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Sony Japan denies any earthquake-related NGP delays
Sony's Japanese arm has told the Wall Street Journal that earlier reports suggesting Japan's recent earthquake would delay the release of the NGP in some territories -- including comments made by SCEA president Jack Tretton -- were outright "wrong." Company rep Satoshi Fukuoka said it expects "no impact from the quake on our launch plan," and that while that plan still calls for the device to arrive later this year, Sony has never said it would launch simultaneously in Asia, North America and Europe. Sony will, however, continue to monitor the situation in the earthquake- and tsunami-ravaged region and alter its plans if necessary.
Tretton: Japan earthquake may push NGP out of 2011 in some regions
As a result of the recent earthquake in Japan, the NGP handheld may not make the holiday 2011 release window worldwide. "It may be the straw that says 'maybe we get to just one market by the end of the year,'" SCEA president Jack Tretton told Bloomberg, suggesting that Sony may opt to stagger production of the handheld and release it in just one territory this year. According to Bloomberg, damage from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami has slowed Sony's production line by forcing the closure of "several" factories in northern Japan. Sony's plan as of January was already to have the handheld out in "at least one territory" by holiday 2011. It's just more likely to be just one now. Of course, we hope we can all agree that the people of Japan have more important things to worry about right now than rushing out video game hardware. On the upside, Tretton brought up the point that increased time before release will allow developers to put more work into their launch games.
Music Unlimited platform coming to PSP, NGP and Xperia Play
In a recent interview with Eurogamer, COO of Sony Network Entertainment Shawn Layden confirmed that the company's Music Unlimited platform would soon make its way to PSP owners living in the UK in "a matter of weeks," and would appear on the NGP and Xperia Play later this year. The cloud-based music streaming service (which kicked off in the U.S. this year as part of the PS3's Qriocity application) will let listeners access their music and genre channels set up on a PC or PS3 on-the-go -- for a monthly fee, of course. We've contacted Sony to see if this info applies to the States as well. Layden explained the inspiration came from the PSP and PS3's ability to share games between one another, adding that Sony hopes to, "bring all those different content domains into a more comprehensive space for the user." Hey, we're all about synergy, here. We just hope Sony finds a way to add Qriocity support to our most anticipated NGP launch title, Now That's How I Touch Music: Vol. 6.
Falcom announces NGP launch RPG, Trails in the Sky sequel
Nihon Falcom, creator of the Ys and Dragon Slayer series, has ardently supported the PSP with games, and will continue this trend into the next generation. According to an interview with Dengeki PlayStation magazine summarized by Andriasang, Falcom is developing a new role-playing game for the NGP, for release in that system's launch window. Dengeki also announced a sequel to Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, a game that happens to be coming out on PSP in North America. The sequel's name translates to Legend of Heroes: Trails of Blue. If you'd like to read more -- a lot more -- about that series, we can help with that. [Image: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky]
NGP games will be downloadable day-and-date with retail releases
SCEA hasn't managed to deliver all PSP UMD releases digitally -- let alone simultaneously with retail -- and even said the likelihood of making such parity would be several years off. That doesn't appear to be the case with PSP's sucessor, the NGP, based on comments made by SCEE president Andrew House. "One thing we learnt from PSP, is that we want to have simultaneous delivery in digital and physical for NGP," House told MCV. "Just to clarify that, all games that appear physically will be made available digitally." While that's certainly positive news, we're still waiting on word about Sony filling in the gaps on downloadable PSP back-catalog games -- which will run on the NGP, some with patched-in support for the handheld's second analog stick. Then there's the matter of the system's proprietary flash storage media, needed to store downloaded games, being a bit fuzzy. In short: Sony still has a lot to explain about its powerful new portable.
Report: 'NGP will arrive in Europe this year'
UK trade site MCV reports that "sources" have told them that NGP "development deadlines have been set to ensure key Western releases are finished before the end of the summer for deployment in the autumn." And if you thought "sources" was vague, try "online leaks" which, according to MCV, " suggest the console will launch on Friday, November 11th." That's awfully specific, no? Speaking with Engadget, SCEA's Jack Tretton already said that while Sony's desire might be for "a worldwide simultaneous launch," a more realistic goal would be to "get at least one territory out by the end of holiday 2011." If NGP only came to one territory this year, Japan would be the obvious choice; however, MCV's sources would indicate otherwise, with the site writing, "third party licensees insist that NGP will arrive in Europe this year." Regardless of Sony's plans, a lot could happen between now and the end of the year.
NGP in development 'since the beginning of 2008,' first-party Suite games in the works
How long has the successor to PSP been in the works? According to Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, "since the beginning of 2008." The timing coincides with the first rumors about the device, which (correctly) predicted the system's lack of a UMD drive, touch screen and dual analog support. Yoshida also explained that Worldwide Studios had been officially involved with NGP game development since then, too, which helps explain the dearth of first-party content for the original PSP beginning in 2008. According to Wikipedia, Sony has released only 16 first-party games for the PSP in the last two years -- about the same number of games it had ready for the system's launch. While Sony is working on delivering triple-A titles for the NGP launch, Yoshida noted that first-party teams are also working on "short form games" for PlayStation Suite, Sony's upcoming cross-platform service for NGP and Android. Given the last game we recall Sony ever developing for a non-PlayStation device was Wipeout 64, that's certainly an historic move.
NGP games will come on 2GB and 4GB cards, with room for save data, patches
This slide, shown during Sony's Next Generation Portable GDC panel, shed some light on NGP's still-mysterious storage details. Unlike the experimental PSP Go, the NGP doesn't sport any internal storage. Things like save data and patches will be stored on the actual game cards themselves which, notably, will be offered in both 2GB and 4GB varieties, with 5 to 10 percent of the storage allocated to the aforementioned data. On a 2GB card, that leaves 1.8GB to 1.9GB for game data; on a 4GB card, that leaves 3.6GB to 3.8GB. That puts the NGP's game media storage size between that of the PSP's, whose UMD discs range from 900MB to 1.8GB, and the PS3's, whose Blu-ray discs hold up to 50GB, though "many PS3 games" (i.e., multiplatform titles) remain around 9GB, thanks to the Xbox 360's DVD-ROM size limitation. Of course, as pointed out in a second slide (afer the break), this leaves the NGP with far more storage per game than a "10MB phone game." But that's not all! As previously suggested, the NGP has another storage option, simply called "removable memory" in this presentation. "Cards will be large to support a variety of downloaded content," the slide says. This includes games available over PlayStation Network; and, thankfully, Sony says it's implementing a "single submission for both formats" to streamline the process of getting games approved for both card-based and downloadable releases. We're hopeful this streamlined process obviates current embarassments like the continued absence of high-profile games in the PSN catalog of PSP titles, which has crippled the appeal of Sony's PSP Go handheld.
Video from Sony's NGP panel: Uncharted Portable, Little Deviants, and augmented dino-reality
In order to show developers precisely what NGP is capable of – and to break up the fifty plus slides used in the one hour presentation! – Sony shared three live demos of NGP software and we dutifully recorded them. Apologies for the poor quality of the NGP screen – the combination of the bright OLED screen being captured on video, piped to a conference center projector, and then in turn captured by our camera has resulted in some ... less than stellar video quality. But you will be able to glean the input mechanics and the style of gameplay (or in the case of the augmented reality demo, dinosaurplay). Check out videos of Little Deviants, Uncharted Portable, and augmented reality after the break. %Gallery-118245%
Media Molecule hiring programmer for 'portable platform' [update]
Though the handful of promotional videos for Sony's NGP have featured footage of a handheld version of Media Molecule's latest, LittleBigPlanet 2, the game's developer and publisher have remained mum about the series' next on-the-go installment. However, a recent hiring notice on the studio's front page gives us hope: The Guildford-based outfit is currently looking for a graphics programmer to work on a new title, which will land "on a portable platform." It wouldn't be the first time the handcrafted platformer made its way to a handheld -- that would be SCE Cambridge Studio's LBP for PSP -- but the possibility of a totally in-house iteration of the franchise on Sony's next portable is enough to send shivers of excitment coursing through our entire body. We've contacted Media Molecule for a comment! Update: Media Molecule co-founder Alex Evans responded, saying,"Well spotted! However, at the moment I'm afraid we've got nothing to announce regarding any projects... sorry. We'll have to leave the world speculating a little longer..."
Sony to deliver NGP lecture at GDC
The latest GDC lecture to be announced deals with Sony's sucessor to the PSP, the NGP. David Coombes, platform research manager at SCEA, will speak about the new, still-unnamed handheld's "broad range of input and connectivity options and how these create exciting new opportunities for game designers." This will be the first time Sony is openly talking about the device since its unveiling back in January. GDC takes place February 28 through March 4 in San Francisco. Keep your eyes on this tag for our coverage.
Ubisoft on next-gen portable dev: 3DS / PSP2 first, 'the other machines' next
After some success getting in on the ground floor with Kinect – Ubisoft was gunning to be the "top third-party publisher" – it's looking to repeat that formula with the upcoming 3DS, dropping six games for the portable's European launch. But with increasingly competent smartphones eating away at the dedicated handheld gaming market, what's Ubisoft's long-term plan for supporting the new portable landscape? While the PSP had, at one point, been a solid platform for Ubisoft – Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines has sold roughly 500,000 units, a Ubi exec noted on this afternoon's earnings call – "today it's a bit more difficult as you have the PSP at the end of its cycle," CEO Yves Guillemot said. With a stated goal to invest in "future consoles, notably the 3DS and the NGP," Ubisoft is hoping to extend the lifespan of its portable productions by focusing on two phases of release. "We are working to make sure that the games we create for the portable machines can be adapted for those platforms so that after making good revenue on 3DS or PSP2," Guillemot said, "we can go to a second phase which is going at a lower-price to the other machines." The other machines he's referring to here are the gaming smartphone platforms, typified by the iPhone and its hyper-competitive (and budget-priced!) App Store offerings. Publishers are eager to capitalize on new hardware, and the excitement that inevitably follows, but want to continue to invest in the potentially lucrative phone ecosystems. This two-phase solution might allow them to have it both ways.
Yoshida: NGP and PSP will co-exist
Sony Computer Entertainment worldwide studios president Shuhei Yoshida recently reaffirmed his belief in an age-old adage: Make new friends, but don't discontinue the old. Speaking to Edge (via CVG), Yoshida explained that the company plans to allow the PSP and its fresh, fresh successor, the NGP, to co-exist on store shelves. He added that the NGP "can't replace a platform that has already been on sale for seven years now." Wait, that's not how that works? We thought new things replace old things, and that's why they call them "new" and "old," respectively. Yoshida said that cost plays a part in Sony's strategy, explaining, "In terms of pricing, we can't sell the NGP for the same price as a PSP." He added, "I think the NGP needs time to mature and get adopted by users. So, for the time being, both platforms will coexist." We smell the origins of a wacky, generational gap-based sitcom, here.
'Badman' character tweet hints at possible NGP title
We've never admitted to actually understanding anything about the game once known as Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do To Deserve This? (though we do admit to enjoying it), and so it's probably no surprise that we don't understand the Twitter account associated with the game either. Not only is it in Japanese, but it's supposed to be an in-character account created by the Lord of Destruction -- and we have no idea what he's talking about anyway. But we do recognize the letters "NGP," as seen in this tweet, and a later tweet says that the developers are working on a new game in the "soup shoot zone." Presumably, that means we'll see a Badman interation on the PSP's successor, coming soon. Then again, not only is this Twitter account unverified, but let's not forget this is Satan we're talking about. He's not exactly the type to be trusted anyway.
AvP game engine Asura 'fully functional' on NGP
Go ahead and add Aliens vs. Predator to the list of console games that are possible on Sony's next-generation portable. Rebellion has a "fully functional" version of its Asura game engine ready -- and ready to be licensed -- for NGP game development, reports CVG. According to MobyGames, Rebellion has used the engine since 2003's Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death, with the most recent incarnation powering last year's multiplatform FPS AvP. The studio says it has an Asura-based, multiplayer third-person shooter demo running on NGP. "We'll be attending DICE [this week] and GDC to show what we have created and look for business partners," pitched CEO Jason Kingsley. "The technology, design and art teams have worked incredibly well with Sony's newest device," boasted Kingsley. "We have managed to make our engine fully functional and looking great on the hardware in double quick time." Okay -- but does the frame rate hold up in triple time?
NGP Killzone in development at Sony Cambridge
The next Killzone game is the first not to be developed by series creators, Guerrilla Games. Instead, Gamerzines has learned that they have passed on development to Sony's Cambridge studio. While fans of the excellent Killzone Liberation for PSP may be disappointed to hear that Guerrilla isn't working directly on the game, senior producer Steven Ter Heide told the site that "we'll still oversee it because the universe is something we've built up, we know the war and the rules that have been established, but they're driving the development." The Cambridge studio has worked on the MediEvil franchise and, most recently, LittleBigPlanet for PSP and TV Superstars for PlayStation Move.
Rumor: NGP developers encouraged to go cross-platform
An anonymous developer speaking with Eurogamer paints a rosy picture of the NGP, calling it nothing less than a "developer's dream." The dev had just just returned, cheeks still presumably flush with pleasure, from a UK Sony meeting in which the company outlined the system's future. Most concretely, Sony reportedly stated that all NGP launch games would be available both on the new format game cards and on the PlayStation Store, a feat its predecessor was never able to live up to. Slightly murkier is the anonymous developer's claim that Sony encourages titles to be developed simultaneously for the NGP and PS3. From Eurogamer:"'They want us to do cross-platform,' said the source, explaining that the submission process has been streamlined, with only a single submission required for a title on PSN and NGP. However, Sony is also insisting that it 'does not want exactly the same game' on NGP and PS3 -- there 'has to be a reason for the NGP title.' 'They want at least some kind of interactivity between the two versions with NGP-only extras.'"While it's unclear what the implications of that are -- simultaneous PS3 and NGP releases, or retail NGP games available for download on PS3? -- one thing is certain: The future of the PlayStation platform is getting more interesting by the day.
EEDAR weighs in on NGP, speculates $299 to $349 price for Wi-Fi only model
Analysis firm EEDAR has issued a report on the debut of the NGP, speculating on several areas, including hardware and software cost as well as the NGP's likelihood of success. The firm expects Sony's upcoming handheld to "handsomely surpass sales of its predecessor, the PSP," though the report adds that success will depend upon long-term publisher support and a competitive price. Concerning the price, EEDAR predicts the Wi-Fi-only model to cost "between $299 to $349, but not to exceed $399 in the United States." Furthermore, the firm believes that some regions may not see the 3G version of the NGP at all. For comparison, the report notes EEDAR's estimate that 62 to 70 percent of iPads sold in North America are Wi-Fi-only models. Demand for a 3G model may be higher in Europe and Asia. EEDAR predicts that the NGP's 3G capabilities aren't designed to compete directly with mobile phone gaming -- clearly another area of interest for Sony -- as 3G is unsuitable for large game downloads. 3G functionality is more likely to be used for multiplayer and social functions. The report includes a few more notable tidbits. Games, both downloadable and retail, are predicted to be priced between $40 and $50. Publishers are advised to get on board early, as the report notes "EEDAR is certain that the initial 18 months will produce significant hardware and software sales to support profitability for third‐party publishers." Finally, EEDAR expects more NGP information at GDC, while the first hands-on opportunities will have to wait for E3 2010. Rest assured that Joystiq will be attending both events.
Watch the NGP game trailer again, now in HD
Now experience the two-minute NGP game trailer from Sony's recent press conference without that whole pesky in-the-moment avant garde shaky-cam feel.
Sony open to expanding PlayStation Suite to additional platforms
Sony's PlayStation Suite service will have somewhat humble beginnings as a delivery system for PSOne Classics on Android and will, of course, be supported on the NGP, but Sony is looking to cast a wide net with the program over time. The first step to bringing the PlayStation brand out into the world is to open it up to as many Android users as possible. "We have a completely open stance," Hirai said (translated by Andriasang), "With carriers and with handset makers." Which means it's not just phones like Sony Ericsson's ephemeral Xperia Play that will benefit from the PlayStation Suite, but other, buttonless Android phones that people ... probably shouldn't try to play PlayStation games on. After Android phones, Hirai is looking to move to Android tablets. Following that, he said, "We're not ruling out PSS even on products like Sony Internet TV Powered by Google (Google TV) if adoption rate increases, or if it will help push adoption greatly." Sony is "focusing first" on Android, with an eye toward other operating systems including iOS and Windows at a later date, because "we don't have the resources to make it compatible with everything from the start." That's a lot of things that aren't PlayStations running PlayStation games!
