Playstation Portable 2 - Codename NGP (Next Generation Portable)

[jefXfree]

Notable Features:

Can play PSN PSP games. Sony working on bringing UMD titles.
Can play PS1 and Playstation Suite games.

Press release with specs:

Spoiler

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES

ITS NEXT GENERATION PORTABLE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

Ultimate Portable Entertainment System Makes Its Debut This Year,

Further Expanding the PlayStation® Business in the Portable Gaming Market

Tokyo, January 27, 2011 - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced its next generation portable entertainment system (codename: NGP), which delivers the ultimate portable entertainment experience. NGP will make its debut at the end of the year 2011.

NGP is designed to offer unparalleled interactive entertainment that is only possible on PlayStation®. This new system offers a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context, made possible by leveraging SCE's experience from both PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®3 (PS3®) entertainment systems.

Deep and immersive gaming is at the core of PlayStation's DNA, and NGP is the latest embodiment of this vision. By having both Wi-Fi and 3G network connectivity, together with various applications, NGP will enable infinite possibilities for users to "encounter," "connect," "discover," "share" and "play" with friends wherever they are. Within the device are a range of features that provide a genuinely cutting-edge, next generation ultimate portable entertainment experience.

* l Stunning OLED and Revolutionary User Interface

NGP incorporates a beautiful multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display (OLED) as the front display. A high-performance CPU / GPU combined with OLED enables rich, visually striking graphics never seen before on a portable entertainment system, for both games and other digital entertainment content. The new system also incorporates a unique multi-touch pad on the rear, and together with the front touch display, NGP offers new game play allowing users to interact directly with games in three dimension-like motion, through "touch, grab, trace, push and pull" moves of the fingers.



* l Super Oval Design and Dual Analog Sticks

While succeeding the basic design philosophy of PSP, NGP adopts the Super Oval Design form factor, created to fit comfortably in users' hands. For the first time, a portable entertainment system will feature two analog sticks, which enable a wider range of game genres to be brought into the portable experience.

* l LiveAreaTM

Every game title for NGP will be provided with a space called "LiveAreaTM" where users can share the fun and excitement with other players. Users will have access to the latest information of games provided from SCE and 3rd party developers and publishers through PlayStation®Network. Additionally, NGP users will be able to view an "Activity" log that is constantly updated with accomplishments from users who are playing the same game, which in turn can trigger active real-time communication among users.

* l Near

SCE will also provide location-based services on NGP as part of the basic features utilizing PlayStation Network. The new application called "Near," developed specifically for this service and the network, will be pre-installed in the system to let users find out what their friends in the vicinity are playing now or what they were playing recently. Users can meet their friends and new players virtually, regardless of what games they are playing, simply by sharing their game information across different dimensions of time and distance.

* l New Game Medium

NGP adopts a new game medium, a small flash memory based card, dedicated for NGP software titles. Taking advantage of the flash memory feature, this innovative card can store the full software titles plus add-on game content or the game save data directly on to the card. By adopting flash memory based card, SCE will be able to provide game cards with higher capacity in the future, allowing developers to store more game data to deliver rich and immersive games.

NGP will also come equipped with two cameras on its front and rear, as well as three motion sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass, all of which are designed to enable users to enjoy the world of entertainment that is linked with real life experiences.

PlayStation®Suite (PS Suite), announced today, will also closely coordinate with NGP. The newly developed and released game content for AndroidTM based portable devices can also be enjoyed on NGP. As a result, users will have access to not only the most leading-edge content, but also some of the more casual experiences that typify the mobile market place.

SCE will vigorously promote NGP towards the launch as the next generation portable entertainment platform and deploy various measures to further expand the portable gaming market.

Next generation portable entertainment system (codename: NGP)?

 

[jefXfree]

 

[jefXfree]

Videos:

<object classid="clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="437" height="266" id="viddler"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/simple/77ddc300/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashvars" value="fake=1"/><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/simple/77ddc300/" width="437" height="266" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="fake=1" name="viddler" ></embed></object>







[YT]5KFrjmoydhI#[/YT]

2 minute sizzle trailer





Uncharted Gameplay - http://uk.gamespot.com/ngp/action/u...-reveal-trailer-1?hd=1&tag=related_video;hd;1​

 

[jefXfree]

From Engadget:

6:09AM Kaz Hirai is out!

6:12AM "We wanted to start by showing a vision of the future that we had back in 2005." The video is kicking off. It's pretty thrilling. About linking live camera information with 3D data. "When images are linked to digital information, reality can be controlled." "Reality becomes data." A city in 3D, a car in 3D, golf in 3D. Kaz is back. "When reality is digitized into data, it becomes your own version of reality, over which you have complete control."

6:13AM "A lot of what we envisioned back then has materialized in the daily lives of our users."

6:14AM But today... "I'd like to speak about a whole new world. The future will one day become reality, which is why we must keep on coming up with new visions of the future, and making them come true."

6:17AM PlayStation Network launched in 2006, and today over 80 percent of PS3 consoles are connected to the internet. PS Network has 69 million accounts all over the world, with 1.4 billion content downloads.

6:19AM "Now, the environment surrounding the world of portable gaming has undergone a radical transformation since the launch of the PSP five or six years ago." "There was a time that the only way to play a game outside was to carry a portable gaming console like the PSP."

6:20AM Now the smartphones are competing, and Sony seems interested in playing ball. "These phone devices are finally technically ready for PSP-like performance."

6:21AM "Today we are announcing PlayStation Suite." "PlayStation Suite extends the PlayStation experience beyond the PSP, by providing PlayStation content to other devices." Cross Platform, Cross Device. For Android phones and tablets.

6:22AM "A new development framework for the development of entirely new content." "We also launch a new licensing program called 'PlayStation Certified.'"

6:23AM "We will perform content quality testing on devices to ensure the quality of playback." "We will first emulate the first generation PSP titles to be available on PS Suite devices." PlayStation Suite also has a new development framework for developing mobile-specific titles. "Hardware-neutral Game Framework."

6:25AM "Hardware agnostic framework that simplifies the content development process." Existing partners will have access, but Sony is also looking to reach out to more developers.

6:25AM Sony will also launch PlayStation Store for Android devices.

6:26AM "We envision PlayStation Suite as an initiative that is essential to the world of portable entertainment."

6:27AM "What would happen if numerous devices that exist around the world that support our platform were added to the PlayStation family?" "The possibilities to create new kinds of entertainment are virtually limitless."

 

[jefXfree]

6:28AM PlayStation Suite is due to be available by the end of this calendar year.

6:28AM Sony is also dedicated to creating in the ultimate of handheld gaming. Announcing the "Next Generation Portable," the successor to the PSP.

6:29AM Five new concepts. Revolutionary User Interface. Social Connectivity. Location-based Entertainment. Converging Real and Virtual (augmented reality). PlayStation Suite Compatibility.

6:33AM Dual analog sticks, front and back touchpads. High-res screen. 3G and WiFi data. That screen is a 5-inch OLED, with 960 x 544 resolution. That's 4x a PSP. "The most advanced CPU int its class. There are also motion sensors, and front and rear cameras. The touch back is probably the biggest surprise, lots of opportunity for new interaction there.

6:36AM Uses flash cards for games -- it looks like an SD card, but there's a curve to it that might suggest it's proprietary.

6:36AM It will be released this holiday season.

6:37AM "The ultimate entertainment experience." Advantages include the large screen, first dual analog sticks in the history of portable gaming. Front and rear touchpads. Also supports social user interaction adding the fun of social gaming in the portable world.

Uncharted​

6:42AM They showed off the great viewing angle abilities of the OLED screen. "Great for people like me who like to play games laying down." The dual analog sticks are a new "micro" design that is apparently more like the DualShock design.

6:44AM The Uncharted gameplay uses the sticks and buttons, but you can also touch the screen to go over an obstacle, or tilt the device to control the swinging on a vine. Now he's using the back touchpad with two fingers to simulate a hand-over-hand climb up another vine.

6:46AM Now he's using the touchscreen to select different parts of the cliff to climb up, instead of analog stick + button to progress. Now he drew a line up the cliff and Nathan follows that route. Uses the gyro sensor for aiming.

6:48AM Actual UI of the device is being shown. Touch, Grab, Trace, Push, Pull are potential interactions with the front and rear touchpad.

6:51AM Now we're checking out a demo of "Little Deviants." You touch the back touchpad to lift the ground under the Deviants to move them around, or tap the pad to make them jump. Two fingers just lifts more of the ground into bigger hills.

6:51AM Now, front and touchpad simultaneously, using the thumb and index finger of one hand, to grab Deviants and fling them.

 

[jefXfree]

6:52AM Next, "LiveArea," a "Game-oriented communication platform." LiveArea UI is the main UI of the whole device. Think of the Android home screens, just turned on their side. Swipe up or down to see more screenfuls of games or apps. Now, the 3G connection.

​

6:55AM You can hop in and out of a game from LiveArea. There's also a friend feed, showing achievements and purchases of your friends in the particular game. As far as wel can tell LiveArea refers to everything UI-wise in NGP, including the home screen, but also each game gets its own LiveArea.

6:57AM Now for Location-based Entertainment. "Wouldn't you like to know the very titles that are being played in your area?" NGP tracks your location over time and creates of map of where you've been.

7:00AM Showing the "Near" app, which does the tracking. For each area you've been, it shows the most popular game in that area. You can also look over a history of who was nearby at each location, based on a map of avatars. Tap onto an avatar and you can see what other games that user plays.

7:01AM Sounds like this might be Sony's solution to game discovery... instead of putting it all in the store, you just see what's popular in your area, learn more about it, and get funneled into the PS Store for a purchase.

7:01AM You can also rate games from the Near app.

7:06AM Getting a demo of Hot Shots Golf. Very touch-centric UI. Tap the avatar to get a hello. Tap into the "eye" view and you can get a view from the avatar's point of view, which can be moved around as if the NGP is a camera, thanks to the gyroscope. You even look down and place the golf ball with your finger. Same gyro sensor and accelerometer as the PlayStation Move.

7:08AM NGP and PlayStation Suite. "Content that operates on smartphones will operate on PlayStation.

 

[jefXfree]

7:09AM Now it's time for third party publishers.

7:10AM Here's Jun Takeuchi with Capcom. "Two things I would like to convey to you today... But first, Monster Hunter." New version of Monster Hunter sold 4 million copies, and a portable version is coming. Now here's Monster Hunter Third, the download version, running on the NGP.

7:17AM "Just like the PS3. Only difference is the geometry capabilities. The same lighting shaders, same physics as the PS3."

7:17AM Not announcing any new titles today, but will announce some soon.

7:18AM Next up: Toshihiro Nagoshi from Sega

7:19AM "When we have new hardware, developers think about three things. Capability of the hardware, interface, communications infrastructure."

7:22AM It's the zombie version of Yakuza!

7:23AM Next! Akihiro Suzuki from Tecmo Koei.

7:24AM He's showing off a Dynasty Warrior game. Still have a ton of enemies, but now you touch them to kill them instead of button mashing. We've come so far!

7:27AM You can select an enemy, you can select multiple enemies, and you can select enemies in the distance. "Using the innovative touchpad I'm sure we can develop a new title that looks and feels different than what we've had in the past." He's working on a new series, but also might go back to old series and add in NGP features.

7:28AM Now, Hideo Kojima from Konami!

7:28AM Now we've got Metal Gear Solid test video. It's a cutscene rendered in realtime, but it looks pretty amazing.

7:33AM Hideo caveats that the clip was actually pulled straight from the PS3 version and rendered on the NGP, which is rendering it at 20 fps. Naturally some graphical reductions will happen for any actual title on the NGP, but it's still pretty impressive.

7:34AM Hideo envisions using the exact same game on the PS3 and the NGP. You play the game on your PS3 at home, and out and about you play the same game and same save on your NGP. A beautiful dream, indeed. "This dream is going to come true in the near future, and right now I'm working on this project. I'm sorry right now I can't disclose further information, but I'd like to present what we're doing at E3."

7:36AM Now Tim Sweeney from Epic Games!

7:36AM Showing Unreal Engine 3. Starting with the same Citadel demo from the iPhone, but taking it a step further, with a full living environment and realtime-rendered characters.

7:38AM He's also showing of Dungeon Defenders, which currently is on Android. Epic is just adding NGP interface to its existing mobile strategy, which makes a lot of sense.

7:40AM Now Philip Earl from Activision.

7:41AM "I'm delighted to announce that Call of Duty will be coming to NGP." Surprise! He doesn't have anything to show, sadly, and he's gone with a whimper.

 

[jefXfree]

Support List of Devs so far:

Japan
ACQUIRE Corp.
ALVION Inc.
AQ INTERACTIVE INC.
ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co.,Ltd.
ARIKA CO.,LTD.
ARTDINK CORPORATION
ASCII MEDIA WORKS Inc.
CAPCOM CO., LTD.
CHUN SOFT CO., Ltd
Codemasters Software Company Limited
Crafts & Meister Co.,Ltd.
CyberConnect2 Co.,Ltd.
D3 PUBLISHER Inc.
Dimps Corporation
Edia Co., Ltd.
ENTERBRAIN, INC.
FromSoftware, Inc
Gameloft K.K.
Genki Co.,Ltd.
Grasshopper Manufacture Inc.
GungHo Online Entertainment,Inc
GUST CO.,LTD.
HAMSTER Corporation
HUDSON SOFT CO., LTD.
IDEA FACTORY CO., LTD.
Index Corporation(Atlus)
IREM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INC.
KADOKAWA GAMES,LTD.
Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd.
Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
LEVEL-5 Inc. Marvelous Entertainment Inc.
media5 Corporation
NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.
Nihon Falcom Corporation
Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
NOWPRODUCTION, CO.,LTD
Q Entertainment Inc.
SEGA CORPORATION
SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION
Spike Co.,Ltd
QUARE ENIX Co., Ltd.
SystemSoft Alpha Corp.
TECMO KOEI GAMES CO., LTD.
TOMY Company,Ltd.
TOSE CO., LTD.
Ubisoft K.K.
YUKE’S Co., Ltd.

NA
Activision, Inc.
Capybara Games
Demiurge Studios
Epic Games Inc.
Far Sight Studios
Frima
High Voltage Software
Kung Fu Factory
Paramount Digital Entertainment
PopCap Games
Powerhead Games
Trendy Entertainment
Ubisoft®
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
2K Games
2K Sports

EU
Avalanche Studios
Climax Studios Ltd
Codemasters Software Company Ltd
Eurocom Developments Ltd
Eutechnyx Ltd
Exient Ltd
Firemint PTY Ltd
Gameloft SA
Gusto Games Ltd
Home Entertainment Suppliers PTY Ltd
Impromptu Software Ltd
Rebellion®
Rockstar Games
Sidhe Interactive
Sumo Digital Ltd
Team 17 Software Ltd
Ubisoft Entertainment SA
Zen Studios Ltd

 

[jefXfree]

Multiple Skus coming

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.

 

[jefXfree]

PSP2 revealed - has trophy support!

After months of speculation and dodgy leaked photos, Sony finally went ahead and officially announced what's known in most circles as the PSP2, but is in fact codenamed NGP, as in next generation portable entertainment system.

Boasting dual analogue sticks, a rear track-pad and a swanky 5" touchscreen, the dryly-codenamed NGP echoes the old look of the PSP, but is a lot smoother, sleeker and perhaps a bit more stylish.

It's certainly packed with more technology, as joining its twin analogue sticks, track-pad and touchscreen are six-axis motion controls, built-in Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS and an integrated camera and microphone. The only thing not included is an espresso maker.

There's also support for PlayStation Trophies. Check out a handful of images and a complete list of the device's specifications, as well as a trailer showing off some of the features, like chat and trophies, and a list of the first launch titles mentioned thus far.

 

[jefXfree]

NGP battery life to clock in at 4-5 hours, says report

According to a report on Eurogamer, Sony’s swanky Next Generation Portable (NGP) will boast a battery life of around four-five hours.

Details on this particular aspect were not divulged during the press conference in Tokyo earlier today, though Sony did release a heap of other details, including a list of confirmed third-party companies and various other technical bits and bobs.

Specifically, the device will feature a ARM Cortex A9 (4 core) PU, a SGX543MP4+ GPU, a five inch (16:9), 960 x 544, 16 million colours OLED screen, as well as a multi-touch pad on the back.

 

[jefXfree]

Sony says NGP will be 'affordable,' won't cost $599, WiFi-only version also coming

via: Engadget

We had quite the interview with Sony's Jack Tretton, but we certainly didn't corner the market on hot new NGP details -- Eurogamer and Game Informer quizzed the company's Andrew House and Shuhei Yoshida, respectively, and came out with some important tidbits about the quad-core gaming handheld, particularly regarding pricing. Though Tretton seemed to suggest we'll see a price somewhere northward of the Nintendo 3DS's $250, Yoshida was quoted as saying "It's not going to be $599," laughing off the idea that the system would cost as much as the PlayStation 3's infamous appraisal at launch, and House said that Sony "will shoot for an affordable price that's appropriate for the handheld gaming space."

While none were willing to cough up a real ballpark estimate, the SCEE president revealed one way that the cost might come down: pushing out a lesser model without cellular connectivity, a strategy we've seen before. House said that while all devices come with WiFi, "a separate SKU will have 3G," making us wonder which of the handheld's other groundbreaking features might carry a premium. After all, OLED screens don't come cheap. Find the rest of Eurogamer's excellent interview (including a bit about how Sony will prioritize downloadable content over physical media) at our source link.

 

[jefXfree]

Tretton: NGP out in "at least one" region by late 2011

Sony’s set its sights on rolling out NGP to “at least one” major territory by the year’s end, with the hardware manufacturer further adding it’s aiming to avoid repeating the various issues that plagued the launch of PlayStation 3.

Speaking during an interview with Engadget, SCEA boss Jack Tretton conceded that a global simultaneous release for its next-generation handheld may not be possible.

“I think our goal is, we would get at least one territory out by the end of holiday 2011,” he commented. “It’s very difficult to have the quantities to be able to launch on a worldwide basis on the same date.”

“When you’re dealing with new technology, there’s always challenges you didn’t anticipate,” he added. “There’s a ton of new technology, but I think we’ve been about reaching beyond the status quo and delivering technology that people couldn’t even envision, and with that comes risk.”

Reflecting on the launch of PS3 back in 2006, Tretton described the flagship console as “the biggest technological achievement [Sony has] ever had,” though admitted “it wasn’t without challenges both financially and from a production standpoint.”

“I think at the end of the day it was worth it, but I think it certainly made for some difficult challenges. I think we’d look to avoid repeating that, but when you’re dealing with new technology there are always road blocks.”

Sony announced yesterday that NGP will be released in Japan in winter 2011. Launch plans for western markets remain unknown at this point.

 

[jefXfree]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...eration-Portable-interview-wth-Kaz-Hirai.html

“One of the most important things is to make sure that as we’re designing the hardware that we are always cognisant of the cost involved in making that particular console based on the materials,” explains Hirai. “That’s something we spent a lot of time on with NGP. We want to make sure we don’t go off the deep end in terms of pricing, making sure we are in that sweet spot of pricing that gains traction with the consumers from day one.”

Hirai: It’s a functionality decision that the content creators will make. If they feel that the interaction locally between the PS3 and NGP is a compelling experience than you can’t enjoy on the PS3 with the DualShock or PS Move then that is an option available to them. It’s certainly possible, we offer a technology palette and it’s up to the creators to use that and say this is something that will resonate with consumers.

 

[jefXfree]

NGP can 'dominate' portable market, says Guerrilla Games

Martin Connor, lead multiplayer designer for Killzone 3, reckons Sony’s forthcoming NGP (Next Generation Portable) has what it takes to not only hold its own against the 3DS, but potentially dominate the handheld console market as a whole.

Speaking during a chinwag with CVG, Connor made it clear that Sony’s pint-sized platform has got everyone at Guerrilla Games more than a tad excited for the new hardware.

"Some announcements for some of the handhelds in the past - and I'm not just talking about Sony handhelds, any handhelds - sometimes it can be a little bit underwhelming," he commented.

"But this one, everybody's appetite is whetted. We're all really looking forward to it."

"It's probably important, because of the 3DS announcement, that we have something that can not only compete but can go on to dominate the portable market and I think with NGP that's exactly what we've got," added Connor.

Guerrilla Games recently revealed that the NGP entry in the Killzone franchise is being handled by the chaps at Sony’s Cambridge Studio. However, it assured gamers that the shooter is in "good hands."

 

[jefXfree]

Killzone NGP in "good hands," says dev

Guerrilla Games has moved to assure Killzone fans that the in-development NGP entry in the sci-fi –shooter franchise is in “good hands.”

According to senior producer Steven Ter Heide, the pint-sized Helghast blaster is currently under hammer and nail at Sony Studios Cambridge. Guerrilla will however, still be chipping in to "oversee" the project given its close ties with the brand.

“Our sister studio in Cambridge is doing that,” he told Gamerzines.

“We’ve been working with them very closely for a couple of years now. They’ve been helping us develop actual Killzone content for all the games.”

“We feel like the game is in good hands. We’ll still oversee it because the universe is something we’ve built up, we know the war and the rules that have been established, but they’re driving the development.”

Killzone joins a number of triple-A franchises making the jump to Sony’s new handheld, including Resistance and Uncharted, which are being handled by Nihilistic Software and Sony Bend, respectively.

 

[jefXfree]

Sony to pin final name on the NGP later this year

Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida has revealed that the platform holder will lift the cloth on the final name for its Next Generation Portable (NGP) later this year.

Speaking to the folks at Edge, Yoshida revealed that the NGP moniker has been in use since development on the PSP successor kicked off in 2008.

Quizzed as to why they firm didn’t simply announce the device as PSP2, he replied, "Well, NGP is the codename we've used since 2008. We will announce the final name of the console sometime later this year."

NGP is currently pencilled in for release in Japan in late 2011. Plans for a western launch are still under wraps, however.

 

[jefXfree]

Ready at Dawn happy with NGP

Prolific PSP developer Ready at Dawn’s heaped praise over Sony’s forthcoming NGP, believing the pint-sized platform’s got what it takes to “really define what portable gaming is.”

Speaking at the recent DICE summit, the studios’ creative director, Ru Weerasuriya, said the PSP successor’s probably capable of churning out titles that are “better than” some of the current PS3 games up for grabs.

“I have a smile on my face whenever we talk about the NGP because I think overall that console has the potential to really define what portable gaming is,” he commented.

“You know, we did that also with the PS3 and all that, but the NGP — not only with the touch screen capability, but the screen, and just the capacity of actually making a game that’s probably better than PS3 games that you can make right now — for me, it’s like the thing. For portable gaming I don’t think there’s anything else in the future.”

Ready at Dawn has been responsible for some of the PSP’s biggest hits, specifically God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War: Ghost of Sparta and Daxter. NGP releases in Japan later this year.

 

[jefXfree]

NGP won't just be for the 'ultra-rich'

Sony’s reiterated that its much-anticipated Next-Generation Portable (NGP) won’t cost an arm and a leg when it finally launches later this year.

That’s according to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) vice president Jim Ryan, who told PSM3 (via CVG) that the handheld’s price will be aligned to cater to all types of gamers, and not just those who are totally minted.

Ryan said the PSP successor would be “affordable,” before clarifying, "Sony's ambitions when it comes to installed base are considerable, so we're not talking about the ultra-rich".

This isn’t the first time the hardware manufacturer’s attempted to quell fears of an over-prized product. SCEE boss Andrew House also said earlier this year that the platform would retail for an “affordable” price.

Similarly, SCEI Group CEO Kazuo Hirai previously commented that the firm had made an effort to consider component costs for NGP in order to keep the price down.

NGP hits stores in Japan in winter 2011.

 

[jefXfree]

Sony considering PlayStation Home connectivity for NGP?

The latest issue of Japanese publication Famitsu’s let slip that Sony is apparently flirting with the idea of including PlayStation Home connectivity for NGP.

Also mentioned is a list of planned tweaks for Home’s upcoming 1.5 update, which will apparently increase response speed as well as allow users to take part in competitive and cooperative FPS games.

Elsewhere, the mag also reveals that Sony is working with a number of publishers on Home-related projects, though didn’t go into any further details on the matter.