NGP: The Official PlayStation Magazine’s hands-on verdict (PSP2)

Posted on January 31, 2011

OPM’s man in Tokyo has played Sony’s sexy handheld. Hear his opinions in a special podcast.

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Go to Source (GamesRadar)

TalkRadar 136 – NextGenPodcast (Dead Space 2)

Posted on January 30, 2011

Dead Space 2, PSP2 news, horrible tales of poorly researched horseshit from the mainstream media, Marcus Fenix, and a community infused glitch-tacular!

Go to Source (GamesRadar)

PSP 2, PSP, PSP Go, NGP: A History of Sony’s PlayStation Portables

Posted on January 30, 2011
NGP
In the wake of last night’s Next Generation Portable announcement, otherwise known as the PSP2, it’s time we brushed up on the rocky history of Sony’s journey through handheld systems. The PSP never quite gained the steam Sony imagined it would, selling 62 million units as of September 2010 – less than half of Nintendo’s figures for its own handheld, the DS. And although games like Monster Hunter Freedom and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII have helped the system keep a foothold in the Japanese marketplace, Sony needs to make an undeniably strong showing with the NGP in order to keep up with its competitors.
The PSP has gone through four different incarnations over the past half-decade. Read on for a look at all of them, in our history of the PlayStation Portable. It’s just beyond the break.
PSP Original
PlayStation Portable
Launched: March 24, 2005 (U.S.)
Under the hood: 32MB RAM, 480×272 TFT LCD, 802.11b WiFi connection, 4.3 inch screen
When the PSP first launched, there were many reasons to be impressed. It was a powerful machine, capable of the same graphic processing as the PlayStation 2 – a previously unimaginable feat for a handheld. The screen was glossy and gorgeous. Critics praised the PSP’s media capabilities and handy analog stick, as well as its built-in WiFi and slick aesthetics.
Not all was perfect in PSP-land, though. Disc load times were significant for some customers and many critics complained when some PSP exclusives – like Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories – were later ported to the PlayStation 2. Would people really buy an expensive new piece of hardware if they could just buy the same games on a different system? It remained to be seen.
  • VIDEO: Sony Introduces The PlayStation Portable
PSP Slim
PSP-2000
Launched: September 6, 2007 (U.S.)
Under the hood: 64MB RAM, 480×272 TFT LCD, 802.11b WiFi connection, 4.3 inch screen
Much like Nintendo’s DS Lite, the “PSP Lite” or “PSP Slim” was a vast improvement over the original PSP, offering a significantly smaller, less weighty version of the handheld. Although it didn’t completely fix UMD loading times, it did speed them up a little bit. It had more tactile feedback, double the memory, and even the same level of battery life as the original PSP despite the size cut.
Still, Nintendo was dominating. By the end of 2007, the PSP had sold 10 million units in the U.S. – seven million less than the Nintendo DS. Between Nintendo’s massive third-party support and all-encompassing demographic, the DS seemed impossible to beat.

PSP 3000
PSP-3000
Launched: October 14, 2008 (U.S.)
Under the hood: 64MB RAM, 480×272 TFT LCD, 802.11b WiFi connection, 4.3 inch screen
Imagine the PSP-2000. Now add a microphone, an anti-reflective screen, and a few technical improvements. Congratulations – you’ve got a PSP-3000!
NPD reported that Sony sold 3.8 million PSPs in North America through 2008. Meanwhile, Nintendo – with no new hardware updates since the DS Lite in 2006 – shipped almost 10 million systems in the U.S.
PSP Go
Launched: October 1, 2009 (U.S.)
Under the hood: 64MB RAM, 480×272 TFT LCD, 802.11b WiFi connection, 3.8 inch screen
I like to picture a bunch of Sony executives sitting in a room somewhere, trying to figure out their next move for the PSP. “Steam and the Apple Store are doing so well,” they must have said. “Let’s go digital.” So they released the PSP Go, a sleek, shiny, comfortable new model of the PSP with a sliding screen, Bluetooth and SD support, and some other neat features. Best of all, it supported digital downloads.
There was just one problem: The PSP Go couldn’t play disc games – like, at all. So all of the PSP games that fans had horded since 2005 were suddenly obsolete. Since nobody wanted to buy old games a second time, especially if they’d have to dish out $250 for the system itself, PSP Go didn’t do too well. Months after its release, Sony started packaging free games with the Go and eventually lowered the price, but it was too little, too late.
PSP2, PSP, PSP Go, NGP: A History of Sony's PlayStation Portables
NGP
Launches: TBA – Holiday 2011
Under the hood: 960 x 544 OLED multi-touch screen, 802.11 b/n/g WIfi, Bluetooth, 3G, front and rear cameras, rear multi-touch pad, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass
Sony announced the “Next Generation Portable” Thursday morning in Tokyo. Its array of features included two touch-screens, a gorgeous 5-inch OLED screen, 3G, dual analog sticks, and a six-axis motion sensor. Although we don’t know exactly when the new handheld will launch, how much it will cost, or how it will handle digital distribution, we do know that Sony has a tough challenge ahead if the company hopes to keep pace with Nintendo’s 3DS (coming to the U.S. March 27) and Apple’s iPhone/iPad.
It will be essential for Sony to incorporate digital distribution without ditching retail products entirely. Sony will also have to maintain a library of exclusive titles that gamers views as must-own products, especially if the NGP costs over $350. Can the system deliver more than just some pretty graphics and PlayStation 3 ports? We’ll just have to wait and see.


Go to Source (G4TV.com)

Next Generation Portable hands-on

Posted on January 30, 2011

NEWS: GamePro got some face time with Sony’s sleek new handheld. We take a look at what makes the Next Generation Portable tick, and how it stacks up against the PSP.

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Go to Source (GamePro)

Drafting The Dream PSP 2

Posted on September 29, 2010

We’ve taken the Internet and shoved it in our pocket. We’ve started controlling our characters by touching them on the screen. We’ve crammed 3D into a portable presentation that doesn’t require glasses. What could possibly be next for portable gaming?

One thing is for sure, if Sony wants to stay competitive in the handheld market then it needs to get inventive with the next iteration of the PSP. Rumors have started circulating about how Sony’s next PSP could be a phone that runs a modified version of Google’s Android OS, but let’s look at some approaches Sony could take to dominate the handheld market.

Stick It To Us

This is a bit of a no-brainer. Ever since the original PSP was first announced in 2003, all anyone could talk about was how much better the system would be if it had a second analog stick. We say, don’t just add an extra stick, but add two extra shoulder buttons as well. This would effectively give this PSP the equivalent layout of a standard console controller. Not only would this make FPS titles on the system better, it would allow Sony to more easily port old PSone and PS2 titles to the new handheld. We’d happily buy Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy X, or Grand Theft Auto: Vice City again for our next road trip.

Also…

The Droid allows users to issue vocal commands; we want that.

Hard Drivin’

If the last few years have shown us anything, it’s that the downloadable market isn’t going away. For the new PSP we’d like to see a good mix of $1, $5, and even meaty $20 titles. Of course, this means that the new PSP will need a decent hard drive. We don’t think we need to say goodbye to games you can buy off a shelf, however, but let’s get rid of the UMD – it’s expensive and bulky. Instead, we hope that Sony follows Nintendo’s lead and puts retail titles on small flash drives.

Go to Source (Game Informer)


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