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Watch the NGP 'concept video'
Weren't able to attend the PlayStation Meeting in Japan? Don't worry. You can watch the concept video that introduced the world to the PSP2 NGP right after the break.
Your first look at Sony's 'NGP' handheld
Sony sent out lovely product shots of its new handheld, the NGP. If you're dying to see what the crazy rear touchpad thing looks like, or what it looks like from the side (a lot like an iPhone 4, strangely) then you're going to be in looking-at-hardware heaven. The power button is on the top this time! That's different. And it's a button instead of a toggle!%Gallery-115191%
Metal Gear Solid 4 demonstrated on NGP
As if we didn't understand the implication the first time, Sony paraded Hideo Kojima out on stage -- this better be a Zone of the Enders game! -- to demonstrate ... right, of course: Metal Gear Solid 4 on the NGP. "There's no announcement of a new title today," Kojima confessed, "but I'd like to talk about the future perspective." We get it -- PS3 games can be exported to NGP -- and Kojima is envisioning a future in which games will be seamlessly transferred back-and-forth between the home console and portable unit. "This dream is going to come true in the near future," he pledged, "and right now I'm working on this project." "I can't disclose further information," Kojima added -- but that's what E3's for, right?
Unreal Engine 3 shown on NGP
Tim Sweeney from Epic Games showed up at tonight's PlayStation Meeting to reveal that Unreal Engine 3 works on the NGP -- which shouldn't be much of a surprise, given that the device was shown running PS3 games, and UE3 runs on phones. Speaking of phones, the game demonstrated was Dungeon Defenders, which is currently available for Android and iPhone. Sweeney also showed an updated version of the "Epic Citadel" tech demo.
Lost Planet 2, Yakuza demonstrated on NGP
Capcom's Jun Takeuchi took to the stage at today's PlayStation Meeting to show off Lost Planet 2 running on the NGP handheld -- as a demonstration only, as he said Capcom was not announcing new titles at tonight's event -- "but before long we will be able to announce new titles for NGP." According to Takeuchi, LP2 was running on MT Framework Mobile (which also powers Capcom's 3DS games) and this demo was put together in just two weeks. "I'm sure you've seen the PS3 version," he told the audience, "and the quality is just as good" on NGP. Takeuchi said the NGP could handle the "full specification." Next up, Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi demonstrated assets from Yakuza: Of The End, to show that "everything can be transcribed [from PS3] onto NGP."
NGP's 'Near' app tracks your location, finds other NGP players around you
The NGP has some pretty crazy location-based capabilities, mostly embodied in an app called "Near." Near tracks your location, and makes an ongoing map of where you've been. In case you were wondering .... where you've been. In terms of games, Near connects with PSN, and finds out what's popular among other users where you are right now, as well as what other people nearby are playing. You can even buy games right within that interface! If you stumble into, say, a place where people are playing Hot Shots Golf all the time, you can just buy it right then and be ready for the next impromptu tournament.
NGP 'LiveArea' UI to support Trophies, PSN friends and messaging
LiveArea is NGP's "game-oriented communication platform," according to Sony. In other words, it's the device's (touch-controlled!) user interface -- apparently replacing the XMB -- featuring access to the PlayStation Store, Trophies, PSN friends, messaging, the browser, and other applications. Each game will have some form of LiveArea presence, too, apparently keeping you up to date on news and even its other players (in case you bore of simply playing the game). Additionally, LiveArea will include the "Near" feature that tracks your location over time and creates a map of where you've been. (That's not creepy at all!) Read more about it here.
Uncharted, Killzone, Resistance, LBP ... and Little Deviants among 'NGP' games in development
Sony's bringing out its biggest guns for its new little game machine, the device currently known as "NGP." A slide revealed franchises currently in development for the newly announced handheld, including familiar names like Hot Shots Golf, LittleBigPlanet, WipEout, Killzone, Resistance, and PS3 showpiece Uncharted. Sony's Shuhei Yoshida showed off the Uncharted game, and revealed some controls new to the series: you can touch the screen (or press X) to jump, swing the NGP back and forth to swing on vines, and climb using the device's rear touch panel "as if you're climbing a vine with both hands."The new IPs sound a bit more, um, eclectic: Gravity Daze, Reality Fighters (an augmented reality title), Smart As, Broken, and the delightful-sounding Little Deviants. Update: PlayStation Blog confirms the complete list of game franchises noted at PlayStation Meeting 2011 with NGP iterations in development: Call of Duty Broken Gravity Daze Hot Shots Golf Hustle Kings Killzone LittleBigPlanet Little Deviants Reality Fighters Resistance Smart As Uncharted WipEout
PSP successor is official, codenamed 'NGP' (Next Generation Portable)
Mock it up, talk it up and leak it out all you want, only Sony has the power to actually bring the so-called "PSP2" into the world -- and that moment has come. The "sequel" to the PlayStation Portable was made official today (like, just now!) during a press event in Japan, looking every bit as -- well, that thing looks like the PSP, doesn't it? Codenamed "NGP" -- that's "Next Generation Portable" Entertainment System -- the device has been designed with five core tenets buzz phrases in mind, according to Sony: Revolutionary User Interface; Social Connectivity; Location-based Entertainment; Converging Real and Virtual; and PlayStation Suite Compatibility. But what does that mean? For starters, the new hardware features dual analog sticks; a 5-inch OLED display (with 960x544 resolution -- four times the PSP's); a front touchscreen and rear touchpad (woah!); 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS; and, for good measure, the same six-axis motion system that propels the Move, plus a three-axis compass -- oh, and we can't forget the front and rear cameras (those come standard these days). Of course, the NGP plays games, too, which will be offered on new flash memory–based cards (so long UMD!) that feature added storage for DLC and game saves. The NGP is coming this holiday season. Update: Complete hardware specs, provided by Sony, are posted after the break.
