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Sony held their press conference at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena with over 6000 attendees waiting to see what they had to offer up this year, especially in light of the PSN outage. Though they didn't drop too many bombshells, Sony did their best to get people excited for the Move and their new handheld, the PS Vita. 

It wasn't so much of a press event as it was a pre-recorded briefing on what Konami is excited about in 2011. A few games were shown, such as NeverDead, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, Silent Hill Downpour, MGS Snake Eater for the 3DS, and a teaser for the next Contra at the very end.

Anyone hoping to see Hideo Kojima reveal what his next game is going to be are going to be disappointed, however, as the cagey designer revealed only tidbits of what he was working on including a new "lifestyle" regarding save games.

The briefing started off with a look at the 3DS version of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, the PS2 classic that explored the origins of Solid Snake. For the handheld, players will be able to use the motion sensor to help keep Snake's balance and even utilize photos taken as camouflage.

Next up was the 3rd person action game, NeverDead, with a MegaDeth scored video to show off some of its action. The Japanese and European developed title will have players star as Bryce, a heroic demon hunter that challenges the demon king 500 years ago but loses with his wife getting murdered in the process. Cursed with immortality by his enemy, Bryce can be blown apart but never die as you try to get him back together should that happen. One shot revealed a rolling head on the floor, probably manipulated by the player, trying to get back to the rest of its body.

Some information was revealed on a new Silent Hill film in production and a small tease for Silent Hill Downpour, the next game in the series, but little else other than that it was coming.

Later, Mark MacDonald of 8-4 visited Hideo Kojima at his studio. "Transfarring" was shown off, a save transfer mechanism that would allow players on the PS3 use the same save for the same game (such as the upcoming Peace Walker) with the portable version, and vice versa so that you don't miss a beat. Kojima hopes to extend this capability to the PS2/PS3 level, and eventually to the PS3 and NGP.

Kojima didn't show off a new game so much as he did the new engine that will be running it. Called the "Fox Engine", it will be used in Kojima's projects going forward as a multiplatform engine. Development for it started shortly after MGS4 and a jungle scene was displayed as a test environment, though it has nothing to do with the next game whatever it might be.

Lastly, it was revealed that MGS Peace Walker, Sons of Liberty, and Snake Eater are going to be together in an HD collection in November this year for the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Later in 2012, that will be followed by both Zone of the Enders titles. Far from being tweaked graphically, they'll also sport new interfaces and a few more tweaks to keep them from feeling like a simple port dumped onto a disc.

As the briefing ended, a gout of flame filled the screen soon forming into a burning "C" with words hinting at the return of a classic series - Contra. As for what Konami has planned, your guess is as good as mine.

Sony Computer Entertainment officially unveiled its Next Generation Portable (NGP) gaming system Thursday after weeks of speculation and leaks.

The NGP news follows Nintendo's recent announcement that its next portable, the 3DS will go on sale March 27 at the suggested retail price of $249.99.

The NGP's price and exact release date went undisclosed when Sony announced the NGP in Tokyo. Here's what the PlayStation makers did say, in addition to the system coming out near the end of this year:

• Multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display (OLED) as the front display
• Multi-touch pad on the rear of the device
• Dual analog sticks
• Two cameras (front and rear)
• Software titles on small, dedicated flash memory-based cards
• Three motion sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass
• Wi-Fi and 3G network connectivity
• PlayStation Network access, including ""LiveArea™", "Near" and "Activity" log features Trophy Support
• NGP will be able to play PSP titles, minis, PS one classics, video and comics from the PlayStation Store.

Players can also expect NGP releases in the Call of Duty, Uncharted, Hot Shots Golf, Resistance, Little Big Planet and other series.

Thus far, 2011 is shaping up to be an interesting one for portable gaming. The Associated Press points out that Nintendo and Sony are not only competing with each other, but smartphone makers like Apple for players' attention and money.

The popularity of smart phones including the iPhone is a potential threat to game machine makers as more people play games, watch video, send e-mail and chat on cell phones. People are also using other portable devices such as Apple's iPod and iPad to play games.

Sony's new machine, known for now by its code-name NGP, comes packed with motion sensor and GPS location technology so that gamers can tilt and sway the machine to play golf games, kill monsters and experience other "virtual realities," said Kazuo Hirai, who heads Sony Corp.'s gaming section

Such features seem to be designed with the so-called "casual gamer" in mind, and this writer would be inclined to say the NGP buyer and person who Angry Birds on his or her iPhone may not be in the same target markets.

But this writer is not a Sony executive, and those who are seem to be intent on doubling down their bet in the gadget market. The much-hyped Sony Ericcson Xperia Play, AKA the PlayStation phone, is also said to be on the way to the marketplace and Engadget has peek at a prototype. Check it out.