New Sony Handheld - PSP/Android Hybrid (Rumour)

Mockup:

There's no question that gaming on the Android platform has heretofore been relatively underwhelming, but that looks like it's all about to change. It seems that Sony Ericsson -- a company that has yet to even introduce an Android 2.0 device -- is at work on a project to redefine gaming on Google's mobile platform. We now know (via a trusted source) that the company is actively and heavily developing a brand new gaming platform, ecosystem, and device (possibly alongside Google) which are already in the late stages of planning. And we've got the goods on it.

 

Here's what we can tell you about the hardware: if you're a gaming fan, this is exactly the kind of phone you've been waiting for. The device is described as cross between the Samsung Captivate and the PSP Go -- in other words, it's a landscape slider with game controls in place of the typical QWERTY keyboard. The D-pad is here, but instead of the small joystick, the device will have what was described as a "long touch pad" for analog controls, along with standard PSP buttons and shoulder buttons. The phone has a large display, described as being between 3.7 and 4.1 inches with WVGA or better resolution, a 5 megapixel camera that we're told might not be final, and it'll likely have a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU on board. The phone is mostly black with some silver highlights, and the gamepad area is white / silver in color. Apparently it's currently branded as a Xperia device, but it looks like it will carry PlayStation branding as well. Those who've seen the phone say it looks "pretty damn sexy." The mockup above probably doesn't do the actual hardware justice, but it should give you an idea of what you'll be dealing with.

 

On the software side, it looks like the device will be running Gingerbread (Android 3.0) with a phone-specific skin, and there will be a new area of the Android Market specifically for the games. That content will be initially accessible only by the halo device, but from the sounds of things, these titles might be made available to other Android phones if their specs and button layouts meet requirements. Games will be graphically in the range of PSX or PSP games, meaning true 3D gaming is headed to Android. Titles currently being shown off seem to be focused around some older PSX as well as new PSP offerings, with God of War, Modern Warfare, and Little Big Planet possibly on tap, and future plans for titles which incorporate augmented reality features.

 

In terms of release, it's possible that the phone and ecosystem could be introduced as early of October of this year, but we have yet to confirm.

 

Right now we're working on getting even more detail about the phone and partnership, but we can tell you now that this is not a random rumor -- we have reason to believe that what we've heard and seen is real and coming to market. It makes perfect sense in a way -- Google gets a much-needed push into the gaming and entertainment space for Android, while Sony (via its partnership with Ericsson) finally delivers the PlayStation phone users have been wanting. We see it as a major win for both companies and the consumer... and we always need another distraction. Stay tuned to this space for updates as we get them, and in the meantime, start socking away the pennies.

It actually sounds really interesting. I separates it even more from the 3DS than the PSP/DS, and will also allow them to tap into the non-gaming audience as it's a phone, and likely be available on contracts. As it is running Android we already know that the phone/OS side of it is pretty damn awesome, and there are loads of apps for it already.

Edit: Linkage.

Yeah, no thanks.

Sounds interesting and is a pretty good idea if true. Android has helped a lot of companies bring the mobile arm from the brink of destruction. Not too sure about the snap dragon part, as it doesn't have amazing graphics performance. Built more for speed and number crunching performance.

Sounds interesting and is a pretty good idea if true. Android has helped a lot of companies bring the mobile arm from the brink of destruction. Not too sure about the snap dragon part, as it doesn't have amazing graphics performance. Built more for speed and number crunching performance.

The Samsung Galaxy S has a dedicated GPU, so I would expect a phone designed around gaming to have one, too.

The Samsung Galaxy S has a dedicated GPU, so I would expect a phone designed around gaming to have one, too.

Which is why I somewhat question the article now as it stated that the snapdragon is likely but may just be engadget conjecture.

Unless qualcomm are developing a new chip with enhanced graphics capability, something like the hummingbird chip in the galaxy S would make more sense. Infact there are several chips out there with better graphics performance than snapdragon. The industry has just moved on so much since that chip was revealed almost over a year ago.

Wasn't sure if I would buy another games handheld, now it's also a phone is a definite no.

I only recently got a PSP Go - which I didn't even pay for - and I allready have a phone that works so... it's a no from me thanks.

The Samsung Galaxy S has a dedicated GPU, so I would expect a phone designed around gaming to have one, too.

The Galaxy S uses the Hummingbird, not the Snapdragon. There's no way anybody's launching a gaming platform on a 1GHz Snapdragon SoC, it'd be crap! The chip is built to crunch through Android OS and give snappy UI response, not for 3D gaming. Presumably the phone ain't launching this year so dual-core Tegra2 or similar could be a good bet.

Sounds like a good idea from Sony though. If they can get the PSP catalogue running on an Android-powered phone it could work wonders for them

The Galaxy S uses the Hummingbird, not the Snapdragon. There's no way anybody's launching a gaming platform on a 1GHz Snapdragon SoC, it'd be crap! The chip is built to crunch through Android OS and give snappy UI response, not for 3D gaming. Presumably the phone ain't launching this year so dual-core Tegra2 or similar could be a good bet.

Engadget said "likely" so they're probably just completely guessing at the moment.

well if this is true...then its a cool idea...they need it to run both PSN and Android Market place then I'd be interested but meh my new contract doesn't finish till december 2011...so what do I care.

Doesn't anyone see that this requires Sony to work closely with Google? I'd say this is a flat no. Although it is a reasonable suggestion as to where the PSP might go from here.

Also, I don't see the next PSP being graphically inferior to the PSP. That is not going to sell to most of the people who bought the PSP, they will think it's an expensive waste.

Sounds a bit rubbish, to be honest. I was excited by the idea of a PSP 2, but only if it had better graphics than the PSP and at least one good analogue stick - there's no way I'd want to use a touch panel instead. If this is all the PSP 2 is, the Nintendo 3DS will eat it for breakfast!

Id only get a new Sony handheld if Sony actually bothered to put some support behind it. Theyve said multiple times that they will for the PSP and nothing really ever happened. I wouldnt buy one for at least a year after release to see what they did with it.

The only thing that makes sense is the PSP branding the same way as Bravia or Cybershot branding. It may only be glorified Remote Play with PS3 or partial PS branding for Android gaming.

It would give Android a big shot however as PSP has stuff the competition does not. With Apple expanding gaming with their own service this gives google a quick big selling point. Android needs some unique app types that stand out from iphone ones and this could be them. Perhaps this is what games like LBP or God of War need for getting sales? Or is Android itself too compromised with its customer base when it comes to purchases?

I'll wait and see but i think this is just a cybershot equivalent branded phone rather than a real PSP phone.

Doesn't anyone see that this requires Sony to work closely with Google? I'd say this is a flat no.

Why so sure? There's a lot of smaller links between the two companies, especially on the PS3; YouTube uploading, Picasa support, there's even rumours they'll replace the console's bespoke browser with a version of Chrome; Sony PCs already come with it installed. The two are hardly strangers.

Anyway, I don't even have a mobile at the moment so that should give you some indication of my interest level.

Chrome on PS3 would make me happy.

How would they market this?

Is it a Sony Ericsson, Playstation or Android phone?

They're going to struggle to market this.

But they'd struggle even more in trying to market a gaming handheld that is going to be seen as competing against the 3DS.

I think this is fantastic as long as they do it right.

We've seen the market place for smart phones grow, and it's clear that it's going to continue to grow and that gaming is very popular on it.

As long as they create an Android phone that isn't gimped and that Playstation integrated well into it, it should be awesome.

I'm very excited, cause I'm wanting to buy an Android phone later this year/next year.

So if this is true then awesome.

P.S. Please don't fuck it up.

PlayStation has already branched out into phones already. I think it was called the 'Aino'.. Didn't play any major games, it was just used a device for remote play and other stuff. Keeping PS phones and handhelds seperate is a smarter move. That's how I see it.

I don't know why people bother creating these types of threads, it's pretty obvious that it's bullshit.

I don't understand why you think they'll struggle to market it. It'll be a breeze to market - its got two of the worlds biggest brands behind it; Sony/Playstation and Google. Hugely respected in their own markets.

Sony and Google are working on a number of projects together - their biggest at the moment is Google TV. Why is it such a surprise to see these two working together? Google has been incredibly proactive in getting its software onto manufacturers devices - thats why Android has exploded in the past 12-18 month.

All smartphones have mainly concentrated (probably by necessity) on more casual gaming experiences so far - its only with iOS4 that we've seen promises of more traditional gaming experiences. Sony would need to hit at launch with some big IP, and really take ownership of the Android PS market - thats where their profits will lie. However, is there a conflict of interst between Android Market and the Playstion gaming service? Thats something Google and Sony would need to consider deeply.

Lets face it, there is nothing on the market that could compete in the mobile (convergence) space like a PlayStation phone, media, gaming and phone - remember that Sony has content interests in this too. Apple does not; it is currently reliant on third parties for all its content.

iPhone, Android are both 'we can also do gaming' platforms presently. A PlayStation phone would surely be a gaming device with phone functionality - a win for gamers (I don't even think MS Phone series 7 has such promise.

I beleive this could be big - assuming its not a big ol' hoax.

*cough*

Personaly i think Apple has the mobile phone/gaming thing down.. i cant see Sony doing well if this goes ahead

I can see some sort of PSP/Android mashup doing well, but the way Engadget describe this one sounds crappy. It's more 'PSP' games on Android than apps, a touch screen and a decent browser on the PSP.