All NGP games will be downloadable

One of the problems Sony has run into with the PSP Go is that it can only play downloadable games, and large chunks of the PSP catalog aren't offered through digital distribution. It's a problem the company doesn't expect to have when it launches the Next Generation Portable later this year, according to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe head Andrew House. Speaking with MCV, House confirmed for the British trade magazine that all NGP games will be downloadable.

"One thing we learnt from PSP is that we want to have simultaneous delivery in digital and physical for NGP," House said. "Just to clarify that, all games that appear physically will be made available digitally. Not necessarily all games have to be made available physically. And having the option of a digital-only method affords more creative risk taking, and that's because you don't have that in-built risk of physical inventory."

The NGP will feature twin analog sticks, two cameras (front and rear), built-in GPS, 3G (on some models), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity. It will also sport a 16:9 5-inch OLED touch screen, as well as a touch pad on the rear of the device, which is the same size as the front screen. At 182mm x 18.6mm x 83.5mm (width x height x depth), the NGP is slightly smaller than the PSP-3000. Sony has set the device's release date as "holiday 2011," but it has yet to confirm a final price point.

For more on the NGP, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.