Early Thoughts on the Sony NGP's Battle with the Nintendo 3DS

As some of you may know, I'm now a writer on BlogCritics, writing about Tech, Gaming and Movies, and my first article has been published. So, here it is! 

Early Thoughts on the Sony NGP's Battle with the Nintendo 3DS

As the years have gone by, one company has ruled the handheld gaming world, Nintendo.  Sure, many companies have been and tried to topple the giant, but none seem to succeed. Ever.

So surely the same will happen again in the current generation of handhelds, right? The 3DS will be seen in as many homes as it's predecessor, the DS, or at least so Nintendo hopes.

Picking up the dukes for the opposition, is Sony, and it's power house, currently known as the NGP (Next Generation Portable).
Now, as the NGP isn't out yet, we can't be doing a comparison of the two. No, instead, I'll be doing my own predictions, and who I believe will be walking away with the crown.

In the blue corner, weighing in at 230 grams (8.1 oz), is the Nintendo 3DS, Ninties latest addition to the DS family.

The 3DS has upped the handheld stakes, by being the first autostereoscopic three-dimensional (no glasses needed) console. Much like it's predecessors'(DS, DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL), the 3DS has two screens; the top is a 3.52- inch, 3:3 3D screen, with an impressive 800x240 WQVGA affair, that, as you know, can produce an autostereoscopic three-dimensional effect, so no dorky glasses are needed.  The lower screen, is a 3.2- inch, 3:3 (non-3D) resistive touch screen, with a lower resolution of 320x240 pixels.  The addition of an analogue stick was a wise move by Nintendo too.

Feature wise, the 3DS packs an accelerometer, and a gyroscope, along with Wi-Fi, as well as 3 cameras. Two cameras are on the outside of the device (and are capable of taking 3D photos), and one camera positioned above the top screen on the inside of the device (facing the player), which can take 2D photos and capture 2D video. All camera's have a resolution of 640×480 pixels.

Much has been debated over the 3D effect of the 3DS, many stating the console causes head-aches, and eye strain. I didn't encounter any of the above, but I did have trouble with the 3D effect as a whole. Sure, it really does look fantastic, but because it's a handheld, focusing on the 3D effect is more of a chore than I'd have hoped for, so poor viewing angles made the experience more of a wash out.

But all that aside, my main quarrel, was the lack of decent games on launch (Rayman 3D being especially poor; don't let the name fool you, it's not 3D, but a bad port of the 1999 original).

On the plus though, the 3DS will be bringing the likes of Resident Evil, Zelda, Mario and even Metal Gear Solid.  So I still have high hopes that Nintendo can deliver.

Now, in the red corner, with an unknown weight, is the Sony NGP, also known as the PSP2.

As far as names go, Next Generation Portable is a pretty spot on title for Sony's powerhouse. Rocking a 5- inch OLED capactive touchscreen, dual analogue sticks (the current PSP sports analog nubs), a front camera, a rear camera, stereo speakers, microphone, Sixaxis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), three-axis electronic compass, built-in GPS as well as Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity. But it's internally where it hits hard — the NGP features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 core processor and a SGX543MP4+ graphics processing unit.  It's safe to say, the NGP is going to be powerful, and with 3G and Wi-Fi, accessing the Playstation Suite should be a walk in the park.

But it's going to be the games that make or break it.  Will we see the Uncharted game that was demo-ed as a launch title? Or will we be greeted with the stale face of FIFA and some hit-and-miss racing games?

Overall, even though the 3DS has had a big head start, I believe if Sony launches with some brilliant games (Uncharted, Resistance, Killzone etc), the NGP could find itself at the top.

Article first published as Early Thoughts on the Sony NGP's Battle with the Nintendo 3DS on Blogcritics.

Ultimate Christmas Countdown

From small gadget ideas, to full blown extortion; it's the Tech Beever Christmas Countdown!

Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim and Kinect
From £249
The new Xbox 360 is slimmer, quieter and has built in WiFi. What's more, it has a dedicated port for Kinect (all you Xbox non-slim owners have to make do with USB connection)

Apple iPad
From £429
As far as luxuries go, the iPad is up there as one of 2010's most wanted gadgets. Do you want one? Yes.  Do you need one? Whatever dude, no one needs one, but look at it!The height of gadgetry royalty, the iPad is the years top piece of tech.

Mercedes SLK 350
From £36,000

The dramatic new design gives the car considerable road presence, while the V6 3.5-litre petrol unit under the bonnet provides performance that’s nearly as potent as its big brother’s. Its metal folding roof is every bit as easy to use as the system on the SL, and while the interior isn’t quite as spacious, it’s just as well built. Practicality is a strong suit, too – even with the roof down, the SLK offers 208 litres ofboot space. And it's shiney and goes super fast.

Panasonic's TH-103FP9 103-inch Plasma TV
$70,000


Panasonic's TH-103FP9 103" plasma is fantastic!(until Sharp starts shipping its 108-inch LCD, that is).  At $70,000, you'll be glad that a TV this large doesn't sacrifice contrast or colour, and in fact, the only other thing to complain about, is that it makes content look so good, your measly 50-inch TV will look cack.

Sky+ 1TB Box
Box from £249
(subscription depending on package)

You watch telly, you pause telly, you record telly. Your life watching telly is easier/better. And what way to make it better? Why, with the Sky+ 1TB set top box of course! 1000GB of hardrive, more than enough to tape your X-Factor and other great stuff that's on TV...

Batmobile Replica
£120,000

Holy Wallet Killing Price Batman! It's the Adam West Batmobile Replica!
Do you see yourself driving to work in the Batmobile? Complete with working rocket exhaust flamethrower, opening roll top dashboard doors, flashing red beacon,automatic Batbeam antenna grid and glowing Detect-a-Scope radar screen. Got £120,000 handy? Then this is for you (and us, please!)

Handerpants
£11.99

They're pants. For your hands. What more can we say?

Vuzix Wrap 920 £299

These shades, which can hook up to anything from your iPhone, TV, to your PS3 replicating the effect of a huge 67 inch HD screen.
After you've watched a movie or played a game in crystal clear high resolution 2D and 3D via twin widescreen displays, you'll never want to take your 920s off. Unless someone walks in. You'll look pretty daft.


Ultimate Christmas Countdown continues tomorrow!