Sony’s new ‘NGP’ (next generation Portable) is set to supercede the PSP and will surely stretch the boundaries of what’s possible on a handheld gaming device. Alas, it might stretch your pockets too. Perhaps in more ways than you might expect.
We note that Sony is keeping suspiciously quiet on the question of NGP’s price. However, with all that technology onboard – touchpad on the rear, 3G connectivity (on some models), graphics that are four times sharper than the PSP, a trio of motion-sensing accelerometers, GPS functions etc – it’s hardly likely that it’s going to be cheap. But quality comes at a price, and if you can afford to splash the requisite cash you might want to invest in some trousers with a bit more storage space too.
You’re certainly going to need it, as this graphic (courtesy of Kotaku.com) demonstrates. In straightforward terms NGP is an absolute beast of a handheld. At 182mm (7.1 inches) in length it dwarfs its PSP predecessors and is alarmingly mahoosive in comparison to the iPhone, (volume-wise, more than three times the size).
Pity the poor punter who attempts to slip the NGP into the pockets of anything less than the baggiest combat kecks. And then envy them as they whip it out and commence playing games that wouldn’t look out of place on the PlayStation 3.
Take this new ‘Uncharted’ game as demonstrated at Sony’s NGP press event, for instance. The live translation is a touch clunky but does much to explain the various gameplay mechanisms at work – the touchscreen routines are particularly compelling. Meanwhile, the visuals are nothing less than totally spectacular. Moreover, they’re super smooth too. Cast your eyes over the clip below and try telling yourself that you don’t want one:
Sony PSP2 NGP Uncharted (working title) Sony NGP Reveal TrailerSony thinks that a simultaneous global launch for the NGP is “unlikely”, which is a bit of a shame. A European debut this side of Xmas ’11 is still on the cards, though. So, will you be queuing up when the time comes, or is Nintendo’s multi-dimensional ‘3DS’ more your bag? Has Sony blown it by making NGP too big? Hmmm, tough choice...
http://uk.videogames.games.yahoo.com/blog/article/21968/ngp-a-monster-in-your-pocket.html
