The PSP 2 - or "Next Generation Portable", as Sony has codenamed it for now - has officially been revealed in Tokyo today, and the company claims it's as powerful as the PS3.

As rumoured [1], the PSP 2 - sorry, NGP - has a high-res OLED touchscreen as well as a touch-sensitive back panel. It features front- and rear-facing cameras, dual analog sticks and tilt-sensitive controls.

As with Nintendo's 3DS [2], there is huge emphasis on network play, and the device now packs a 3G connection, as well as built-in Wi-Fi. Every game will feature LiveArena, a communication system for chatting with other gamers through the PSN.

It also features Near, a method for sharing game information between local users and offers an option for virtual link-up - not so very different from the 3DS' StreetPass tech.

The NGP will no longer rely on UMD media, but has an all-new Flash memory card system, which Sony claims will provide super high capacity game cards.

Full specs are as follows:

CPU Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9
GPU SGX543MP4+
Display 5in OLED, resolution TBC
Rear touch pad Capacitive multi-touch
Sound Built-in stereo speakers, Built-in microphone
Sensors Six-axis motion sensing system - three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer - and three-axis electronic compass
Location GPS, Wi-Fi location service support
Wireless Communications 3G, 2.4GHz 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with A2DP
Dimensions Approx. 182 x 84 x 19mm

Sony went on to announce some of the games it will release. These include new titles Little Deviants, Reality Fighters and Gravity Daze as well as several known titles:

Uncharted
Killzone
WipeOut
Little Big Planet
Resistance
Hustle Kings
Hot Shots Golf

Third-party developers showed Yakuza 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 on the system, while Activision announced a new Call of Duty. The Playstation Suite platform, which will appear on mobiles [3] as well as the NGP, is backwards compatible with PSP games and has support for PSone titles and Android based games.

There you have it guys - a portable PS3, apparently. Enough to outclass the 3DS? What are your views? ®

Links

1. http://www.reghardware.com/2011/01/24/psp2_details_leaked/
2. http://www.reghardware.com/2011/01/19/nintendo_3ds_launch_information/
3. http://www.reghardware.com/2011/01/27/sony_playstation_suite_android/

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