The PSP 2 has arrived. Sony’s spilled the beans and dished the dirt on its next-generation portable. There are some amazing features inside, and more than a few surprises. Read on, and we’ll tell you everything you need to know.
The PSP 2 size and shape
There’s no slider, unlike the PSP Go. Instead, Sony’s returned to a more traditional PSP form factor for the PSP 2. It’s also huge. Bigger than any other portable games machine we’ve seen. Check out our chart, and see how it stacks up against all the competing gizmos vying for gamers’ attention.
The PSP 2 name
We’re calling Sony’s new portable console the PSP 2, although officially it’s still codenamed the “next generation portable entertainment system” or NGP. The casing of the PSP 2 simply features the word PlayStation, and when you read on, you’ll understand why. This isn’t a compromised console. This is a fully-powered PlayStation, with tons of innovation, it just happens to be sized for your pocket.
PSP 2 hardware
Inside the PSP 2 is a quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, and a quad-core Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX543MP+ graphics processor. All that jargon means it’s absurdly powerful. More so than any other portable console in the world. In pure horsepower, it smacks the Nintendo 3DS around like a hockey puck, and with a screen at four times the resolution of the original PSP, you’d better set your eyeballs to stunned.
PSP 2 controls
The PSP 2 has a touchscreen OLED display, but that’s just half the story. All the traditional PSP buttons are in place, as well as a new touch-sensitive trackpad on its back. The trackpad is in the same place as the screen, just on the reverse. Patterened with the X, triangle, square and circle logos of the PSP buttons, at first glance it looks like a design feature, but no, it’s a fully fledged control pad you can stroke while playing games.
There’s a 3D accelerometer inside too, with sensors including a gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass. Sony says they’ll “enable users to enjoy the world of entertainment that is linked with real life experiences.” It’s the same sort of technology found inside the PlayStation Move.
PSP 2 camera
Those motion controls aren’t just there to let you dip and dive your way through PSP 2 games. The new portable has two cameras: one rear-mounted and one front mounted. Combined with motion sensing, that means augmented reality apps and games will be at home on the PSP 2.
PSP 2 connections
The original PSP consoles, and their successors, were largely limited in the connectivity stakes. Not so the PSP 2. Inside there’s Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS. As far as we can tell, the only thing missing is Bluetooth.
Games will be loaded digitally, rather than using clunky old UMD discs, and there’s a new LiveArea networking tool that’ll connect to social networks and allow multi-player PSP 2 gaming.
The bad news
It all sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? We assure you, the PSP 2 is coming… but unfortunately not until the end of the year. You read that right, Sony’s showing its hand now but won’t put the PSP 2 on sale until the 2011 “holiday season”. And we’re still waiting to hear whether the UK will get a dose of the new device then too. As for the PSP 2 price? We’re still waiting for that too.
