Generation Portable. That's the name of the follow up to Sony's first foray into the portable gaming space- the PSP. Presumably, this is only a temporary name as the NGP doesn't really make all the much sense as a part of the Playstation line.

The touch panel

Twin sticks? Can you spell F-P-S?

So what's under the hood of the new guy on the block? Lets take a look-



First off, lets talk look. Most thought that the PSP2 NGP would look a lot like the failed PSP Go- evolution being what it is -but that couldn't be further from the truth. As you can see the NGP looks almost exactly like the PSP. You can tell them apart, especially since the NGP has twin analog sticks, but the similarity is very reminiscent of the differences between the Nintendo DS and the forthcoming 3DS. It isn't the same unit, but if you look really fast... you get the point.

Now on to the good stuff- The NGP will have 5 times the resolution of the PSP with a 5" OLED screen, that should make for some amazing visuals. What's more, both the screen and the rear of the unit are touch sensitive- very cool -it also has both a GPS locator and gyroscope functionality built-in. The tech being used is the same as in the PS Move. 3G? Yeah, it's got that too- along with wi-fi.

Moving on to the software now, the NGP does not elimanate physical media. Games can still be bought at retail meaning this isn't another go at download only. That being said- the UMD is DUST. Storage for NGP games will arrive on flash cards much Nintendo's portables. And those games? They look very, very, good... not to mention that they support the Trophy system.

Mainly talked up but some games shown off at the presser:

• Killzone
• Uncharted
• WipEout
• LittleBigPlanet
• Call of Duty
• Resistance

There's no release date or price yet, but we should expect this Holiday season for a release and pricing to be at least competitive with the 3DS. The full stat sheet and press release is below awaiting your perusal.


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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.

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）

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