NPG: Sony unveils PSP2, the first 3G hand-held console

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  • The NGP - or Next Generation Portable - is due to go on sale later this year
Sony unveiled the first hand-held gaming device to feature 3G wireless connectivity today.The NGP - or Next Generation Portable - is an upgraded version of the Japanese firm's PlayStation Portable (PSP) console.
It is due to go on sale later this year but no pricing details were revealed during the announcement at a Tokyo hotel.3G wireless capability allows users to play other gamers online wherever they are, as long as they have an internet connection.
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PSP successor: Sony's Shuhei Yoshida unveils the Japanese firm's Next Generation Portable - or NGP - gaming device in Tokyo today

Front-runner: The NGP will be the first hand-held gaming device to feature 3G wireless connectivityAs well as featuring3G wireless connectivity, a first in a portable games device, the NGP will use a five-inch long OLED touch panel. A standard smartphone screenis 3.5 inches long.

THE NGP: WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Wi-fi and 3G connectivity
  • Five-inch long OLED touch panel
  • Rear panel touch pad
  • Motion sensor
  • Front and rear cameras
  • Dual analogue sticks
  • Oval design
  • 182.0 x 18.5 x 83.5mm
It will also have a back touch pad and a motion sensor for more intuitive use.Sony promises that the new machine will offer on a portable the same image quality and features currently available on home consoles like Sony's PlayStation 3.
'The key will be pricing of the device,' said Nobuo Kurahashi, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities.'If the company prices it cheaper than Nintendo's 3DS, it would be positive.'Nintendo is launching a 3D versi! on off i ts DS model next month.Both Sony and Nintendo hope their hand-held consoles will fend off rising competition from smartphones and tablets.

Advanced: As well as featuring 3G wireless connectivity, a first in a portable games device, the NGP will use a five-inch long OLED touch panel

Eagerly awaited: A security guard keeps photographers at bay as the NGP is unveiledToday's announcement came the same day that Nintendo reported a 46 per cent slide in quarterly profit below analysts' expectations and cut its Wii and DS sales forecasts for the year to March.
Sony also revealed it would make PlayStation games available on other portable devices by the end of the year, through a system called PlayStation Suite.

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With smartphones and tablets from the likes of Apple eating into the market for portable gaming devices, Sony and Nintendo desperately need a blockbuster product to boost sales and profit.
Nintendo's DS sold nearly 136million units up to last September. Sony's PSP has sold some 61million.
The next-generation PSP may be closely related to a PlayStation phone that may be in the works.
If not announced this week, the PlayStation phone could be unveiled on February 13 at a Sony Ericsson event in Barcelona.

Hand-held: Sony President Kazuo Hirai proudly shows off the compact device. No purchase price has been set


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