Rumor of a PSP phone

[corduroygt]

A lot of kids game on the ipod touch, so sony could easily make 2 versions of the PSPhone, one with a phone and one without, and if they keep all the hardware the same except for the cell-phone hardware, even if the more expensive phone version doesn't sell that hot, it'll still be a hit.

Also most parents get their kids a cellphone, so might as well get them a cell phone + gaming console all in one.

The top grossing game on the App store is $7.99 Madden 11, and the next one is Chaos, a square RPG at $9.99 (Temporarily on sale from $14.99 regular price)

 

[eastmen]

Idea seems meh after being able to use a windows 7 phone.

The win 7 software is already doing what many want this to do and ms is already pushing developers to it. Some are abandoning andriod development in favor of win 7.

 

[patsu]

Also most parents get their kids a cellphone, so might as well get them a cell phone + gaming console all in one.

Actually, if the parents have their way, I think it may be the reverse. I would give my kid a non-gaming phone because I start to think he games too much.

I'd like the game industry to do more for education or ahem.. society. I noticed that the home consoles are branded as "time waster" or "unhealthy activity/influence" by some governments in the east.

 

[corduroygt]

Actually, if the parents have their way, I think it may be the reverse. I would give my kid a non-gaming phone because I start to think he games too much.

It's obvious that parents don't have their way in this day and age though, judging by the nintendo DS sales. Most parents want to be "cool" and be their children's "friend" so they cave in Kids have plenty of friends on their own, they need authoritative parents...

 

[patsu]

Yes, IMHO, modern child education cedes too much power to the kids.

I think I will send my kid to the army to rough him up a little.

 

[RudeCurve]

Good thing PSPhone has a touchscreen then. So now it's got all the bases covered

Well seeing that kids cant buy phones on their own, I'd say this device isn't meant for them in the first place, so youre point is irrelevant.

What's your point? People buy PS3 to play PS3 games. People buy PSP to play PSP games. PSP games range anywhere from free (if you have PS+) to $40.

I dont understand why you're bringing up $500 phone. The actual cost of the phone is subsidized by the carrier. So that means $200 at the most, same as iphone, but after a certain period of time it will be sold at a much reduced cost or even free, while the iphone will still be $200

once again kids cant buy phones, so PSPhone isnt a product for them, just like an iphone isnt a product for kids either. But lets pretend a kid could actually buy a phone on his own. Why would he pick an iphone over a PSPhone based on gaming merits?

Kids can't buy phones? Of course they can. When did it become law that kids aren't allowed to buy phones?

Kids and people in general buy unlocked phones all the time with no contract and just buy a prepaid SIM.

As I said kids are gonna buy a $200 DS or whatever, they ain't gonna buy a $500 PSP phone with "dedicated gaming controls" so they could play GT PSP on swappable SD cards...lol...therefore Sony will need to release the non-phone version because if they don't the PSP phone alone is gonna flop...because only geeks like you want to own one. Sorry but there ain't enough geeks like you to sustain it. Sony isn't Apple....iPhone without games is still a iPhone PSP Phone will be PSP Go?

 

[eastmen]

Kids can't buy phones? Of course they can. When did it become law that kids aren't allowed to buy phones?

Kids and people in general buy unlocked phones all the time with no contract and just buy a prepaid SIM.

As I said kids are gonna buy a $200 DS or whatever, they ain't gonna buy a $500 PSP phone with "dedicated gaming controls" so they could play GT PSP on swappable SD cards...lol...therefore Sony will need to release the non-phone version because if they don't the PSP phone alone is gonna flop...because only geeks like you want to own one. Sorry but there ain't enough geeks like you to sustain it. Sony isn't Apple....iPhone without games is still a iPhone PSP Phone will be PSP Go?

'm pretty sure you need to be 18 to sign a contract for the phone. So I would think many teenagers will be on thier parents plans

 

[-tkf-]

This phone has potential. Most important part is the controls, PSP GO controls + a Phone, be it iPhone or Android is very attractive. The PSP tag doesn´t require any special hardware it can just be a label and plenty of PSP games should be able to be ported and run on powerfull.

However, looking at the Specs of the current CPU (1 ghz):

1 GHz CPU
600MHz DSP
Integrated 3G mobile broadband
Support for Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® connectivity
Built-in seventh-generation gpsOne® engine with Standalone-GPS and Assisted-GPS modes
High-definition (720p) video decode, and multiple video codec support
High-performance 3D graphics – up to 22M triangles/sec and 133M 3D pixels/sec
High-resolution up to WXGA (1280x720) display support
12-megapixel camera support
Multiple audio codecs: (AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, FR, EFR, HR, WB-AMR, G.729a, G.711, AAC stereo encode)
Support for mobile broadcast TV (MediaFLO™, DVB-H and ISDB-T)
Support for Windows® Phone, Android, and a number of Linux®-based operating systems
Qualcomm’s hybrid mode alternative solution

The likely CPU for the PSP Android:

The single-chip, dual-CPU QSD8672™ includes most of the above features, in addition to:

Dual CPUs, up to 1.5 GHz for faster response and processing
Low-power 45nm process technology for higher integration and performance
Higher-resolution WSXGA (1440 x 900) display support
High-definition (1080p) video recording and playback
Support for HSPA+ networks - 28 Mbps downloads and 11 Mbps uploads
Supports CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO Rel 0/A/B networks
Improved 3D graphics - up to 80M triangles/sec and 500M+ 3D pixels/sec

Not to mention that they bought something from amd:

http://www.qualcomm.com/news/releas...ahertz-processing-mainstream-smartphone-tier-

The MSM7x30 family of chipsets, which includes the MSM7230™ solution for HSPA+ networks and MSM7630™ solution with multi-mode HSPA+/EV-DO Rev. B and SV-DO support, is designed around optimal data throughput and powerful multimedia functionality. The 7x30 has the same market-leading Scorpion CPU as previously commercialized in the Snapdragon QSD8x50 chipset. The 7x30 uses an 800 MHz to 1 GHz custom superscalar CPU based on the ARM v7 instruction set, delivering exceptionally high-end processing at low power to support features that include:

· 720p high-definition video encode/decode at 30 frames per second

· Integrated 2D and 3D graphics GPUs with support for OpenGL ES 2.0, and OpenVG 1.1 industry standard APIs

I would say that PSP power and beyond is possible.

The game is on and i for one welcome anything that brings Apple back down to earth and forces them to compete and innovate again.

 

[JPT]

I think the perception here is influenced by the region of the world we live in.

iPhone cool media gadget device, sucky phone and it has always been, even before the silly "Antenna gate" which seems to be more a problem due crap mobile networks in the USA than in EU, then again when you add it to the already less than perfect phone performance of the iPhone, its not positive.

As for the Android phones they have a host of other issues, ie different versions of Android on different handsets, different hardware in differen handsets etc making software deployment more difficult especially native.

As for contracts, its the norm to get a phone with contract, most people sign up for a year and when that year is gone, they just renew the contract to get a new phone etc, regardless of it being an iPhone or something else.

Now, if Sony releases another phone, lets say Xperia Play, which is basically their Android XP10 with the capability to play PSP & PS1 games, it might not beat the iPhone, but its differentiator from other phones in the market would be the possibility to play PS1 and PSP games on it. And when you are in the market for a phone, that you do phone things with, plays music/videos, does email, web etc. Then suddenly having the extra bonus of huge game library might be the clincher.

But what sucks on all these phones are battery life, it sucks the get of a 10h flight and have no battery left on your phone because you played games for a couple of hours. Fix that and I am on the bandwagon.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Whatever happened to methanol fuel cells?

 

[-tkf-]

But what sucks on all these phones are battery life, it sucks the get of a 10h flight and have no battery left on your phone because you played games for a couple of hours. Fix that and I am on the bandwagon.

The market for 10 hour flights entertainment has always been Nintendos. It´s one of the most far fetched and useless arguments on battery power that has ever been brought to the table.Why? Because it matters for so few people that it really doesn´t matter in any real sense, and it´s so easy to handle if really is a problem.

The real battery issue (and it does exist) is just keeping the smartphone running for a day on one charge if it also has to provide heavy 3D entertainment. And by the looks of it that is being improved in the coming CPU´s and battery improvements. And developers (JC is a good example) are also having to consider these issues during development.

 

[(((interference)))]

Useless to you.

There are shitloads of touch games on iPhone and DS that play GREAT and are very popular to boot.

I would generally agree with touch screen controls being pretty bad, but the iPhone port of GWRE 2 is really something, while obviously not as good as a controller the touch controls work astoundingly well, which is quite an achievement for such a hardcore, twitch game, AND it controls much better than any PSP shooter I have played, the analog nub on PSP isn't very good (and the lack of the second analog nub was probably the stupidest hardware decision of this decade)

I think the best solution is to have hard buttons/sticks along with a multitouch capacitive screen (not like the DSs crappy resistive one)

But yea, touch games have come a LONG way since the days of Palm and Pocket PC games where half the time your taps would not register.

And I completely agree that the biggest problem with handheld devices is battery life, my 3GS is a year old now and I use it every day and the battery life absolutely plummets if I game, we need new battery technology, Li-ion has been around since the early 90s, battery tech is lagging way behind the pace of electronic hardware.

 

[JPT]

The market for 10 hour flights entertainment has always been Nintendos. It´s one of the most far fetched and useless arguments on battery power that has ever been brought to the table.Why? Because it matters for so few people that it really doesn´t matter in any real sense, and it´s so easy to handle if really is a problem.

The whole point for me, is that I do not want to drag along another device to kill some time on the plane. When I travel now on longer trips, I got phone + laptop + psp. I'd love to cut back on the devices. I've looked into Phone + iPad, but that would be just day trips because working on iPad is not really compatible for what I do.

So if I could do phone + Laptop, ie Laptop for "serious" work and phone for mobile productivity, communication and entertainment, it would make me a happy camper. But I must be confident I am not stranded in the shady part of some city without a working phone, because I decided to play some Solitaire on my phone during my flight.

And looking at the battery usage of my Motorola Milestone, what taps the battery, is the display and radio/wlan, according to Android

As for the PSP Phone, I would consider it if the battery issue was "fixed". But if I would list my buying criteria, its currently:

1. Android, I am on my 2nd gen Android phone, love the OS and applications, it just works for me and my needs.

2. Battery life, as long as I get a decent 24-35 hours out of my phone, in regards to calls, texts, emails, lite surfing/navigation (google maps)this stays second. But if I could get 48-72 hours and similar usability as Android, then it becomes #1.

3. Entertainment, audio, video and gaming, but I still need the 24-35 hour usage

Way of-topic, sorry!

 

[Squilliam]

Whatever happened to methanol fuel cells?

Im not sure. Though I always thought that maybe one day they would use a reversible hydrogen fuel cell, that way people can still charge conventionally.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Toshiba were set to release a fuel-cell shortly after PSP's launch, and I was confidently predicting widespread adoption and a fuel-pack for PSP. Oh, how their PR doth smite me! If the tech works, why the blazes isn't it available?! We were promised this, and we've just got this. Some future this turned out to be!

 

[wco81]

I still feel that a gaming phone would have a hard time in the US market - a phone like this is going to be too high-end for the average parent to buy their child, and I think for a more professional set there would be a semi-negative stigma associated with having a phone with dedicated gaming functionality.

Who knows. But, it's a perceptual hill to climb IMO.

In Europe I think it would have its best chance, and potentially Japan as their trending towards smartphones increases.

Exactly. If you're over say 25, do you want to carry around a Playstation phone in to a job interview for instance?

Otherwise, you're carrying more bulk for those dedicated controls. Maybe they should work on pairing phones to the DS3 or other bluetooth game controllers for dedicated games.


Then there's the stigma of PSP games. That platform, to put it charitably, is played out. There's been a half dozen HW iterations playing the same software for over 6 years? Well in that time, portable gaming has settled into 99 cent iPhone games and the one or two handful of Nintento blockbusters which are able to command the $30-40 prices that Sony would like to get.

Portable gaming can't have been a good business for Sony the last couple of years. They might do better developing or licensing GT Mobile and other popular PSP properties to Android and iOS than trying to develop new hardware, deal with inventory, etc.

 

[Rolf N]

Im not sure. Though I always thought that maybe one day they would use a reversible hydrogen fuel cell, that way people can still charge conventionally.

But why? Hydrogen is such a garbage fuel to work with. You can't even store it for more than a few weeks. It just dissipates right through solid steel.

 

[Titanio]

Exactly. If you're over say 25, do you want to carry around a Playstation phone in to a job interview for instance?

This is partially why Sony should probably try an embed the Playstation into an established smartphone platform.

The type of customer Sony wants - savvy, over-the-air consumers - seem to be gravitating toward smartphones.

There's probably a good deal of crossover with a decent chunk of the PSP audience and smartphone owners. More than their competitor's handheld, I'd guess.

And that makes sense. For portable devices, I think convergence makes all the sense in the world for most people.

I know for myself, I'm not interested in carrying around a PSP. Or a DS. I have a DS for my own enjoyment just because it offers something different vs home games. But I'm not interested in carrying either around in my pocket. Partially for the extra weight etc. and partially because I don't really want to be conspicuously 'gaming' in public. Most people here who publicly carry a DS or PSP around are kids. So there is probably a conspicuous consumption barrier for some demographics, if you want to put it that way. However, if I could choose from a range of 'normal' smartphones that happened to have Playstation content available on them, I'd be much more inclined to avail of that platform. And that's one of the key parts of this rumour - this phone won't be a playstation phone per se. It's apparently branded as an Xperia phone, the playstation stuff is sort of a sub-component of the phone. If there was a range of such devices, no one such device would be easily identifiable as 'a Playstation' either in the way a PSP currently is. In its closed form even the specific device in this rumour, would probably be impossible to distinguish.

By the sounds of the first part of the rumour, about this being a platform level thing, I think it suggests there'd be a range of supporting devices. Probably with a spectrum of more or less 'game-y' controls. A specification for interface components for supporting phones might allow a range of approaches from gamey ones (such as on the rumoured Xperia) to mappings that use existing 'normal' components. The touchpad being used to emulate an analog stick might already hint at that in this particular rumoured phone.

It's hard to say. But if I was Sony, assuming the necessary business arrangements could be made, I would be leaning toward more silent embedding of the platform into as many smartphones/smart devices as is possible, where it is one part of a broader platform that is already compelling in its own right, and where it becomes one component in an already compelling device. Something people are as likely to buy into by accident as by deliberately picking up a Playstation device.

If people are already gravitating toward smartphones, and that's where gaming dollars are being increasingly spent, I might want to think about bringing my platform to that context.

 

[Squilliam]

But why? Hydrogen is such a garbage fuel to work with. You can't even store it for more than a few weeks. It just dissipates right through solid steel.

Water is available pretty much anywhere you can charge your phone if thats a problem. In any case im sure the materials used wouldn't allow for hydrogen to leak out of containment.

 

[-tkf-]

Sure because there's a bunch of phones from different manufacturers flooding the market...besides Apple is supply constrained anyway...doesn't mean everyone and their grandmother is standing in line to get an Android. As I said iPhone is hot despite not having dedicated gaming controls.

It doesnt matter who makes the Android phones, if it sells more it... sells more and where i live the HTC desire is on backorder, 3 weeks like the iPhone 4

It will be interesting to see what Sony does, but I'm not too sure an Android PSP Go Phone is the answer. Who knows Sony may surprise everyone and release something similar to the iPhone without a bunch of buttons. I think if Sony does that and make it look and feel as sexy as the iPhone 4 then they will regain the respect they had when they made the coolest portables like the Walkmans.

Nowadays even MS is kicking Sony's ass in the portable touch screen media player market. Have you seen and held a ZuneHD? It looks sexy and feels like a iPhone 4 just doesn't have the phone bits. Totally destroys any Sony portable touch screen media player out there. If MS integrates phone capabiliies into the ZuneHD form factor running WP7, it will be a fantastic competitor to the iPhone.

Why not? That's really up to Sony. If they want to release a standalone PSP alongside the PSP Go Phone then they will have to take the phone part out in order to keep it below $200 to compete with DS/3DS.

The Walkman era is over, it´s like the iPod or iPhone era for Apple, they had that market cornered and then technology made that fade away. And politics, the Sony walkman of today are actually pretty cool. Did you actually check them out?
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...51&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&categoryId=16178

The Zune, imho, is another example of Microsoft producing something great without really pushing it, i can´t buy it in Europe.

As i see the Android PSP, it will be another platform for Games, the advantage will be the controls and the potential back library. PS1 and maybe even PS2 games on a Sony phone.. that will be hot.