NGP (PSP 2!)

[X-3]

PSP2 Announced, Codenamed NGP - PSP News at IGN

This is Sony's upcoming successor to the PSP. Yeah.

[The Doctor]

Next Gen Playstation?

[Cosmonautical]

Next gen PSP. Looking pretty cool, and apparently very big (I like that).

They've been showing screens of an Uncharted game in the works for it.



Here's video footage of the event, there's a lot of game footage going on in it:

Click to view video.

While Sony's claiming the system is as powerful as the PS3, that's obviously an overstatement. It's looking on-par with the 3DS's more technically-impressive offerings, however, with a slightly higher resolution and possibly slightly-more polygon detail. The dual analogues are nice, and apparently there's a touch-sensitive panel on the back. The system will apparently use a flash-like form of memory cartridge, similar to the DS. Sony is saying there will be multiple SKUs - more than one package available, one of which will be 3G compatible.

A lot of people are wondering, of course, what you can do to protect this fragile looking system, as the original PSP suffers from having its screen constantly exposed. We've yet to see a solution, and a lot of people were expecting Sony to go with a clamshell or sliding design. The gyroscopic features are on full display here, with Uncharted being used to show off its tilt/motion sensing qualities.



IMO, there's not a lot here to set it apart from the 3DS. If the PSP2 aka Next Generation Portable can produce more-detailed environments and sustain a respectable battery life (the 3DS clocks in at a rather low 3-5 hours of gameplay) it might offer Nintendo some unforseen competition, although it's hard to compare to the 3D functions of the 3DS, which is obviously going to be a huge draw for gamers.

[Loot]

Originally Posted by The Doctor

Next Gen Playstation?

Neo Geo Pocket?

[Robotazy]

Like before, I'm going to ignore this system and as a result, miss out on games I'd really like to play.

Eh.

[X-3]

Originally Posted by Loot

Neo Geo Pocket?

Spoiler Below

No Games Portable?

[Valigarmander]

Neighboring group participation?

[Auron]

Depending on the price point of this, I might grab this before the 3DS. But if it's anywhere over $350, psssssssh.

I'm more interested in learning how this thing works with backwards compatibility. In Gamespot's press coverage, I saw a little blurb about the possibility of playing PS3 games on it. I can see a few games in my PS3 library I wouldn't mind being able to take anywhere. And I really wouldn't mind it if they added some digital downloads of PS2 games that work on this system because there are a few games I'd love to whip out and play again but can't because I have a PS3 that's not backward compatible and my PS2 looks like absolute garbage on LED TVs (not to mention my controllers are nerfed).

Originally Posted by Long Live Emperor Brett

IMO, there's not a lot here to set it apart from the 3DS. If the PSP2 aka Next Generation Portable can produce more-detailed environments and sustain a respectable battery life (the 3DS clocks in at a rather low 3-5 hours of gameplay) it might offer Nintendo some unforseen competition, although it's hard to compare to the 3D functions of the 3DS, which is obviously going to be a huge draw for gamers.

The original PSP's battery was only around 4-5 hours, and that was with the UMD disc drive on it which killed battery life. Not to mention this apparently uses an OLED screen which is supposedly more energy efficient. I'd assume the battery life should be around the same as the original PSP, maybe even better.

[Sim Kid]

I'm actually surprised at this - I thought a little while ago Sony said they weren't making a PSP successor. I wonder what changed their minds. (Probably was just speculation on not making a PSP successor)

[Cosmonautical]

Originally Posted by Auron

The original PSP's battery was only around 4-5 hours, and that was with the UMD disc drive on it which killed battery life. Not to mention this apparently uses an OLED screen which is supposedly more energy efficient. I'd assume the battery life should be around the same as the original PSP, maybe even better.

Actually, graphics tech has only increased in power requirements. Years ago, I could get away with a 150 watt PSU, now I've got a 1000 watt PSU. The battery tech hasn't increased in capacity dramatically in the past 6 years, so you're probably looking at the battery life still at 5 hours max with the OLED screen making up some for the GPU drain. CPUs also clock in at comparable power consumption to years ago, per core, but the NGP has 4 cores.

That's a comparability issue, though, that the Cell has 7 cores available to devs, while the NGP's only got 4 cores to offload onto (with potentially one core dedicated to encryption, which would cut it down to 3 cores available to devs). Games that take advantage of the PS3's high core count will have to offload a lot of central processes elsewhere to function close to the PS3's level.

[Sim Kid]

^ I wasn't the only one then - I was thinking that's why the 3DS has a short battery life.

My guess is that if they remake the NGP and 3DS, they'll have a better battery with the future technology, and not cause the price of production to go any further. :S

[The Missing Link]

Originally Posted by Long Live Emperor Brett

That's a comparability issue, though, that the Cell has 7 cores available to devs, while the NGP's only got 4 cores to offload onto (with potentially one core dedicated to encryption, which would cut it down to 3 cores available to devs). Games that take advantage of the PS3's high core count will have to offload a lot of central processes elsewhere to function close to the PS3's level.

HUGE oversimplification of the truth here.

The technical comparison between the 360 and the PS3 could be said in much the same way. The 360 only has three cores vs. the PS3's "seven," but the difference is that the 360's cores are symmetrical whereas the PS3's are not. The 360 essentially can have three different full-threads running at any given moment in time, but the PS3... your main core is essentially acting like a process scheduler by taking very VERY small chunks of code and iteratively running them on the six "micro-cores," for lack of a better word. They have some harsh limitations as to what they can do, and while you may have more cores, the perpetual difficulty is trying to keep them all busy.

It might be possible that the PS3, really, is technically more powerful than its 360 cousin is. But it's no myth that the PS3 is more difficult to program for. Porting a 360 game to PS3 is hard; porting a PS3 game to 360 is easy.

[Auron]

Originally Posted by Long Live Emperor Brett

Actually, graphics tech has only increased in power requirements. Years ago, I could get away with a 150 watt PSU, now I've got a 1000 watt PSU. The battery tech hasn't increased in capacity dramatically in the past 6 years, so you're probably looking at the battery life still at 5 hours max with the OLED screen making up some for the GPU drain. CPUs also clock in at comparable power consumption to years ago, per core, but the NGP has 4 cores.

4-5 hours is what I'm thinking, and it's basically what I'm used to considering a) I have a PSP that runs around that time and b) my DS is so old the battery life has decayed down to 4 hours or less. In all honesty though, I rarely ever take my portables anywhere. I usually play them with an outlet near by so battery life has never really been an issue for me.

The more I look at this, the more I think I'm willing to grab one. Really the main concern for me is system durability, how the analogs sticks will work, and the price point. I'm really going to have to wait and see what people say once they start getting some hands on previews/reviews of it down.

[Ace Mercury]

I don't really get why they put a touch screen on the back. Does no one else think that's weird?

[Cosmonautical]

Originally Posted by The Missing Link

HUGE oversimplification of the truth here.

The technical comparison between the 360 and the PS3 could be said in much the same way. The 360 only has three cores vs. the PS3's "seven," but the difference is that the 360's cores are symmetrical whereas the PS3's are not. The 360 essentially can have three different full-threads running at any given moment in time, but the PS3... your main core is essentially acting like a process scheduler by taking very VERY small chunks of code and iteratively running them on the six "micro-cores," for lack of a better word. They have some harsh limitations as to what they can do, and while you may have more cores, the perpetual difficulty is trying to keep them all busy.

It might be possible that the PS3, really, is technically more powerful than its 360 cousin is. But it's no myth that the PS3 is more difficult to program for. Porting a 360 game to PS3 is hard; porting a PS3 game to 360 is easy.

Oops, did not know the Cell lacks symmetrical cores. I stand corrected. That's a very odd way to go about your hardware.

Originally Posted by Ace Mercury

I don't really get why they put a touch screen on the back. Does no one else think that's weird?

It's just a touch-sensitive pad, afaik. They want to be seen as inventing new styles of gameplay, like Nintendo. Really a half-hearted effort, if I've ever seen one.

[The Missing Link]

Originally Posted by Long Live Emperor Brett

Oops, did not know the Cell lacks symmetrical cores. I stand corrected. That's a very odd way to go about your hardware.

Don't get me wrong; they do have advantages in some ways. They CAN do some things that an ordinary processor core is bad at; however, they also CAN'T do some things that an ordinary processor can. (Being in the industry, I happen to know the differences between the 360 and the PS3 remarkably well. )

The thing that made the PS3 interesting is that programming was different than people were used to, and the paradigms programmers had been following up until this point really didn't apply. Parallel programming is actually a remarkably difficult program because it's quite illogical when you have to optimize it. The PS3 Cell is an attempt to solve this problem, in essence, by forcing you into a certain programming pattern. Doing anything against that pattern is doomed to never be fast enough, but following the pattern actually works remarkably well.

The pattern is something that the 360 CAN emulate with its three symmetrical (streamlined) cores; however, when you follow the pattern, because the PS3 architecture is built upon that pattern and because the 360 is not, the PS3 has -- depending upon the nature of your code -- between a very slight to not insignificant edge over the 360. (Of course, not following the pattern on the 360 can probably overcome that deficit, but then you're comparing apples and oranges sadly.) That's one of the huge reasons you don't see Folding@Home on the 360; it's believed that Microsoft actually attempted to make it happen, but because their hardware isn't really optimized for it (whereas the PS3's is), they never went forward with it because it wouldn't look good for them PR-wise to be "inferior" to the PS3.

But really when it comes down to it, if a game is programmed well, it would be theoretically possible to port PS3 code to the NGP; it would require some amount of rework of the central scheduling mechanism, but anyone familiar with cross 360-PS3 development would be well aware of the machinations involved in doing so.

Whether or not you get the same performance withe the same textures and same geometry and so forth... that's a different question. Probably not, but it'd be easy to downsize textures by a factor of 2 and simplify geometry... and then presto, you've got a likeness. (Not that I really know though; it's all guesswork at this point.)

</geek>

[The Doctor]

You took the words out of my mouth, TML.

Gonna wait til I see release games first, before decided if I buy this straight away of not.

[jamesfriedman]

The PS Vita is what it is actually called. It should be a powerful portable gaming experience. The touch interface seems a bit tacky for hardcore gamers. I guess I just prefer my analog stick and buttons. But the big plus is that we now get a full blown analog stick instead of that little nub. The graphics should be the most impressive for a portable system even surpassing the Nintendo 3DS. Only thing missing is stereoscopic 3D!

[X-3]

And the cheapest model is only $249 in the US.

[X-3]

Don't expect to see the Vita outside of Japan until early 2012.

Originally Posted by article

TOKYO (AP) - Sony's next-generation portable game machine, the PlayStation Vita, won't be going on sale in the U.S. or Europe in time for Christmas — a key sales time for game-console makers.

Expectations had been high the machine would be ready worldwide for the year-end holiday shopping season. Sony earlier promised a "phased global rollout" starting late this year.

Sony Corp. Executive Vice President Kazuo Hirai said Thursday the PlayStation Vita will go on sale by the end of the year in Japan, and early next year in the U.S. and Europe.

Hirai did not characterize the timing as a delay, but said Sony wants to be prepared with solid game software offerings timed with the hardware launches.

He did not give specific dates, meaning that it was still unclear whether the gadget — a touch-interface and motion-sensitive handheld that outdoes Sony's PlayStation Portable — would be ready for Christmas even in Japan.

He was far more clear in flatly denying that any price cut for the PlayStation Vita was in the works, brushing off a decision by rival Nintendo Co. last week to slash the price of its 3DS, less than a half year after it went on sale — stunningly quick in the industry.

"We packed so much into the device and made it very affordable," Hirai told reporters at Sony's Tokyo headquarters. "There is no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game business decided that they were going to lower their price."

The PlayStation Vita will cost $249 in the U.S., and 24,980 yen in Japan for its Wi-Fi-only version, and $299 in the U.S., and 29,980 yen in Japan for the version that will also have a cell phone service.

Under its latest price cut, the 3DS will cost 15,000 yen in Japan starting Aug. 11, down from 25,000 yen. In the U.S., the price drops to $169.99 from $249.99 on Aug. 12.

Although game fans may be disappointed by the Vita's slow arrival, delays are rather common in the gaming industry.

Sony delayed the introduction of the PlayStation 3 home console a couple of times. Nintendo also delayed the launch of the 3DS, which meant it wasn't ready for Christmas.

This does kinda give Nintendo a big opportunity. Guess we'll have to see what happens.