All I Want from the NGP

[Opa Opa]

It isn't even out yet and people want homebrew applications?

Dang... How about some original games?

Even though this has been said numerous times before, I want the name changed. NGP means Neo Geo Pocket to me.
Hopefully that's just the test name. Kinda like the Nintendo Revolution.

[CFFJR]

Price is a major freaking factor. I hope they learned their lesson from the frankly hilarious PS3 launch.

'Course, despite that, it'll still probably be some convoluted price plan nonsense like buying a phone. Its incomprehensible so people won't think about it! Look, shiny!

I agree with the physical media thing. I don't want an all digital platform that will become obsolete and unplayable in a few years when its no longer supported.

Finally, on a less grumpy note, I agree that the name needs to change. Aside from evoking thoughts of Neo Geo, "Next Generation Portable" is so painfully generic it might as well have the Wal-Mart "Great Value" name on it. If that's not a placeholder name, I'll eat my psone.

Sorry for my ramblings. I like Playstation and everything, but Sony as a company has always gotten under my skin...

[Inazuma]

Of course Next Generation Portable is a code name. If they seriously went with that as the final name, it wouldn't make any sense the day it was released. They would have to change the name to Current Generation Portable, but then that name wouldn't make any sense when the next system comes out.

It always annoys me when people refer to current gen systems as "next gen".

[Anayo]

It isn't even out yet and people want homebrew applications?

Dang... How about some original games?

Something I enjoy the most about the current PSP is homebrew. Portable Genesis and SNES is pretty sweet.

[BlackDS]

Why would you want GC emulation on the NGP over the 3DS? I would rather emulate on the 3DS because the buttons are ABXY and not the four shapes. I think that could get confusing.

Also, I am 100% sure that you will not be able to change the battery of the NGP without voiding the warranty. One less freedom you will have with your new console. Honestly, I don't see much that the NGP has over the 3DS. The 3d gimmick of the 3ds i think is equivalent to the ps3 graphics (which sounds like a blast-processing type of claim to me anyway). The back touch panel on the ngp is arbitrary and I don't see how it will ass to any gaming experience. I think Nintendo wants to lose the innocent family and kid stigma they have gotten ever since the n64, and that the 3DS will see many more mature titles then the DS, so the game library between the consoles should be very similar except for 1st party titles (And no console has better 1st party titles than a nintendo console ). They are even using the same media setup (two SD-style cart slots, one for games, one for memory). That, and they both have terrible predicted battery lives without 3rd party accessories.

All I want from the NGP is for it to do what the PSP mostly failed at, being a capable multimedia device, with a major focus on games. However, If I'm going to get a next-gen PSP product, it will probably be the PSP phone.

[irixith]

Why would you want GC emulation on the NGP over the 3DS? I would rather emulate on the 3DS because the buttons are ABXY and not the four shapes. I think that could get confusing.

..because the buttons are in totally different positions and a completely different layout. Oh wait, they aren't. I'd want it on the NGP because the NGP is far more powerful and capable of handling it.

Also, I am 100% sure that you will not be able to change the battery of the NGP without voiding the warranty. One less freedom you will have with your new console.

So? This doesn't seem to bother enough people with the PSP Go, the iPhone, etc etc. Considering the warranty on modern-day electronics doesn't mean much more than a fart in high wind, and that Sony replaces batteries for you when you need it, I don't see the issue.

Honestly, I don't see much that the NGP has over the 3DS. The 3d gimmick of the 3ds i think is equivalent to the ps3 graphics (which sounds like a blast-processing type of claim to me anyway). The back touch panel on the ngp is arbitrary and I don't see how it will ass to any gaming experience. I think Nintendo wants to lose the innocent family and kid stigma they have gotten ever since the n64, and that the 3DS will see many more mature titles then the DS, so the game library between the consoles should be very similar except for 1st party titles (And no console has better 1st party titles than a nintendo console ).

What?

A quad-core CPU, multi touchpad, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, front & rear cameras, GPS, dual analog, touchscreen .. and you don't see what the NGP has competitively? The potential for game experiences on it are pretty incredible, and far beyond the slightly beefed up hardware specs of the 3DS and the 3D. The 3DS is yet another opportunity for Nintendo to shill old games at you -- albeit this time they might be able to manage porting from the GameCube era. Ooooooooooh! I can't wait to see the third parties mis-handle the new gimmick just like the last one.

I'd like to know what your basis is for determining Nintendo is about to drop their family friendly image. Blind hope? A small handful of poorly selling titles from the Wii generation? When the NGP is showing off Uncharted, Nintendo is showing Nintendogs + Cats. Come on. Nintendo is going to continue doing what they've been doing, because people are still buying into it. You say no console has better first party titles than Nintendo. That was true in the early 90's. Now, Nintendo has farmed out every major franchise save pure Mario titles to other companies. Team Ninja handling Metroid, Square-Enix handling Mario Sports Mix..and the quality of these titles is sub-par. Only a handful of Nintendo's own franchises have been worth playing this generation (Epic Yarn, DKC Returns, Galaxy..coincidentally all titles they've kept closer to the fold). Where's the loyalty coming from, when they're peeing on your leg and telling you that it's raining?

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The way I see it, the 3DS and the NGP don't even compete with each other. Nintendo will continue to attract its audience, and Sony will continue to attract theirs. The same as it exists now for the DS and the PSP. People endlessly try and stick the handhelds together as competitors, where in reality they simply share a similar space with very different consumer segments as customers. Considering that now the iPhone has become a contender in this space, the comparison becomes even more silly. How are you supposed to compare the PSP to a telephone and not laugh yourself out of the conversation?

Handheld gaming is as divided as it's ever been, and the gap is only going to continue to get wider.

[GSZX1337]

Of course Next Generation Portable is a code name. If they seriously went with that as the final name, it wouldn't make any sense the day it was released. They would have to change the name to Current Generation Portable, but then that name wouldn't make any sense when the next system comes out.

Don't you see it, Inazuma? It's all part of Sony's scam to get people to buy the same handheld over and over again. When it first comes out, it'll be called the Next Generation Portable. A year or two later, Sony will repackage and recolor it releasing it as the Current Generation Portable. Consumers (being the stupid money-filled sheep that they are) will mindlessly buy the Current Generation Portable thinking it's a different device. Then when Nintendo releases the Nintendo 4DS (starting the next generation of handhelds), Sony will rebrand the Current Generation Portable as the Previous Generation Portable. When the next generation comes, Sony will churn out the 2 Generations Ago Portable. It'll be a never-ending spiral of Consumers buying the same handheld again and again.

It always annoys me when people refer to current gen systems as "next gen".

I usually let that go for the first year or so, but afterward, it really pisses me off.

Why would you want GC emulation on the NGP over the 3DS? I would rather emulate on the 3DS because the buttons are ABXY and not the four shapes. I think that could get confusing.

So it'd be less confusing to have only one analog stick?

I think Nintendo wants to lose the innocent family and kid stigma they have gotten ever since the n64

Since when? I think you mean since the NES days. Remember, this is the company that wouldn't bring Sweet Home over to the states, had Mega Man's Yellow Devil changed to "Rock Monster", and had the bare breasts from Castlevania III covered up.

So? This doesn't seem to bother enough people with the PSP Go, the iPhone, etc etc.

For what it's worth, not being able to replace the battery bothers the hell out of me.

[Jayson]

In the most recent Official Playstation Magazine, they got a hands on with the NGP (or at least one of the more final prototype revisions) and in the article they talked about the games. There will be 2 different distribution methods: digital downloads via PSN and retail games on a yet to be revealed flash media format (they alluded to not even seeing a card slot in the prototype they tested).

The one thing they did mention was that there would be additional storage space available on each game card that could be used for saves, patches and DLC.

I wonder how much "hard drive" space will be available as standard on the unit itself then if the games will have the storage space as well. I'm sure there will be the M2 flash memory slot to make it whatever you want, but I can't imagine these games being very small in file size.