NGP Will Not Only Play PSP Games, It Will Make Them Play Better

I'll continue to state that my love for the PSP doesn't come without its flaws. For instance there have been some incredibly good Ratchet & Clank PSP games I'd have loved to play, but I just couldn't do so with that one analog stick. Well it looks like I (and a lot of other people) are in luck. Eurogamer is reporting that not only will the NGP play PSP games, it will give them special perks.

In addition to running PSP games via software emulation, the NGP gives the added bonus of allowing them access to use the second analog stick. This is a blessing in disguise for games like Ratchet & Clank, God of War, or Resistance: Retribution (which made you control the camera with the buttons). The NGP will also upscale PSP games visuals which means they could even look better.

With this announcement and the PSP Remaster series it seems that Sony isn't giving up on the PSP so much as they're giving a bunch of different ways for gamers to play them.

RUMOR: NGP with 3G to cost $350, without 3G to cost $250?

According to Kotaku, Ubisoft's been giving out surveys for people to give an opinion on the NGP's pricepoint. To quote from the survey, "the retail price of the Sony NGP is expected to be around $350. How likely would you be to purchase the Sony NGP now that you know this retail price?" Now that's for what Kotaku points out is the one with 3G. Then, the survey asks, about another one, which is $250, without 3G.

There's absolutely nothing official from Sony, but if this is true, keep a lookout. Especially when a retail store has it listed at $299.

RUMOR: NGP (PSP2) to release in 2012 and priced at $299.99?

Ever since the Tokyo Sony Press Event that happened a few days ago, all of us were blown away by the NGP's (PSP2) system specs, the features, and how pretty damn good games look like on it, but we were never given a price for Sony upcoming handheld. Although, there's always going to be someone who will always get ahead of the game.

From a reliable source, GameStop has the NGP listed in their upcoming games/systems at a $299.99 pricepoint. This makes the NGP $50 more expensive compared to the Nintendo 3DS! What really adds to it is the fact that's even dated for a 2012 release. Like most retailers out there with unnannounced release dates for consoles and games, there's always a "placeholder" release date so that pre-orders can begin. Some of these release dates are almost factual, but only time can tell, especially since the "Super Bowl of Videogames", otherwise known as E3 2011, is just months away.

In my opinion, I was expecting a $249.99 price tag, just like the Nintendo 3DS to compete with it and also the fact that Sony and retailers have been trying to phase out the unsuccessful PSP Go in order to continue selling the PSP-3000.

Is $299.99 too much or just about right? Throw in your opinions!

The New PSP. Codename NGP Announced.

We've had rumors, we've had leaks, we've had buzz. Now though we officially have an announcement. The successor to the PSP has now been announced in the form of the codenamed NGP (Next Generation Portable). The new handheld was announced literally minutes ago at a Sony press conference in Japan.

This device has been designed on five core tenets: Revolutionary User Interface, Social Connectivity, Location-based Entertainment, Converging Real and Virtual, and Playstation Suite Compatibility.

What does that mean? Well let's start with the most obvious improvement. Dual analog sticks for one, which has been a long time coming, 5-inch OLED display (960x544 resolution -- 4x the PSP's); 3G, WiFi and GPS; front and rear touchpads; and a 3-axis motion sensor for good measure, as well as front and rear facing camera's. And who could overlook the games, which will no longer be UMD based, but will instead be flash-memory cards.

As of the time of this writing no price point has been announced, but there is still press conference left. The NGP is slated for a holiday 2011 release date.