Sony Unveils Its Next Generation Portable, the NGP

PSP2 is codenamed NGP, features large OLED touch screen, 3G, flash memory based games.

It's real, and it's not named PSP2. Sony took the wraps off of its next generation portable, codename: NGP, at a press conference in Tokyo, Japan last night, promising to deliver an unparalleled interactive portable entertainment experience.

Sony says it will deliver "deep and immersive gaming" on the long-rumored new portable device through a 5-inch OLED touchscreen display (compared to the PSP's 4.2-inch and PSPGo's 3.8-inch), Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, rear multi-touch pad, dual analog sticks, games on flash memory based cards, PlayStation Network and PlayStation Suite (Sony's new Android mobile gaming distribution system), and battery life comparable to current PSPs (anywhere from 4 to 10 hours depending on use).

"When PSP first launched in 2005 in North America it changed the way people thought of portable gaming and raised expectations in regards to the variety and quality of games users expected to access while on the go," Sony America President Jack Tretton said in a statement. "With NGP we carry on this rich history of redefining industry standards and raising the bar for consumer expectations for what portable gaming can deliver."

 

Thor PSP Canned; 3DS Version Confirmed

Another one bites the dust.

SEGA has pulled the plug on the PSP version of Thor: God of Thunder.

A company spokesperson confirmed the news to IGN this morning but could not provide an explanation behind the game's cancellation.

The spokesperson also stated a 3DS version of the game will now ship this May in addition to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS versions.

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Square Enix Dates Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy

Sequel to 2009 RPG fighter arrives Stateside in March.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 got all the headlines last week, but Square Enix also has news about an even more awkwardly titled entrant in the franchise: PSP RPG-fighter Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy is set to ship in March.

A prequel to 2009's Dissidia Final Fantasy, Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy once again brings together characters from the Final Fantasy universe to do battle in the arena.

Report: Sony Set to Unveil PSP2 Next Week

Bloomberg says PSP2 announcement next Thursday, "PSP phone" in mid-February.

Nintendo is center stage this morning, announcing the North American release date and pricing for the 3DS. But rival Sony doesn't plan on letting Nintendo hog the handheld spotlight for long. Reports indicate Sony will unveil the long-rumored PSP2 next week, followed shortly thereafter by its Ericsson-made PSP phone.

Citing "two people with knowledge of the plans," Bloomberg reports that Sony intends to officially announce the next generation PlayStation Portable next Thursday, January 27. Further, Sony will try to keep the gaming, tech, and consumer electronics buzz going into February when it unveils its "PSP phone," the Xperia Play.

Final Fantasy Agito XIII Reborn as Type-0

Long awaited Final Fantasy XIII sister project hitting Japan this Summer.

Scratch Final Fantasy Agito XIII off your most wanted list. No, it hasn't been cancelled. Square Enix has just decided to rename it. Instead of Final Fantasy Agito XIII, it's now known as Final Fantasy Type-0.

The Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII sister project (and just to be clear, despite the name change, it's still part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series) saw its latest trailer and a few new details at today's Square Enix 1st Production Dept. event in Tokyo.

New Super Robot Wars Two-Parter Hitting PSP

Gainax fans, prepare your wallets.

In the new issue of Famitsu magazine out this week, Namco Bandai Games took the veils off Dai 2 Ji Super Robot Taisen Z: Hakai-hen, a brand-new title in the SRT series of anime-robot strategy games and the first of a planned two-part package. The game is going on sale April 14 in Japan for 7329 yen, and there'll also be a special edition meant for storing both parts of the sequel in a single collector's pack. (No word on when part two is due out.)

Sony Patent Explores Touchscreen

Patents back up PSP2 speculation.

Sony has filed a number of patents that seem to support early reports on the specifications of its successor to the PSP, detailing a handheld device with touch screen control.

The patents – dug up by gamesindustry.biz – detail a system whereby a panel on the rear of the device controls the action on the screen. It backs up reports that first started circulating at this year's Gamescom, and more recent rumours have suggested that the device would also boast a larger, HD screen.

It's believed that any successor to the PSP won't be released until the end of 2011.

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First Look: Vaan in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

The FFXII hero makes his fighting game debut with an array of weapons and an Amano costume.

We shared first details on Vaan's appearance in Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy last week. Now get your first look at the character in our media gallery courtesy of the game's official site.

Amazon Japan Reveals its Top 10 Games of the Decade

Nintendo, Square Enix occupy all but one position on the chart.

In celebration of ten years of operation, Amazon Japan has posted a list of the ten most popular games it has sold (via Kotaku Japan). The number one title of the past decade was Dragon Quest IX, the mega-hit Nintendo DS RPG released last year.

God of War 3's Deleted Scenes



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Japan Review Check: Tactics Ogre, God of War PSP

Plus: Mafia II's scores just as mixed in Japan.

An overview of the hottest games hitting Japanese store shelves next week, courtesy of Famitsu magazine's review pages:

- Tactics Ogre (9/9/9/9, 36 points): For JRPG fans, this PSP remake of the 16-bit classic is definitely the game of the week. "All the new gameplay features added are incredibly fun and incredibly useful," one editor wrote. "You aren't just rewinding your turns in battle; you get to pore over the branching points in the story and every move you've ever made in the game, which is amazing. With a game as tough as this one, it's a vital tool for your strategy -- I think it makes things a lot more accessible to beginners."

 

"I like the changes made to the leveling system," another added. "It makes creating a truly unified force a lot easier. The difficulty and story are just as hardcore as always, too."

 

- God of War: Ghost of Sparta (10/9/9/9, 37 points): While Tactics Ogre may be the homeland favorite in Japan, it seems plain that the second PSP God of War is the release that wowed Famitsu the most this week. "The graphics and controls have been polished and more than live up to the God of War tradition," one editor said. "The fact that loading is practically nonexistent is impressive, and the new flame-based attacks are awesome when you pull them off. Much of the game is the same as before, but even so, this game takes action to a whole new dimension."

 

Another editor agreed that "while there aren't any major changes to the series here, the simple fact that this game more than stands up to comparison with its console brethren is nothing short of astounding. It's impressive that the PSP can be taken this far."

 

PSP 2 with HD 1080p Ortustech display ?

The PSP 2 could have an HD 1080p High Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels, produced by Japanese Ortustech.  Indeed, the latter has just announced it is ready to launch soon the first 4.8-inch 1080p HD screen, and the second strong rumors Sony would be willing to use just this screen for future handheld PSP 2.

With a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, the new HD screen Ortustech will be able to offer a clarity never before seen on a laptop screen, past the famous quality of Retina Display ‘ 4 Apple iPhone and iPod Touch 4G . The Sony PSP 2 would be the ideal candidate for this HD 1080p screen, and match the size of 4.8 inches with the latest rumors from various sites revealed authoritative in the industry.

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Check Out Tifa in Dissidia Final Fantasy

The Final Fantasy VII heroine is playable in the sequel, but she doesn't remember Cloud.

Final Fantasy VII's Tifa Lockhart was pretty much confirmed for inclusion in Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy when she appeared in the game's Tokyo Game Show trailer. Today, Square Enix made her appearance totally official by adding her to the game's official site.

Get your first look at Tifa fighting it out with her fellow Dissidia fighters here:

Ready at Dawn at Work on New, Non-PSP Action Game

The team behind the PSP God of War games is working on a new action game based on an original IP.

A new action-adventure game in the mold of Uncharted 2 is currently in the works at Ready at Dawn, the developer best known for the two God of War games on PlayStation Portable. According to Eurogamer, the new game is to be revealed "soon" and is a story-driven action-adventure title.

To shoot down the obvious predictions, it will not be another God of War and it won't be for PSP, either -- Ready at Dawn co-founder and creative director Ru Weerasuriya claims that Ghost of Sparta (pictured above; look for our review later today) is "our last PSP game."

As for the new project, he explained, "I love playing story-driven games. I love movies. I love things that involve me from start to end and give me a complete experience. That's where our heads are. It's definitely that kind of game we're going to make. We're not going to go off and make an open world, or an MMO, like everybody expects ex-Blizzard people to do. We know what we'd like and we know what we're good at."

When Eurogamer mentioned that it sounded as if it was a game like Uncharted 2 being worked on, Weerasuriya responded, "It's the kind of game we're going to make. I'm just glad they did it first. It should prove to everybody it's doable and it's worth doing that kind of stuff."

He wasn't specific about mentioning what platform it would be on, other than ruling out PSP, but did leave open the possibility for any system: "I can tell you it's going to be whatever platform our engine runs on. Right now our engine runs on pretty much anything that's available out there." Then again, we probably should wait and see about its stance on PSP, given that Ready at Dawn claimed way back in 2008 that it was done with Sony's handheld system.

With the promise of an official reveal "soon," it hopefully won't be long before we learn more about what might be Ready at Dawn's first game on consoles. Considering what it has managed to do with the PSP from a technical standpoint, it should be exciting to see what else it can come up with.

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Kirby Can't Stop Pokemon in Japan

First week Epic Yarn sales outclassed by five week old Black & White.

Kirby's Epic Yarn is off to somewhat of a slow start in Japan. In its first week, the Wii title sold 92,000 units, well short of the previous Kirby game, Ultra Super Deluxe, which debuted with 266,000 units back in November 2008.

All may not be lost, though. Media Create's analysis of the week's sales suggests that the game could end up seeing long Mario-like sales if Nintendo actively pushes it through television commercials.

The big game for the week in terms of sales was, once again, Pokemon Black & White. With nearly 170,000 units, this is the fifth week in a row the DS title has been at number one. It has already crossed the 4 million mark and shows no sign of stopping.