It's here! And by "here!" we mean "announced, but not out for months!"

After much rumour and speculation, Sony has unveiled the PSP2, which it has dubbed the NGP (and looks nothing like the far out mockup pics).

So what are the specifications, when will the UK release date be and how much will it cost?

Let's see what Sony's been saying.

Sony's codename for the PSP2 is NGP, which stands for Nice Gamey Playtime. Only kidding. It stands for Next Generation Portable.

The PSP's replacement has a five-inch, 16 million colour 960x544 OLED touchscreen, twin cameras, twin speakers and a microphone. There are also twin analogue sticks and a ridiculously powerful quad-core processor based on the ARM Cortex A9. Expect four to five hours from the battery.

The "biggest criticism" of the original PSP, according to GamesRadar's Justin Towell, was that it had no second stick. "Why is a second stick so important? It allows you to move your character with one stick while looking with the other."

The rumour factory got this one right: the NGP includes a touch-sensitive back so you can control the on-screen action without hiding it behind your fingers. The screen's multi-touch too. The combination of a touchy front and back is fascinating - Sony talks about it enabling "touch, grab, trace, push and pull hand movements."

The NGP doesn't just have that nifty quad-core processor: it's got a quad-core Imagination Technologies PowerVR graphics processor too. We can summarise its spec in one word: mighty.

Sony promises that the PSP2's built-in GPS will mean some interesting location-aware games via the PlayStation Network, and an application called Near will let you know if your friends are, you've guessed it, near you. The PSP2 also includes a three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer and three-axis electronic compass for handheld-waggling motion-controlled tomfoolery.

Sony calls the PSP2's shape Super Oval Design, which is one in the eye for anyone who expected mere Ordinary Oval Design. It looks quite like a PSP, we think. It'll be 13mm longer than the PSP-3000 at 182mm in length - that's big. Thickness? 18.6mm.

The PSP2 UK price will be so low, Sony will lose money

That's what a little bird told Eurogamer, anyway.

The rumour mill predicted download-only games, but while the NGP does indeed support downloadable games the device introduces yet another new format, "a small flash memory based card dedicated for NGP software titles". What Sony has said is that the games will be "PS3 quality" - quite some achievement if it pans out.

It seems that Sony's Trophies system from the PlayStation Network will also appear so you can score points wherever you play - even on your Android mobile....

The newly announced PS Suite is fascinating: it'll bring PlayStation games to Android, and casual games from Android to the NGP. Could we also see games become cross-platform with the PS3?

The NGP has all the connectivity options you could ask for: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and 3G. That always-on connectivity means it's ideal for social games too - so much so that Sony's gone rabbit-ears crazy in the press release, promising 'infinite possibilities for users to "encounter", "connect", "discover", "share" and "play" with friends wherever they are.' Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) says that every game title for NGP will be provided with a space called LiveArea where "users can share the fun and excitement with other players".

The PSP2 UK release date will be late 2011

Sony's a bit vague on this one. "NGP will arrive at the end of 2011", it says. In time for a lot of Christmas stockings then...

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/ha ... now-921111

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/co ... ail-924306

I really really want one. I'm predicting it'll be around £300, to be honest...

It'll have to undercut the iPad whilst not being too much more than the 3DS.

There's an uncharted game in the works, it looks good too...

Yeah, it's got an impressive line-up so far. I just doubt I'll buy any sort of console again - I'm not helping to fund M$ (not that they need my help) after endless hardware and software revisions of things that weren't tested properly in the first place, and every good decision Sony makes these days is blown out of the water by something mind-bogglingly retarded, so...

Sony NGP: Multiple models, 3G not standard and will cost extra

Sony has clarified that there will be multiple SKUs of its NGP portable (PSP2) - no doubt with multiple price points - and that only one will carry 3G functionality.

Earlier today, the platform holder unveiled the handheld console for the first time. The 3G capability has been welcomed by gamers - as as the hugely impressive technical specification of the machine.

However, it looks as though there won't be one set model for everyone.

"The first thing to clarify, which I'm not sure the presentation did a perfect job of doing today, is that all of the devices will have Wi-Fi capability; a separate SKU will have 3G," PlayStation Europe boss Andrew House told EuroGamer.

"So the user gets a choice. Wi-Fi is available wherever, which clearly is the most important aspect of connectivity and that connected experience; 3G will be a subset of that"

House also confirmed there will be a cost for the user for 3G services.

"You'll hear more from us around that aspect of the strategy as we get closer to launch," he added.

Sony has confirmed a dazzling line-up of new games for NGP - including new additions to the Killzone, Call Of Duty and Resistance series.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/28 ... ost-extra/

Sony NGP: Porting PS3 games 'simple and quick'

Porting PlayStation 3 games to PSP successor, NGP is "simple and quick", worldwide studios boss Shuhei Yoshida boss told Edge.

Speaking in the mag's latest issue - which is with subscribers now - Yoshida called making NGP's development environment "as easy as possible" a priority - but stressed that it doesn't mean we'll only see PS3 ports on the handheld.

"We were very focused on this area from the start. This is, again, a lesson learnt from the PS3," he told Edge. "We had to make the development environment for NGP as 'easy' as possible. Today, many teams are familiar with the PS3 and are used to including a variety of effects in their titles.

"Based on this expertise - and also the working habits they developed working on the PS3 - we had to make development on the NGP as natural as possible - an extension of the PS3, if you will.

"So the three demos you've seen - Lost Planet 2, Ryu Ga Gotoku [Yakuza] and MGS4 - they prove porting is simple and quick, but it doesn't mean that's all you can expect. My view of NGP isn't just as a platform for porting PS3 titles."

Sony's already shown footage of Killzone and Resistance running on NGP. A version of Uncharted is also in development.

The new issue of Edge is with subscribers now and will be in stores next week. Order it here and have it delivered to your door.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/28 ... and-quick/

Hmmm...