Sony NGP

· 375 words · 2 minute read

I know I shouldn’t get excited about a console that is coming out in around a year, and that probably won’t have much in the way of software at launch…

But here’s what is known and unknown.

Size. About 1.2cm taller, 1.2cm wider than the PSP3000. Exact same thickness.

It has internal memory for storage of games like the PSP Go.

Games will be sold on cartridges, similar to the DS. Not on UMD discs like the PSP3000, nor on M2 cards like I was expecting. Also available for download. Looks like full backward compatibility with the PSP Go, but not the PSP 3000.

5 inch OLED screen, double touchscreen, double analog sticks, double cameras, WiFi built in. Touch screens are capacitive, so no stylus. Sixaxis + Compass support.

Cortex A9 quad-core. No word as to the speed. This means they truly have abandoned the Cell for portable use and we’ll never see those mini-cell 4-core chips. That’s OK though, because ARM chips are neat too. :D

The people who predicted a PowerVR 4-core graphics chip based on the 5-series SGX were correct. This is a beefed up (quadruple speed?) version of what the iPad, iPhone4, Galaxy Tab, etc use.

Built in GPS, built in Tag Mode. Should be a hit in Japan. Bluetooth support.

They’ve released a new version of PSP Minis, essentially a cross platform library for writing applications that work on Android Phones as well as the NGP.

What we don’t know.

How much will the 3g cost, which providers, will it come with 3g in all territories or will it be specific? We do know that in Europe, there will be the option of getting it with no 3G or getting it with 3G.

Does it have TV Out? They haven’t explicitly stated, but it’s likely.

External storage? Memstick Duo? M2? We don’t know. All we know is they made a new card format for the games.

Bluetooth Controllers like the PSP Go? Seems likely, but they haven’t confirmed.

How much will the darn thing cost? Sites are estimating about $300, The only price that has been ruled out is $600.

Can you use the 3G model as a phone? Nobody knows. PSP3000 did have Skype support, so if nothing else…