Sony's PSP2: Geek Win but Market Loss

What should they have done then? Copy the Iphone? (It has a 2 touch pads with the added benefit of buttons). Gone 3D like the 3DS? (Thats a gimmick according to a lot of people, when it comes to movies, and the 3DS benefits from being switched to 2D). The only option that I can see that your suggesting is to give up and not bother realising a new PSP.

@Rutabaga Agreed, they seem to be taking into account what has made other devices popular previously and include it in their next gen handheld. Not only that they have improved on it, like you said with not just a touch screen, but also a touch panel. There's also motion controls in there as well. The other thing to point out is that this is intended to be a GAMING device, hence the point of people will only see it as a gaming device means nothing, because that's how it's meant to be seen. The iPhone isn't really seen as a gaming device, it's seen as a phone which has gaming capabilities. In that case, gaming is a convenient extra, not a main function. In terms of pricing, think of it this way, it couldn't be worse value than what Nintendo did with the 3DS.

I'm utterly flummoxed at this whole backward compatibility thing. I really don't care about the old PS1 & 2 era games - I played & was done with them "back in the day". As Marcus says, anyone playing them for the first time on NGP would laugh their tits off at the comparatively poor visuals. I also doubt NGP owners be any more happy to cough-up again to "re-own" their PSP UMD games then they were with PSPGo.

Where Sony could still create a win is by fostering "amateur" development, but they're famously bad at that. It either spectacularly fails to deliver (Yaroze, or the long forgotten announcement of a PS3 XMB app platform) or simply crushes the possibility (cf. PSP and PS3 firmware cat & mouse).

Providing a development platform with low/no cost to entry, backed by a digital publishing model that allows creators to name their own price is something Sony must do now if its to succeed in the post iPhone market. Without that approach we wouldn't have Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Words With Friends, Plants vs Zombies, and Apple wouldn't be raking in quite so much cash. Why stop at NGP ? The same publishing model should be (and should have long ago been) adopted across the whole of PSN.

Without it, PS3 & NGP owners will be stuck in a world of overpriced, piss poor Minis and missing the possibility decent non-game apps (a decent media player might be a good start)

@supersonicsjm "There's also motion controls in there as well."
Have there been any truly great motion-based iPhone games? I'm not a great iPhone gamer, but the ones I have played had a dire "play feel" to them.
PS. Yay for me. I posted my last msg at 1337 o'clock

Not the hardware. Even though that's what every mobile phone producer has done in the last four years. Sony needs to do something compelling, from a form factor, price and features point of view. And while NGP may be packed with technology, it's not a compelling package. The whole approach of making home console games mobile is the wrong approach.

But they might take a lesson from Apple in terms of software development and distribution.

I may be wrong, it's just my opinion. That's what opinion pieces are about. But I have been playing games for over 30 years, I've made my living from games related industries for over 20 years. I love video games and gaming. But I have never wanted to play home console games on the move.

Apple does not develop the creative and innovative iPhone games that have caused the current phenomenon. They have created a platform that delivers a low cost entry point to development, and while they have a bizarre and arcane approval process, it still enables very very many developers to get into the game. Gareth is correct when he identifies this as Sony's weakness, and it is something they MUST overcome, unless they are prepared to produce killer apps for NGP. But it is something they have never shown any serious commitment to.

I still don't see what you think they should of done from a hardware point of view. How could they have improved it? As for the type of games, they can cover both bases the hardcore (console type ones) and the mini (iphone style ones). Unless there's a magical new type of game that we don't know about.

I agree with you in the fact that they need a more "apple style" eco system, but there is noway this couldn't be done with this hardware.

@config
IPhone isn't a gaming device though. NGP is, and hence is likely to have more games that will utilize it better, bearing in mind the 3DS is also motion sensitive, it'll allow the NGP to compete better with it.