‘Developer’s dream’ NGP details revealed at private event: cross platform with PS3, 3G hardware later

Eurogamer has spoken to an NGP game developer who attended a recent conference at Sony’s London HQ. The anonymous game creator let loose some new details on the hardware, release date, and development process of the upcoming handheld.

From a player’s perspective, it was implied that the 3G-enabled console would not be available on the same day as the wi-fi only model. Both versions of the console, however, should be expected worldwide during 2011.

We also now know that the device has three gyroscopes, compared to the one in the PS3’s controller. The rear and touch panels can register up to six-points of contact each.

A strong focus of the event was on cross-platform development, and giving developers the tools to quickly and easily make a game for NGP and PlayStation 3 at the same time. Only one universal submission is required to get a game on both NGP and PS3, and the hardware is very similar.

To prove this claim, SCE showed developers a WipEout game running on NGP, which the source described as looking “exactly the same as it does on PS3”, in full resolution, 60 frames per second and all the shader effects.

Developers were also told that all games available on NGP at launch would also be on PlayStation Network, on PS3. But Sony is insisting that it doesn't want exactly the same game on NGP and PS3, and there “has to be a reason for the NGP title”, such as touch or gyroscope support.

The console was also described as a “developer’s dream”, and “developer-centric”. The dev kits are easy to use, work smoothly with Windows, and take less than 20 minutes to set up - far better than the three hour wait for a PS3 dev station.

If a developer wants an NGP devkit by April, they’ve got to send Sony a 20-page concept document on a game they want to release at launch.