The last week has been a big one for Sony. With the announcement of the NGP (Next Generation Portable, for those out of the loop), we’re finally getting a peak at Sony’s future plans. Even more importantly, from a consumer standpoint, they’ve taken some of the thunder out of the 3DS launch. Console fanboys may whine and moan about the other companies, but the simple fact is that this competition is good for the industry, because it keeps the developers and platform owners constantly working and innovating.
So what exactly does the NGP say about Sony’s plans for the future? First, they’re not afraid to use the same device to both compete and differentiate themselves from the competition. The news that Playstation titles and branding will appear on Android (and iOS, if I had to guess) is huge, because the door swings two ways. Smartphone gaming has exploded over the last year, and now that market can pour onto the NGP. This is especially encouraging for independent developers and students, as there are now two platforms that cater to them, as well as build an audience. Going after the casual market worked well for Nintendo, and both Sony and Microsoft are starting to gun for this set of new gamers.
Second, Sony seems poised to meet some of the major criticism with the current handhelds, which is the lack of products for the core gamer. If the NGP is as powerful as Sony is claiming, but it still remains affordable, than Sony is having the best of both worlds. Casual gamers aren’t crippled by the price, but the core gamers don’t have to settle for “weak” hardware. The idea of a portable PS3 in my pocket definitely appeals to me. Speaking of which…
PS3-NGP functionality appears to be high on Sony’s checklist. However, rumblings point to connectivity on a scale we’ve never seen. During the NGP reveal, Kojima talked about cloud based gaming, an idea that gamers will be able to continue or augment their home experience with a PS3 game on the NGP. This idea is seeming less like a pipe dream and more like reality, considering the last update to the system enabled cloud based saving on the PS3. The idea that a player can continue their experience outside of home is amazing, and one hopes that developers will seize this opportunity to not only continue the experience, but change it based on the platform you’re using.
Lastly, it appears that Sony is still working on the social aspect of its new system. A persistent friends list, along with the local sharing options, feel like a natural and intelligent expansion of the PS3’s online. I don’t think there is any question that the X-Box LIVE experience rivals the PSN, but I feel that Sony hopefully remembers many of the hard lessons they learned during the launch of the Playstation 3. If the NGP can successfully integrate a Xbox LIVE quality experience with a handheld, then Sony may have a real winner on its hands.
…as long as it doesn’t launch at $599.
