Name: What is NGP? Next Generation Portable. This is not the official name for the device, rather a codename. Honestly, it's not too bad, though it bares no resemblance to Playstation in that regard. However, the branding on the front simply reads "Playstation". If I could cross my fingers more I would, but here's hoping that we'll now be able to play games from PSOne all the way through PS3 on this thing. It sure seems big enough to hold all those libraries. Speaking of size...
Size: Bigger than the PSP, making it the biggest handheld since the Game Gear. Yes, I did just mention Sega's Game Gear. That thing sucked batteries faster than 10,000 Dysons, but I digress. Despite the size apparently the NGP is actually quite light. One particular reason is the lack of the UMD drive. Also, from reports of those who got their hands on the system, it's size is actually quite comfortable, especially given the dual analog stick configuration. Compared to the PSPGo, which housed its controls beneath the screen, having them on the side definitely seems like a more comfortable way to go.
Screen: The OLED touch screen is 5 inches with 16:9 aspect ratio. Excellent resolution at 960 x 544 and approximately 16 million colors. The screen will definitely make games look amazing, including any ported PS3 games that will be making an appearance.
Controls: Finally Playstation fans, your dual analog stick dreams have been answered. The NGP has the aforementioned dual analog sticks, d-pad, four cross buttons, L and R shoulder buttons, touch screen, and to top it all off it has a rear touch pad that pretty much takes up the back of the system. How exactly does this work? Well the only way I've seen it work is for a game that allows you to push beach balls into the air by poking them from the rear touch pad. Oh, and I totally forgot to mention the six-axis controls. Much like your iPhone or iPod (and the 3DS) you'll be able to use motion controls to move things on screen, tilt left or right to veer in that direction, shake to...shake things, you get the picture.
Features: 3G connectivity. Take that 3DS! No word as of yet on how that will work, pay as you go or sign up for a contract or something completely different. Another feature is the camera, or should I say cameras. One in front and one in back, emulating the most recent Nintendo DSi, and they're unobtrusive to the design.
Price: No word yet. If I were to wager a guess, I would say in the neighborhood of $250-$300. Given the pricing of the original PSP and the pricing of the Nintendo 3DS, this would seem reasonable to me. Then again, that's the price of most consoles these days, but given the processing power of this portable beast, I'm sure Sony could argue that the pricing is more than fair. I'm just praying its under $500.
Release: This holiday season, a.k.a. the end of 2011. No official date has been set yet, but I'm guessing November.
Games: What will be available during the launch window? Not exactly sure about that either, but there were quite a few big names demonstrated at the Playstation event in Japan. For one, Uncharted. For the others, buckle up because Sony has pretty much promised that the best sellers of the PS3 will be hitting the NGP in digital form, such as Call of Duty, Resistance, Killzone, WipeOut, LittleBigPlanet, and because Sony has some sick and twisted attachment to the series, Hot Shots Golf. As for other games, the NGP will be able to play all downloadable PSP games and PSOne classics. I'm also interested in seeing if Sony tries to do anything with PS2 library of theirs. The dual analog sticks seem like the perfect excuse to begin porting them, of course, that should have happened a long time ago.
It's also a little unnerving that both Uncharted and Resistance won't be developed for the NGP by their respective developers. Naughty Dog has expressed confidence in the Uncharted Portable developers, I guess I should too.
Interface: Have you seen the PS3 or PSP interface? A single menu bar across and menus that extend up and down? Yeah, forget that. Sony unveiled LiveArea as the new interface for the NGP. Check out how it looks below. By using the touch screen you can select what you want to play, it's a flick-your-finger-across-the-screen-to-move-to-another-screen type of deal. The special thing about LiveArea is that it utilizes the 3G connectivity to keep you connected with other players pretty much anywhere. In the same way that the 3DS has their sharing system that works when you are remotely near another system, LiveArea will allow you to check up on your friends and see what they are playing. And of course there will be trophies, Playstation's version of achievements, displayed here. To be honest, I've come accustomed to Sony's interface, and this new one seems a bit bubbly, but we'll see how it goes.
So, will you be heading out to buy one of these this holiday season? I'm thinking I will for sure. The chance to bring Nathan Drake, Sack Boy, and my PSOne (and please god PS2) library with me, even if not in my pocket, is a win. Your thoughts? Just so you know that I'm not entirely biased, I'll refer you to the previous 3DS post, as well as the fact that I've already pre-ordered my 3DS. When pre-orders open up for the NGP, I'll be there too.
Dream on.
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