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RUMOR: NGP 1st party launch lineup revealed and launching this year before Japan

Shai-Tan

Banned
herod said:
What quality are people seeing in the NGP that means that it will be any different to the PSP for Western consumer demand that will equate to third party support?

3d games require a second analog or other means to control the camera/reticule. Western gamers prefer 3d games, hence a more suitable platform for western consumer demand?

That's only one pillar obviously. They haven't proven they won't completely fail at online multiplayer on the device and might be actively avoiding it due to battery or latency issues which will limit its appeal considering some of the most popular games are multiplayer games.
 

KAL2006

Banned
herod said:
What quality are people seeing in the NGP that means that it will be any different to the PSP for Western consumer demand that will equate to third party support?

The main reason is because it is easy to develop for, due to NGP using simple components that are similar to most mobiles and tablets such as the iPad. It is also easy to port and using existing engines and assets, so if a developers is used to developing for mobiles, 360, PC and etc, then NGP will be a walk in the park to make games for. Hell there are already plenty of engines being announced for NGP, which includes popular ones like Unreal engine.

As for what makes NGP different to PSP, well Sony has corrected many mistakes of the original PSP.
Cartridges instead of UMDs - no shitty load times which many people hated
Touchscreen support - touchscreen has been a vital feature in the handheld market for the past 5 years, PSP missed a big feature here luckily NGP has this
Dual Analogs - this was a huge complaint for original PSP, now3 we can have controls exactly like console games without the controls being gimped
Competition isn't as cheap - 3DS isn't cheap, it may be cheaper than NGP but the difference won't be as huge as when DS was $130
Other controls - touch, camera, mic, gyro and etc, these things are what differentiate handhelds to consoles, now we can have games like Nintendogs and Brain Age due to extra controls
 
herod said:
What quality are people seeing in the NGP that means that it will be any different to the PSP for Western consumer demand that will equate to third party support?

  • Easy to develop for.
  • Many engines (UE3, CryEngine) already run on it.
  • Easy to port between PS3/360 to the NGP.
  • PlayStation Suite (Gaming and non-gaming apps) external to the PlayStation Store.
    [*]Two analog sticks.
    [*]Optional touch interfaces (Front and Back).
    [*]Two built in Cameras
    [*]Gryos and Accelerometers
  • Backwards compatible with PSP, PS1, Minis etc.
  • No disc based media. Its all cards.

The bolded ones mean that developers can have more choice in how they develop their games. They can pick and choose their input methods.
 

FoneBone

Member
I'm surprised this is being debated, but making Uncharted NGP a flagship launch title when Uncharted 3 is launching around the same time is a terrible idea. It sets up an unfavorable comparison with the "real" Uncharted game.
 
FoneBone said:
I'm surprised this is being debated, but making Uncharted NGP a flagship launch title when Uncharted 3 is launching around the same time is a terrible idea. It sets up an unfavorable comparison with the "real" Uncharted game.

It all depends on when the NGP launches in the US and Europe. If it launches in the US at Xmas time then yes there will be unfavourable comparisons. If only Japan gets it this year then things won't be so bad.
 

Huff

Banned
Galvanise_ said:
It all depends on when the NGP launches in the US and Europe. If it launches in the US at Xmas time then yes there will be unfavourable comparisons. If only Japan gets it this year then things won't be so bad.

No way it launches til 2012 in NA/EU. Uncharted then, coming off them memories of the hopefully great UC3, is a great move and launch game.
 

FoneBone

Member
Galvanise_ said:
It all depends on when the NGP launches in the US and Europe. If it launches in the US at Xmas time then yes there will be unfavourable comparisons. If only Japan gets it this year then things won't be so bad.
I'm personally pretty certain that the US will be their priority territory. But if I'm wrong, then it makes a lot more sense.
 
KAL2006 said:
The main reason is because it is easy to develop for, due to NGP using simple components that are similar to most mobiles and tablets such as the iPad. It is also easy to port and using existing engines and assets, so if a developers is used to developing for mobiles, 360, PC and etc, then NGP will be a walk in the park to make games for. Hell there are already plenty of engines being announced for NGP, which includes popular ones like Unreal engine.

But getting back to herod's question, none of that necessarily translates into quality software, let alone consumer support.

There are several assumptions being made by NGP optimists that I'm unconvinced by at this point:

-that support for console middleware such as UE3 will encourage Western third parties to overcome their historic antipathy towards dedicated handhelds and actually devote significant resources toward NGP development (rather than churning out poorly optimized ports, asset-reuse-heavy spinoffs developed by B- and C-teams, and low-budget 3DS/NGP titles)
-that there's a large market for dudebro shooters on handhelds (there's clearly a market for handheld FPS games in some cases - the CoD DS games sold well enough for Activision to release four to date - but is it large enough to gain NGP significant market share compared to PSP?)
-that there's a large market for straight HD console ports on a handheld
-that there's a large market for DS-style casual software on an (at absolute minimum) $250 handheld - too early to draw any conclusions, but Nintendogs + cats' sales may indicate that there isn't.

I'm very much looking forward to whatever Sony has to show at E3, which should either prove or disprove my first point. As for the latter three, we'll have to wait for sales figures.
 
FoneBone said:
I'm personally pretty certain that the US will be their priority territory. But if I'm wrong, then it makes a lot more sense.

It would only be their priority territory because that's where the games have been performing the worst over a sustained period of time. PSP is doing gangbusters in Japan at present and it has seen some software success in the EU with Invizimals etc.

Lets say that this launches in October with Uncharted: NGP in the US. The early adopters will all likely pick it up. Come November, Uncharted 3 will hit PS3. I don't think things will be too bad if the early adopters all pick up Uncharted NGP as they are the type who'd get the PS3 version regardless. I definitely think they need to have about 3 weeks gap, minimum, with the NGP version coming first to not show it in an unfavourable light.

Maybe they'll pull a Resistance: Retribution and have the NGP version unlock some exclusive content in the PS3 version.
 
Other than TBA Call of Duty, the only officially confirmed third-party NGP title is Codemasters' F1 2011. I have to assume that they at least got a strong reprimand from Sony for that, considering that literally every other third party has been completely silent on specific software.
 

KAL2006

Banned
So basically F1, FIFA and COD so far we know about NGP 3rd party software

Did we ever get 3rd party leaks for 3DS software before the big E3 reveal from Nintendo.

EDIT: we also know some of the folks who were presenting at the NGP conference are working on something such as Kojima.
 
KAL2006 said:
So basically F1, FIFA and COD so far we know about NGP 3rd party software

Did we ever get 3rd party leaks for 3DS software before the big E3 reveal from Nintendo.

I don't recall any, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
 
herod said:
What quality are people seeing in the NGP that means that it will be any different to the PSP for Western consumer demand that will equate to third party support?


You question implies a lack of third party support on the PSP, which was clearly not the case. I see no reason why that would change with Sony's next portable.
 

KAL2006

Banned
outunderthestars said:
You question implies a lack of third party support on the PSP, which was clearly not the case. I see no reason why that would change with Sony's next portable.

I think he was going on about western 3rd party support, the 3rd party japanese support for PSP is great, but western support not so much. It started off great with but then 3rd party western support plummeted with the PSP in the west. Hopefully this does not repeat for NGP, I know I am being optimistic but I think the NGP can be succesful if Sony play their cards right.

Speaking of 3rd party western support, yes the PSP was lacking that, but surprisingly looking at my DS game collection now, I haven't got that many western DS games in my collection, I think western 3rd parties just don't care about handhelds in general. Most of the big hits for DS in the west are usually made by Japs, such as Nintendo games, Layton, and etc, of course there are a few notable western games like Scribblenauts but not as much as Japanese games. I think Japanese developers have truly moved on to handhelds while western developers are embracing consoles. The NGP is going to be interesting as it is quite powerful, will western studios support it more due to it's similarities with consoles, and will Japanese finally shift to making a proper next gen game.
 

KAL2006

Banned
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/05/12/konami_earnings/

The company pledged support for NGP and 3DS and this year. For the Nintendo hardware, it noted that Metal Gear Solid Sanke Eater is on the way. For NGP, it didn't mention specific games but did say that a variety of titles are in production.

My guess it's Kojima game (MGSPW2?) and PES that are in development for NGP

EDIT
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/12/konami-pledges-3ds-and-ngp-support/

No NGP titles have been announced. However, Konami factored sales into this fiscal year, which means we should see some Konami releases around the launch of Sony’s handheld

Konami should be there for launch or near launch then
 

Afrikan

Member
KAL2006 said:
So basically F1, FIFA and COD so far we know about NGP 3rd party software

Did we ever get 3rd party leaks for 3DS software before the big E3 reveal from Nintendo.

EDIT: we also know some of the folks who were presenting at the NGP conference are working on something such as Kojima.

expect a PS3/360 port of Madden 2012.... I mean, that is just extra monies for EA. I mean, they released Madden 3DS in the middle of the offseason.
 
KAL2006 said:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/05/12/konami_earnings/

The company pledged support for NGP and 3DS and this year. For the Nintendo hardware, it noted that Metal Gear Solid Sanke Eater is on the way. For NGP, it didn't mention specific games but did say that a variety of titles are in production.

My guess it's Kojima game (MGSPW2?) and PES that are in development for NGP

EDIT
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/05/12/konami-pledges-3ds-and-ngp-support/

No NGP titles have been announced. However, Konami factored sales into this fiscal year, which means we should see some Konami releases around the launch of Sony’s handheld

Konami should be there for launch or near launch then

Probably Yugioh...and some new IP in the vein of Doctor Lautrec...
 

KAL2006

Banned
Some new NGP news for you folks, nothing big though

RUMOR: Sully to appear on Uncharted NGP
http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2011/05/14/sully-to-appear-in-uncharted-ngp-game/
I bet this game is a prequel to U1

Nippon Ichi planning to release 3DS and NGP titles this year
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/05/13/nippon_ichi_earnings_up/
For the current fiscal year, the company expects a 3.2% increase in sales to 2,289 million yen, but a 66% drop in operating income to 107 million yen. It plans on releasing 3DS and NGP titles this year, it said.

Tecmo Koei developing NGP titles
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/05/14/tecmo_koei_earnings/
The company has titles in development for Sony's NGP hardware, he revealed, but added that the games have not been announced yet.
 
NIS said this year? I guess we know that 3DS title but I wonder what their first NGP title will be, D3 port? No way they can make it to launch outside of JPN, NISA would have no time.
 

Melville

Member
In an interview with gameblog.fr, Christophe Balestra (co-president of Naughty Dog) gave a few tidbits about Uncharted NGP:

- It will take place between Uncharted 1 and 2
- The game will most likely have some interactions with Uncharted 3
- It will also have a different "vibe" and a different rhythm since it's a handheld game
- Maybe a little bit more exploration than in previous episodes (not 100% sure about this one, his phrasing is kind of weird)

Source in French: http://www.gameblog.fr/news_22502_uncharted-3-et-ngp-l-interview-de-christophe-balestra

Loudninja said:
Uncharted NGP set between first two games
The story is described as "parallel". In Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Nathan embarks on an adventure with journalist Elena Fisher and the duo end up liking each other quite a bit. At the beginning of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Elena is nowhere to be seen. When she eventually turns up, she's not happy with poor old Nate.

Meanwhile, Balestra said Uncharted NGP features a different vibe and rhythm than the PlayStation 3 games so people can play it in short bursts. This is a handheld game after all.

It's the same category of game, but has more exploration and fewer gunfights, letting people breathe while playing.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-05-19-uncharted-ngp-set-between-first-two-games
 

KAL2006

Banned
Melville said:
In an interview with gameblog.fr, Christophe Balestra (co-president of Naughty Dog) gave a few tidbits about Uncharted NGP:

- It will take place between Uncharted 1 and 2
- The game will most likely have some interactions with Uncharted 3
- It will also have a different "vibe" and a different rhythm since it's a handheld game
- Maybe a little bit more exploration than in previous episodes (not 100% sure about this one, his phrasing is kind of weird)

Source in French: http://www.gameblog.fr/news_22502_un...tophe-balestra

Take place in between U1 and U2. Maybe they will explain what happened between Drake and Elena. I am guessing the interactions with U3 is most likely something minor such as unlocking character skins for U3 multiplayer. I'd like to know what they mean by different vibe and rhythm, maybe more exploration and puzzle solving.
 

ace3skoot

Member
Galvanise_ said:
  • Easy to develop for.
  • Many engines (UE3, CryEngine) already run on it.
  • Easy to port between PS3/360 to the NGP.
  • PlayStation Suite (Gaming and non-gaming apps) external to the PlayStation Store.
    [*]Two analog sticks.
    [*]Optional touch interfaces (Front and Back).
    [*]Two built in Cameras
    [*]Gryos and Accelerometers
  • Backwards compatible with PSP, PS1, Minis etc.
  • No disc based media. Its all cards.

The bolded ones mean that developers can have more choice in how they develop their games. They can pick and choose their input methods.

Yeah you nailed it, what is really cool about NGP is the amount of different ways to interact with the device, the horse power is a nice niiiice bonus but I think the controls is its strongest attribute really my one concern is Sony has to get the price down asap. Once were past the port everything phase, and bringing all the ps3 franchises... some unique games will appear that can only be done on NGP and it could be come something special indeed.
 

Melville

Member
KAL2006 said:
Take place in between U1 and U2. Maybe they will explain what happened between Drake and Elena. I am guessing the interactions with U3 is most likely something minor such as unlocking character skins for U3 multiplayer. I'd like to know what they mean by different vibe and rhythm, maybe more exploration and puzzle solving.


About that, he says that since it's a handheld game, people will probably want to play it in short bursts, hence the different vibe and rhythm.
To clarify the exploration comment, I think it sounded more like speculation based on the fact that it will have a different rhythm.

Another thing I forgot to add: according to him, one of the main challenges the team working on Uncharted NGP faces is learning to work with the actors. I guess that means we will have the same kind of cinematics we had in the PS3 games.
 

KAL2006

Banned
Melville said:
About that, he says that since it's a handheld game, people will probably want to play it in short bursts, hence the different vibe and rhythm.
To clarify the exploration comment, I think it sounded more like speculation based on the fact that it will have a different rhythm.

Another thing I forgot to add: according to him, one of the main challenges the team working on Uncharted NGP faces is learning to work with the actors. I guess that means we will have the same kind of cinematics we had in the PS3 games.

Interesting, I wonder if they will go MGS Peace Walker style where it is mission based, and you choose levels like Mario games. Uncharted could easily fit this model, simply have some story about getting many pieces of a artifact, then have a overworld map where you choose a level to get a piece of a artifact. Of course you unlock more levels as you progress.
 

Salaadin

Member
Not sure if its new thread worthy but there was an article posted yesterday stating that Nihom Falcom has already begun work on the next Ys title. I wonder if this could be the NGP title that they said they were working on.
 

Tucah

you speak so well
KAL2006 said:
Interesting, I wonder if they will go MGS Peace Walker style where it is mission based, and you choose levels like Mario games. Uncharted could easily fit this model, simply have some story about getting many pieces of a artifact, then have a overworld map where you choose a level to get a piece of a artifact. Of course you unlock more levels as you progress.

I could see this - different sorts of environments for a more varied and unique Uncharted game.
 

Suzzopher

Member
Salaadin said:
Not sure if its new thread worthy but there was an article posted yesterday stating that Nihom Falcom has already begun work on the next Ys title. I wonder if this could be the NGP title that they said they were working on.

I hope Ys 8 is an NGP title.
 

KAL2006

Banned
Sony's Natural/Smart AR marker tech demoed (will be used in NGP and other Sony products)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4KTljBQovk&feature=player_embedded

Sony has developed integrated ‘Augmented Reality (hereafter referred to as ‘AR’) technology’ called as “Smart AR.” When capturing visuals through a camera on a device such as a smartphone, the technology enables additional information to be displayed on the device’s screens such as virtual objects, or images and texts that cannot be identified by visual perception alone. The technology employs the markerless approach, forgoing any requirement for special markers such as 2D barcodes. The object captured by the camera is quickly recognized and can be tracked at high-speed along with the movement of the camera, as it is displayed over the actual 3D space.
 

HaRyu

Unconfirmed Member
KAL2006 said:
Sony's Natural/Smart AR marker tech demoed (will be used in NGP and other Sony products)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4KTljBQovk&feature=player_embedded

Sony has developed integrated ‘Augmented Reality (hereafter referred to as ‘AR’) technology’ called as “Smart AR.” When capturing visuals through a camera on a device such as a smartphone, the technology enables additional information to be displayed on the device’s screens such as virtual objects, or images and texts that cannot be identified by visual perception alone. The technology employs the markerless approach, forgoing any requirement for special markers such as 2D barcodes. The object captured by the camera is quickly recognized and can be tracked at high-speed along with the movement of the camera, as it is displayed over the actual 3D space.

Cool. At least we won't get people tattooing AR markers on themselves...
 

SSJ1Goku

Banned
KAL2006 said:
Sony's Natural/Smart AR marker tech demoed (will be used in NGP and other Sony products)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4KTljBQovk&feature=player_embedded

Sony has developed integrated ‘Augmented Reality (hereafter referred to as ‘AR’) technology’ called as “Smart AR.” When capturing visuals through a camera on a device such as a smartphone, the technology enables additional information to be displayed on the device’s screens such as virtual objects, or images and texts that cannot be identified by visual perception alone. The technology employs the markerless approach, forgoing any requirement for special markers such as 2D barcodes. The object captured by the camera is quickly recognized and can be tracked at high-speed along with the movement of the camera, as it is displayed over the actual 3D space.
OH SHIT! I love this stuff!
 

RavenFox

Banned
If Activision and Sony say this machine is launching with a COD you can consider this machine sold. Like the game or not if they are able to show handheld online battles that match or similar to the consoles it will be a huge success.
Also as bad as PSN network being down I really think Sony will go over pricing once again. Now what does this have to do with pricing? A whole lot since gaining customer love and trust again is a priority. Launching this at an absurd price will not sit well with gamers struggling in a beatdown economy.
 

Suzzopher

Member
I think the idea of having a handheld game console always connected, via 3G or WiFi is what will make this stand out. Having to be near WiFi for PSP or 3DS kills that connectivity slightly, but if you are always online the machine has more relevance to your daily life. While PSN was down, I found myself using my 360 way more due to being connected.
 

yencid

Member
KAL2006 said:
Sony's Natural/Smart AR marker tech demoed (will be used in NGP and other Sony products)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4KTljBQovk&feature=player_embedded

Sony has developed integrated ‘Augmented Reality (hereafter referred to as ‘AR’) technology’ called as “Smart AR.” When capturing visuals through a camera on a device such as a smartphone, the technology enables additional information to be displayed on the device’s screens such as virtual objects, or images and texts that cannot be identified by visual perception alone. The technology employs the markerless approach, forgoing any requirement for special markers such as 2D barcodes. The object captured by the camera is quickly recognized and can be tracked at high-speed along with the movement of the camera, as it is displayed over the actual 3D space.

eye of judement. bring it.
 

Afrikan

Member
KAL2006 said:
Sony's Natural/Smart AR marker tech demoed (will be used in NGP and other Sony products)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4KTljBQovk&feature=player_embedded
[/I]

ah, that looked scary as shit! reminded me of those a little walking babies from Silent Hill D:


but seriously, I don't know if they could have the realistic physics....but imagine playing Kick Ball with this, or doing soccer moves with a ball, then shooting it for a goal.
 

Rolf NB

Member
herod said:
What quality are people seeing in the NGP that means that it will be any different to the PSP for Western consumer demand that will equate to third party support?
5 years+ of system security lessons.
 

yencid

Member
sony better support that with all kinds of content. From box arts to manga, movies, all that stuff. i want to see ma characters become alive!
 
Rolf NB said:
5 years+ of system security lessons.

Is piracy really the sole reason for PSP's dismal Western performance? It's not any harder in Japan, and I was under the impression that no PSP system sold in the last few years fully supports CFW.
 
KAL2006 said:
So basically F1, FIFA and COD so far we know about NGP 3rd party software

Did we ever get 3rd party leaks for 3DS software before the big E3 reveal from Nintendo.
No, but E3 was also the system unveiling for 3DS itself and was about 9 months before launch. NGP already had it's roll in February out and it's probably only 6 months from launch. At this point in it's cycle, 3DS already had over 100 known 3rd party games.

Also, it leaked that 2 Acquire games are in development. One's a stealth game (probably Techu) and one's a RTS (probably Badman, though that'd make it 1st party). Falcom also confirmed a launch window game and the head of Omega Force said they were doing Dynasty Warriors on NGP.
 

TripOpt55

Member
Melville said:
In an interview with gameblog.fr, Christophe Balestra (co-president of Naughty Dog) gave a few tidbits about Uncharted NGP:

- It will take place between Uncharted 1 and 2
- The game will most likely have some interactions with Uncharted 3
- It will also have a different "vibe" and a different rhythm since it's a handheld game
- Maybe a little bit more exploration than in previous episodes (not 100% sure about this one, his phrasing is kind of weird)

Source in French: http://www.gameblog.fr/news_22502_uncharted-3-et-ngp-l-interview-de-christophe-balestra
Cool. I was wondering when it took place. I'm dying to see more on this.
 

Loudninja

Member
Uncharted NGP set between first two games
The story is described as "parallel". In Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Nathan embarks on an adventure with journalist Elena Fisher and the duo end up liking each other quite a bit. At the beginning of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Elena is nowhere to be seen. When she eventually turns up, she's not happy with poor old Nate.

Meanwhile, Balestra said Uncharted NGP features a different vibe and rhythm than the PlayStation 3 games so people can play it in short bursts. This is a handheld game after all.

It's the same category of game, but has more exploration and fewer gunfights, letting people breathe while playing.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-05-19-uncharted-ngp-set-between-first-two-games
 

Pein

Banned
lunchwithyuzo said:
No, but E3 was also the system unveiling for 3DS itself and was about 9 months before launch. NGP already had it's roll in February out and it's probably only 6 months from launch. At this point in it's cycle, 3DS already had over 100 known 3rd party games.

Also, it leaked that 2 Acquire games are in development. One's a stealth game (probably Techu) and one's a RTS (probably Badman, though that'd make it 1st party). Falcom also confirmed a launch window game and the head of Omega Force said they were doing Dynasty Warriors on NGP.
No way, omega force doing a dynasty warriors game? I'm shocked!

But seriously, get me some battlefield on the ngp and it will be my favorite handheld ever.
 
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