(written for GamesRadar UK, see entire article here.)

I wasn’t initially interested by the PSP2 announcement mainly because of how disappointed I was with the original PSP. I always preferred the Nintendo handhelds and just assumed that if I got myself a portable gaming device this year it would be the 3DS. But as usual I’ve come over all giddy at the thought of a brand new toy to play with and the fact that Sony have managed to squeeze in a whole heap of tech-specs into this new piece of kit is genuinely impressive.

For me, the most important aspect of playing a game is how satisfying it feels to control what’s happening on the screen. Whether it’s a car, a footballer, a fat plumber, a boy made of meat or a shotgun-wielding-gravelly-voiced-muscle-bound chap – as long as it feels responsive, intuitive and enjoyable to control then I’m sold on it. This is where PSP failed massively for me. The controls were awful. I liked the potential of it and I wanted to like it, I really did, but every time I picked it up I was hugely disappointed and would get thumb cramp within minutes.

You’ve probably read all the specs by now; 3GS, OLED screen, GPS, cameras, augmented reality remote control homing pigeon with camera strapped to it’s head, etc. But to be honest, all Sony really had to do to get me interested was whack two analogue sticks on the front and make the whole damn thing a bit more ergonomic, which they have done. But they’ve also done so much more. I think the iPhone has the most user-friendly and intuitive interface out there and if the OLED touch screen can emulate this, it instantly gets a big fat thumbs-up from me. The touchpad on the back also gets my brain tingling with intrigue and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.