Sony's new hand-held console will pep up the competition in the mobile gaming market, writes CIARA O'BRIEN

THE MOBILE gaming market is getting some new competition in the shape of Sony’s latest handheld console. Unveiled in January, the console is currently known as the NGP – Next Generation Portable – and is set to go head to head with Nintendo’s 3DS when it is released sometime this year.

The NGP, which may eventually be known as the Vita if rumours are to be believed, is a bit of jack of all trades. It includes touch controls, analogue sticks, 3G and wifi connectivity, and will have some social integration.

It’s clear that Sony is hoping for wider audience appeal than its hardcore PlayStation fans.

“We believe that NGP is going to change how people think about portable gaming,” said Michael Denny, senior vice-president of Sony’s Worldwide Studios Europe.

A working version of the console was shown to media ahead of next week’s E3 exhibition in Los Angeles, with Sony optimistic that its latest console will be a success.

And you can understand why.

The NGP’s five-inch OLED screen produces some high quality graphics. It offers multiple ways to interact too. Aside from the touch screen, there’s the rear touchpad, dual analogue sticks, the six-axis motion sensor and front and rear cameras.

Sony has promised a “richer more immersive” gaming experience.

Ahead of E3, the company revealed some of the titles it intends to launch on the console, including an impressive version of Uncharted, Wipeout 2048 and Resistance Retribution.

“In a way, certainly graphically, and in terms of what NGP can do we are nearer to PS3 than PSP,” said Denny. However, Sony is hoping the different control system on the NGP will stand out with gamers.

And bringing in 3G and wifi connectivity not only allows Sony to tap into the current craze for social networking, but also to expand its features in future.

“Certainly social activities are more immediate with 3G, but I think there will be more activities. The sharing of small amounts of game content on the go where you don’t have a wifi connection would certainly be possible on 3G,” said Denny.

“We’ll be looking at all the possibilities that will be added to the 3G service.”

But as good as the NGP is, it’s facing stiff competition. The market has changed considerably since Sony released the PlayStation Portable back in 2004. The reason? The popularity of touchscreen smartphones and the availability of cheap, yet well put together, games for the devices.

The figures speak for themselves. According to UK media research firm Screen Digest, the mobile gaming market, excluding advertising revenue, was worth $2.2 billion in 2007.

That was before Apple launched the iPhone and its App Store. Last year the market grew to $3.7 billion and by 2014 it’s expected to be worth $7.8 billion.

“Since Apple launched its App Store, the mobile gaming market has undergone a transformation,” said Screen Digest analyst Jack Kent. “Before less than 5 per cent were paying to access mobile games, in Europe at least... since then consumers are a lot more willing to pay for content and particularly games.”

Sony is already tapping into the mobile gaming market with the Play Station Suite, which will be available on suitable Android handsets and offers a portfolio of PlayStation games.

It doesn’t mean there is no room for the NGP. But the competition is certainly having an impact. While the 3DS was widely expected to boost Nintendo’s sales, the truth is that it has failed to live up to expectations. Although it sold 303,000 units across Europe in the first two days, it failed to meet Nintendo’s own target of four million by the end of March, notching up only 3.61 million worldwide. It’s a tough market for console makers right now.

Sony, however, is confident that NGP will grab attention.

“We’re very conscious of the competitive landscape that we’re launching NGP into. But our belief is that it’s about the strength of differentiation, the strength of features of the device coming into that landscape, and what we can offer more than what the competition is doing,” said Denny.

“When we look at the feature set of NGP and we look at the software that can take advantage of those, we believe there will be a big audience for that – not just the core PlayStation fans, but a wider audience as well, with the new functionality.

“We’re very confident that we’ve found something that’s truly moved on the needle of gaming.”

Additional reporting: Reuters