The Sony PSP Phone Buzz
Blogged by Nahk
The latest buzz recently seems to be the imminent release of a device that intends to fuse a 'Sony PSP' with a phone. Imagine that!
But this news is not all that new. There have been rumors and beliefs about Sony pushing out a playstation phone since many years now. So one may ask why the buzz?
It is the timing that is propitious. Sony CEO Howard Stringer has presided over a grim period in the company's history – Sony recently announced plans to shutter 10 manufacturing plants and lay off 8,000 workers. Meanwhile, sales of the new PSP Go – a sleek, stripped-down version of Sony's popular PSP video game system – have sagged.
Stringer sees salvation in pursuing a similar strategy to Apple: a centralized site for games and applications, and a full line of compatible gadgets. But as Chris Foresman of Ars Technica notes, "Sony needs new products that can move in significant numbers if Stringer's plan to tie products into its online media service is to succeed."
Sony is therefore working on "a smartphone that can download and play PlayStation games that they're hoping will challenge the iPhone".
The Wall Street Journal mentions that Sony is also working on a new media platform tentatively titled Sony Online Service, which will offer many of the same movies, TV shows and songs already available on iTunes. The addition of PSP-quality games to such a catalogue could give Sony's media portal a real unique selling point.
The games on offer will mainly be "older titles released for the original Play-Station console". The fact that 'Play-Station games' are being mentioned and not 'PSP games' may be significant. While the idea of being able to download old PlayStation classics like Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider on a mobile phone appeals to me, I would really like to download PSP games like Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops too.
Till we formally hear from the big people at Sony, all this buzz around the 'Sony PSP Phone' remains just a speculation. But if this concept-phone actually releases this year, then Demasia I think you know what I need for Christmas.
