Over the last few weeks I have been reading a lot of articles stating what they believe Sony's next handheld should offer. Some points I agree with others strongly disagree. This all may be opinion but here is what I believe the PSP2 should bring to the table in order to be a sure success...
1. Firstly, DUAL ANALOG NUBS!!!! Why the original PSP did not have these is a complete mystery. I have personally opened up the PSP and you know what is in that space? NOTHING, it is empty and it is the same exact amount of space the one nub takes up. I find it hard to believe they couldn't have fit it in the PSP's specs, rather they wanted something EASY to improve upon when they created its inevitable sequel. Well here is there chance. Its pretty much concrete that these will appear but it can be screwed if they attempt to make it that track pad nonsense they have on the Experia Phone, please Sony, don't.
2. UMD. Before everyone starts moaning I think this is a fairly important function and let me tell you why. Backwards compatibility. This is very important for a new console. Nintendo's handhelds have always been backwards compatible with previous generations which honestly was a selling point. BC pads the line-up of available games a buyer has access to.PSP may not of had the library of games the DS had, but it was decent enough that many will still find gold within it's rosters. Crisis Core as well as other Square-Enix entries to the handheld, God of War, Disgaea, Socom, etc were all great additions to the system and the PSP2 should be honored to boast that they are still playable on the system. One might bring up the prospect of Digital Downloads but many developers refuse to make DD versions because it only opens up the flood gates for piracy with the PSP(Not that Pirates cannot rip the UMDs, but at least they are making the theives work for it).
3.Two Memory Stick Slots. Yes I stated the PSP should not dispose of UMD but I do believe it should move it's preferable gaming format to Memsticks. Games would be able to load much faster than a current UMD drive is capable of and storage capabilities could triple. Now this is fairly dependant on how Sony would like to approach the issue. Can they make a UMD drive capable of high speed loading? If so they could scrap the extra Memory slot entirely.The most important thing for Sony to keep in mind is to stick to physical media. As seen with the PSPGo, the world is not ready for a "Gaming Handheld" that is purely digitally distributed.
4.Touch Screen. This is also very important. Nintendo and Apple have ushered in touch technology as the defacto standard. Its a pretty safe bet PSP2 will have this as well but it still needed to be said. There are strong rumors that the device might boast a rear touch pad in order to keep the main screen blemishless. I cannot condone or refute its functionality because I have never experienced a device with such a design. I can say that computer track pads have been known to be "sticky" and troublesome yet good enough for most tasks.
5. Camera. This is one of those fuctionalities we simply expect in all our portable devices now. There is no reason why it shouldn't be present. Whether there should be a front and rear camera though is purely up for debate.
6. Slide Screen. As flawed as the PSPGo's purpose was, it's design is ideal. I personally found it to be very comfortable in the hands and it maximizes portability. I could care less about how "slim" the device is, just make it easy to fit in my pocket. I imagine with the current layed out design(UMD slot,mem stick reader, etc) it could be about half an inch thick. This really is no big deal, about the thickness of a medium tech cell phone.
5. Possibly two additional Face Buttons. To make up for the lack of R2/L2 buttons. It couldn't hurt.
6. 3D support. Why Sony opted to dismiss Nintendo's path in this coming Handheld Era is beyond me. Nintendo has proven to know what they are doing and 3D IS the future. Sony of all people should know this seeing as THEY are the ones pushing it into all other facets of technology, leading others in the industry. No one knows how the consumers will respond to 3D handhelds but it wouldn't hurt to have this either(although admittedly not entirely necessary). Sony stated eons ago that they created a glasses-less 3D Television. Doing this with a handheld should be a cake walk. I personally believe this could be the reason of Sony's hush hushness on the device even though it is suppose to debut this year.
7. Longer battery Life. This is an absolute MUST. What is the purpose of a handheld if it cannot last longer than a few hours? I hated the fact that after playing Metal Gear Portable Ops for about 3.5 hrs my PSP became a paperweight. Ideally, I think Batterylife should be about 10hrs actually PLAYING a game, 20hrs if idle or doing smaller tasks.
8. 3G/4G Support. This has all but been confirmed if recent news leaking on the internet is to be believed. Which makes me very happy. This means Sony is taking multiplayer and the feeling of connecting everyone more seriously. The PSP's internet browser was a bit of a joke. Yea,it worked but it could barely run a webpage. PSP2 needs high level Flash, Javascript,etc. Internet needs to be an extension of the systems's functionality, not a chore. This will definitely be needed for the next few functions I will be suggesting.
9. PS Cloud. I remember reading some article months back that Sony trademarked this name. By now we are all vaguely familiar with cloud computing. Its basically data stored on the internet to be accessed at will as not to take up Gigs of harddrive space. This would be a mind blowing feature for the PSP2. Allow certain games and or functions to be streamed to the device at any time. This opens up a world of possibilities.
10. Playstation Apps. Why should a handheld gamer turn to Modders to create simple yet neat programs for the handheld instead of its actual creators? Modders were able to put AIM Messenger, Graphic Calculators, In-Depth Music Players,Universal TV remote, etc on the original PSP and Sony had no adjacent to this. Sony should beat hackers/Modders/Pirates to there own game. Make the device do everything they can think of so they have less reason to want to crack that baby open. The PSP should become the knew all in one portable device so buyers will think twice of getting a 3DS/iPod/iPad Tablet.
11. Intergrated PS Store. PS Store should become a one stop shop for getting Games, Demos, Music, Movies, the works. Sony now has Qriocity(Spelling?) which is very cool in it's own right but they need to either merge this with the Store or make it an easy extension of it. PS Apps would fall under the PS Store Name as well so whenever, whatever you want, it can be found here.
12. Trophies. I am completely addicted to these things and if they were obtainable on a handheld I truley believe I would buy more handheld games. I am a completionist when it comes to gaming, Sony should not under estimate my addiction.
13. Playstation Plus Perks. Let me explain. PP is proving rather successful in its own right. It offers something very different in it's value when compared to Xbox Live. Plus offers a plethora of heavily discounted to free content for members. This could follow suit on the PSP2.In addition to what I have already suggested, PP could add free Wifi to all those who participate. We have already heard rumors that certain phone company chains are offering free wifi in combination with the PSP2's 3G functionality. I am very skeptic that this will ever fly in North America, but with the added benefits of Plus, it could become too good to pass up. This would combine with the current PSP's Skype capability turning it into a portable phone(This is to say if the PSP2 does not already have phone capabilities).
14. Last but not least, the PSP2 needs GAMES!!!!! Sony has never been able to get their premiere line up just right with their consoles. This is their chance to change that. Rambling of a Portable Uncharted is in the works. I personally say don't release the system until an appropriate line up is ready for it. This would entail 10-15 games that can make a total average of 85% in reviews. Hopefully Sony has learned that just putting a big title on handheld does not make it an instant hit. Many of the PSP's games are better suited on console because they never truely feel "portable". A portable game entails quick, easy bursts of play. DO NOT make games with 3hr periods before you can save. Portable games need to have frequent save points in case the system needs to be tucked away on the fly. Also Sony needs to learn not every game has to have eye poping visuals, especially if it makes loadtimes a pain and battery life short lived. DS proved this with its last gen graphics with majority of it's games. This time around they can utilize the benefit of another analog on the system so that will improve FPS/TPS variety. RPGs should not be so far and inbetween this time around either. Down ports from the HD twins are appreciated but lets try actually making them fit and shape to a handheld architecture(Valkyria Chronicles 2 comes to mind). More games should also try to take advantage of multiplayer that doesn't require the person to be in the same room. while nice, its not very common to find someone else with a system in America sitting right next to you, let alone have the same game on them at any given time.(at least for me, could be wrong for everyone else).
15. Other Ways to Improve. Sony should definitely look into making there hardware more open source. There are a lot of brilliant minds out there who are just begging to do the work for you. They should be pursuing a XboxArcade/Android/App Store approach. This will keep the content fresh and concretes the fanbase's faith in the product. Video Chat is something Sony should really look into. How cool would it be to be able to not just talk but see your friend while you are miles apart. I am a person who particularly hates not being able to see the person's face that I am talking to. More than half of conveyed speech is done in subtle body/facial movements.
So what do you think of my points? What do you think the handheld should have?
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57911923/DQfpvkMU8AA_hnk.0.jpg)
Greatness Awaits
PSN:Forevercloud (looking for Soul Sacrifice Partners!!!)
