The Sony PSP2, a 4-core, 5" OLED touchscreen, SIXAXIS controls, 3G connecting powerhouse is here.

The Sony PSP2 has arrived under the code name NGP (Next Generation Portable). In my opinion, it will be better than the Nintendo 3DS. It features a 5" OLED touchscreen (comparison: an iPod Touch only has a 3.5" screen, and the biggest smartphone screen is 4.3"). The specs are truly remarkable: a quad-core Cortex A9 processor paired with a quad-core PowerUR SGX534MP4+ GPU. Sony claims it will be as powerful as the PS3! I wonder how long the battery can last, powering such a big screen and such powerful processors. Probably not too long. It also has 3G internet connection, Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi. That allows you to login, see who's playing what games around you, view the highscores in a certain area, and even connect with other gamers. You can also browse the web using its beautiful 5" screen. That screen has 1080p resoloution, 4x higher than on previous PSPs. Another new thing on this PSP will be a rear touch panel. This takes up as much space as the screen, and can respond to multiple fingers at once. If you touch a spot on the rear touch panel, it will register on the same spot on the screen. In a demo, the rear touchpad was used to fling beach balls in the air. The PSP2 even adds SIXAXIS controls, allowing for motion gaming found only in iPod Touches and some smartphones. For those who like the regular gaming style, there's still a D-Pad, a 4-button cross layout as well as left and right shoulder triggers. When the PSP2 arrives by Christmas 2011, it certainly shall be a HUGE hit. But, how about the price tag?

The Sony PSP2!

Nintendo, your 3DS is getting some competition! (see post "The Nintendo 3DS!") On January 27th, Sony should reveal the PSP2. This will offer a larger OLED touchscreen. That touchscreen should appeal to phone/iPod Touch gamers. It will also support 3G data supplied by NTT DoCoMo. My opinion, however, is that as of now, the iPod Touch remains the best portable gaming system. This is because the games are ridiculously cheap ($5 vs. $40), and it has other fun features like HD video recording, a 5MP camera, FaceTime video chatting, and Game Center. Sony and Nintendo are both trying to take over the iPod Touch. Will they? That will solely depend on the PSP2 and Nintendo 3DS.

The Nintendo 3DS!

3D is going to become the standard soon. Want proof? On March 27, the world's first handheld 3D gaming device, the Nintendo 3DS, is coming out. It will have 2 3D screens, yet won't require any glasses. It has a 2D/3D slider on the side, letting you choose if you would like to game in 2 dimensions or 3. It works very well in 2D, with crisp colors and an excellent viewing angle. When you flip the slider to 3D, however, the viewing angle is not too good. Many games are already out for it, including Madden NFL. However, there are a lot of downsides besides the bad viewing angle in 3D. It can easily give you headaches. The price is very steep ($250), and the 3D effect can damage the vision of children under the age of 6. This unambiguously shows us that 3D is ready to enter our world.