Sony NGP Challenge Nintendo 3DS

Game Review

Game Review

"The market is ripe for portable high-end gaming," Divnich told GamesIndustry.biz in an article published today. Research firm Flurry Analytics found that Apple's iOS grew from 5 percent of the portable-gaming market share in 2008 to 19 percent share in 2009. Nintendo's share fell from 75 percent in 2008 to 70 percent in 2009. And Sony's PSP saw its market share decline from 20 percent in 2008 to 11 percent in 2009. The company's portable-gaming business has been ailing from poor sales for quite some time. A year earlier, Sony had sold 140,300 PSPs.

Realizing that, Sony said that it plans to price its upcoming portable affordably. Divnich told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes Sony will price the NGP between $299 and $349, placing it within $50 to $100 of Nintendo's upcoming $249 3DS. With this morning's unveiling of the Sony NGP and Nintendo's 3DS finally getting an official launch date, we've got the first proper handheld gaming console fight since the release of the original Nintendo DS back in 2004.

Nintendo 3DS: PICA200 GPU, 3.52 inch widescreen display / 800x240 resolution (400 pixels for each eye during 3D gameplay) top 3D screen, 3.02 inch bottom touch-screen display / 320x240 resolution, 5.3 inches x 2.9 inches x 0.8 inches in overall size, three cameras (two on rear casing, one above top screen at 0.3 megapixel), stereo speakers, motion sensor / gyro sensor, 2.4ghz / 802.11 wi-fi. No word yet on the quality of the sensor in the Sony NGP, nor megapixel count. Connectivity, Stores and Online Platforms.

Both consoles will feature Wi-Fi connectivity, though the Sony NGP is more fully equipped, throwing 3G and Bluetooth into the mix too, as well as the afore-mentioned GPS tracking capabilities. SpotPass allows the console to passively access Wi-Fi networks and update console information and notifications from pals, while the StreetPass works in a similar way, informing you of nearby 3DS players waiting for a game. The Sony NGP introduces the PlayStation Suite network, allowing games to be played across both the Sony NGP and Android tablets and smartphones too, more of which we'll touch upon in the next section.

Backwards compatibility is promised with all Nintendo DS games, while the Virtual Console will give access to retro game downloads. Nintendo's 3DS will launch in Europe on March 25th and the US on March 27th. 

By. Game Review