The wait is officially over and the time for rumors and speculation has finally come to a very welcomed end. Sony’s new portable device has been officially announced to the public. Many assumed that the portable would be named after its predecessor, the PSP, but as of now the device has been given a code name, the NGP.
It was during the middle of the night at around 1:10 am(est) on January 27, 2011, that Kaz Hirai, the president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment took to the stage in Japan to officially launch the NGP. At first Hirai spoke about the importance of portable gaming, "The world of portable gaming offers a different value in enjoying games." He then went on to talk about the great success that Sony has been having with their PSN network, which is where players can go to download games, demos, movies, and other forms of entertainment. He then revealed to the public ‘Playstation Suite,’ the first ever cross platform market. ‘Playstation Suite’ will allow users of devices that run the Android OS to access a Playstation themed store to download games onto their smart phones.
Then came the big reveal. Hirai brought out the NGP portable device and the crowd went wild. At first glance the device looks astonishingly similar to the first generation portable, the PSP, however this iteration sports a thinner, sleeker style. It is significantly more oval shaped. The design was described as Super Oval Design. This time around the handheld sports two analog sticks, as well as not one but two touch panels, the first being the beautiful 5-inch OLED screen in front. There is an additional 5-inch touch panel in the back that allows for precise in game control. Some other impressive features of the device include: a front and rear facing camera, GPS, 3G and wi-fi support, tri-axis gyroscope, tri-axis accelerometer, and a tri-axis digital compass. Though it was one of the biggest rumors that the device would also act as a phone, this is not the case.
Perhaps the most important question on everyone’s mind was whether or not the system would utilize some variation of the UMD game disc or if it would be a download only system. The NGP has entered the completely digital age, the system will be memory based and will take advantage of the PSN network where games for the system can be downloaded. Some big names were dropped when referring to the games that would be launching on the NGP, including: Little Big Planet, Little Deviants, Broken, Kill Zone, and Sony’s flagship action adventure title - Uncharted. During the presentation a few games were shown off. Uncharted was one of them, and the exciting news about the systems graphics capabilities is that it is being argued that the system either matches or almost matches the quality of the PS3. Either way, the system is “Powerful.”
The NGP is slated to release date this holiday season and Sony has promised that the price point would be “affordable.” Only time will tell if the NGP has what it takes to take on the portable gaming giant that is the Nintendo 3DS. These are exciting times for portable gaming indeed.
It was during the middle of the night at around 1:10 am(est) on January 27, 2011, that Kaz Hirai, the president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment took to the stage in Japan to officially launch the NGP. At first Hirai spoke about the importance of portable gaming, "The world of portable gaming offers a different value in enjoying games." He then went on to talk about the great success that Sony has been having with their PSN network, which is where players can go to download games, demos, movies, and other forms of entertainment. He then revealed to the public ‘Playstation Suite,’ the first ever cross platform market. ‘Playstation Suite’ will allow users of devices that run the Android OS to access a Playstation themed store to download games onto their smart phones.
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Then came the big reveal. Hirai brought out the NGP portable device and the crowd went wild. At first glance the device looks astonishingly similar to the first generation portable, the PSP, however this iteration sports a thinner, sleeker style. It is significantly more oval shaped. The design was described as Super Oval Design. This time around the handheld sports two analog sticks, as well as not one but two touch panels, the first being the beautiful 5-inch OLED screen in front. There is an additional 5-inch touch panel in the back that allows for precise in game control. Some other impressive features of the device include: a front and rear facing camera, GPS, 3G and wi-fi support, tri-axis gyroscope, tri-axis accelerometer, and a tri-axis digital compass. Though it was one of the biggest rumors that the device would also act as a phone, this is not the case.
Perhaps the most important question on everyone’s mind was whether or not the system would utilize some variation of the UMD game disc or if it would be a download only system. The NGP has entered the completely digital age, the system will be memory based and will take advantage of the PSN network where games for the system can be downloaded. Some big names were dropped when referring to the games that would be launching on the NGP, including: Little Big Planet, Little Deviants, Broken, Kill Zone, and Sony’s flagship action adventure title - Uncharted. During the presentation a few games were shown off. Uncharted was one of them, and the exciting news about the systems graphics capabilities is that it is being argued that the system either matches or almost matches the quality of the PS3. Either way, the system is “Powerful.”
The NGP is slated to release date this holiday season and Sony has promised that the price point would be “affordable.” Only time will tell if the NGP has what it takes to take on the portable gaming giant that is the Nintendo 3DS. These are exciting times for portable gaming indeed.
The NGP in Action! Enjoy!
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