NGP (PSP2)

After much rumour and speculation, Sony has unveiled the PSP2, which it has dubbed the NGP (and looks nothing like the far out mockup pics).

So what are the specifications, when will the UK release date be and how much will it cost?
Let's see what Sony's been saying.

The PSP2's name is NGP
Sony's codename for the PSP2 is NGP, which stands for Nice Gamey Playtime. Only kidding. It stands for Next Generation Portable.



The PSP2 specifications are pretty tasty
The PSP's replacement has a five-inch, 16 million colour 960x544 OLED touchscreen, twin cameras, twin speakers and a microphone. There are also twin analogue sticks and a ridiculously powerful quad-core processor based on the ARM Cortex A9. Expect four to five hours from the battery.

It's got twin sticks
The "biggest criticism" of the original PSP, according to GamesRadar's Justin Towell, was that it had no second stick. "Why is a second stick so important? It allows you to move your character with one stick while looking with the other."
The PSP2 specs include a touch-sensitive back
The rumour factory got this one right: the NGP includes a touch-sensitive back so you can control the on-screen action without hiding it behind your fingers. The screen's multi-touch too. The combination of a touchy front and back is fascinating - Sony talks about it enabling "touch, grab, trace, push and pull hand movements."



The PSP2 specs include POWERVR graphics
The NGP doesn't just have that nifty quad-core processor: it's got a quad-core Imagination Technologies PowerVR graphics processor too. We can summarise its spec in one word: mighty.

The PSP2 specifications include GPS
Sony promises that the PSP2's built-in GPS will mean some interesting location-aware games via the PlayStation Network, and an application called Near will let you know if your friends are, you've guessed it, near you. The PSP2 also includes a three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer and three-axis electronic compass for handheld-waggling motion-controlled tomfoolery.




The PSP2 design looks a bit like a PSP or PSPgo
Sony calls the PSP2's shape Super Oval Design, which is one in the eye for anyone who expected mere Ordinary Oval Design. It looks quite like a PSP, we think. It'll be 13mm longer than the PSP-3000 at 182mm in length - that's big. Thickness? 18.6mm.

The PSP2 UK price will be so low, Sony will lose money
That's what a little bird told Eurogamer, anyway.



PSP2 games won't be download-only
The rumour mill predicted download-only games, but while the NGP does indeed support downloadable games the device introduces yet another new format, "a small flash memory based card dedicated for NGP software titles". What Sony has said is that the games will be "PS3 quality" - quite some achievement if it pans out.

Trophies will be coming too
It seems that Sony's Trophies system from the PlayStation Network will also appear so you can score points wherever you play - even on your Android mobile....
The PSP2 will play Android games; Android will get PlayStation games
The newly announced PS Suite is fascinating: it'll bring PlayStation games to Android, and casual games from Android to the NGP. Could we also see games become cross-platform with the PS3?

The PSP2 will have a 3G connection (and Wi-Fi)
The NGP has all the connectivity options you could ask for: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and 3G. That always-on connectivity means it's ideal for social games too - so much so that Sony's gone rabbit-ears crazy in the press release, promising 'infinite possibilities for users to "encounter", "connect", "discover", "share" and "play" with friends wherever they are.' Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) says that every game title for NGP will be provided with a space called LiveArea where "users can share the fun and excitement with other players".




The PSP2 UK release date will be late 2011
Sony's a bit vague on this one. "NGP will arrive at the end of 2011", it says. In time for a lot of Christmas stockings then...




Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/handhelds/sony-ngp-everything-you-need-to-know-921111#ixzz1CIJTxlj7

Main parts that intrigue me are the low price, which could effectively curbstomp the 3DS, Touch screen receptors on the back (also it's capacitive) and the fact that it's backward compatible.

Handled correctly this could be the next handheld to dominate the market due to the 3DS having so obvious flaws. This is of course without knowing the nitty gritty details on the PSP2 yet.

Nothing productive to say. Just here to squee.
Squeeeee~

2x analogs

wat

I'm glad there's two analog sticks. For games like Phantasy Star Portable 2 (THE REAL PSP2 lolol), controlling the camera with the D-pad is kind of frustrating.

One of my main complaints with PSP was camera control, it's ok using the R and L buttons to control the camera on the X-axis but anything other than that was a giant pain.

It was a huge factor on why I turned in KH: Birth by Sleep. I was just slashing towards the screen because moving it at the same time was a hassle.

Holy ***, looks incredible. If the price is low in the US as well as the UK, I'll consider purchasing this product. 3DS at 250 for much less powerful hardware shouldn't be hard to beat.

Also, the capacitive touch screens will be glorious.

O_____________________________________________O

HOLY *** ***

I was going to post this earlier in the day but I assumed everyone had heard lol.

Now it just needs a substantially better quality of games than it's predecessor.

Nothing wrong with the PSP games I played.

Lack of them sure, but still good.

Better than most of the DS games I played at least.

The Hotel Dusk games are pretty good.

Now it just needs a substantially higher quantity of decent games than it's predecessor. - Fixed

Couldn't think of the right wording initially xD

Needs more CLAW.

Price for the 3G model will be $299.99

xD

And I claw like a *** boss. I swap weapons, pop mates, and move the camera pretty damn flawlessly. It's kind of scary seeing me play PSP2.

I'm surprised that it's only 299.99. Compare that to something like an iPad or iPhone.

Edit: Unless that's only a projection. I hope it's between 250 and 350, probably in the middle somewhere. If it really is 299.99 then wow, that's kinda mindblowing considering the hardware...

Same. Gamestop are already taking pre-orders.

I pre-ordered a 3DS to sell right away too.

Yeah I preordered 2 3DS and end up getting something like 100 off on both or something in the end cause I'm trading in my old DS, so the chance to make a profit off of one to pay for the first and part of an NGP is pretty *** nice.

Buy low sell high!

I did the same with Wii's too.

Ya. Always have to preorder new Nintendo systems in bulk then sell em off on eBay. They never make enough for people who don't preorder, so the demand is always gonna be there.