Playstation Vita Codenamed NGP

[gamfrkI]

Updates below

Source

Those of you hoping to see a surprise announcement from Sony that the PlayStation Portable 2 is imminent could be in for a disappointment: an unnamed source claims that it won't be hitting shop shelves until the end of next year.

Despite reports that development kits for the PSP2 are already in the hands of game studios, video game site VG247 quotes an anonymous British source as stating that he has been told "it's coming in late 2011".

The news will come as a blow for those hoping that they might be picking up the as-yet unannounced device as a Christmas gift, and presents gaming rival Nintendo with an opportunity: with the three-dimensional 3DS hand-held due out in the middle of next year and offering vastly improved performance over its predecessor, Nintendo could easily steal a march on the slow-to-release Sony.

Sadly, the source was less forthcoming on solid details. While it's an open secret that Sony will be coming out with a successor to the PSP after the failed attempt at a refresh that was the PSP Go - which ditched the UMD optical drive in favour of download-only games from Sony's PlayStation Network digital distribution service - hard facts as to the specifications and features of the device are difficult to come by, although an unsubstantiated rumour claims that it will be powered by Nvidia's Tegra chipset.

If the rumour proves true, and Sony won't be launching until at least the tail end of next year, meaning it's not just Nintendo that could have cause for celebration. Panasonic, a name not seen in the gaming market since the flop that was the 3DO, could be in with a chance with its MMO-centric Jungle hand-held - providing it can hit the market before Sony's PSP2.

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Release dates
JPN December 17, 2011
EU February 22, 2012
NA February 22, 2012
AU February 23, 201

Specs
CPU: 4 core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore (some info on the cpu)
Memory: 512 MB RAM, 128 MB VRAM
Display: 5-inch OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, 24-bit color, 960 × 544 qHD @ 220 ppi
Graphics: 4 core SGX543MP4+ (some info on graphic chip)
Input:
Touchscreen
Rear touchpad
Sixaxis motion sensing
Three-axis electronic compass
D-pad
12 × Buttons(, , , , L, R, Start, Select, Home, Volume ±, Power)
2 × Analog sticks
Camera: Front and back 640x480 (0.3MP) VGA cameras
Connectivity: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Online services: PlayStation Network

Dimensions:
83.55 mm (3.289 in) (h)
182 mm (7.2 in) (w)
18.6 mm (0.73 in) (d)

Weight:
Wi-Fi Version:
260 grams (9.2 oz)
3G Version:
279 grams (9.8 oz)


Layout


just in case the pic cuts off


Pricing

Code: Select all

Currency    Wi-Fi only    Wi-Fi+3G
AU$     349.95          449.95
CAN$     249.99          299.99
¥     24,980          29,980
€     249          299
GB£     229          279
HK$     2,280          2,780
SG$     399          N/A
NZ$     449.95          549.95
NT$     8,980          10,980
US$     249          299
MXN$     4700          5500
AED     1,149           1,499


AT&T Pricing
250MB per month for $15
3GB per month for $30

Info

The device is fully backwards-compatible with PlayStation Portable games digitally released on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation Store. However, PS One Classics and TurboGrafx-16 titles were not compatible at the time of the primary public release in Japan. The Vita's dual analog sticks will be supported on selected PSP games. The graphics for PSP releases will be up-scaled, with a smoothing filter to reduce pixelation.

Software for the PlayStation Vita is distributed on a proprietary flash memory card called "PlayStation Vita card" rather than on Universal Media Discs (UMDs) used by the original PlayStation Portable.PSVita memory cards will be available in size from 4 GB to 32 GB, with 4 GB versions currently available. 5–10% of the writeable space is reserved for data added by the user after purchase, such as game save data and patches.The size and form factor of the card itself is very similar to the SD Card. Some media applications and games will require a proprietary PlayStation Vita card inserted to be used

The PlayStation Vita will be released as two different versions: one with 3G support, and a cheaper version without 3G support. The more expensive 3G-version will also come pre-loaded with some special applications that take advantage of 3G's "always-on" capabilities, such as augmented reality software.
The 3G service will be partnered with AT&T in the US and with Vodafone in Europe.

Unlike the PSP (2000 and 3000), the PlayStation Vita will not support video output or contain a removable battery. Sony also confirmed during TGS 2011 that the battery would last 3–5 hours of gameplay (no network, no sound, default brightness level), 5 hours of video, and up to 9 hours of music listening with the screen off. An external battery option was announced in an interview by SCEA Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida. PS Vita is equipped with a storage media slot in addition to the PS Vita card slot, so that users can choose their memory capacity based on their use.

the PlayStation Vita does not use the XrossMediaBar interface. Instead it uses a touchscreen-based UI dubbed LiveArea, which includes various social networking features via the PlayStation Network. At launch the PlayStation Vita web browser will not support Adobe Flash; HTML5. Cookies and Javascript however will be available

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PlayStation Vita 'First Edition' pre-orders to ship a week early in US and Canada

Sony may be planning to gouge customers at the register with expensive add-ons for the PlayStation Vita, but it's doing something interesting with pre-orders for the handheld — Sony announced that customers in the U.S. and Canada can pre-order the PS Vita First Edition bundle from select retailers, starting today, and those who buy early will get their hands on the Vita up to one week before the official February 22nd release date. The bundle will cost $349.99 for the U.S. version (excluding tax and shipping), and includes a PS Vita with 3G and Wi-Fi, a 4GB PS Vita memory card, a limited edition case, and the game Little Deviants. The Canadian version includes all of the same except it will contain the Wi-Fi only Vita and will retail for $299.99.

Since the 3G Vita carries a price tag of $299 and a 4G Vita card will cost roughly $30, the bundle is going to set you back about $20 more than if you purchase things individually. Of course, the bundle will ship early and also includes Little Deviants, which might easily cover the price gap — if Japan is any indication, the cartridge alone could cost as much as $60. All in all a pretty good deal if you were planning on buying everything, anyway.

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PlayStation Vita launch bundle includes 3G system, 8GB card, and a PSN game for $299

Sony is looking to get people excited for the upcoming launch of the PlayStation Vita. We've already heard about the special pre-order First Edition that's shipping out to early adopters a week before the February 22nd North American release date, but now the company has announced that it's going to have a special SKU for those who can wait for the official launch date to get the next-generation portable. The Launch Day bundle includes the 3G + Wi-Fi Vita, a 8GB proprietary memory card, a PSN game (of unknown type), and an auto-renewing 250MB AT&T DataConnect Pass good for a month. The bundle will cost you $299 — technically 99 cents less than the barebones 3G Vita. Sony says you may not even need to wait in line — so long as it remains in stock you should be able to pick up this bundle a day or two after launch.

We see that it's available to pre-order now on Amazon, and at least that retailer says that anyone who's already pre-ordered the plain 3G verison (rather than the First Edition SKU) has been automatically upgraded to the Launch Day bundle. Oh, and if you prefer to go the First Edition route (which costs $50 more), it turns out that you're going to get one of those AT&T passes as well to go along with your 4GB memory card, copy of Little Deviants, and "exclusive" case. If you're still mulling over whether to get the 3G version or not, you should check out how much AT&T's data plans are going to cost you, keeping in mind that the 3G system will be carrier-locked.

[Hot Trout]

Panasonic have a new handheld coming out Cant wait to see what an alternative looks like, its been that long since anyone brought anything out.

[Kherr]

Panasonic have a new handheld coming out Cant wait to see what an alternative looks like, its been that long since anyone brought anything out.

[url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/39561537#/comid/1/cache/911#comments_top]I made fun of CNBC here[/url]. It's about the jungle, but they're grammatically incorrect. :3

^-- Guess you're gonna have to copy and paste the URL... Apparently your system doesn't like that link. :3

[gamfrkI]

Source

The rumors about the next generation version of the popular portable gaming device by Sony, the PSP, have been long going. The Japanese company however has been very secretive about what the PSP2 is going to be like, though most rumors speculated it to have twin analog sticks. Rumors once again surfaced in the form of leaked photos, and just as with most photos that try to convince people about something they are uncertain of, even these photos look like as if they were shot with a camera that belong to the last century.

The photos however, have indicated quite some details about what PSP2 might look like: Two analog sticks on sides, a front camera as well as a rear camera, an HD 3.7 to 4.1 inch screen and a microphone. It is also sporting a rear track pad, and the whole device looks like it has a sliding feature to it. However, other sources have indicated that this was just a development prototype, and the actual PSP2 is going to be a bit different than how it looks in the pics. The hardware however is going to be the same: 1GHz Qualcomm processor with 512MB RAM and 1GB Flash ROM for the Operating System.

[JAHGoVeg]

Maybe u should help w/ the blog and do a modern gaming section of the Retro Blog. Lol

[gamfrkI]

Source

Sony aren't taking Nintendo's latest handheld assault lying down, as a new press campaign begins to wind up the hype machine for their own offering: the PSP2. A number of high-level sources have confirmed that the machine, set to be revealed on January 27, is "as powerful as the PS3", and features an "HD screen with twin-stick controls".

According to industry site MCVUK, licensees at Sony are keen to ensure a swift reveal for the handheld, days after Nintendo announce their rollout plans for Easter. Sony are specifically courting developers to producer richer, more in-depth HD content, in order to separate the device from the more casual, app-centric approach being monopolised by Apple and Android's portable gaming offerings.

The device will also use a physical media format in addition to offering downloadable content, thus allowing Sony to continue profiting off retail sales. Partnered with the upcoming, worst-kept-secret-in-the-industry PlayStation Phone, Sony is presenting a strong case for mobile dominance in 2011. Only time will tell who comes out on top.

[Guest]

Bah, this looks alot like the psp go

[gamfrkI]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RAUs2QXOCU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Sony unveils PSP2 - codenamed 'NGP'
By David Jenkins

After months of leaks and speculation Sony has officially revealed the PlayStation Portable 2 (PSP2) console, with the codename Next Generation Portable (NGP), as well as the PlayStation Suite service to bring PlayStation games to Android phones.

Speaking at a press event in Tokyo, Sony games boss Kaz Hirai announced the new hardware. The console looks very much like a current PSP, but with dual analogue sticks (proper mini-sticks, not the PSP's analogue sliders) and a 5" OLED touchscreen display that runs at twice the size and four times the resolution of the current PSP.

That means that the earlier leaked photos of what looked like a modified PSPgo were wrong - but all the other rumoured details seem to be true.

The NGP will also a trackpad on its reverse, as well as SixAxis motion control, front and back facing cameras, a GPS compass and 3G and Wi-Fi compatibility. The NGP will still use physical media, as well as allowing you to download games directly - but seemingly a 'small Flash memory-based card' rather than the proprietary UMD format.

Perhaps the most important confirmation is that the NGP will be able to display graphics of almost the same quality as the PlayStation 3, which was neatly illustrated by running a version of Uncharted that seemed to be exactly the same quality as the first game.

Other familiar franchises appearing on the console include Killzone, Resistance, wipEout, and Everybody's Golf. Brand new Sony-published games were announced as well, including a pool sim; a free-running style game called Gravity Daze; Little Deviant, where you get to push the ground up beneath characters with the rear trackpad; and an AR (augmented reality) puzzle game called Reality Fighters.

Games announced by third parties included a downloadable version of Monster Hunter Freedom 3 from Capcom (thereby ensuring the NGP is an instant hit in Japan) and Lost Planet 2 (although it wasn't entirely clear whether this was actually being released or was just a tech demo).

Sega was also on hand to show off a version of Yakuza cut scene that apparently only took three weeks to export from the PlayStation 3 to NGP. Tecmo Koei showed off a new (or possibly old, it's so hard to tell) Dynasty Warriors game, while Konami demoed a version of Metal Gear Solid 4 that genuinely seemed almost as good as the PlayStation 3 (just a little background detail lost and running at 20 frames per second).

Although the emphasis of the press event was on the Japanese market, Gears Of War developer Epic Games also put in an appearance - although all they demonstrated was an upgraded version of the Project Sword iPhone demo that eventually became Infinity Blade.

Activision was on hand to announce a version of Call Of Duty too, but they didn't actually show anything.

Sony is also putting a strong emphasis on social networking, with a new service called LiveArea, from where you can buy and download new games and communicate with friends. Each game will be given its own specific LiveArea space, in what sounds like a more practical version of the PlayStation Home concept.

LiveArea will also use location-based features enabled by the in-built GPS compass, with the ability to instantly find anywhere nearby, register Trophy achievement, and track your movements during the day (we assume for fitness purposes rather than Orwellian ones).

Of course the one thing they didn't mention was the price (or battery life), but we'll sure that will come later.

On top of all this Sony also announced PlayStation Suite, which allows you to play PlayStation content on Android smartphones (including, presumably the PSP-branded phone expected to be announced early next month from Sony Ericssion). All the games demonstrated for this service so far seem to be PS one titles although it's implied original games will also feature.

[gamfrkI]

CPU: ARM Cortex-A9 core (4 core)
GPU: SGX543MP4+(543 MHz,133 MPolygon/s,4 GPixel/s fill rate)
Dimensions: Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
Media:NVG Card
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: Sixaxis 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)

LiveArea will replace XrossMediaBar

[Guest]

Now it kinda sounds like a beast O.O