Sony announces next-gen hand-held. NGP first details and specs revealed

by Steven Williamson on 27 January 2011, 10:32

Tags: Sony Computers Entertainment Europe (NYSE:SNE)

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Sony Computer Entertainment has finally unveiled the hand-held that we all knew was coming, the PSP2, which the company has currently codenamed: NGP.

Social connectivity appears to be the buzz phrase that Sony is using in its official press release to accompany the announcement, where it describes the device as "having both Wi-Fi and 3G network connectivity, together with various applications, NGP will enable infinite possibilities for users to "encounter," "connect," "discover," "share" and "play" with friends wherever they are."

The NGP comes packed with three motion sensors, a gyroscope, an accelerometer and electronic compass - all technologies that feature in the motion-sensing periperheral for PS3, PlayStation Move. It has an oval shape, two cameras on the front and back, and will sport two analog sticks. The multi-touch 960x544 OLED display will measure 5 inches and will allow you to interact with games in "three dimension-like motion, through "touch, grab, trace, push and pull" moves of the fingers."

Community features will include the "LiveArea" which allows users to share the gaming experience with others, as well as connect to the PlayStation Network, compare acheivements and "trigger real-time communication." The device will include 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi functionality and will be big on downloads, with users being able to access the PlayStation Store with ease and purchase the latest titles. This will be possible via the new storage-based system - a flash memory based card that you can store data on.

The first picture of the NGP, courtesy of Engadget


Via the PlayStation Suite, Sony has confirmed that NGP will also be able to access content that is available for Android based devices. Owners of Android portables will also be able to access content on the PlayStation Suite, including a host of PSOne titles. You can read about the PlayStation Suite announcement in this article.

The NGP is due to launch before the end of this year, 2011, but no price point has been confirmed.

Here's the specs...

CPU
ARM CortexTM-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)

Screen
(Touch screen)
5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED
Multi touch screen (capacitive type)

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 = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR ?A2DP/AVRCP/HSP?

More pictures can be seen at Engadget


HEXUS Forums :: 15 Comments

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Posted by Rob_B - Thu 27 Jan 2011 10:11
This is a monster of a machine isn't it! Quad core CPU & GPU!

Pricing, what do we think? £300 a possibility or will the compete with the 3DS pricing to try to gain a foothold (although do they need it with the Android platform in the works as well?) Maybe the PSP2 will just be the usual high price/performance Sony product.

I'd just like to say….“DO want!” - very much so!

Edit: Uncharted on PSP2 - Engadget
http://cdnmo.coveritlive.com/media/image/201101/phpHeEBxaphoto8.JPG

Also Killzone, I HAVE to watch some video of these now!

ooooooooooooh!
Posted by Funkstar - Thu 27 Jan 2011 10:23
My feeling is they will price it however they want, and won't be swayed by the 3DS pricing. After all, they didn't bow to pressure on the PS3 pricing in comparison to the Wii or Xbox 360.

No idea how the average public will see it, but I would look at this to be a very different beast to the 3DS, the fact it is a beast is the main reason and a massive jump up from anything we have seen in the hand held market. The 3DS is yet another iteration on the DS theme… 5th iteration I think?
Posted by Rob_B - Thu 27 Jan 2011 12:55
Much better pics over at Kotaku - http://kotaku.com/5744675/yes-ive-played-with-sonys-new-gaming-portable-the-ngp/gallery/

I'm not sure if I like the design of the rear touchpad, I thought it was just a generic almost carbon fibre pattern until I saw the close up.
Posted by Platinum - Thu 27 Jan 2011 13:00
So if this can do PS3 level graphics it makes me think why does the PS3 need such powerfull hardware to do what it does, I know there is a small difference in the resolutions (960x544 for the PSP vs 1280 x 720 for the PS3) but still?
Posted by Rob_B - Thu 27 Jan 2011 13:14
The res makes quite a difference as you mention:

960x544 = 522,240
1280 x 720 = 921,600

Also don't forget there will also be texture/AA differences as well. It won't compare to a PS3 in reality but tech has moved on since the PS3 launched. On a smaller screen you can get away with lots less detail.

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