With Nintendo's new 3DS handheld gaming device dominating all the buzz since the beginning of the new year, it was only a matter of time until Sony revealed the competition. Successor to its original PlayStation Portable, the "PSP2," codenamed 'Next Generation Portable', seeks to dominate the handheld market with its incredible specs and 3G capabilities.
Visually, the NGP looks very similar to the original PSP, but don't let that fool you. Sony has added some much-needed features, and ultimately, it's what's on the inside that counts. The NGP features a five-inch OLED touchscreen, dual analog sticks, front and rear cameras, Sixaxis motion control and a very useful built-in GPS. Internally, the NGP packs two processors that make it capable of delivering graphics akin to the PlayStation 3. Compared to old PSP models, the NGP is several times faster.
Hardcore specs mean nothing without games to show them off, and though only a handful of official game titles have been named, Sony displayed and discussed some popular franchises that could make their way onto the new portable system. From Sony comes award-winning franchises like Killzone, Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet and Resistance, but also expect a huge array of third-party developers eager to take advantage of the new handheld, from big names like Activision and Square Enix to PopCap Games of Bejeweled fame. One of the more important announcements, however, was that the original PSP's game disc storage unit, which was both slow and memory-inefficient, is no longer used. Instead, games will be delivered either through digital downloads or a flash-based memory card. Also gone is the classic user interface featured by the original PSP and currently by the PS3. The NGP's brand new interface, called LiveArea, will display bubbly icons for you to select and view your trophies, friends list, messages and of course, games. A really cool feature seems to be something called Near, which uses the built-in GPS to see what players nearby your location are doing.
Similar to any current smartphone, the NGP also has a web browser for your Internet surfing pleasure, connected either through Wi-Fi or 3G. And while the 3G connectivity gives the NGP an edge to the Nintendo 3DS, keep in mind that not all NGPs will have it. Sony plans to release two models, one with and without 3G, and while you can expect that the 3G model will be more expensive, you can also expect to have to pay for 3G service, much like smartphone users have to pay for a data plan. All of this points to the elephant in the room: the NGP's price. Nintendo's 3DS is set for a $249.99 release price, so with more power and more features, one can expect the NGP to be more expensive. Analysts expect a $249 minimum, but many worry that a higher cost is nearly inevitable given the specs of the system, and anything higher than $300 will prevent the NGP from staying competitive in the handheld market. Gamers living in a costly world cannot help but agree with that sentiment, and hope that the NGP doesn't suffer the same fate as the unused PSP.
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