Your feedback on the new Sony NGP: "Why not just get the Xperia Play?"
We're in two minds about the brand new Sony NGP handheld. It looks great, but it's not out for ages... So we asked you guys what you think, and it turns out you're all pretty smart.
Sony, you crazy fool, you darn near ate up our whole working day yesterday with your new Sony NGP. The all-new follow-up to the wildly mildly popular PSP handheld console has a whopping great 5-inch screen, and a touch-sensitive trackpad around the back.
The bad news is it won't be hitting shops until Christmas, which is such a long time away that we were initially tempted to type 'long' using about 20 'o's before remembering we're not 12 any more. We're in two minds about the NGP, so we asked our loyal Facebook contingent for their opinions...
Fiv Scholarios says, "Looks swish and sounds like a beast, but waiting 'til Christmas 2011? Sounds like Sony picked up some of Sony Ericsson's bad habits." Fiv, we quite agree. It's also a little odd that Sony is also about to unleash a separate PlayStation phone (now called the Xperia Play). As Andrew Palmer gracefully intones, "Why not just get the Xperia Play?"
Craig Lynn agrees with the late release being a bad idea: "Seems daft releasing it at Xmas, it'll be priced at a huge premium whereas if they'd launched it at summer then had a price cut at Xmas, they would sell so much more!"
This Craig chap seems to have a business head on his shoulders. Craig, fancy helping out with our tax return?
Liam Daly likes that classic PlayStation games will be hitting Android (courtesy of PlayStation Suite), and says it "should give Apple a run for their money" -- indeed, the mobile gaming world is in for a huge shake-up this year.
Facebook regular Dominic Walliman is (justifiably) concerned about the price, considering Sony's history. "My guess £299," he reckons, and correctly points out, "You can buy a Spider-Man Robosapien for £45... just sayin'..."
Over in our comments section, reader skapete notes the NGP looks, "Nice, but huuuuge!" And we can't disagree -- this is a device that pushes the definition of 'handheld'. One anonymous commenter says this is "far far too late. Only fans of new toys need apply, every touchscreen mobile phone has this beat," whereas David Park simply says, "Want."
Another anonymous user is defiant in the face of our concerns that not being able to see that rear trackpad might make using it tricky, fairly pointing out, "How often do you need to stare at your fingers when using a trackpad on your laptop?"
Back to Facebook, where Sujjaad Rashid simply states, "looks brill".
So a mixed response then. Sticking points seem to be a late release date and the fact that phone gaming may be so far advanced by the time the NGP hits the shops, there's no point in shelling out for a dedicated gaming device.
What do you think? It's not too late to have a rant, either in the comments or on our Facebook wall. And if you fancy joining our honourable batallion of Internet dragoons, just click this link, click that 'Like' button. Go on, it feels great.