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[Lonely1]

Nobody cares about maps, dude :lol but the potential for location based content (which Sony is hyping) would be very limited if they don't ship every model with GPS.

Colors port confirmed!?

 

[thechemist]

Wasn't so bad got some news.

 

[Achtius]

Nobody cares about maps, dude :lol but the potential for location based content (which Sony is hyping) would be very limited if they don't ship every model with GPS.

nm, i see your point

 

[JWong]

It's Blistered Thumbs, I am waiting for Angry Joe drama/crying anytime now...

Seriously why no real site covered this NGP event?

Because this is GDC and not a press event. Sony gets it.

 

[Massa]

Was Ape Escape PS3 known? The hell.

Known? It's out already!

 

[Dr.Palutena]

2:24
Thanks so much for making it to Blistered Thumbs FIRST liveblog! You're apart of history .

my fellow gaffers

this day, march 2 2011, we became a part of history.

no your quote seems to imply we've been separated from history.

 

[Man]

wait so there's no gps in the lower model?

GPS becomes 'useless' without 3G to aid in it's feature set.

 

[DeadRockstar]

On the move? Vadernooooo.jpg

 

[Totobeni]

Known? It's out already!

I think he meant if it was a real Ape Escape sequel ( like Ape Escape 2,3 or Million monkey), not that Move abomination bullshit thingy.

 

[thechemist]

http://www.gamesradar.com/psp/psp2/.../a-20110302133349126013/g-2011012716161236097

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Afaik, yes. It shouldn't have anything to do with the 3G antenna.

For the last freaking time. It is probably aGPS which requires an active data connection! All mobile/cell phones use aGPS instead of full GPS, the chip is much smaller and is a trivial cost in terms of wireless radio required, full GPS is not.

Without an active data connection aGPS is worse than useless.

 

[darkwing]

so the new news is the pressure sensitive pad?

 

[creid]

GPS becomes 'useless' without 3G to aid in it's feature set.

My iPod Touch does a pretty good job of detecting my location, and it certainly doesn't have 3G.

Edit: forget the Kotaku redesign, blistered thumbs is an assault on eyes everywhere.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Daily/2011/03-Mar/02/NGP%20shots/Sony_NGP_back_side--article_image.jpg

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Daily/2011/03-Mar/02/NGP%20shots/Sony_NGP_button_detail--article_image.jpg

http://www.gamesradar.com/psp/psp2/.../a-20110302133349126013/g-2011012716161236097

Gloriously hot, especially the backside track pad.

 

[jhawk6]

Wasn't so bad got some news.

Yeah, every bit of info helps

 

[Kinspiracy]

Little bit of Microsoft ballbusting in there

If you can't beat 'em, make fun of 'em.

 

[gofreak]

Nobody cares about maps, dude :lol but the potential for location based content (which Sony is hyping) would be very limited if they don't ship every model with GPS.

They can do location-ing with wifi only in adequately 'mapped' areas. I think it's a large reason they partnered with SkyHook, so they wouldn't have to go collect the needed data themselves. I've no first hand experience of how well it works, but they say this about the relative quality of data sources:

http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/

Wi-Fi positioning performs best where GPS is weakest, in urban areas and indoors. Click here for details on Wi-Fi data collection methodology and coverage.

GPS provides highly accurate location results in "open sky" environments, like rural areas and on highways. But in urban areas and indoors, tall buildings and ceilings block GPS' view of satellites, resulting in serious performance deficiencies in time to first fix, accuracy and availability. GPS or A-GPS alone cannot provide fast and accurate location results in all environments.

Cell tower triangulation provides generalized location results with only 200 - 1000 meter accuracy. It serves as a coverage fallback when neither GPS nor Wi-Fi is available. Skyhook maintains a worldwide database of cell tower locations, which increases our Core Engine coverage area and helps improve GPS satellite acquisition tim

 

[Man]

My iPod Touch does a pretty good job of detecting my location, and it certainly doesn't have 3G.

Nono. The GPS part works perfectly but you want to combine it with some online feature set.
With GPS alone there's no way for you to see what others are playing in your surroundings..etc.

 

[Nemo]

http://www.gamesradar.com/psp/psp2/.../a-20110302133349126013/g-2011012716161236097

So much beauty in this. Maybe that analog needs a color change (or it's the lighting) but other than that it's even sexier than the original PSP

 

[AranhaHunter]

Those titles are 1st party exclusives. Think about the average size of multiplatform games. The XBox 360 only has a DVD drive.

Did you read what I quoted?

 

[zomgbbqftw]

My iPod Touch does a pretty good job of detecting my location, and it certainly doesn't have 3G.

Edit: forget the Kotaku redesign, blistered thumbs is an assault on eyes everywhere.

iPod Touch doesn't have GPS, I think it uses that SkyHook WiFi positioning.

 

[S. L.]

How can you have GPS in a wifi model?

GPS works from space

beep beep satellites

 

[Bizzyb]

using touch screen and motion controls for a game like Uncharted just seems stupid and pointless. It doesn't sound like it would make the game any more intuitive or fun to play. If anything it's simply a "hey doodz others are doing touchscreen and gryo shit so I guess we'll throw it in too"

:/

 

[Majine]

Are those speakers really placed there? I think I'll have the lower part of my thumbs there.

 

[JWong]

using touch screen and motion controls for a game like Uncharted just seems stupid and pointless. It doesn't sound like it would make the game any more intuitive or fun to play. If anything it's simply a "hey doodz others are doing touchscreen and gryo shit so I guess we'll throw it in too"

:/

I guess everyone should play games specifically designed for you.

 

[gofreak]

Nono. The GPS part works perfectly but you want to combine it with some online feature set.
With GPS alone there's no way for you to see what others are playing in your surroundings..etc.

Sort of tangential to your point, but if you want to see that stuff 'in the moment' you'll want an always on connection. But from the January presentation it appears you can submit a log of collected data to the near servers after the fact, and let it construct your 'path' and pull down all the relevant data for the locations you were in. So if you're on a wifi model you'd probably want to use it that way, check it out after you get home and have a connection or whatever. Near isn't just about 'what are people playing around me right now' but also 'what were people playing in the places I walked through earlier' etc. - the latter kind of use-case being feasible on all models.

 

[tzare]

For the last freaking time. It is probably aGPS which requires an active data connection! All mobile/cell phones use aGPS instead of full GPS, the chip is much smaller and is a trivial cost in terms of wireless radio required, full GPS is not.

Without an active data connection aGPS is worse than useless.

i use my aGPS without 3G enabled. aGPS uses data for faster location when warming up.

However, not having GPS for wifi SKU is probably because most GPS' come with the 3G 'chips' instad of being a standalone chip.

it is a pitty though, because i will probably buy the cheapest SKU

 

[Boney]

Cool, thanks for the heads up!

 

[Jinfash]

First is likely to increase over time as flash becomes cheaper and second is because it is most likely aGPS like you get in mobiles, it requires an active data connection to work, without 3G the chances of having an active data connection on the move is pretty minimal.

A GPS can at least store coordinates (with timestamps) for an app like Near then stream the relevant data when there's a data connection. Example: You tour the city with your WiFi-only NGP, upon returning home Near would give you the relevant info about your trip: Your route plus players, popular games, and leaderboards in all the visited areas. Sony has also confirmed that Near would allow for delayed results and not just real time, ie: displaying results of NPG users who came an hour before and after you arrived. I really thought that would translate into equipping every model with with GPS.

 

[gofreak]

A little more clarity, perhaps, on the AR stuff via twitter:

"@BigBearScot Brian McDonald
#gdc2011 Sony NGP showed off natural markers - model appears when camera sees game box. More impressive was recreation of the PS1 Dino demo"

So I think the scanning stuff was indeed of game boxes, not of footage of the games, and would make more sense that way.

A GPS can at least store coordinates (with timestamps) for an app like Near then stream the relevant data when there's a data connection. Example: You tour the city with your WiFi-only NGP, upon returning home Near would give you the relevant info about your trip: Your route plus players, popular games, and leaderboards in all the visited areas. Sony has also confirmed that Near would allow for delayed results and not just real time, ie: displaying results of NPG users who came an hour before and after you arrived. I really thought that would translate into equipping every model with with GPS.

GPS won't be necessary in all areas to get a location. In fact according to SkyHook, wifi is more accurate in urban areas and indoors anyway. In short, if you live in wide open rural areas, then you might be screwed on this end with just the wifi model, at least for 'constant' location recording...but even in that case, if you ever come in range of mapped wifi spots, it'll be able to record where you were.

 

[Bizzyb]

I guess everyone should play games specifically designed for you.

What does that even mean? All I'm saying is it seems like the devs are simply throwing in "features" just for the sake of having them and to say that they are using all these new exciting features, despite if the game actually calls for their use or is even played better with them

DS games went through the same thing when it first launched (Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow being one of them) but at least devs got better about it.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

i use my aGPS without 3G enabled. aGPS uses data for faster location when warming up.

However, not having GPS for wifi SKU is probably because most GPS' come with the 3G 'chips' instad of being a standalone chip.

Then it will just use GPRS/EDGE. It still requires a data connection, the slower the data the longer it takes to get your position.

 

[JimtotheHum]

so with head tracking, are we gonna expect to see this type of stuff on the NGP?


http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/23/get-your-head-in-the-game-with-wii-remote-vr-display/

would be cool.

 

[Ding]

How can you have GPS in a wifi model?

The same way hundreds of other devices can have GPS, but don't even have wifi? I don't really understand your question. The two technologies are pretty independent of each other.

Yes, there is something called aGPS (assisted GPS), but all that does is shorten the time the GPS takes to "lock on" to the satellite signals. In the absence of a data connection, aGPS devices just revert back to normal GPS mode, which works just fine. Unless you've moved the device hundreds of miles since it was last activated, lock on typically takes just seconds.

(The real reason the NGP "leaves off" the GPS in the low-end model is likely because the GPS is integrated into whatever 3G cellular radio chip set they are using. It probably costs them next to nothing to implement it. Adding a chip just for GPS would be more expensive.)

 

[Ding]

Without an active data connection aGPS is worse than useless.

Utterly false.

 

[tzare]

Then it will just use GPRS/EDGE. It still requires a data connection, the slower the data the longer it takes to get your position.

no, i can use it without sim card if i wish. it is obviously slower to get my position if 3g is not enabled. i hope wifi only device has Bluetooth at least.

The same way hundreds of other devices can have GPS, but don't even have wifi? I don't really understand your question. The two technologies are pretty independent of each other.

Yes, there is something called aGPS (assisted GPS), but all that does is shorten the time the GPS takes to "lock on" to the satellite signals. In the absence of a data connection, aGPS devices just revert back to normal GPS mode, which works just fine. Unless you've moved the device hundreds of miles since it was last activated, lock on typically takes just seconds.

(The real reason the NGP "leaves off" the GPS in the low-end model is likely because the GPS is integrated into whatever 3G cellular radio chip set they are using. It probably costs them next to nothing to implement it. Adding a chip just for GPS would be more expensive.)

this

 

[Dacvak]

so with head tracking, are we gonna expect to see this type of stuff on the NGP?


http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/23/get-your-head-in-the-game-with-wii-remote-vr-display/

would be cool.

It'd be fantastic if companies would start taking this form of "3D" seriously. I love it.

As far as the NGP goes, I was ultra-stoked for it when they revealed it. The more I see on it, the less impressed I am, though. I'll likely get one at launch, but I have a feeling it might be DOA.

 

[gofreak]

Wired article with a little more detail.

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/03/sony-ngp-power/

There’s also a PowerVR SGX543MP4+ GPU inside, which should deliver impressive video rendering. This is also a multi-core chip with the ability to dynamically load balance between its cores.

The NGP also includes some dedicated chips for media playback.

Both touch areas have pressure sensitivity.

There’s a touchscreen on the front and also on the back, which you can manipulate with the fingers you’re using to hold the NGP. Both touchscreens support multitouch, and can register how hard you are pressing them as well.

Cameras similar to the ones in PSeye?

Like nearly every other portable device hitting the market this year, the NGP has a camera on the front and one on the back. The cameras are meant for game play, said Coombes.

“We need high frame rate, so we can get sharper images” for fast-moving game play. So the cameras are optimized for high-speed, low-light video, not for taking pictures.

Wi-Fi-only and 3G/Wi-Fi models will be available, although the final configurations are not yet settled. The 3G models will also include GPS support, although the Wi-Fi models can also do positioning via Skyhook Wireless, which uses data about Wi-Fi hotspot locations to get relatively accurate location information.

 

[H_Prestige]

Are the analog sticks clickable?

 

[Jinfash]

They can do location-ing with wifi only in adequately 'mapped' areas. I think it's a large reason they partnered with SkyHook, so they wouldn't have to go collect the needed data themselves. I've no first hand experience of how well it works, but they say this about the relative quality of data sources:

http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/

I'm aware of that, but WiFi positioning is still the weakest of the three methods available in the 3G model: GPS > Cell tower triangulation > WiFi positioning.

It's the least reliable positioning tech especially in countries and cities that are behind on hotspots' mapping.

 

[plainr_]

Pressure sensitive touchscreen and touch panel is news to me.

 

[thuway]

I'm REALLY hoping Cross Game Chat is available. Why does no one cares '_'?

 

[Man]

Pressure sensitive touch screen, interesting.

 

[Jinfash]

For the last freaking time. It is probably aGPS which requires an active data connection! All mobile/cell phones use aGPS instead of full GPS, the chip is much smaller and is a trivial cost in terms of wireless radio required, full GPS is not.

Without an active data connection aGPS is worse than useless.

For the last freaking time: you have no idea how Sony is approaching location-based content.

For the last freaking time2: many smartphone apps don't require active data connections, see: TomTom's iPhone apps.

 

[gofreak]

I'm aware of that, but WiFi positioning is still the weakest of the three methods available in the 3G model: GPS > Cell tower triangulation > WiFi positioning.

It's the least reliable positioning tech especially in countries and cities that are behind on hotspots' mapping.

It most subject to the quality of the collected data, but where mapping is good it might actually be the better method. A blend of all three would be best. Although I'm just going by Skyhook's blurb, which puts cell tower triangulation at the bottom of the pile and the other two complementing each others strengths and weaknesses,

 

[slider]

Heh, unrelated but if it had GSM (or even CDMA!) you could see what towers it logged onto and position from there.

 

[Amir0x]

So much beauty in this. Maybe that analog needs a color change (or it's the lighting) but other than that it's even sexier than the original PSP

too bad it's 500ft wide

 

[whitehawk]

The pressure sensitive touchscreen is very interesting.

If I have the money, I'll probably end up with the 3DS and NGP

 

[ant1532]

too bad it's 500ft wide

and probably 500 dollars.

 

[Takao]

I believe I've updated the OP with everything important, but I'm open to owning up to any oversights.