Sony formally revealed the heavily-rumored PSP2 in Japan today. The device has been codenamed NGP for "next generation portable." It is set for release by the end of 2011. Pricing information was not provided.
Critical Details
She's a beaut.
NGP will use a new game medium, a small flash memory based card, dedicated for NGP software titles. The cards will store full game titles and add-on game content or save data. Sony notes that they'll be able to provide higher capacity cards in the future to allow developers to store more game data. The device also supports PlayStation Network Trophies.
The NGP contains a touch screen on top and a touch pad on the bottom. This will allow players to interact with games through "touch, grab, trace, push and pull" moves of the fingers.
The Release Date and Price
Sadly, the release date and price were not revealed. However, Sony did say that the NGP would be out for the 2011 holiday season.
The Games
The NGP's debut party saw Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet and Call of Duty take the stage, but most were just tech demos. So far, more than 10 third-parties are listed a supporting the NGP.
How does it Feel?
The new interface.
To quote IGN Editor in the field Ryan Clements "sexy." Clements got to fool around with the device in Japan, and he seemed pretty impressed. "The NGP is comfortable and stylish. The layout of the sticks felt fantastic and controlling Drake in Uncharted was just like using a DualShock. Yoshida expressed his immense pride in the joysticks, as they seem to balance small size with comfortable, accurate input."
The Interface: LiveArea
The touch pad back.
NGP, the successor to the PlayStation Portable, is getting an all-new interface. Dubbed LiveArea, the program acts as a hub page for games, and like the XMB before it, LiveArea allows users to hop between the different parts of the PlayStation space. Want to know more about the live message boards and 3G connectivity?
PlayStation Suite
Ever wish you could play PlayStation games on your smartphone or tablet? Sony aims to do precisely that with PlayStation Suite, their new unified gaming platform for Android 2.3.
