Sony NGP previewed: "It's light, and it is beautiful"

Sony's PSP2, known as NGP at the moment, was placed into the hands of Kotaku this morning, and the site seemed rather impressed with it.

According to Kotaku, the OLED screen was "stunning," and the touch elements on it were "more than serviceable."

The new handheld is much larger than PSP-3000 but was till "surprisingly light," due to the UMD drive being replaced with flash memory-based cards and digital downloads.

Here's an excerpt from the preview:

Unlike the smaller PSPgo, the NGP fits comfortably in the hands. On the back, there is a touch pad, which is glossy and slick to the touch. Initial worries are that it'll get guncky with dirt and grime. Using it, however, felt quite natural as my finger movement responded directly to the onscreen action. There are Sony's iconic button icons as a monogram. Next to them are grips for one's hands.

The entire handheld is sealed like an iPhone, so players will not be able to change the battery. The reason for this, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida says, is because of the rear touch pad. It's apparently not possible to have a rear touch pad and changeable battery like on the current PSP-3000.

On the top of the console, there is metallic trim on which there is a power button as well as volume controls.

Kotaku goes on to say the two cameras on NGP are "unobtrusive," and the direction pads and buttons are similar to what players are used to with current PSP models. The dual thumsticks were "fats, responsive, and easy to use."

All in all, the preview was rather positive, and the previewer said Sony's latest handheld him "pleasantly surprised...it's light, and it is beautiful."

Sony unveiled PSP2 during its press event in Tokyo this morning. Get rounded up on all that you may have missed here.