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Sony NGP gutted before release? (http://kotaku.com/5806124/has-sonys-ngp-been-gutted-before-release)

This has not been confirmed yet, but the same site that originally provided accurate information on the NGP's reveal is now saying that Sony intends to pare back the handheld's hardware specs. In particular, the NGP's system memory is going to be reduced to 256 MB where it was originally going to be 512 MB, and the 16 Gigabytes of built-in solid-state storage is going to be excised entirely.

While only speculation at the moment, I'm thinking this one sounds pretty reasonable. For one thing, it isn't unprecedented. The PS3 also lost several promised hardware features before its release. But perhaps most tellingly, it makes sense from a design perspective. Handhelds have never, and probably will never be sold solely on their power. Scaling the NGPs feature-set up is not as important as providing it to the public at a competitive price. A development like this would indicate that Sony has learned a lesson from the ill-fated PSP, and is attempting to put together a more reasonable handheld system in the NGP.

The only real trouble I see from this development is the loss of the system memory. Removing the built-in 16 Gigabytes of storage is a drop in the bucket with the current price of SD cards. (and other removable memory cards) It is a feature Sony can quite easily afford to dispense with, especially if the NGP's cartridges work out well for developers. The loss of 256 MB of system memory is far more dramatic. If there's one thing developers love to have, its more system memory. Slashing that could dramatically effect the handheld's performance. Of course, it could also force them to take a leaner approach to development on the system, which could be better in the long run.

Doesn't come as much of a surprise tbh.

My theory is that the NGP was never really intended to have the originally announced hardware specs and that they were just trying to generate hype.

But hey, even with the less-impressive system memory and reliance on SD cards (more likely Sony Memory Sticks™), it's a next-gen handheld! It's not like the current PSP is incapable of running quality games due to inferior hardware. I don't see any desperate need for a huge upgrade.

They're not removing the back touching?

They should just remove any touch features. I was hoping yesterday that they'd make it more powerful, now they make it worse lol.

... Neo Geo Pocket?

If only! <3 Neo Geo Pocket

i owned a neo geo pocket colour. one of 12 people in the world.

Oh man, I still have one of those. If I remember correctly, if you turn it on without any games in, it tells you your horoscope. Also it has a nice d-pad but more importantly HOROSCOPES.

I'm only getting the PSP2 if it has sports games coming out on it.

hell yeah

the microswitch thumbstick fuckin owned. you can get usb versions of the neo geo cd pad if you miss it like a teary eyed child.

never expected the console they described to actually ship, wasn't its purpose simply to piss on nintendo's cornflakes?

Yes, oh god the clicky stick. Part of the reason for liking 3DS and DSi is that the dpad has a click to it which is reminiscent of the NGPC clicky stick.

I hope it is to kick up battery life

That's possible. Though I think they already covered that base adequately when they scrapped  the UMD format. The power savings from removing the internal memory would be much, much lower than if they removed a disc format. Still, I imagine it would make a difference in battery life, even if it was only to tack an extra hour on.

I'm thinking this is more a move for them to reduce initial production costs. With the regularly falling prices of solid-state memory, removing 16 Gigs of built-in memory is a fairly small expense in the long run. But in the short-term it will allow them to lower the initial cost of the hardware. This could help the NGP get a fast start out of the gate. It would also give it a leg up on the 3DS. (which has had a slow start largely due to its abnormally high price)

At the end of the day, Nintendo's handheld "formula" has always succeeded. And pushing hardware features has never really been a part of their handheld strategy. Scaling some of those features back on the NGP is probably a positive development for Sony's next handheld. And these particular changes seem more like trimming the fat than removing core features.

But ngp is ONLY one of the MANY handheld game hardware sony is releasing this time!

What about the S1 and S2


(http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/042511_rg_SonyDualTablet_01.jpg)
http://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2011/04/opinion-forget-ngp-sony-tablet-s2-is.html

Those are basically Android phones, not serious game systems.

Moving on.

Mmmmmmm. That S2 looks suitable enough to replace Micro-Soft's Courier. I wanted that thing so badly.

I thought the same, courier was the next best thing since slide bread and mario 64!


(http://yannick.bart.free.fr/wp-content/upload/iphone.jpg)


Never take phone seriously

But the mark of a quality portable is how many fart apps it has on its marketplace.

I don't take the iPhone seriously as a gaming platform either. Your point being?

Dont't get me wrong, the iPhone is a great smartphone that happens to have some decent games to kill time with during a bus ride as one of its features. But I don't think I (or most people) would have bought one if it was a pure game system.

Actually, I don't take any of these touch-only devices seriously and I certainly don't think they're the "future of gaming." Or maybe they are, but I think they're ultimately a dead end.

Sony is a big company. The S1 and S2 are not being made as gaming platforms, although I do see the possibility of at least the dual screen tablet being "Playstation certified". That said, I think there's a large difference between "game device" and "device with games".

@C.A. Sinclair
I agree. As many people have said before me, the touch-only approach is less than idea for fast-paced games, taking away precious screen space for input and covering the screen with your fingers inevitably gets in the way of seeing what's going on in the game.

You don't need to take it seriously, UNreal does that and that's enough for the market. BTW I also a similar disdain pattern from when the ds was just out. I believe the market have a lot to mature enough, but it's already in the strengthening phase.

i have an iphone but i would never pay for an iphone. and iphone games are bad and stupid.