Announced today  and launching in late 2011 is Sony’s next foray into the handheld gaming.  The Sony NGP (Next Generation Portable) is Sony’s answer to the Nintendo 3DS which launches in March. No price tag is set as of yet for the device, but insiders are stating that it will probably run in the $299-$349 range.  Which at the high-end would be $100 more than the 3DS.

So what makes this product any different then say the PSP, well first off the power it packs.  According to Sony, the NGP will have the same graphic quality of the PS3..Right in the palm of your hand.  Add to that the device boasts a 5-inch OLED display and touch pads on the front and rear. It features two analog sticks for better control–and both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity.  Here are a few more of the specs on the device.  We will keep you posted as more comes out about it, likely later this year after this summer’s E3 conference.  Look for the device to first go on sale in Japan near the holidays, and then shortly after here in the States.  More here and here.

ARM® Cortex™-A9 core (4 core)
GPU
SGX543MP4+
Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED
Multi touch screen (capacitive type)
Rear touch pad
Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
Cameras
Front camera, Rear camera
Built-in stereo speakers
Built-in microphone
Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass
Built-in GPS
Wi-Fi location service support
PS button
Power button
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
Right stick, Left stick
START button, SELECT button
Volume buttons (+/-)
Mobile network connectivity (3G)
IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)