Kaz: 599 US Dollars
Finally the PSP2 is out, the moment that most people on this planet have been waiting for. We never really though this day would come, but here it is. Yesterday at the 'Playstation Meeting 2011' Kaz and crew announced the PSP2, codenamed NGP that will be released at the end of 2011.
First things first, if Kaz plays the 599 US Dollar card again, then this thing will inevitably fail. Knowing Sony a high price like that is a distinct possibility.
Second thing second, why on earth would something be codenamed NGP when clearly it will be called Playstation Portable 2 on release and it has already been announced. Codenames are generally used when you're trying to keep a secret, something that is announced deliberately to public isn't normally a secret. It kinda makes me wonder that they used NGP intentionally because it could stand for 'Nintendo Got Pwnd', very clever Sony.
Despite that, system specs are quite phenomenal. I'm sure you already know them but I'm going to put them down anyway.
| 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 = 1x1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode) Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR （A2DP/AVRCP/HSP） |
*I copied that right off the Playstation website so no time was wasted typing it*
There are several interesting innovations with this new device, the most useful and interesting being the rear touch-pad which I have mentioned before introduces a world of potential for new interaction and what not. The 5-inch capacitive multi-touch OLED display is huge and due to the superiority of OLED display technology will offer exception colours, making this a great media device not just for games. Browsing the web on this device would also be great on such a huge display however let's hope they don't mess up the browser like they did on the Walkman X.
And yes, there are dual analog sticks, and they're actually proper sticks this time instead of movable plastic circles like on the previous PSP.
Graphically and processor wise, this thing is a monster, it's quad core, I don't know anything about the technicalities and benefits of having four cores but it's supposed to be on par with the PS3 graphics-wise which is totally BEAST! Put simply, graphic aficionados, you have absolutely nothing to worry about!
Sony also released a host of new services related to the Playstation business, including the Playstation suite which allows Playstation games and services to be used on Android mobile devices (ALL Android devices, not just Xperia handsets) more on that in another post!
The new NGP device will revolve around five new concepts according to Sony: revolutionary user interface, social connectivity, location-based entertainment, converging real and virtual, and Playstation suite compatibility.
1. Revolutionary user interface: The new user interface on the PSP or NGP if you must consists of several floating bubbles that obviously take advantage of the touch-screen, the tagline for the new UI is touch, grab, trace, push, pull which obviously takes advantages of the dual touch panels of the device. Aesthetically I think the old XMB interface was preferable and would have maintained the unity of experience and interface across Sony's devices but I don't blame them for changing it to take advantage of the new hardware changes.
2. Social connectivity: The new LiveArea function is probably the biggest of the new social connectivity innovations. It allows you to see what your friends are doing in particular games and check scores and stuff like that.
3. Location-based entertainment: Entertainment that is location-based. People can find out titles being played in the area. PSP2 (NGP) stalks you (tracks your location) and creates a map of all the places you've been to. It can show most popular game in the area, useful for game discovery.
4. Converging real and virtual: Sony are trying to suck you into the world of games and virtual reality completely eradicating any social life or any life you initially had. (That's a lie, I don't know what this is). It probably means that games are going to be extremely realistic, and with things like dual multi touch screens and motion sensing that are going to help.
5. Playstation Suite: THIS WILL BE DISCUSSED IN A LATER POST.
Also, many games were announced like Call of Duty, Killzone, Wipeout, Uncharted, Little big Planet, Metal Gear Solid and Lost Planet.
More pictures after the break
All images courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
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