"The past three weeks have been the longest weeks of my life with the PlayStation. I really appreciate the support you have given us," Shuhei Yoshida, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment's worldwide studios, told the press gathered at a preview event in Los Angeles. He was talking about the PlayStation Network problems, but we weren't there for another apology. We were there to play the NGP.

And that's what we did. After Yoshida's short speech playing up the social aspects of the system and the beauty of the hardware, we were set loose on a variety of developer systems to play through the system's launch games. While PR cautioned that the debug kits we were playing would have some superficial differences from the hardware you'll buy in the store, the time we spent gave us a good idea of what to expect from the system and its design.

The NGP hardware

Sony's newest portable gaming system is much larger than you would think. The company loves to boast about the 5" OLED screen, and it looks large in pictures, but once you're holding it in your hand you'll realize just how big the system really is. You should still be able to fit it into the pocket of most pairs of pants—I think—but the size is something that is going to surprise gamers when they first see it for themselves.

The NGP has two analog sticks, one on each side of the screen, and this allows for a much more natural control scheme for games than we're used to from portables. The sticks themselves aren't nubs, but actual sticks, much like the Dual Shock 3. It's neither good nor bad, just not what I expected when I first picked up the system. Don't worry, it takes seconds to get used to, and feels fine in action.

The touch panel on the back of the screen is smooth, and it disappears to your fingers unless you're playing a game that supports it. I've read people expressing skepticism about this design decision, but in my opinion the rear touch panel is a useful addition. Imagine using it to place units in a tower defense game without your hand obscuring the game.

You can place your finger on the panel, see an outline of where the tower would be placed on screen, and then adjust it until you lift your finger and plant the structure. There are some games on my iPhone and even iPad where I wished I could see through my hand while playing, and Sony solved that problem with multitouch controls on the rear of the NGP.

While the face buttons are smaller than I would like, the system felt good in my hands, and I have no major complaints. Now it's just a matter of finding out about battery life, which will only come with real-world testing, as well as the price and release date, which will hopefully be made known during E3. Yoshida told us the system would be launching later this year, but does that mean worldwide, or just in Japan? We'll be live-blogging Sony's press conference, so we'll be able to share everything we find out next week.

Now... how were the games?

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

This is a prequel to the current Uncharted games, and it's being developed by Sony Bend Studios. If you don't recognize the name, you'll likely know the games, including Resistance: Retribution, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow. These are people who know how to make games work on Sony's portable systems.

The ability of the NGP to mimic the graphics of the PlayStation 3 Uncharted games is immediately impressive, with all the water effects, character details, and animation you could possibly want. It's positively odd to have something that looks this good playing on a game system that you can hold in your hand. Nolan North returns as Nathan Drake, the writing seems to be just as snappy as previous entries in the series, and after playing two segments of the game I was very happy with the game's transformation into a portable title.

Less successful are the many ways you can use the NGP hardware to control the action. While climbing you can swipe the screen to show Drake what handholds you'd like him to use, and you can tilt the system left and right when jumping from ledge to ledge to have him lean towards his target. By rubbing the front or rear touchscreen with alternating fingers, you can tell him to climb. It's all kind of interesting, but I had a much better time using the dual sticks and the buttons. Other games use the touch controls better; here they just seem like something expected in such a big-name launch game.

Luckily, they're optional, and every other aspect of the game is exemplary. As an Uncharted fan, this is the game that would make me buy the system.

Wipeout

Wipeout titles need to be fast, smooth, and beautiful. The NGP version is all three of these things. During my time with the game I was challenged to play without the analog sticks, using only the motion controls. It took me a lap or so to get used to, but after that I was tilting the system left and right like a champ. The motion controls were accurate, fun, and best of all, optional.

A PlayStation 3 was set up with the console version of the game, and the ability to race against people on the PlayStation 3 with the NGP was shown off to the press. It's a neat feature, and using the portable version to compete on the PlayStation Network with people playing on the PlayStation 3 is cool.

So far the NGP version of Wipeout isn't breaking any new ground, but who cares? The game takes place in a time much closer to ours, so the tracks look a little less futuristic, while still being fantastical and rather gut-churning. This is a game I played for more than a few sessions, and I wanted to walk out with a copy to play when I got home. That's a good demo right there.

Hot Shots Golf and Super Stardust Delta

Both of these games used the hardware in great ways, even if both series are well-known quantities. In Hot Shots Golf you can use the touchscreen to select your club, control your view, and take a look around. In fact, at any time you can switch to an augmented reality mode where you hold the system in your hand and physically move it around to look at the course. It's hard to explain, but imagine the NGP as a window into another world and you get the idea. By tilting up you can see the sky, and by spinning around you can see what's around you. Suddenly the locations feel real in a way that doesn't often happen in a portable game. The graphics were also given a very impressive level of polish.

Super Stardust Delta makes great use of the dual analog sticks, and controls just as well as the PlayStation 3 versions. You can even tilt the screen to get a look around the level, and place special attacks by tapping where you'd like them to land. This is not a huge update to the game, but the mechanics were already solid, and the new additions and graphical overhaul were both impressive. It's simply a joy to play.

Little Deviants

There might be some sort of story holding this collection of minigames together, but I doubt it. This is an excuse to show off all the advanced features of the NGP, and it does that with gusto. In one game, you use your finger on the touchpad under the system's screen, and it looks as if you're pushing the terrain of the game upward. It's a strange, surreal mechanic, but feels great in practice and is a neat trick of the technology.

In another game, the player tilts the system to guide a falling monster through a maze, and in yet another you tilt around and shoot enemies in an augmented reality game, much like the shooter that ships with the 3DS. This will be a fun game for children or for people who want to show off what their new system can do, but for everyone else this is probably going to be a rental. I had fun playing it, but in the long run it may not be enough to hold your attention.

We'll know more at E3

We didn't get a chance to get a feel for the social aspects of the system, such as the ability to see what your friends list has been doing in games, or the proximity system called "Near" that lets you see what people are doing near you. The 3G connectivity details have not been revealed yet. We don't have a price or a release date. There are many known unknowns, in other words.

That said, I want one of these in a big way. The screen is large and impressive. The rear touch panel is going to pay off once more developers learn to use it well. The graphical power of the system is amazing—and these are launch games!

If NGP comes with a reasonable price tag—and that's a big "if" given the amount of features packed into the thing—the system has a bright future ahead of it. Front- and rear-facing cameras allow all sorts of augmented reality and networking possibilities, and the 3G support means that this could be a true portable, with online play on the go.

If Sony wanted to get us exited about the system and its possibilities, then job well done. While it was hard to get psyched about most of the 3DS launch titles, I can't wait to play more of Uncharted, Super Stardust Delta, and Hot Shots. There is also a rhythm game coming that we'll be discussing in another article. It's rare that a system has this many games I'm personally jazzed for at launch.

If you have any questions about the hardware, ask them in the comments and I'll check in and offer any additional info that I can. E3 is just around the corner, so we can expect many more details then.