"It's just like the PS3. Only difference is the geometry capabilities. The same lighting shaders, same physics as the PS3." Sa-Weeeet!

Codenamed "NPG" for Next Generation Portable (PSP2), this hand-held will have 5-inch OLED touch screen at 960×544 with dual analog sticks — not nubs — sticks! It will also have 3G connectivity, GPS, touch pads on front and back of the device, and motion sensitivity. NGP is equipped with the same six-axis accelerometer and gyroscopic sensor as PlayStation Move.


Oddly enough, there will be physical media! I would have bet big money otherwise. It is codenamed New Game Media.

We can be certain that digital media will also be available along side the physical media.

The NPG is backwards compatible with PSP titles. Obviously that will mean downloadable titles since there is no UMD drive. I feel confident that I will not have to repurchase anything. All I will have to do is activate that device using my PSN handle.

Games include a Killzone, Uncharted, Hot Shots Golf, and several others.

The XMB is gone and will be replaced by LiveArea. Every game will utilize LiveArea, which will have news of each game. It's a "Game-oriented communication platform." You can jump back and forth between the game and LiveArea. You can communicate in LiveArea and see others playing the game, and what they're doing in the game. Which all sounds similar to the 360's guide menu.


Also announced is the PlayStation Suite for Android based phones, as well as the PlayStation App on Android. PS Suite allows for PS1 games to be played on Android with the possibility of some PSP titles as well. PS App just lets you browse for specific titles.

Content from PlayStation Suite will be available on the NPG, which will likely mean more games along the lines of PSP Minis.

They showcased video for the new MGS game for PS3 running on NPG. According to Kojima, they did not need to alter the game in order to run it on the NPG. If that's true: Holy SH--!!!!!!!
Now, Kojima says that it is his dream to be able to play PS3 titles on the go. He would love to be able to play a game on PS3, save it, sync with the NPG, and continue playing. He says this is something he is working on.

This looks technologically interesting enough for me to buy one.

I doubt that Sony will encroach much on Nintendo's lead in the hand-held gaming market, though.

No price announcement? Probably will be $500+, I'd imagine. Well, good thing I work two jobs. *sigh*

sounds cool, but I agree with Thutmose; if it can do everything it says it can do, it will probably be pretty expensive, and I still doubt it will be able to go ahead of the 3DS.

of course the 3DS will outsell it. Its a matter of percentages. Nintendo's key demographic is huge. There are simply more ignorant, stupid, casual, and/or fanboys than any other group.

It is a shame though. The 3DS just doesn't feel next gen. Considering we are nearing the end of this gen, releasing a new console that doesn't match the tech with the times is just sad.

Well, someone's been spoiled by the PSP...

The black-and-white Game Boy released to coincide with the colorful NES.
Game Boy Color (which matched the colorful NES) released to coincide with the N64.
Game Boy Advance (handheld SNES) released to coincide with the GameCube.
Nintendo DS (handheld N64) released to coincide with the Wii.
Nintendo 3DS (handheld GameCube) is releasing before we even know what any of the next-gen consoles are going to be.

So in a way, not only is the Nintendo 3DS the next logical step up for Nintendo handhelds, it's actually slightly catching up with the consoles. It only seems behind with the times because Sony went and did the equivelant of releasing the PlayStation 2 at the same time the Nintendo 64 released. That, and it took Nintendo way longer to release a new Game Boy than it should've.


So I'll still have to buy a PSP if I want to play any of the older titles. Man, Sony just doesn't know how to do backwards-compatability, anymore. Although I find it hilarious that the PSP2 went to the modern equivelant of cartridges, when it was cartridges that ultimately put the Nintendo 64 behind the PS1.

Well, they can fit more on flash now than on any other media small enough to fit on the hand-held. I expected 16 and 32 GB systems or simply upgradeable memory like with PSP. Not this. However, this makes sense if they intend to make near-PS3 quality games. Considering the potential the NGP has, the games will be huge. Without the NGM, one would need to delete a game just to fit on the next. I just wonder how long before one can dump the NGM onto a PC and then load onto a flash cart, much like the M3 Real cards for DS and on other carts looking back all the way to the GBC.

And you are right. It is the next logical step.
For Nintendo.

I'm glad to see Sony take such a leap with this. If all goes well and they gain even a third of the market, that could be the wedge that finally opens the market to a non-Windows Phone 7, Xbox experience. I would love to have a hand-held as powerful as Sony's that connected with my Live profile. Or perhaps MS could take a page from Sony's book and open the portable software to third party devices. The fact that they did that instead of the PSPhone that even had devkits shipped out (hopefully instead of- they may still do the phone- perhaps, though, only in Japan) seriously surprised me.

If Nintendo wanted some more cash, they make untold fortunes selling NES and GBC games on the mobile platform. But anyways, Nintendo wouldn't do that so what does it matter...

I can't tell if that last sentence is sarcasm, but Nintendo is going to sell downloadable versions of GB, and GBC games for the 3DS.

Also, the info on the new Sony system had me fooled. I thought they meant that you could play a PS3 game on the system, and the pictures that showed things like Uncharted and stuff had me believing that, but all I can seem to find is that those games are completely new games.

No that wasn't sarcasm. I just don't see them letting third party hardware have anything of theirs. Maybe they aren't as bad as I think and could prove me wrong. I doubt it though. As far as GB games on 3DS, this is nothing new in Nintendo. They already do it on Wii with VC. If they realize that the mobile platforms aren't really competition, then seeing Mario and the gang on my phone would be nice. Which makes me a bit of a hypocrite since I am honestly sick of Nintendo constantly relying on sequels and remakes to sell hardware. Every new big game of any buzzworthy-ness on a Nintendo system has been a sequel or remake. Even the 3DS itself is an enhanced remake for christ's sake!


As far as I know, it was just a MGS tech demo showing the possibility of PS3 on PSP, not that it can or will in the foreseeable future. I hope at some point soon, the PS3 comes out with games that, if you have a PSP2, you can enhance the experience by syncing your PSP2 with your PS3 and have at least some aspect of the PS3 game on the hand-held. Especially with RPG's. Like having additional dungeons to explore or entire worlds. Not something that in doing you would need to halt PS3 game progress to do. Something like Arc Arena at the very least. Or in a Madden title, play as a coach or have some football management game on PSP2, then come back to the PS3 and play as you always would. I'm no developer so I am sure there are better ideas out there than these unimaginative ones I offered. Point is, I would like to see content ship with the PS3 games that enrich the game, at no additional cost, with no additional media, by syncing the two systems.

I don't see how that was sarcasm either. Nintendo down right refuses to put real titles on VC. How long has Earthbound and Mother been right up there at the top of the user wish list again? It's a joke really. In fact, I've always thought VC was kind of a joke. I was assuming that all these games they were putting out would be like XBLA and PSN games... you know, with online support. You can connect to someone and play as second player. Hell, the ZSNES can do this. So basically what you are paying money for is a even more simplified emulator than those on the net for free (all legal issues aside). And on top of that, they refuse to even put out the games people want.

Though as for the PS3/PSP2 pairing idea, I think Nintendo actually already did that with Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. You can use the GBA to do some pretty cool stuff. I never did it when I played solo because my GBA was a DS. Also, I believe that there was already some of that functionality with the PSP1. I think in a racing game somewhere, you could pair the PSP to the PS3 and use it as a rear-view mirror. In fact, I'm sure of it.

Yeah, I've read about a few PSP games that linked with the PS3. I used the GBA to Gamecube thing quite a bit, especially in Animal Crossing. It was also used in games like FF: Crystal Chronicles to allow all four players to have their own menus and stuff.

I don't mean just during console use, I mean take a portion of the game with you on a plane or whatever where you don't have access to the console in wired, adhoc or infrastructure.

Ha, if Lionhead Studios did something like that, it would be something stupid like the job mini-games in Fable 2 or 3 just to grind money.

If you're really gonna call the 3DS a remake, then you might as well call the Super Nintendo a remake of the NES, the GameCube a remake of the N64, the Xbox 360 a remake of the original Xbox, the PSP2 a remake of the PSP, and... hold the phone... the original PlayStation has had TWO sequels! The nerve of them!

No.

It has very little advances, tech specs wise. They just added cameras.

I dunno, I think 3D is a pretty big tech boost. Plus, the graphics of the system are pretty highly improved from what I've seen.

On the other hand, who cares, it will still print money no matter what.

I kind of feel that all three of you are correct really. Yes, it's a major enhancement over the other DS's... but it is, in fact, another DS. And even if you don't think that counts, just wait till they come out with the 5 different versions of 3Ds within the next two years. I'm sure before this is all said and done we'll all be saying, "*sigh* Another one?!"

Just saying, but the last image with the handheld seemingly having a button on the screen pressed looks awfully photoshopped.