Sony’s Next Generation Portable (PSP2): What We Know So Far
After months of rumor, speculation, and Photoshop mock-ups, Sony finally lifted the veil on the unofficially named PSP2, or as they’re tentatively calling it, the NGP (Next Generation Portable). Revealed at a press conference in Tokyo today, Sony’s successor to the PSP looks fairly similar to the now-seemingly ancient PS2 hardware, and as you might guess, the results were pretty impressive. Here’s everything we know so far about Sony’s next portable gaming system.
Let’s just start by saying that the unnamed new portable is powerful—very powerful. The system features two analog sticks, a 5″ OLED screen complete with touchscreen capabilities, a complementing touch panel on the system’s back, front, and back-facing cameras, and SIXAXIS motion controls, among others. That’s a lot of tech in a relatively small package; the classy-looking NGP is sized a little larger than a 3000-model PSP. Not to be outdone by its list of features, running under the hood is hardware that Sony is touting as almost as powerful as the PS3 itself. (This reportedly comes at the cost of a battery that only lasts between four or five hours, however.)
With the 3DS’ reveal at last year’s E3 now far behind us, the most natural reaction to the would-be PSP2 is probably surprise, and with good reason: although speculation about the NGP has been going on for literally years, it seems that Sony really brought their A-game this time around, perhaps now making Nintendo out to be the company that brought a knife to a gunfight. That being said, the NGP seems to be pushing towards a more complete synthesis of game console and portable media hub, making the new console what Sony probably hopes will be a catch-all entertainment device.
One of the most interesting applications the NGP has actually taps more into social networking than it does video games themselves. Known as Near, the system utilizes its built-in 3G wireless (it also has wi-fi) as a sort of GPS location device that tracks your path throughout the day. Where things get interesting is how you can use Near to see what users were at a particular location up to an hour before or after you (think NFS: Hot Pursuit’s autolog system) as well as the most popular game of a particular area according to user data. You can even click on a game title to get more information about it or just buy it on the NGP’s built-in online store. Though the practical uses for Near, aside from the obvious social networking connections, remain to be seen, it’s an interesting idea that could lead to some neat gameplay and community interactions in the future.
Similarly, the machine’s menu is designed much like visual apps on a touchscreen phone or tablet. Every game will also reportedly provide access to a “LiveArea,” which sounds a bit like a forum for players to meet up and get information on upcoming products, further making this new PSP feel more like a media device and less like a standalone gaming console.
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