The Sony PSP Phone

[Apple...]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation



I repeat, do NOT underestimate Sony and the PlayStation brand name. Especially if its allegiance is with a giant like Google. Android and SE will take off.

A marriage between Android and PlayStation could take Android to a new level in gaming and resurrect Sony Ericsson's marketshare.

I know this is an Apple forum with fanboys wanting to keep patting themselves on their back with their iPhone 4s. I get it. I love that device too. But let's start to look ahead and where mobile gaming hasn't reached yet?

This PSP phone needs to be done. Give us an announcement and a due date. People will camp-out for it, especially if this device can be sold for under $400 UNLOCKED at your local GameStop. This PSP phone will be the most anticipated phone in cell phone history OUTSIDE of the iPhone. Many Sony fanboys will line up around the block for this big time. Remember the camp-outs for a PlayStation 3 back in 2006? That was going for $600 when not everybody wanted a Blu-ray player or had a HDTV yet! Beware of a Sony COMEBACK. Remember how fast Nintendo came back with the Wii after some lackluster sales with the N64 and GameCube? Sony is the company that made playing video games feel "cool" with the original PlayStation when they targeted an older crowd back the 1990's. Nintendo consoles were labeled as a kid's toy. Sony was the one who helped introduce DVD players to the casual masses back in 2000. People forget PlayStation 2 is not only the best selling video game console, but the best selling DVD player ever. Sony married DVD and video games together. Sony then used the PlayStation 3 as a Trojan horse for their format known as Blu-ray. Look which HD format won out. Forward thinking. You just can't comprehend that vision right now sometimes. The first PlayStations sold over 100M each and lasted 10 years. God of War was made in 2005, and the PS2 hardware was pushed to the max. Incredible results. The PS2 still outsold Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 as far back as 2008. Eight years after it was introduced. A game developer even said PSP has a 10-year lifespan. Hardware or design isn't as important to hardcore gamers. Only games and more games. The PlayStation 2 was underpowered too compared to the GameCube and Xbox, and it became the most successful home console in the industry because of its extensive library. Millions will easily forget the novelty and dud known as the Nokia N-Gage. Nokia can be terrible at design and lack the expertise that Sony has with gaming, design, audio, quality, software, and marketing. The PlayStation brand has sold OVER 300 MILLION SOLD WORLDWIDE to prove this.

A PSP phone could also be a phone I can actually enjoy and keep for more than 2 years just like my PSP and DS. Games is all that matters here. Both old classics and new games. Not so much in fancy UIs, best specs, or design (the PS2 was ugly to me). Great games and 3rd party support is a PSP phone's lifestream.

A PSP phone with Sony and Google backing it up will literally be a game changer for the industry. Apple is dominating now in games because of circumstances and competition. What competition is really out there for them for video games in the cell phone industry? There are no game masters like Nintendo or Sega to outgame them. We will also continue to deal with Apple's censorship and dictatorship too. When I want to rent a movie like Kick-Ass, it censors the name in iTunes. LOL! Gimme a break. Give me topless scenes like what I saw in God of War and Heavy Rain and the bouncy boobies from the Dead or Alive series that Apple WILL NEVER APPROVE.

^^^ Concept of an Xperia X10 with PSP Go slide-out controls.

Oh, and Apple's just gonna sit there. Really? You make it sound like Apple doesn't stand a chance. Yes, they need to do something about their App Store censorship. It's an issue (not a big one), but it's not like it can't be fixed. They're just starting on making iOS a gaming platform (i.e. - Game Center (coming in the fall). The PSP-like phone may be for the hardcore gamers, but definitely not for the rest of the world. IT people would absolutely hate it (if you know what I mean ).

 

[Apple...]

I have disliked the PSP user-interface ever since version 1.0.

I predict....failure. If this hits the market then there will be a mad grab for these (no doubt) but Sony will manage to screw it up somehow. Then "make up for it" by releasing another version of the phone that fixes whatever flaws there are in the original version. Kind of like what MS did for the XBOX360.

+... 2?!?!

 

[wreckshop]

Oh, and Apple's just gonna sit there. Really? You make it sound like Apple doesn't stand a chance. Yes, they need to do something about their App Store censorship. It's an issue (not a big one), but it's not like it can't be fixed. They're just starting on making iOS a gaming platform (i.e. - Game Center (coming in the fall). The PSP-like phone may be for the hardcore gamers, but definitely not for the rest of the world. IT people would absolutely hate it (if you know what I mean ).

Well a PSP phone obviously wouldnt be for everyone. But at least you will have the choice to use a phone with hardware controls if you want.

 

[iUser4Lyfe]

Oh, and Apple's just gonna sit there. Really? You make it sound like Apple doesn't stand a chance. Yes, they need to do something about their App Store censorship. It's an issue (not a big one), but it's not like it can't be fixed. They're just starting on making iOS a gaming platform (i.e. - Game Center (coming in the fall). The PSP-like phone may be for the hardcore gamers, but definitely not for the rest of the world. IT people would absolutely hate it (if you know what I mean ).

lol you are absolutely NUTS if you think Apple alone can compete with an Android / Sony Marriage in the mobile gaming space. NUTS.

Unless Apple SOMEHOW gets MS of their side which would NEVER happen. MS and Xbox Live would be the ONLY platform that could compete with a Sony / Android marriage in the cell industry and even still don't think they would measure up.

Listen I love the iPhone, and haven't had a different handset from the original to current gen, but a Sony / Android gaming phone would take the industry by storm and I would be the 1st to get one.

 

[Apple...]

Well a PSP phone obviously wouldnt be for everyone. But at least you will have the choice to use a phone with hardware controls if you want.

I'd rather have someone make a Bluetooth case with hardware controls for gaming, but that's just my personal preference.

lol you are absolutely NUTS if you think Apple alone can compete with an Android / Sony Marriage in the mobile gaming space. NUTS.

Unless Apple SOMEHOW gets MS of their side which would NEVER happen. MS and Xbox Live would be the ONLY platform that could compete with a Sony / Android marriage in the cell industry and even still don't think they would measure up.

Listen I love the iPhone, and haven't had a different handset from the original to current gen, but a Sony / Android gaming phone would take the industry by storm and I would be the 1st to get one.

I doubt it would "take the industry by storm". Again, you're making it sound like Apple is helpless. They take on lots of competing companies, and they're pretty good at it (although it will be a few years before Apple is as caught up as Sony, in terms of a solid gaming platform, that is). The App Store is/ was a good place to start, and Game Center will be taking Apple to the next level.

 

[Savor]

Think about it for a minute -

PlayStation 3 is the worst selling system that carries that PlayStation brand name. PSP sold 60M. PlayStation 1 and 2 sold over 100M. PSP Go is sold under the PSP moniker and has the same spec sheet as the original.

Even Apple had a flop called the Pippin back in the 1990's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Bandai_Pippin

Nintendo had a flop called the Virtual Boy and now trying to make amends with a portable 3D system with the 3DS in 2011. Even their Nintendo 64 and GameCube did not sell as well as Sony's least successful console known as the PlayStation 3. GameCube sold 21.74M and N64 sold at 32.9M globally compared to the PS3 sold at over 38M and still growing.

Sony will not beat Apple when it comes to interfaces and industrial design. Sony and Nintendo need to attack Apple at their own "game." Let the first PSP and PSP Go be used as a building block the same way Microsoft used the Xbox 1 as a building block for the Xbox Live set-up that got carried into the next generation with the 360. Xbox only lived like 4 years. The 360 is almost 5-years old and still going on strong at over 41M sold worldwide.

At the end, we are all winners. I can have my iPhone for internet browsing, but I can use PSP phone as a backup phone, as well for hardcore and casual gaming. Battery life will always be an issue whether 3G/4G web browsing or playing games.

"That ain't built for Big Boy games. That's built for texting your grandma and calling your girl."

Marcus may sound obnoxious, but is right on the money. What big boy wouldn't mind playing God of War sex mini-games on a phone? I would. =) And you will never find Kratos with topless women on a phone that is built to text your grandma or call your girl. Having touchscreen and tilt controls is simply NOT good enough. When I want to beat someone in Street Fighter or Madden, I need the feel of buttons. I don't want to accidentally touch a button I didn't intend to do because my finger touched the screen out of the blue.

The NEXT LEVEL OF VIDEO GAMING WILL INVOLVE AUGMENTED REALITY. Nintendo and Sony need to get into it ASAP with their phone/portable gaming device hybrid.

Imagine the vision Shigeru Miyamoto would have with games using augmented reality? Or playing Sega's Yakuza or Shenmue (my personal fav) with augmented reality? Apple is excellent at certain crafts like software and design, but not at gaming. Let the proven masters take it to a higher level in mobile gaming.

 

[whitegoodmen]

I think that it's a great ideal. I was so happy when I first got emulators on my droid but quickly stopped playing them because of the lame touch screen control system. I need real buttons to play action games. Role playing games like FF7 work great on it but games like street fighters suck!
This competition is good for everyone

 

[nateo200]

I'd rather have someone make a Bluetooth case with hardware controls for gaming, but that's just my personal preference.


I doubt it would "take the industry by storm". Again, you're making it sound like Apple is helpless. They take on lots of competing companies, and they're pretty good at it (although it will be a few years before Apple is as caught up as Sony, in terms of a solid gaming platform, that is). The App Store is/ was a good place to start, and Game Center will be taking Apple to the next level.

Are you kidding me? Apple can't compete in the video game market at all, they will just shy away if android and Sony team up because they don't have expertise in the area, I can realistically see it too. Think of the insanity of a video game phone with unlocked UMTS for T-Mobile and AT&T and wherever in the world for under $400!!

 

[AmpSkillz]

Wouldn't that be like..Copyright Infringement or Patent Infringement or something for Samsung?


It looks exactly like a Samsung Captivate. Why would Sony develop a phone that looks exactly like their competitor's?

your right... I mean...

can you imagine if all these smart phone companies started making phones that look just like their competitors... Oh... Wait...

 

[bossxii]

The phone won't sell if the games continue to be $40 or $50 bucks a pop. Mobile gaming is nothing like sitting down with a PS3 hooked up to your HDTV and home surround system. If they want to "get in the game" they need to rework their pricing structure. The competition they are targeting already has nearly 100 million users across all iphone, iPod touch and iPad users. $15 bucks for Madden 11 vs $59.99 on a Sony phone? I fail to see how Sony can justify the price.

Love Sony products, great and reliable, but I don't see this as the next big thing in mobile gaming. They need to do more than attach a couple thumb pads on a cell phone.

 

[Hype2k2]

I'd worry more about a MS handheld with a phone more that that piece of crap.

 

[wreckshop]

The phone won't sell if the games continue to be $40 or $50 bucks a pop. Mobile gaming is nothing like sitting down with a PS3 hooked up to your HDTV and home surround system. If they want to "get in the game" they need to rework their pricing structure. The competition they are targeting already has nearly 100 million users across all iphone, iPod touch and iPad users. $15 bucks for Madden 11 vs $59.99 on a Sony phone? I fail to see how Sony can justify the price.

Love Sony products, great and reliable, but I don't see this as the next big thing in mobile gaming. They need to do more than attach a couple thumb pads on a cell phone.

Obviously you know barely anything about PSP. If you did you would know the most expensive game is $40, and there's a whole bunch of games that range anywhere from $2-$40. In fact there are a bunch of games that sell for $10 or less that are very good.

There's a reason why some games are expensive... they actually cost more than iphone games (many of which are just copies of existing games). The PSP game library absolutely destroys the iphone library when you consider the quality and production value of the games.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

The PSP game library absolutely destroys the iphone library when you consider the quality and production value of the games.

It's true but how many people actually give a damn? The iPhone has sold almost as much as the PSP in half the time and in an emerging smartphone market vs. a established mobile gaming market.

 

[wreckshop]

It's true but how many people actually give a damn? The iPhone has sold almost as much as the PSP in half the time and in an emerging smartphone market vs. a established mobile gaming market.

People do give a damn. But its a pain in the ass to have to carry around two devices. For some people its worth it, most its not. I own a PSP thats collecting dust because i dont want to carry another thing in my pack.

If a PSP type phone does come out, then you will see that it will be popular because people already buy android phones. Getting a PSP with it that has superior games to whats out right now is like gravy.

 

[Mr dj mo]

Engadget is reporting that they have information regarding a PSP phone coming from Sony as soon as October. Could be interesting. http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/11/exclusive-sony-ericsson-to-introduce-android-3-0-gaming-platfor/

D-pad = FAIL!!!

Seriously though, you need to have a analogue stick to play games these days so that would have to be added somehow.

Can't really see this catching on either, when I want to play Fifa or MGS i turn on my xbox or PS3, sure the games on my iPhone are fun but they rarley get used for more than 5-10 minutes at a time.

 

[Dexter Fox]

They have, im talking to my friend on msn, and he showed me a few pictures, if its hasn't been made, its in development, I know that for sure.

 

[Carniphage]

I repeat, do NOT underestimate Sony and the PlayStation brand name. Especially if its allegiance is with a giant like Google. Android and SE will take off.

The PSP has failed as a platform. The movie player thing irritated the vendors. And the games have just not appeared.

It's a five year-old platform, with a huge form-factor, and a graphics processor that is very weak by modern standards.

It does not have a lot of support from game developers because it is expensive and difficult to develop for. Games end up very expensive, and don't sell enough to pay-back the development cost.

Sony needs a completely new portable gaming hand-held. They need to draw a line under PSP. But that would mean losing face. And Sony don't do that.

C.

 

[sunny1985]

id happily trade in my iphone 4 for this, had so many problems with this phone i had to check if the manufactures was actually apple lol.

anyways thats my view.

 

[wreckshop]

The PSP has failed as a platform. The movie player thing irritated the vendors. And the games have just not appeared.

Physical for media fell out of favor on mobile devices *shrug*

It's a five year-old platform, with a huge form-factor, and a graphics processor that is very weak by modern standards.

PSP go is about the same size as a Sprint Epic 4G. As for having a weak graphics processor... name a single iphone game you can buy today that looks better than MGS Peace walker. PSP games as a whole look a hell of a lot better than iphone games.

It does not have a lot of support from game developers because it is expensive and difficult to develop for. Games end up very expensive, and don't sell enough to pay-back the development cost.

That's because PSP is easily the most pirated system around.

Sony needs a completely new portable gaming hand-held. They need to draw a line under PSP. But that would mean losing face. And Sony don't do that.

C.

Losing face? PSP will get replaced and PSP phone running android makes perfect sense. In case you havent noticed, Sony is pretty cozy with google right now. All Sony computers have chrome as the default browser. PS3 has google search built in. Sony TVs will be the first TVs to use google TV.

 

[Carniphage]

PSP go is about the same size as a Sprint Epic 4G. As for having a weak graphics processor... name a single iphone game you can buy today that looks better than MGS Peace walker. PSP games as a whole look a hell of a lot better than iphone games.

It's a nice looking PSP title, that's for sure. But the graphics processor is very old-school. It lacks the ability to do per-pixel graphics operations - which is pretty essential in making modern nice-looking games.

Check out John Carmack's tech demo on the iPhone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keu4GiTGQ6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t5nIA5zfhg&feature=watch_response

C.

 

[wreckshop]

I'm very well aware of Carmack and Rage. As so many here would say... Who cares about the hardware. Its about the end result.

In 4 years, iphone has ZERO games that look better than PSP games. Furthermore, many of the games are copies of games that already exist.

 

[Mr dj mo]

I'm very well aware of Carmack and Rage. As so many here would say... Who cares about the hardware. Its about the end result.

In 4 years, iphone has ZERO games that look better than PSP games. Furthermore, many of the games are copies of games that already exist.

*cough* *cough* "Angry Birds"

 

[Carniphage]

I'm very well aware of Carmack and Rage. As so many here would say... Who cares about the hardware. Its about the end result.

In 4 years, iphone has ZERO games that look better than PSP games. Furthermore, many of the games are copies of games that already exist.

If you are developer working today you'd be crazy to ignore iPhone. Developers earn 70% of the retail. This is great for small developers and pretty good for larger developers.

And for small developers it would be almost impossibly expensive to develop for PSP. The dev kits and the amount of code needed just to get a triangle on screen is huge. And you'd be lucky to see 10% of the retail cost in your pocket, because Sony take so much of the pie. And games retailers take more of the pie.

The upshot is that there are very few games being released for the PSP. And those that do come out are very expensive.

The graphics power on the iPhone means game could look amazing. But currently we see it being used in another way. Small developers can get great performance on the iPhone without spending months on a logic analyser.

Yes some big shops might be making nice games for the PSP, but until it becomes commercially attractive for developers, don't expect a lot of games.

C.

 

[wreckshop]

Yes some big shops might be making nice games for the PSP, but until it becomes commercially attractive for developers, don't expect a lot of games.

C.

The platform isn't commercially attractive because most of the PSPs out there are owned by people who pirate games. That's why Sony needs to wind down the current PSP platform and come out with a new secure PSP phone device.

Contrary to what you believe, small developers can make games for PSP in the minis category:

Business terms
SCEE offers favourable business terms to minis publishers and developers.
• Competitive business model
• Revenue realised on a monthly basis
• No penalties for minimum sales
• No quota on number of games released on PlayStation®Store
• Publisher retains control of release dates
• No bandwidth charges

Without question PSP has the games. The current PSP library is excellent, and PSP can play PS1 games perfectly as well... its just the delivery vehicle right now isnt what people want.

 

[allmIne]

I think that's my first sarcastic post that anyone has understood here I usually get flamed for stuff like that when people miss it.

He didn't understand it, lol. Read his response again