Sony Unveils the PSP2
After much anticipation and leaks galore, Sony has unveiled the PSP2. Except it's not called the PSP2. It's called the NGP, which stands for "Next Generation Portable," a code name for the project to which Sony is sticking for the time being.
Regardless of what they are calling it, the specifications are impressive. Sony claims that it will be as powerful as the PS3, and popular franchises such as Uncharted, Little BigPlanet, Resistance, and Killzone have all been named as titles that we can expect to see once the PSP2 hits the market. Sony has ditched their proprietary data storage technology, the Universal Media Disc (UMD), in favor of a newly developed form of flash memory, made specifically for the PSP2. This means that although the PSP2 is larger (7.1 inches wide) than most phones and handheld gaming platforms, it's surprisingly light.
Sony also boasts built-in WiFi and 3G capabilities for the PSP2, paving the way for social and location-based gaming. Social gaming relates to social networks, and will no doubt entail posting game achievements to Facebook, Twitter, and the like to brag to friends. Location-based gaming, Sony explains, will link players in the same areas into the same game, and pit them against each other, presumably head-to-head or in the highest-score-wins fashion. It will do this using a service called LiveArea, which in conjunction with a program called Near, will allow you to chat with nearby PSP2 users, as well as see what games they are playing.
To Sony's credit, they have not skimped out on any of the features that you would expect in any new handheld device, let alone one that is geared specifically towards portable gaming. It's new, larger, OLED screen is touch sensitive. Combine this with another touchpad on the back of the device, as well as dual analog sticks on the front and SIXAXIS motion controls, and you have incredibly powerful gaming potential. Now, add in front- and back-facing cameras, and 3G and WiFi technology, and you've got one serious handheld device, capable of much more than just "games"
For those of you who just want the meat and potatoes, here are the system specs, courtesy of Kotaku.com:
- 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)
- 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
Unfortunately, the PSP2/NGP/Whatever-Sony-Decides-to-Call-It won't go on sale until later this year. Which no doubt leaves many of us biting our nails and counting the days.
Sources: Kotaku 1, 2, 3, 4
