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Sony Reveals the Next Generation Portable Console
UgLyPuNk writes "Of course it's not called the PSP2, because that would be too obvious and straightforward for the games industry. For the moment, at least, you'll be looking forward to news about the NGP – the Next Generation Portable." ARM® Cortex-A9 core (4 core), SGX543MP4+, Front and Rear camera. Rear touch pad, GPS.
* Quad Core A9 CPU
* Quad Core PowerVR SGX543MP4+ GPU from Imagination Technologies. (They make the PoverVR 530 featured in Motorola Droids, PowerVR 535 in iPhone & iPad, and PowerVR 540 featured in Galaxy S devices, and playbook)
* 5" Multi touch OLED display with 960 x 544 res.
* Rear multi touch pad
* Front and rear cameras
* Three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, three-axis electronic compass
* GPS
* Dual Analogue sticks
* Bluetooth, 3G and wifi connectivity
It's definitely less novel than the 3DS, and a lot more capable, but then again, if I'm going to drop ~$400* on something like that, I might as well buy an iPad or a fancy smart phone. I think by making this thing ultra feature-full, they're blurring the line between the things they're competing against a lot more, and I think that does carry some risk at backfiring. Would I rather have a fancy gaming/media device and a simple phone, or vice versa. It's asking a lot for people to purchase high end devices on both fronts, and so they're going to have to make a choice. I don't think that choice is going to be overwhelmingly in favor of Sony. *Yes I realize there has been no official price announced, but looking at the specs, the device has to cost sony around ~$450 to manufacture. I expect a ~$400 price point.
Wasn't there already a portable with the initials NGP?
...and Sony are claiming that it will be “as powerful” as a PlayStation 3.
Sorry, but in no universe is the Cortex-A9 'as powerful' as a PlayStation 3's CBE.
Here's the thing - I own a PSP. Guess what kinds of games I play on it? Puzzle games, short-attention-span games, platformers. I've played the hell out of PixelJunk Monsters and Lumines. Daxter and Loco Roco were each a ton of fun, but honestly was probably the limit for what my attention could bring to a portable device.
Basically, I play this thing when I ride the bus to work. Anything that can be done in short spurts works great.
They're talking about putting some big titles on the "NGP" - Killzone, Resistance, Uncharted. Those are awesome PS3 titles, don't get me wrong. But I just don't know that I'd play them on a portable device. My tastes differ when I'm on the go. A lot of that power will be wasted on me.
Hopefully, someone will come up with a witty game that really takes advantage of the "NGP" without aiming for a port from a PS3 franchise.