A PlayStation in your pocket or 3D anywhere?
The Sony NGP was announced at the PlayStation Meeting in Tokyo, Japan on Jan. 31, 2011. The NGP is the successor to the underperforming Sony PlayStation Portable, in which Sony hopes to reinvent portable gaming as a whole.
“NGP is the perfect dedicated system for consumers looking for cutting-edge portable entertainment experiences,” Jack Trenton, Sony Entertainment of America president, said in an interview with the tech blog, Engadget.
The announcement came just one week after Nintendo held a conference in New York to announce the release date and price for the 3D Dual Screen (3DS) handheld Sony seemed to be trying to steal the thunder of Nintendo, but this tactic has been used so many times in the past it was overlooked.
The NGP is powerful enough to replace any home gaming console. With two new portable gaming handhelds to release this year, the NGP and the Nintendo 3DS, it can be a tough choice on where to put your money.
The Nintendo 3DS is to be released on March 27, 2011 while the NGP will be released sometime late 2011. The form factors are that of two different monsters; the 3DS features a clamshell design and the NGP features a candy bar form factor.
The NGP sports a high-resolution, touch sensitive, 5 inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, impressive on its own, while the 3DS has one glasses-free screen and one touch sensitive. Another surprise about the NGP is it features a touch sensitive back panel that can be used to control games as well as the operating system.
But when it comes to gaming consoles the hardware only matters so much. It is the software that really drives a platform.
Nintendo has the old school feel with games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Bros., and Star Fox which are all coming to the 3DS. But Sony may have the upper hand in the new portables battle with exclusive titles that are considered tier one on the PlayStation three such as Uncharted, Killzone and Resistance.
With games being the number one selling point they both have an extensive library where the 3DS can play all other DS games as well as download many games of generations past on the Nintendo store with the Wii. Sony also has a huge library of games on the PlayStation Store that include games from the PlayStation one and two as well as games off the past PlayStation Portable. But unfortunately there is no Universal Media Disk port on the NGP so you are unable to play those old PSP games that you may have bought.
But there is a physical form factor for games on the NGP and it looks like some proprietary flash media.
The two systems are both impressive in their own ways but have different audiences.
The 3DS is for those who love nostalgia of the past and who really enjoy the whimsical approach that Nintendo produces with this products.The NGP is for the hardcore gamer who enjoys first person shooters and more mature content. But there will be a few games on either system that will fulfill any of your gaming needs.
If you loves games I’m sure either one will fit the needs of your gaming pleasures.
