Skip to main content

Sony touts some of the launch titles for the NGP

Sony NGP (Next Generation Portable)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sony’s new handheld device, the NGP (or PSP 2 as it remains in our hearts…), is a beast. It is a hardware powerhouse that will impress almost everyone. It is the hot rod of the handheld systems, with a chipset that would make a desktop PC jealous.

But even if it were powerful enough to run the world, if the games aren’t any good, who will care? If the games were terrible, the NGP would quickly become the most powerful gadget in the discount bin. Anyone remember Sony’s minidisc and the problems they had getting music formatted for the system? So, now that the NGP is official, the question becomes what games will we be able to play on it. Although Sony hasn’t officially announced any specific games, it has released a list of franchises that will be coming to the PSP 2-er… the NGP.

Among the first wave of games will be the following series:

• Killzone

• Uncharted

• WipEout

• LittleBigPlanet

• Call of Duty

• Resistance

• Little Deviants

• Hot Shots Golf

• Reality Fighters

• Gravity Daze

• Smart As

• Broken

• Hustle Kings

It wasn’t clear whether or not the franchises would release new games specifically for the NGP, or if they would adapt existing titles to play on the handheld device. Regardless, the lineup is filled with heavy hitters. Although it won’t be out until months after Nintendo’s 3DS, the potential of the games seems much stronger for Sony, with several million copy sellers–not to mention Call of Duty, which has become somewhat, you know, popular, what with the billion dollars the last version made, and all.

Sony has not yet given a release date (or price) for the NGP, other than sometime in this holiday season—although that might only be for Japan which would push the U.S. release into 2012. Regardless, more launch title announcements are sure to come in the following weeks and months, as the PSP 2–sorry, NGP—moves towards release.

Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
What games will Nintendo Switch 2 launch with? We have some ideas
Mario and friends zip through a race course in Mario Kart 8.

We’re officially on “new console watch.” Reports from credible publications like Eurogamer say that Nintendo secretly showed developers its next system behind closed doors at this year’s Gamescom. While it’s only a rumor, it’s a realistic one. We’re six years into the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan and even the longest-running consoles turn over at eight. If Nintendo’s next system is one or two years away, it’s time to start lining up support from third-party developers.

We’ve speculated on features we’d want in a new system before, but the reality of a new platform has me asking another question: What games would you launch with something like this? The Nintendo Switch’s launch day was crucial to its long-term success thanks to a bonafide classic in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While the rest of its launch lineup wasn’t as impressive, Nintendo capitalized fairly quickly with titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2. If Nintendo’s going to push Switch owners over to a new system, it’ll have to roll out the big guns.

Read more
Take a closer look at Sony’s special-edition Spider-Man 2 PS5
The Spider-Man special edition PS5 and controller stand on a table.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is just over a month away, but Sony is already celebrating its launch. You can now get your hands on a special-edition PlayStation 5 based on the upcoming game. If you're curious about whether or not it's worth the price, we got a close look at the new bundle.

Sony's special package costs $600 and includes a standard PS5 and all the components that usually come with it. However, it comes packed with three specific extras that make it an enticing value: custom faceplates, a digital voucher for the upcoming game, and a nifty DualSense controller.

Read more
Sony’s cloud handheld, the PlayStation Portal, will only stream certain games
Astro's Playroom booting up on the PlayStation Portal.

Sony has unveiled the price for its upcoming cloud gaming handheld, as well as an official name for the device: PlayStation Portal. However, one significant caveat to its functionality might sour people's interest in the handheld: It only supports PS4 and PS5 native games that the owner purchased.
PlayStation VR2 games can't be streamed to PlayStation Portal, which does make sense. More bafflingly, though, is the fact that the PlayStation Blog post states that "games that are streamed through PlayStation Plus Premium’s cloud streaming are not supported." That means you shouldn't pick up PlayStation Portal expecting to stream some PS3 and PS4 games available through PlayStation Plus Premium to the device. That's certainly an odd omission when it's currently PlayStation's most notable cloud gaming effort.
Although Microsoft is more closely associated with cloud gaming, Sony beat it to releasing a dedicated cloud gaming device. PlayStation Portal was first teased as Project Q during May's PlayStation showcase, but now, a PlayStation Blog post more clearly explains what we can actually expect from the handheld. Most importantly, we learned that PlayStation Portal will cost $200, which puts it underneath the cost of a Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S, and other cloud gaming devices like the Logitech G Cloud Handheld.
As for what you're getting for that price tag, it's essentially a decent screen attached to two halves of a DualSense controller. The controllers on each side share all the functionality of the DualSense, including things like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. In-between is an 8-inch LCD screen that streams games over Wi-Fi at up to a 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second. All in all, that's fairly solid for a cloud gaming handheld that is this cheap.
Sony confirmed that the PlayStation Portal will have a 3.5mm audio jack, but also used the same blog post to unveil two new wireless audio options. There's the Pulse Elite wireless headset that features a retractable boom mic and a charging hanger and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds that offer similar audio quality in earbud form.
None of these products are available for preorder or have a specific release date just yet, but they are all expected to launch before the end of the year.

Read more