PSVita (Successor to PSP, was PSP2 then NGP)

[Brad]

@CmCK - Yeah, in addition to competing with each other 3DS and NGP are now competing with phone gaming. In this respect 3DS might have the edge because kids don't get mobile phones as presents, not little kids anyway, and I kinds think parents might be more inclined to go nintendo.

The NGP's market is people on boards like this and - you are a prime example - even here their market has diminished. This is why Sony have gone way overboard on raw power, to differentiate themselves as much as possible. They're keeping people like me happy but what they really should have done is focused on making the next PSP based on a super powered Android phone. Make all the gamers that want a smart phone want YOUR smart phone.

@ ItsThere - Cheers dude. Makes sense I suppose. Shame though.

[ItsThere]

@CmCK - Yeah, in addition to competing with each other 3DS and NGP are now competing with phone gaming. In this respect 3DS might have the edge because kids don't get mobile phones as presents, not little kids anyway, and I kinds think parents might be more inclined to go nintendo.

The NGP's market is people on boards like this and - you are a prime example - even here their market has diminished. This is why Sony have gone way overboard on raw power, to differentiate themselves as much as possible. They're keeping people like me happy but what they really should have done is focused on making the next PSP based on a super powered Android phone. Make all the gamers that want a smart phone want YOUR smart phone.

@ ItsThere - Cheers dude. Makes sense I suppose. Shame though.

I think they'll be keeping me happy as well. I guarantee that everyone I show mine to when I get it, will want one. That is the way of the tech world.

[Uli]

what about downward compatibility - does it play PSP games?

[Brad]

Feel like I'm hogging the thread a bit but one last thing. Yes, 2 colleagues here who previously have never owned a DS or a PSP and who both have Samsung Galaxy phones have seen the NGP and have both declared DAY ONE! lol

@Uli - a damn fine question and one that I don't think has been answered yet?

[Corranga]

i absolutely want both, and will get both.

but its interesting that a few people seem to be saying this, yet i see it totally the opposite way. 3DS is a DS with more power, and a 3D screen that i can see me turning off after initial excitement/wonder. this psp2 is way more than just a power upgrade of the original psp... more controls, touch pad, touch screen, sixaxis controls. very obviously not 'same old'

cant wait to get them both, good times

The 3DS obviously also has the addition of an analogue stick.

I sort of see both sides. I remember the WOW! factor of the PSP, when I first saw that amazing screen. Ridge Racers looked and played really well, it was obviously going to give the DS a good run for its money. Proper games for proper gamers, none of this touch screen gimmick crap, ok so it has a poor battery life, who cares it looked great and was a proper powerhouse of a handheld!

Then there was the wait for a UK model...
...and more wait..
...and yet some more wait...

I ended up with both and my PSP is largely unloved.

This time around, I hope Sony can iron out the issues pre-release rather than deal with them by releasing new (and gimped in another way) hardware, leaving the user confused as to which one to buy, and wanting a combination of all 4!

They then need to meet the promises of the hardware by having more than just a bunch of casual or mediocre titles on the way, and they need to adopt a near simultaneous worldwide launch.

I really hope that it won't be another current gen handheld that gets less use than previous in my hands (as my GB Micro is used a lot more than my PSP is!)

Chris

[Neon Ignition]

Like I've said before, I don't think the iPhone/gaming app's have had any effect on the handheld market. The games are still massively primitive compared to those on dedicated handhelds and the main purchasers are those picking cheap distractions or casual gamers. If anything the app store has probably opened more people up to handhelds than it's put off. I think the gaming press has been far too quick to link the slowing sales of two end of lifecycles handhelds with the success of gaming apps. Hence why I don't think either will be aggressive in pursuing the iPhone, they'll just try and cash in on peoples impulse buying decisions for cheap throwaway titles on the D/L stores.

If either the 3DS or PSP2 set sales records they'd probably start claiming the iPhone market is dying. They're tapping into different markets, being able to carry them in my pocket is the biggest connection they have.

[wakka]

Make all the gamers that want a smart phone want YOUR smart phone.

But even then I'd still want an iPhone because it'd be a better phone >_> and the batteries wouldn't get drained after 20 minutes CoD deathmatch over 3G.

The problem for me is that while I think it's great that portable games are finally catching up to home console releases in terms of graphics, I mainly play handheld games at home anyway. So I might as well just actually play them on a PS3. And since I have an iPhone, I have no interest in any other features of the device really. The 5 inch screen would be better for watching video than the 3.5inch iPhone screen, but then again all I watch is Youtube videos linked from articles and forum posts I'm reading anyway.

Then again if the games are super super super dope (MGS, a true Ridge Racer 8, Uncharted Portable etc living up to the hype) and not available on PS3 then I might get one anyway not for a while though. But it really will live and die on the games for me (3DS at launch has already died in my mind. Nintencats and SFIV again whoop whoop)

The games are still massively primitive

This isn't true at all! Go check out Dead Space or Real Racing 2. If anything they're massively more sophisticated than a lot of the dross I've played on DS or PSP.

[Finsbury Girl]

I reckon it looks awesome.

Hope the developers really get behind it. If what they are saying is true about portability from PS3 it should be the case I guess. Fingers crossed.

[Team Andromeda]

Now that's a Hand-held console , fixes very issue with the PSP and then adds in some serious muscle. Hats off to SONY I for one can;t wait for it, my only worry is the price of the games

[Vince]

what about downward compatibility - does it play PSP games?

It does, but only ones downloaded on PSN, again us UMD buyers are shafted.

[Darwock]

In that case, they'd better get a version of Lumines out for it.

[wakka]

It does, but only ones downloaded on PSN, again us UMD buyers are shafted.

To be fair putting a UMD drive in it would have been an insane waste of space, weight and battery power.

[Lebowski]

@CmCK - Yeah, in addition to competing with each other 3DS and NGP are now competing with phone gaming. In this respect 3DS might have the edge because kids don't get mobile phones as presents, not little kids anyway, and I kinds think parents might be more inclined to go nintendo.

The NGP's market is people on boards like this and - you are a prime example - even here their market has diminished. This is why Sony have gone way overboard on raw power, to differentiate themselves as much as possible. They're keeping people like me happy but what they really should have done is focused on making the next PSP based on a super powered Android phone. Make all the gamers that want a smart phone want YOUR smart phone.

@ ItsThere - Cheers dude. Makes sense I suppose. Shame though.

As long as its got side talking and is shaped like a cornish pasty I'd buy it.

To be serious, there are a few gems on ios and I'm not saying ios isn't a successful portable gaming device but when a game needs traditional controls the lack of any physical dpads, analog sticks and buttons hampers things. It's not just ios Androids touch screen games have exactly the same problems,

until we start seeing more in the way of traditional controls on phones I feel serious gamers will still stick with your psp and ds's for quality gaming, not to mention budgets for ios games arnt there yet.

[Team Andromeda]

In that case, they'd better get a version of Lumines out for it.

Too True I hope REZ HD , Gradius 5 and Eden is also brought to the system too.

[Dogg Thang]

That Lumines isn't already on PSP PSN is nuts, given that's it's one of the defining games for the system.