It looks like Sony won"t be waiting for E3 2011 to reveal more info about its next portable game console. Venture Beat reports that it got hands on with the console, which Sony is at the moment still calling the NGP (Next Generation Portable). Internet rumors have the console getting the name the PS Vita at some point.
According to the story, "There are maybe 16 or 17 ways to control a game on the device, if you count all of the buttons, the directional arrows, the shoulder buttons, the touchscreen, the backside touchpad, and the accelerometer tilt controls." The NGP"s five inch screen has four time the resolution of the earlier Playstation Portable console (PSP).
The article also goes over some of the games that will be featured on the NGP. One is Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a new entry in Sony"s acclaimed action game series starring adventurer Nathan Drake. The story states that the game can be controlled via the normal sticks and buttons on the console or players can use the touch screen or even the tilt controls. The story states that when Nathan Drak "is climbing up a wall and needs to go sideways, you can just tilt the NGP in the right direction to make him reach out and grab a ledge. You can also tap the screen in a certain spot to make Drake move there." Visually the graphics for the game are also impressive, according to the article, including the use of real-time lighting.
Venture Beat also previewed other games coming to the Sony NGP console including a new entry in its Wipeout futuristic racing game series. Sony is still not talking about when the NGP will be released or how much it will cost.