Rumor: Sony Downgrading NGP Tech to Compete with 3DS Pricing

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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Rumor: Sony Downgrading NGP Tech to Compete with 3DS Pricing

The NGP's memory is supposedly taking a hit, and the internal storage is going the way of the dodo.

Sony is reportedly planning to downgrade some of the technology in its new handheld platform,in order to give it a more completive price point. French technology website 01net [http://www.01net.com/editorial/533663/la-ngp-sortira-en-2011-moins-puissante-et-moins-chere-que-prevu/] suggests that Sony plans to position the cheaper, non-3G model as a direct competitor to Nintendo's 3DS.

According to sources, Sony plans to cut the amount of memory the device has in half. The main system RAM and video RAM will be chopped down from 512 MB and 256 MB respectively, to 256 MB and 128 MB. Sony is also apparently planning to axe the 16 GB of internal memory the NGP was originally meant to have. In its place, Sony will use an external storage system, not entirely dissimilar to the memory cards the PS1 and PS2 used, or the memory stick solution the PSP used.

01net doesn't think that these revisions will be too detrimental to the device however, provided that developers properly optimize their memory management - something that the device's graphics chip is supposedly rather good at - and that the data transfer between the NGP and the external storage is quick. Sony is also apparently reducing how much memory the NGP's operating system uses in order to free up more systems resources.

Assuming that the rumors are true - and 01net has a good record when it comes to Sony tech - then we can expect at least one of the NGP models to be around the $250 mark. The 3G capable model will cost more, Sony has already admitted as much, but exactly how much more is a mystery.

Source: via 1up [http://www.1up.com/news/ram-cut-internal-memory-removed]







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koroem

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Jul 12, 2010
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Haven't hardware developers learned by now that cutting the RAM supply handicaps game developers? This is one area you should not be skimping in this day and age.
 

mjc0961

YOU'RE a pie chart.
Nov 30, 2009
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Axing the internal storage wouldn't bother me as long as they get smart and use SD, mini SD, or micro SD for the storage this time instead of the expensive and hard to find Memory Stick format. I can't help but think they should leave the RAM alone, though.

All rumors of course, though.
 

LavaLampBamboo

King of Okay
Jun 27, 2008
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I... really didn't see this coming. I figured Sony would launch the thing at a daft price point, spend about a year saying it was the most value for money handheld gaming experience, then quietly reduce the price after disappointing sales.

But this is actually good to see. Sure, it might not be quite as powerful as it could have been, but perhaps it will allow it into more hands.
 

Truly-A-Lie

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Nov 14, 2009
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If it doesn't badly impact the games, I'm fine with it. It's not like I'll be able to afford it if it's super advanced and therefore mega-expensive anyway. I just want that Resistance game to be good. I don't have as much trust in Nihilistic as I did in Sony Bend.
 

Paragon Fury

The Loud Shadow
Jan 23, 2009
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Brilliant idea.

Let's downgrade our system to reduce the price so it'll sell more, instead of trying to improve the system and make it the better value.
 

rosac

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Sep 13, 2008
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As long as I can finally finish crisis core on it...

Grumble *bloomin' PSP breaking when I've only got 2 boss fights left* grumble
 

WanderingFool

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Apr 9, 2009
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SomethingAmazing said:
I don't care as long as the games are good.

With a lower price point, it will naturally have better third party support.
This is something I hope for. Im not completely sold on the cutting of the RAM, but cutting the internal HD doesnt bother me in the bit; I dont see any problem with a memory card. And if its all for $250, im sold...

And Thank fucking God there is two tumbs sticks!
 

AbstractStream

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Feb 18, 2011
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rosac said:
As long as I can finally finish crisis core on it...

Grumble *bloomin' PSP breaking when I've only got 2 boss fights left* grumble
Dude, that is SUCH a bummer.
But I don't think the NGP is gonna have UMD games...will it? I dunno, it's just something I heard before.

Cutting memory sucks...but for the sake of a lower price? Eh, I guess.
 

GonzoGamer

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Apr 9, 2008
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What happened to the obnoxiously overconfident big-headed Sony we all know and loath?
The Sony I know would've just made it drastically overpriced and demand that we buy it if we knew what was good for us.
 

Velociferocks

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Jul 20, 2009
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The RAM halved, and all the memory axed... whoa! isn't it abit late for that now, They've already unveiled it and everything. Shouldn't thay have thought about this when they were still developing it.
GonzoGamer said:
What happened to the obnoxiously overconfident big-headed Sony we all know and loath?
The Hackers man, Sony has lost a shit ton of money to them. Now they need make that up by selling as many units (or more) than 3DS, It's the only valid reason I can come up with.
 

BabyRaptor

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Dec 17, 2010
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Sony's trying to recoup sales and consumer interest in the light of the recent catastrophe. Night a bad move, but they could have come up with a smarter way of doing it.
 

BehattedWanderer

Fell off the Alligator.
Jun 24, 2009
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This is still being made? Huh. I am surprised, actually. I had kinda thought, what with everything that's gone on, and how the next generation of the DS is just about to start taking off, by most expectations, that...well, alright, guess we'll see how this one plays out. Good luck, Sony.
 

RA92

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Jan 1, 2011
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koroem said:
Haven't hardware developers learned by now that cutting the RAM supply handicaps game developers? This is one area you should not be skimping in this day and age.
Looking back, it's kind of hilarious how MS tried to stick 256MB of memory into the XBox360 before <url=http://forums.epicgames.com/archive/index.php/t-553976.html>Epic forced them to do otherwise.

Ha ha!
 

beema

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Aug 19, 2009
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256mb of ram on any modern gaming platform, handheld or otherwise, is a complete f'ing joke.

Even my smartphone has more RAM than that, and all it does is play Angry Birds.

Seriously Sony? Half the point of this new PSP was the pure hardware power.

Also no internal memory? Way to set the bar back by a decade.

I guess this is what happens when you blow loads of money recovering from a massive hacker attack :/
 

Jameseh

Rejected from society.
Mar 20, 2009
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Then next winter they'll add it back in and then in two years higher end games will no longer work on this revision.
 

ProfessorLayton

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Nov 6, 2008
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beema said:
256mb of ram on any modern gaming platform, handheld or otherwise, is a complete f'ing joke.

Seriously Sony? Half the point of this new PSP was the pure hardware power.

I guess this is what happens when you blow loads of money recovering from a massive hacker attack :/
Honestly it's not really their fault. I'm left feeling bad for Sony because the NGP was supposed to be big for them, but now they can't even afford to make it.

The thing is, I don't really know what I would do in this situation. For one thing, I would like to say just wait until they get their money back to start working on the NGP, because then they wouldn't have to cut all the power behind it, but then again the NGP could actually end up making them a lot of money...