Sony: NGP price is 'affordable', battery is 'solid'
Though touchpad means you can't change the battery
Sony's upcoming Next Generation Portable (NGP) will be "affordable" according to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss Andrew House.
Although no figure has been hinted at – not even a ballpark one - House promises “We will shoot for an affordable price that's appropriate for the handheld gaming space.”
Sony will “make a loss” on each NGP, if a source close to website Eurogamer is to be believed. House, however, insists: "Ideally we would want to have our hardware be profitable, in addition to our software. We've experienced both sides and we know which one we like to be on!"
Power eats powerThe battery life of handheld consoles is always a major issue for gamers. Nintendo's anticipated 3DS is set to pump out between three and five hours of play from a single charge.
Similarly, Sony's NGP is rumoured to enjoy between four and five hours of battery life - a rumour that House was unable to confirm. He did, however, state that gamers shouldn't be worried.
"We'll have a good, solid battery life because of two factors," he said. "It's influenced our choice of flash media, versus incorporating a disc drive; and number two, the screen is large and gorgeous – it's also OLED, which is fantastically good for low power consumption as well."
It has, however, been revealed (courtesy of Kotaku) that the NGP will be entirely sealed like an iPhone, rendering the battery unchangeable. According to Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida, this is due to the presence of the NGP's rear touchpad.
What do you guys think? Will the NGP be an expensive gas-guzzler? Have your say below.
