Game Consoles

Sony, a Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer serves around the globe with their innovative products. Even though they are one of the highly preferred brand in the UK market, they became famous with their trademark Playstation gaming devices. After the era of Playstations started, gamers found their fantasy of gaming reached the next level.  Regardless the advantages of the home gaming, nowadays the demand of portable gaming devices has increased as they can be played on the go. Sony made a great contribution with their PSP range of portable gaming devices. It became a massive hit in the game console market, with the mind blowing sales of more than 40 million devices. The latest release in this range of gaming consoles is the new PS Vita, a portable game console which gives you a fantastic gaming experience on the go. As the technology grows, the gamers have started expecting more out of the latest game consoles. Let’s see how this Playstation fulfills today’s gaming requirements.

Style and Looks

In the first look, Playstation Vita looks like a usual Sony PSP and makes us think that this is just another portable game console in the PSP series. Performance and features talks more than the looks of this Sony portable gaming device. While comparing Sony Playstation Vita by just looks with other game consoles in the market, it looks bulkier and bigger than the rivals. The end to end length is 7.2 inches, top to bottom height is 3.3 and depth of 0.73 inch makes it hefty. We can say it is a curvy game console as it is oval shape. It looks exactly like a normal handy game console and we can’t say it is stylish after looking at portable game consoles from other brands.

Feel the game with capacitive touch screen

Sony Playstation Vita has a 5 inch capacitive touch screen with OLED display which is very responsive to play the game even without the help of the keys. It is much more comfortable to play in the touch screen than playing with the buttons as it really gives a lively gaming experience. For example, while playing Uncharted – Golden Abyss in Playstation Vita the carbon rubbings can be rubbed as if you rub manually using the capacitive touch screen. In this handheld game console, the rear touch pad is one of the most attractive features. It can be used in games which are compatible and ensures the maximum gaming comfort. The six axis motion sensing system, senses your moves and helps getting a realistic gaming experience, specially while playing racing games.

Hardware and Graphics Quality

More than the style and looks, we expect a game console to have great hardware to support hardcore and hassle free gaming. Sony made no mistake in the PS Vita’s hardware. It has the powerful ARM Cortex- A9 core processor which is the fastest quad core processor and fastest among any handheld game console. The video RAM of 128MB and 512MB RAM buffers the games in a better speed. SGX543MP4+ Graphics processing unit is one of the high quality GPU available these days produces extreme quality graphics. The resolution of this gaming beast is 640 x 480, which is one of the great resolutions available for the handheld devices. All the above features help PS Vita to perform to the high level sophisticated gaming device.

All in one media centre

We often wish our loveable gaming device to be useful for our other media needs. Sony Playstation Vita Handheld Console  fulfills that wish with its handful of media features. This handheld portable device comes with two cameras, where the front camera for skype and video calling, as well as to show yourself to your friends while playing a game witht them and the rear camera for taking still and capturing videos. However, you can also take pictures with the front camera and video recording. Make sure your friends don’t tease you with your face expression after losing a race or any other game with them, as they will be watching you through the front camera. When it comes to camera quality, we always expect Sony to give the best with its trademark quality. But we are really disappointed with the camera quality of Sony Playstation Vita. Both of the cameras are with 0.3 megapixel resolution, which is not a real Sony product should have. Sony must have thought that whoever buys the device, they are going to be a hardcore gamer who don’t bother about the camera and other media features which is not into games.

This is the era of social networking, people started expecting social networking applications and support in every multimedia devices. Why not the gamers have that capability in their game consoles? Just like other flavours of Playstation game consoles, Playstation Vita has support for social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. Photo sharing applications like flickr are available with to share your photo with others from this game console. Just like Playstation 3 you can create your own party to chat with your friends in other Playstation devices or join party created by others. It also allows you to voice chat as well as text chat during games, so it would be more interactive and give a lively feeling that you are playing with that person for real.

The inbuilt microphone as well as the front speakers allows the user to voice chat even without any microphones, yeah sometimes we don’t like headphones hanging around our face and ties the game console with our body. It’s a great thought by Sony that they built-in a microphone for a wireless gaming experience. Anyhow, you may want to use a heaphone for personal hearing on the move, so there is a headphone jack given to connect your headset. It has Sony’s near, an application gives the provision to update your location, your gaming achievements, and sending public messages and interact with other gamers in your locality. It is totally helpful for social gaming as well as making new friends to compete in games through Playstation Vita. This is one of the most innovative features of this gaming beast. We are sure that this is going to be an appealing one for the social gaming fans.

Keys and Controls

As we mentioned earlier, the PS Vita is pretty heftier than a standard handheld gaming device. Even though it is said negative, it is positive in the usability point of view. The button positioning and the well placed shoulder ensures the comfort of gaming while playing action and adventure games like Army Corps of Hell and Gravity Rush. The rear touchpad is the most welcomed feature in Playstation Vita portable gaming device. The index fingers will be used more with the rear touch pad. Gamers had a problem while throwing grenades in shooting games, as they might get open to the enemy fire while we target and throw, but with the help of the touchpad it can be done accurately without facing such difficulty of being shot by the enemies. Even while playing turn-based games, the rear touch pad is very helpful to launch multiple targets in a single blow.

The comfort of gaming takes the new and unique level, as Sony gifted dual analogue sticks. It was a dream of any gamer who have experience with the predecessors of Sony Playstation Vita with a single analogue stick. The up, down, right and left buttons are in the left and the triangle, circle, cross and square buttons are in the right. There is a Playstation button located below the left analogue stick. The 5 inch capacitive touch screen senses multi touch and gives an accurate control over the game, as you can swipe, tap and pinch with your finger tips. It is very fast and sensitive enough to give a speedy response for any action done with the touch screen.

Connectivity

With this newest member of Sony Portable gaming devices family, you can get a two modes to connect the device to the internet. There are two models of this Playstation handheld game console available, they are Playstation Vita Wi-Fi and Playstation Vita Wi-Fi and 3G. The Wi-Fi only version can connect to the internet using only with an available Wi-Fi connection and the Wi-Fi and 3G version can access internet with both 3G with a compatible mobile network and Wi-Fi. There is a slight difference in price between these two models.

Verdict

There is no doubt that Playstation Vita is an ultimate gaming device, with high quality display and controls. The 5 inch OLED screen with higher frames per second gives an impressive gaming experience. Near will be inspired by any gamer who loves interactive gaming than playing single. Rear touch panel is the other cherry on the cake, as we mentioned earlier than this is the most useful feature next to the dual analogue stick. Even though all these features make it a recommended game console, it is pretty expensive when we compare the price of its rivals. Overall Sony Playstation Vita is a great choice to have an immersive gaming experience on the go.

Sony PlayStation Vita Game Console – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Sony
Model Name	Playstation Vita
Model Number	PCH -1000 Series
Dimensions	182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm
Available Models	Wi-Fi  and Wi-Fi 3G
Weight	Approx 279g (3G/Wi-Fi model) Approx 260g (Wi-Fi model)
Processor	ARM Cortex-A9 Quad Core Processor
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)	SGX543MP4+
RAM	512MB
Video RAM (VRAM)	128MB
Display type	OLED
Display Size	5 inch
Screen type	Capacitive Multi touch screen
3G	Yes (Only in 3G Wi-Fi model)
Sensor	Yes, Six axis motion sensor
PS button	Yes
Shoulder buttons	Yes
Memory card slot	Yes
Sim card slot	Yes (Only in 3G Wi-Fi model)
Bluetooth	Yes, Bluetooth 2.1
Headset Jack	Yes
Dual Analogue sticks	Yes
Frame rate	120 ftps
Front and rear camera	Yes (0.3 MP)
Resolution	640 x 480
Built in GPS	Yes (Only in 3G Wi-Fi model)
Wi-Fi	Yes
Keys and Buttons	2 x Analogue Sticks (left,right) 1 x left, right, up and down button 1 x square, circle, triangle button 1 x Playstation button 2 x Soulder buttons (left,right)
Main Features	Dual Analogue Sticks Social networking Quad core processor Front camera Rear touch pad
Stereoscopic 3D	No
Social Networking	Yes

The Nintendo Wii U is a great innovation from Nintendo. They made the gamers’ wishes come true. There are many features to praise Nintendo Wii U to be the first game console with more interactivity with the game. Parents may complain that their children immersed into games with this unique game console.

Nintendo Wii U game controller – The Magic Wand

Yes, the game controller is like a magic wand for every game. We cannot use the game if there is some problem with our game controller and it plays a great role in enhancing the gaming experience. A good game controller should be east to use, comfortable to handle, as it might be used for hours. Many gamers used to think, that it will be great if their Nintendo DS can interact with their LCD television and play Super Mario Bros in a bigger screen for a better enjoyment. Anyway they were convincing themselves that they cannot get everything in one.

Many people who bought Nintendo Wii are happy with what they got. The only problem they got is from their home, when their mom or dad wants to watch something in the TV. They got no other way than giving the TV remote controller and sit bored in the corner of their room. They were feeling that they couldn’t enjoy much with their ultimate gaming machine, as their friends play games all the time and keeping themselves busy with their Nintendo DS.

It looks like Nintendo are going to satisfy almost all our dreams. The Nintendo Wii U game controller itself looks up-to-date, there is no need to press the keys much, everything can be done by the same way we do physically.

The buttons are kept, just for the comfort of ultimate gamers who are really practiced with banging the button like anything when they get too much immersed in games. Obviously the controller is wireless, there is no problem of getting messed up with too much of wires around the TV area. Nintendo didn’t miss their traditional Nunchuk analogue stick, as they embedded them as analogue circle pads in the both top corners of the controller. The controller can be recharged, it has home button, power button, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons.

Nintendo Wii U Game Console has a 6.8 inch touch screen in the middle of the controller. Although the touch is pretty easy enough to tap around with fingers, the stylus is given to doodle something in the touch screen while taking a break while playing games with the controller. Any gamer will find the 6.8 Inch touch screen very useful, when someone is forced by their family members to change the TV channel to let them watch their favorite TV programs. There will no need to to worry that the game has to be stopped to let them watch TV. As the game could be played in TV screen as well as the controller screen, we just have to switch over from TV to the controller screen.

Features

The most unbelievable feature we found in the Nintendo Wii U preview is, that golf can be played virtually by using our hands just like we do in a golf club and the game targets can be aimed, zoomed, and shoot with the new controller by viewing the angle through the controller screen and the cross hair which appears in the screen to get an accurate aim of the targets.

This tempting game console can support Up to 4 controllers can be connected at once. The compatible controllers which can be connected to the new Wii U are Wii remote (or Wii remote +), Classic controller pro, Wii balance board, Nunchuk Controller, Classic Controller. Sometimes we might want to see some photos or videos in which we see in the control screen. It can be done by loading the content to be seen in the TV screen and just swipe the touch screen away towards the TV screen. Virtually, it will be like they are flying into the TV screen. It supports video chat through its inbuilt camera in the new Wii U controller and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook can be accessed.

Games are in development

Nintendo is getting ready to release this ultimate gaming machine with its compatible games. They announced that a version of Super Smash Bros have been developed for both Nintendo 3Ds and Nintendo Wii.

The Wii U version of Tekken will be released with the new feature of drawing the game characters.

The action packed Assasins Creed will be released shortly after Wii U.

Darksiders fans will be excited as Darksiders 2 is announced to be released with Nintendo Wii U itself.

Ghost Recon Online, Batman Akham city, Dirt, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razer’s Edge and Killers Freaks from outer space from Ubisoft are the other games under development for the new generation game console from Nintendo.

Electronic Arts (EA) announced that they will be supporting Wii U with their games and the releases will be unveiled shortly.

Technical Features

Technically, Wii U Handheld Console from Nintendo has very strong and latest features to brag about. It can support full HD 1080p. The CPU is IBM Power based multi core processor; it lets the player dive into the games with greater speed and quality. There are four USB cords are included to support more USB devices. It is build to be backward compatible with Wii games and controllers.

Verdict and Release

Above all, the new Nintendo Wii U will be a great hit among the hardcore gamers. The unique features and quality are expected to be the best as per the unveiled specifications. The manufacturers of this revolutionary game console, says that it will be better than PS3 from sony and Xbox 360 from Microsoft.

Nintendo has announced that, the game console will be released by June 2012 and the compatible games will be released once the console is released. Although we have a lot of questions in our mind, we just have till we get some more information.

We will be updating our article as soon as we get some more information on Nintendo Wii U.

Nintendo Wii U Game Console – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Nintendo
Console Name	Wii U
High Definition	Yes (1080p)
CPU	IBM Power based Multi core processor
GPU	AMD Radeon based HD GPU
USB Slots	4
Touch screen size	6.8 Inch
Analogue Circle pads	Yes
Social Networking	Yes
Compatible with Nintendo Controllers	Yes
Rechargeable Controller	Yes
Accelerator	Yes – Inbuilt
Expected Release	June 2012

Gaming is now one of the most successful businesses running on the planet. Needless to say that it is also one of the most sought after forms of entertainment to people of all ages. Over the past few years, stadia have turned into rooms and grounds have turned into small but awesome boxes called gaming consoles, thanks to the enormous development in technology. Speaking of awesomeness, here is one such amazing box which can give you immense pleasure. It is known as the Nintendo Wii. Relax, we know that you know everything regarding the Wii, and we are hence not discussing about it. But, we would like to detail you regarding a small but great game, a sports video game, released by Nintendo. Named as the Nintendo Wii Sports Resort, this sports video game from Nintendo is already a pretty successful successor of the far famed and well appreciated Nintendo Wii Sports video game. Here are the full details of the video game, exclusively for you guys, who are passionate about the Wii and its games.

Latest Developments:

Keeping up with the technology:

The Nintendo Wii Sports Resort is a collection of twelve very creative and attractive games with very good graphics. All these twelve games are related to either of outdoor and indoor games and sports. A few of the games are also seen on its predecessor, the Nintendo Wii Sports. Some very new and exciting games are also added and the whole gaming experience is altered and taken to a whole new level. The developments in this edition include the use of motion sensing technology in almost all the games. This, according to Nintendo, gives an immersive experience to the users as they involve in the game completely while playing, rather than just relax on the couch with the joysticks in hand. The Wii Sports Resort also takes full advantage of the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk.

Thanks to the developers at Nintendo, the players in the games also look better and more lifelike, rather than being mere lifeless images. The movements of the players, the scenarios, and the graphics are very good and also provoke interest among all kinds and ages of people. They hence never bore you even after playing for scores of times. Older people no more feel silly while playing such games. The accuracy of the players and their games is also revamped and made a lot better and now you can expect better results when playing such cool games.

The Scenario:

The designers of the game of Wii Sports Resort have decided that the games will be played in a resort environment and hence they thought that it would provide some relaxation to the players too, apart from being pleasing to the eye. The whole scenario is set in a sort of beach resort on an archipelago which is known as the Wuhu Island, a fictitious name. There are twelve different sports that are available for you to play. Most of the sports need the use of the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk. The games and the way they are played resemble reality and hence the Wii Sports Resort video game has of late become quite famous.

The Games:

Let us now have an elaborated discussion regarding each and every game that is featured on the Nintendo Wii Sports Resort gaming console. As discussed earlier, there are twelve games in all. Here is an in depth analysis of the twelve game package, one game by one.

Swordplay:

The Swordplay continues to be one of the top rated games of the Wii edition and is also considered as one of the most followed games by Wii’s fanatics. Right from the point of discovery of the Wii Remote, people wanted to play a real simulation of one on one swordplay game. And it has taken quite a long time for their dream to come true. The designers are Nintendo were finally able to come up with a wondrous swordplay experience with all the new graphics and visual experiences added to it.  And with the motion plus feature one can see some flawless performances by the players on the screen. The movements and fight modes are revamped a little and you can hence see better performances. The sound effects are pretty awesome and when the swords strike each other, that is, when you feel like you are in a battle field. One will be able to play as one of the Mii characters. The game can be played in different modes like Duel, Speed Slice, or Showdown.

Duel is a fight between two players. It can be played either by one or by two persons. You can either fight against each other or one person can challenge the computer for a duel. The fights normally take place on a circular platform, and one wins by hitting the opponent into the water that surrounds the platform. There are three rounds with time limits and the best of three will be elected as the winner. If no one wins even after the third round, then there is the sudden death match, will be played on a much smaller platform. Speed slice mode is all about cutting objects in front of you with accuracy and also into the right proportions as shown in the computer. Eighteen types of objects are ready to get cut for you. And then there is showdown which is a single player game. Here, the player will be attacked by rival Miis. One needs to clear all of them to win the round. Overall, the game is pretty awesome and it surely provides some recreation.

Wakeboarding:

Wakeboarding is another game that looks pretty lifelike. The style of gaming is also pretty close to reality. One will need to hold down the Wii Remote on its side as if it were a rope which is connected to the boat. You need to pull some amazing tricks off the player in order to score lots of points. You can jump off the wooden ramps positioned at random places as you follow the boat which is ahead of the player. Jumping higher gains you some good increase in the points. You can also earn some serious points by shaking the remote when the player is in the air after the jump. This makes the player do some funny stunts and hence earns you points. But the thing to remember is that one needs to land flat. Or else, no points will be awarded either for the jump or for the stunts. As you go into tougher levels of difficulty, you will see the rope getting intertwined or the ramps steeper. Overall, it is a fun provided game for both kids and adults.

Frisbee:

Frisbee is quite similar to the far famed game, Frolf. Here, there are two different modes of game play. In one of the modes, one must toss their disc so that the puppy dog can catch it, and bring it back to you. The farther you throw and the more your dog catches the discs, the more the points will be. But there is a better choice for you if you feel this is too childish for a game to be played.  Known as the full game mode, it is an eighteen hole game of Frisbee golf. This game is way simpler and much more interesting than the conventional game of golf. Instead of hitting golf balls into holes, you will need to throw the Frisbee into one of the given eighteen circles. And there comes you dog again. If the Frisbee is about to fall exactly in the circle, the dig catches it. The farther the circle in which the Frisbee falls, the greater the points you will earn. Needless to say that the addition of motion plus has really pumped up the game and the graphic performance.

Archery:

Archery is one of the first few games developed for the Nintendo Wii Sports Resort Game Console and is also seen on the Wii Sports video game. Playing the game of archery on the Wii Sports Resort console could be fun and entertaining. Of course, this is also more interesting than the traditional form of archery. All you need to do is aim at the spots with the help of the Wii Remote and then pull back the string with the help of the Nunchuck. The greater you press the Nunchuck, the faster and farther the arrow travels. One your finger is released, the bow will be released and the arrow is shot towards the aim. The goal of the game is obviously to hit the centre of the target, just like in the traditional game of archery. The closer your hit is to the target, the better you will score. And it is worth noting that this game uses both the controllers and therefore one will need to get used to it and it takes some time before one could play quite effectively, with full control over the game. The hands also must be kept completely still until the bow is released. Otherwise, the target is missed by way too much. This may hence help in developing your concentration levels, according to Nintendo. If you play the further levels, the speed of the wind and some other conditions will be taken into consideration. The game also involves hitting a lot of food items and it could be really entertaining if one gets involved into the game completely.

Basketball:

Though there are some high end games of Basketball in the market which have some stunning graphic performances, the cuteness in the game of basketball seen on the Wii Sports Resort makes it very special. But the game is not strange here. There are similar modes of play when it comes to basketball. There are two different modes of play in the form of three pointer shoot out, and pickup game. The former can be played by as many as four players while the latter can be played by two players at the most. But the mode of winning is the same. The player who ends up with the most points at the end of the round is declared as the winner of the game. Each and every round is time bound. Pickup Game is a three on three basketball game, while the three pointer shoot out allows you to shoot the ball up into the basket using the Wii Remote.  The player has to only shoot, steal, pass, and block and the rest of movements are looked after by the computer itself. The graphics are fantastic, thanks to motion plus.

Table Tennis:

If you are aware of the game of Tennis which featured on the Wii Sports video game, and also the game of table tennis title seen on the Wii Play video game, this game will not strange to you under any circumstances. The players on the screen will be automatically moved toward the ping pong ball, but the player must hit the ball using the controllers on the Wii Remote. This is really very nice to play and since the graphics are good, you will feel good when playing. The scenario resembles a pool which surrounds the table where the game is played. This is done in order to restore the feeling of a resort. Since the rest of the games are played in a sort of resort background, table tennis also follows suit. Anyways, it is something new but it did work well in the end.

Golf:

Though the game of Golf was already there in the original Wii Sports video game, the one which is seen on the Wii Sports Resort video game is made even better with the help of motion plus and some other features. Some new game modes and features are added so that it attracts a greater multitude of people. In addition to this, the game also offers more strategy options and also more game courses. There are twelve holes in all, out of which three are straight from the Wii Sports, and the remaining nine of them are introduced in the new game seen on the Resort version. Playing golf on the Resort is pretty easy. You need to some simple gestures for hitting the ball. All you got to do is imagine that the Wii Remote is your club and then swing the remote. The ball will automatically be hit in the game. The harder you swing, the farther the ball travels. That is how simple it is. The angle of the club can also be changed by changing the angle of the Wii Remote. Players can also practice the swinging before they actually hit, just like in reality. As many as four players can play the game of golf, one after the other.

Bowling:

Yes, Nintendo has finally included the game of Bowling. Of course it was already there on the original edition of the Wii Sports, but a few changes are made as far the graphics and the motion flow are concerned. And then when it comes to the bowling mode, it is after all similar to that of the game which was featured in Wii Sports. But hey, there is a lot of improvement regarding the precision. The accuracy is up scaled to meet the current improvements in technology. The locked games see in the original version, which can be unlocked, are also seen in this version, but the difference is that they already come unlocked. There are also slight changes to the game modes. For example the 100 pin mode is altered so that you can play multiple games until you earn a total of 3000 points. In the end, it is a cool game to hang out with and it entertains you completely.

Power Cruising:

Here is another game that needs the cooperation of both the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Now you need to hold them both imagining that you were grasping the handles of a Jet Ski. The motions are the same and you move your hands as you would do to move on a real jet ski. The main aim one needs to achieve in the game is that the player will need to get through the goals before time runs out. This is also one of those few games on the Resort, which need the use of Nunchuck. The two controllers must be tilted in way which is corresponding to the direction the player in game needs to go. This game will entertain the kids, in particular and since the motion plus feature works really well, the graphics end up being top notch.

Canoeing:

Canoeing is always fun, be it in reality or in the game. Now when it comes to the game of Canoeing on the Resort video game, Wii Remote is used as the paddle which the player holds. There are two different modes, namely VS and Speed Challenge. The Speed Challenge mode is a cooperative game which can be played by as many as four players. If there are multiple players playing the game, then all Miis will be in the same canoe and each player has to complement the movements of the other players so that they move speeder. If the movement is random, the canoe moves sslowly and a particular direction will not be maintained. All of them need to reach the finish line within the given time and points will be awarded accordingly. There will be lots of obstacles coming in your way and you will need to encounter them properly to reach the goal. Now coming to the VS mode, it is a group event where there will be two groups competing against each other. The rules and the scenarios are the same. There is no need to collect either stamps, points or any items. This game is purely a canoe race and hence is really a cool game.

Cycling:

Yeah, there is cycling too. In this game of cycling, you will be matched against thirty other passionate animated cyclists who are ready to win over you. The cycle race will be around an island. Since the player needs to cycle, you need to move the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck up and down, in a manner that simulates pedaling. Change in the direction of the Wii Remote will lead to change in direction. The player also gets tired when you move the remote too fast. In a three level mode, you will be matched against 50 players and the race will be even tougher, even though the conditions remain the same almost throughout the course.

Air Sports:

Well, we are not going to tire you much as we are now nearing the end of the games list. The last and final game seen on the Nintendo Wii Resort is known as Air sports. The Air Sports game is comprised of a lot of sports which are played above the ground. Games like Skydiving, Flyover, and Dogfight are very promising on the look and they are also pretty cool to play. All the three games take the assistance of Motion plus and hence are very good when it comes to the graphics part of the game. Again, the game play is same. One needs to wave and move the Wii Remote in the air as if they are holding the equipment and thereby the characters in the game follow suit.

Hence, all the games mentioned above are designed to provide you some serious entertainment whenever you need. Especially designed for the kids, these games are not only for entertainment, but they are also reported to provide fitness to the users since all the games involve the movement of hands and body. Hence, this is a good sign for all because there is no one under the sun who does not want to stay fit.

Verdict:

Though there are many games for the Wii, there is no better collection in the world than the Wii Sports Resort. You cannot get a 12 game package anywhere else for the same cost the Sports Resort bears. There are also a lot of improvements made, when compared to its predecessor, the Wii Sports video game. It would be entertaining, not only to the children, but to people of all ages. Hence, everyone who owns a Wii is advised to purchase the Wii Sports Resort.

2011 is proving to be simply amazing for handheld gaming, and even the overflow of gaming apps for iPhone and Android phones. Now, we get to enjoy two new kids in the block, Nintendo 3DS and the Sony NGP, which is also known as the PSP 2. Sony’s code word for the PSP2 is NGP, which stands for Nice Gamey Playtime. The main question still seems to be, if dedicated controls such as the NGP is still relevant or not, or will they just go into the category of tape recorders and HD DVDs. Though this is not a hands on review of the NGP, we can expect what to get out of it with the essential specifications. You will not be able to get your hands on the NGP until Christmas, but as soon as we get to it, we will give you a detailed review.

Super Oval:

Sony has named the shape of NGP PSP2 as Super Oval Design. As far as the dimensions are concerned, the NGP is not one of those ultra compact types, as you will have to stretch your palms quite a bit. Measuring (W x H x D) 182 x 84 x 19mm, the Sony NGP is bigger than the PSP 3000, but a little thinner. The size of the display alone is as big as an iPhone 4. Being a lot wider than the 3DS, this is not going to fit into your pocket, unless you are still in the 80’s wearing baggies. It will not take too much space in a handbag or your backpack, but, do keep in mind the NGP is always going to be something of a headache to carry around.

Two Analogue Sticks:

One of the biggest criticisms the original PSP got was that, it did not have two sticks, well, this one has. On the front of the Sony NGP Handheld Console, you will find two analogue sticks that will make game playing on this device, as though you are using a controller, for a household gaming console of this era. With a 5″ OLED touchscreen display of resolution 960 x 544 pixels, we do not think that the NGP’s display will be an issue. The pixels seem to be plenty, but as we all know, there is a lot more to an amazing display than just the resolution, we are hoping that the panel will be quite bright and vivid. Sony has its work cut out with the OLED display as this 5” screen is going to just suck out the battery juice, which does not sound ideal for a device that is meant to be for portable gaming. Though you can always dim and preserve some battery, this will result in inferior gaming. We are quite eager to find out how Sony is going to manage this issue.

Touch Sensitive Rear:

On the rear side of the Sony NGP PS2 Game Console there is a touch-sensitive area that is about the same size of the display in the front. This area works much like that of a trackpad on laptops.  As you can imagine, it is pocked and stroked while gaming. There is some real potential in this new idea. The combo of touchable front and back is fascinating, as Sony refers to stuff like “grab, touch, trace, push and movements. Actually, we really cannot wait to try it on our own, and the developers who will create really cool games is going to be incredibly interesting. There might be some cursor on the main display that will indicate where you are poking below; otherwise, it is going to be tricky to keep track of what your finger is doing. Audio wise, you get twin speakers and a microphone.

We can imagine that the display will be the most exciting aspect of the Sony NGP handheld. Staying with the successful template and at the same time increasing the power of the handheld will be nice, but we would like some innovation. Only time will tell how this particular aspect of the NGP will prove to be. Sony is also going to equip the NGP with the front and rear cameras. There is also a great deal of internal sensors that will allow the NGP fully equipped to deliver everything that is required to offer some reality.

Connectivity:

As far as connectivity is concerned, you will get 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and 3G. With this connectivity option, you get to download content and also browse the net if you have strayed away from s WiFi hotspot. We are not sure on how you will be paying for mobile-data usage; you may end up paying some monthly subscription or pay for some 3G SIM card. Of course, Sony can always make 3G usage free, like Amazon has done with the Kindle, but we will be surprised if it does. SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment) claims that every NGP’s game title will be allotted a space named the LiveArea where gamers will be allowed to share the excitement and fun with other gamers.

Internet capabilities:

Hope that Sony will also facilitate online gaming with 3G, rather than restricting the internet facilities to just browsing and social networking; another thing that we have to wait and see. Word has it that the the Sony NGP PSP will soon offer access to one of the version of the PlayStation Suite, which is an online games store for Android that us under development. This suite allows you to download some of the classic PlayStation titles and also access the PlayStation network, from where you get to download heaps of other game related stuff. With this feature, PSP2 gets to play Android games and Android phones can play PSP2 games. However, when it comes to the latest games, the NGP will just stick with physical media. It seems that the Trophies system of Sony that was present in PlayStation Network, so you will be able to score points whenever you play, even on Android phone.

Games on Cards:

Fortunately, Sony seems to have had a clean break-up with the Universal Media Disk.  It has got back to housing its games on cards that can be slotted into the NGP itself. These cards are of the same size as that of the usual SD memory cards, but we will be really stunned if they turn out to be real SD cards as we know well that Sony prefers using its own Proprietary formats.

Hardware:

The insides of the Sony NGP are very thoughtful. You get a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor powering this handheld delight. For seamless gaming, there is an SGX543MP4+ graphics unit, which is an incredibly potent piece of hardware. Just hope that, by the time NGP comes into the market, it is not outclassed by something else. We are also worried if this powerful hardware will also put a great deal of strain on the battery.

GPS and Sensor:

Since the NGP has built-in GPS, Sony promises some interesting location aware games through the PlayStation Network. You get an application called Near, which will let you know if your friends are near you. You also get the three axis gyroscope, three axis accelerometer and three axis electronic compass.

Conclusion:

We are sure that the Sony NGP is going to be a great handheld gaming treat as far as performance is concerned. A few great ideas such as the inclusion of 3G and touch-sensitive area in the rear, will make the PSP 2 very special. Our major concern is that, it is going to be released so late, that the tech world might have just moved on and will no longer seem to be enticing. Make sure that you come back for our detailed review on the Sony NGP handheld gaming console.