Sony has just announced the PS Vita, the next generation PSP. The PS Vita has dual analog sticks, front- and rear-mounted cameras, a multi-touch backing, 5-inch OLED touchscreen, sixaxis motion sensor, wifi and 3G. Retail price for the wifi-only version: $249. With 3G: $299.
Sony has launched their new PSP 2 and we have the specs. The PSP 2 has been named the PSP NGP and it will be released by the end of 2011.
The Sony PSP NGP will feature:
The NGP is unique as it offers amazing multitouch pad on the back of the device, which will allow new gaming experiences.
Tired of iTunes? Not liking the Amazon platform? The one thing we don’t lack is many ways to get the same thing we want. Both platforms along with a few lesser known platforms offer ways to acquire digital content. Music, movies, TV shows, all downloadable from these platforms, but the one “ring” to rule them all thus far has been Apple’s dominating iTunes store.
If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to disconnect from Apple, perhaps Sony has the option for you. It’s been rumored recently that an announcement could come, as early as tomorrow according to a post on 1up.com, on an iTunes competitor from Sony would be released on the PS3 and PSP devices, to be followed by other products in Sony’s lineup. According to the article, a reliable source from the Financial Times, states that the service will be subscription based and offer music and movies. The announcement is rumored to be made at IFA Berlin this week.
PS3 owners are already familiar with ordering and renting films from the Playstation Store, but a dedicated service across multiple platforms including their Bravia TV lines could be the next big thing to compete with Apple. The report states that while the service will be announced, it actually won’t be available until next year.
Can Sony do it? There no doubt iTunes has become the norm for many of us, but I’d like to think there’s a fighting chance for Sony in all this. Leave your comments below on whether you think this service has a chance on Sony’s products.
The ultimate game convention is taking place right now in Los Angeles Convention Center and they are ready to introduce us with some significant announcements and gaming news. Here’s a recap.
New Games: PlayStation 3
Metal Gear Solid: Rising
New Games: Nintendo Wii
XBOX
New Games: PSP
Ready to make your pick?
… well, at least while you are on the flight. Jin Air, subsidiary for Korean Air, is now giving to all passengers the possibility to use a PSP Go while you are on their planes.
This PSP Go rent will have the cost of $3.5 (US dollars) and you’ll get the PSP Go device with 16GB, having several game titles loaded by default (there are no confirmations about this), or even including some movies.
Even though this could mean a great boost for PSP devices, Sony is not currently participating with this strategy together with the airline. Sony’s struggling to maintain the PSP business that in the last couple of years is battling with iPhone apps and games that are almost the same quality but far cheaper.
So, if you were looking for an excuse to get a flight to Korea, this is your chance!
Yes, I know, you probably didn’t even think about a walkman in a long time; and most likely it’s been a real while since you’ve seen one, but Sony’s is -NOT- celebrating the release of their first Walkman 30 years ago.
Sony is still trying to make a revolutionary product release that they didn’t have particulary since the first portable audio player hit the market. They are having a rough year (first annual loss balance in 14 years) and they don’t have so great expectations for next year either. Most of the hopes are placed in PlayStation 3 (mainly based on two things, the release of the slim version and waiting for the blu-ray to become a real home standard), and also the portable new console PSP Go!
Getting back to the walkman’s story, here’s a quick and funny image that a friend of mine sent me today:
The PSP is by no means the most successful handheld gaming device. It trailed behind the DS for all of its life and now even the iPhone has it beaten when it comes to the selection of games, even though the PSP had a three year jump on the iPhone.
However, recently stories have emerged that seem to indicate the next PSP will have smart phone capabilities. Reuters revealed that Ericsson and Sony Entertainment have been drawing up plans to create the phone even before their latest invention; the PSP Go, has been released.
The current PSP already has some communication capability with Wi-Fi allowing internet browsing and Skype chat. However, if this plan was to proceed we would likely see 3G, a touch screen and a host of other smart phone features thrown into a PSP. The main problem with this would of course be battery life, but with an electronics company such as Sony I’m sure they could come up with something.
Sony are reported to be putting together a team to begin creating this PSP smart phone as early as July and are engaged in talks with British telecom to bring voice and video chat to the PSP. However, I wouldn’t get my hopes up just yet. Plans like these have a tendency of falling through due to overcrowding in the market or just a really bad finished product.
In this autumn Sony will be releasing the new PSP version: PSP Go! And again, the gamer community has a lot of expectation with this new toy that will include several improvements from the earlier version.
Some of them:
Most of this information it is not “official” and we are expecting the response from Sony any moment now. Considering that not only all this data has been revealed (leaked or not), there was also photos of this new model (Eurogamer photo gallery).
And this interview from Sony Qore with John Koller:
They sure will be insisting on having this PSP as the portable PS3. And I love that!
