So Sony showed off the successor to the PSP today, it's powerful enough to do roughly PS3 level graphics and a ton of of nice features:
OLED multi-touch screen at 960 x 544
Dual analog sticks
sixaxis controls
touchpad on back
flash memory cards for games instead of UMD
3G + b/g/n wifi + bluetooth
built in GPS
front and back cameras
Hopefully the price + battery life is reasonable.
Replies
This is pretty sexy.
It is huge, though.
But wasnt the problem with the original PSP for most people bringing it around with them all the time was how big it was? This thing is massive. That is what is great about the DS/3DS, its roughly the size of a smart phone which can fit in your pocket no problem. My PSP now dosnt fit in my pocket well.
I know they are boasting almost PS3 graphics on the thing and it has a slew of amazing features but if they price the thing above the 3DS it will indeed be a PSP2 which is not a good thing. This thing NEEDS to be priced at 249 to make it comparable to the 3DS. It already has the huge issue of not having glasses free 3D which is going to be a huge selling force behind the 3DS. A hand held for the same cost as a full entertainment system like the PS3 will never sell no matter how much you boast it can do almost the same thing. Look at how well the PSP did at that 300 dollar price point.
I honestly think it would be smarter for Sony to lose a ton of money by having the price equal to that of the 3DS just to build a huge install base. Make sure to support game developers and do some seriously heavy marketing. They need to come out with a fantastic opening line up of games. That will help super the initial sale of the handled and get people talking about it and playing it. Which will in turn make developers want to develop for it. They cannot come out with something boasting this type of power to only have a handful of shovel ware titles. If it is so easy to port things over then they need to find a way to get something like a Killzone, or a MGS4 on the system for launch. They need that big Sony title there day one. Not a year or two later like God of War on PSP.
Saddly even though I love Sony I know this will not be the case. Beyond Blu Ray and having the PSN for free Sony seems to have only made the wrong choices and the biggest blunders.
The OLED alone would be atleast 2x-3x that price .
Amazing piece of hardware though, must hand it to Sony. This is already beats my PC... ahahaha
Specs taken from the official Sony blog.
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 = 1×1) (Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)
Software Franchises shown or talked about at PlayStation Meeting 2011 (titles are not final)
Killzone
Uncharted
WipEout
LittleBigPlanet
Call of Duty
Resistance
Little Deviants
Hot Shots Golf
Reality Fighters
Gravity Daze
Smart As
Broken
Hustle Kings
but without an umd-reader..
what should one do with ones Monster Hunter 3 gamezzzzzzZ?
If they would release a tablet version of this, it would kill Apples game market.
I do have quite a few doubts?
PS3 quality graphics? I never really thought the PSP's games looked like PS2 quality so I'm not terribly convinced here (I neither had a PS2 or PSP so it's hard to compare). But the specs don't really sounds like it's equal..
Those analog sticks are nice, but isn't that gonna make it even harder to store in a bag or pocket?
Stupid Six-Axis that everyone agrees is useless on PS3? They really didn't have to include that imo.
It's download-only right? That does sound like a smart and interesting move to me. I wonder how that will affect piracy. Hopefully there won't be any retarded limits/restrictions for certain regions/countries, like Microsoft sometimes does.
Does it run android now? Is android gonna be the main UI then, or will you need to switch?
And yeah, ...price. Could get pretty scary.
That SONY OLED TV they made was 11 inches and cost you $2500, but the image was unbelievable!
It's not as pretty as it should be. I think its pretty clear that both Nintendo and Sony are releasing ugly versions early on deliberately so they can then sell a second prettier slimmer more efficient unit to early adopters a year or two down the line. I do really want to see what Killzone looks like on it though...but I can definitely see myself waiting for the 2nd gen of both handhelds.
PS3 quality graphics shouldn't be that far off. The quad-core processor does pack in a lot of juice, and running something at a smaller resolution and on a much smaller screen does take some of the burden off the gpu. I would also assume that coding for this would be a lot easier than the PS3.
Six-Axis motion sensor thingy was pretty stupid for separate controllers, but just look at the amount of games on iOS and Android phones utilizing the built in gyroscope. The experience feels alot better when the screen and controls are part of the same object.
Dual Analogs - Lets face it, even the original PSP wasn't something you'd be able to put in your pocket comfortably. A lot of people complained about having only 1 analog stick, so this is a step up if you ask me. Would certainly make platform games a whole lot easier :P
Except no matter how strong the cpu is, it's the gpu that will dictate what's being rendered.
edit: oh, you meant the gpu, and it actually has four cores too, what is this madness.
I don't doubt the gpu is quite powerful though, but that's another thing, it'll be more expensive to develop games for the NGP compared to 3ds (if you want to stay visually competitive) and capcom aren't that big fans of updating the graphics on their monster hunter series, as they even switched from ps3 to wii with monster hunter tri.
Who knows, they might even launch their own app store similar to what Apple's doing. So devs can either go the hardcore route, or the indie one.
EDIT: Whoops, forgot about PSN. So yeah we might see games distributed through that
But that's how it goes, the first ds design was based on the much praised GBA sp, but then the whole apple aesthetic came into fashion.
There's always something better if you can wait a year or two.
source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-01-27-sony-ngp-battery-life-good-solid
and kotaku just posted a better uncharted shot, looks great!
also, I sold my DS for a psp and I must say, it was one of my better choices, in my opinion. I managed to squeeze 400+ hours of gameplay out of that, probably more, mostly between Disgaea 2 and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, with a few other games thrown in for good measure.
I'm just hoping Square and Capcom keep up the wonderful quality of games they've been releasing for PSP.
I've got a Samsung phone that has an AMOLED screen, the Galaxy S. It's a thing of beauty, especially when you compare it to the Iphone's screen. I'm hoping the one on the PSP2 is just as good
The specs are impressive, but my current PSP collects dust as it is. Perhaps better games, visuals and breadth of titles will make me change my mind about the PSP2, but I'll have to see and test it before I can make any judgement calls.
That said the visuals so far and the hardware look great for a mobile system. Seems like it's not as much of a slam dunk as the 3DS is going to be though or a new iPad.
But i'm not too worried about the graphics coming out of the PSP2 looking outdated when they do arrive. Pixel shaders was probably the number 1 reason why the PS2 -> PS3 had such a big jump in graphical fidelity.
Of course, this leads us to the problem, the elephant in the room. This thing is going to be very expensive. It's clear that Sony is intending to target this device at the same crowd that is buying iPads. I'm thinking that it will probably launch at no less than $400. Yes, it is going to be like a next-gen console in your pocket, but you are also going to end up paying next-gen console prices for it. There is ample justification for a steep price, they're packing a lot of power and capability into a little package. But a lot of people balked at the 3DS's $250 price tag, and I guarantee that the NGP is going to be considerably more expensive.
One of the saving graces of the NGP is its proprietary flash-card cartridges. After the disaster of the UMD, Sony has actually decided to fall back on a new implementation of an old approach. Proprietary flash-memory based cartridges will give Sony more options for security. Specifically, they will be able to move a lot of their anti-piracy measures over to their new cartridge format, and even tweak security on a per-game level. This should allow them to avoid the fate of the original PSP, and will likely be very attractive to developers. The constantly dropping price of flash memory will also work in their favor. And of course, there is the fact that solid-state memory is in general much better for portable games. (less power consumption, no moving parts, etc...)
A big part of this device's success or failure is going to hinge on its marketing, and whether or not Sony can find an audience for it. With the global economic depression still in force, I can't help but wonder how well they will be able to sell this thing. There's also the issue of its 3G connectivity, and how they are going to handle that outside of Japan. Is the NGP going to have a SIM card slot? Will it be possible to use it as a phone? If not, how many carriers are going to support it?
my guess is not in the next 3 years... between 2014-15 seems reasonable to me. most major devs think alike.
I certainly don't want to buy the same game twice, so even though uncharted is an "original" game for this system, I probably wouldn't pick it up. I buy games for the DS that I can't get on the consoles.
And now that the 3ds is powerful enough to handle any kind of game experience, why would the top psp sellers choose the NGP as a platform, that's what worries me the most. (with the previous monster hunter comment I made)
Uncharted in action
Delivery Guy: I have a package for you.
Steve Jobs: I'm too sick to come to the door right now can you open it and tell me what's inside?
Delivery Guy: Oh umm nothing but a note...
Steve Jobs: What does it say?
Delivery Guy: It says: Steven Jobs: Oh I don't care about those guys. I only care what GOOGLE is doing, do you happen to know what they're up to?
Delivery Guy: Can I go now? It smells like someone farted in the box...
Here are my concerns:
Touch screen in the rear.
Kind of weird, could be cool. one of the problems with touch on the screen is seeing exactly where your touching. Even with dainty fingers they still get in the way. So on a hand held it MIGHT be a good idea to touch a different surface than what you're viewing... maybe... or I might end up dropping the thing as I diddle its undercarriage.
It's sad that both sides aren't touch enabled.
Battery life is short, and the case is sealed like an iphone, so once the battery starts to go, there is no replacing just the battery. With such a short battery life its going to be constantly recharged and start to shorten the battery that much faster.
Clearly we need nuclear powered hand held devices... clearly.
Scratching the screen and abusing the buttons.
Its size. I don't need to replace my PS3 with a slightly smaller version I carry around in a separate man-bag. I would rather have something that fits in my pocket and can survive a jog around the block with my keys.
PS3 and PSP both suffer from not having enough great games and it seems like these portables will have no chance for multi-platform. It's a while until launch hopefully they can announce some more good titles.
Actually, both sides ARE touch enabled. The NGP has a regular touch-screen on the front, and a multi-touch interface/pad on the back. I was surprised that Sony went this route. I was also expecting one or the other, and never anticipated that they would have the balls to do both. Although it may seem extraneous at first, it will definitely open up some interesting possibilities for development.
I'm feeling you on the size, though. It's going to be even bigger than the original PSP, and that system already had portability issues! And although I appreciate that the analog sticks look much better than the nubbin, they won't improve the portability of the system either. It seems that in terms of portable convenience, the NGP will once again lag behind the competition. I am again forced to think that Sony wants to target the iPad crowd with this device.
I think both the screen and the back are touch enabled, he even does touchy stuff on the screen in the youtube video.
This thing looks awesome!
I'm not sure if this link was posted yet, but there's a couple of gampelay vids on the bottom
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/27/the-sony-psp2/
The specs, what it does, the games etc, they all look good.
The only issue is this has made me see just how poor the 3ds console design really is
That's not to say its somehow bad, just that I can't bring myself to be interested. Maybe that can change?
Another issue is that handheld != portable. Who wants to carry around another big device in their pocket when they already have a fairly capable iphone. Its just not as spatially efficient.
The only thing that's keeping my PSP alive is Street Fighter and Monkey Island.
Sony used to piss me off. I always felt that their first two consoles were under-designed, with paltry feature sets and clunky interfaces. And even though I knew the 3rd part support was what really cemented their success, I thought that their success in the game industry was due more to luck than skill. In hindsight, I was probably right.
But since acquiring a PS3, I have actually warmed up to Sony considerably. It almost feels to me like they've switched places with Microsoft since the PS2/XBox. The XBox had better performance and much better features than the PS2. With the current generation, the 360 feels much more constrained to me, while I can do almost anything I want with my PS3. The 360's hardware has suffered severely from production issues, while the PS3 has been consistently more solid, and less prone to hardware failure.
I have an original model 1000 PSP, and have gotten plenty of use out of it. After the PS3, I am considerably more confident in Sony's ability to create feature-rich, flexible entertainment devices. As far as I am concerned, the stability and utility of the NGP aren't in question. A portable extension of the engineering behind the PS3 will result in a kick-ass multimedia device. The issue I see is whether or not Sony will be able to market it effectively, and whether or not there is even an audience to market it to.
But then, I said the exact same thing about the iPad...
\i approve ! !!
amazing!,
graphic - check
phisical control - check
screen control - check
true portable gaming device, in my opinion.
The amount of games doesn't really concern me as much on a console as the quality of the games that do get released. If only 2-3 good games per year are released, that's well enough for me.
I'm hoping the thumbsticks are good on this new version though, hated the thumbstick on the psp.
This is a valid trend that is becoming more prevalent as time goes by. A lot of older gamers find themselves with less time available for playing games. As such most of them would be fine with just having a few high-quality games released each year than a glut of middle-of-the-road options. And lets face it, little kids and teenagers are NOT going to be the initial market for the NGP. It's going to be pricey, and it is filled to brimming with technology. The first people who will get the NGP are going to be young-adult to middle-age males with jobs. It's clearly a plaything for people with more money and less time.
As much as the emulation is superb on the psp, it never was a part of sony's featureset, it certainly won't be on the NGP.
They're into selling games, not giving you open hardware :P
The market has always been dominated by the cheaper hardware.
question is if there's a viable business model to develop games for it and a market left outside the hardcore circles - or if apple & co will just eat them alive.
Nope, actually games will be on flash cards (no UMD), but all titles will also be available for download from what I heard. They don't want another PSPgo type situation.
It does have a completely new interface replacing XMB. The Android stuff is part of the Playstation Suit Framework which is for bringing PS1 titles to android (and maybe psp1? not really sure on that).