Apparantly the PSP2 exists.

[tongue_of_colicab]

I was just about to say that. When I hold a handheld I use my index fingers to hold it, not the palm of my hand.

 

[patsu]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/26/the-playstation-phone/

Photo: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/10/engadgetpspphone7-1288143278.jpg

It's hard to believe that what we're looking at is real -- but we assure you, the picture above is in fact the PlayStation Phone you've long been waiting for. As we reported back in August, the device you see is headed into the market soon, likely boasting Android 3.0 (aka Gingerbread), along with a custom Sony Marketplace which will allow you to purchase and download games designed for the new platform.

...

I need to see the launcher/XMB for this device. May be that will give a hint of what may come on PS3.

EDIT: There is a rumor on another Playstation pad product (Larger than a phone with "backside" touch screen)

 

[draconian]

This is not the psp2. This is a sony ericsson venture. Remember, this is a completely different corporate entity than SCE. It could possibly be that SCE gave them some licensing deals to SE.

 

[patsu]

Yes, but it's still interesting to know where they are going, and what do they consider as "Playstation" with this product.

 

[Aeoniss]

Pretty beefy phone. This in no way corresponds to the up and coming PSP2?

I imagine it wouldn't be able to play its games either.. Depending on the disparity of the specs.

 

[Brad Grenz]

your palms general support nothing considering how close to the edge the controls are
its a psp not a dual shock

But we aren't talking about a PSP, we're talking about a PSP2 with a 5 inch screen and who knows what kind of control layout, and in any case, you'll hold the device differently for something touch driven versus something button/stick driven. If you're trying to control the PSP2 via a touch interface on the back you should be able to easily support the device with your palms so your fingers are free.

 

[Xenus]

I doubt it. I think it's just Sony Ericson trying to capitalize on the Playstation brand to fight the iphone. It could work for them if they release an updated one every year or two depending on the game support.

 

[patsu]

What APIs do PSP and PSP Minis developers use to write software ?

If this is Qriocity compatible, my PS3 rented or purchased videos should run on this thing also (and vice versa).

The RemotePlay approach is too limited at this moment, unless they can make it work reliably for all PS3 games and media.

 

[corduroygt]

Why is Sony so slow on merging Ericsson with the networked products division? SE is hemorrhaging a lot of money, and the future of portable gaming is in phones or more like "connected devices." It's time to let all the redundancy go in SE and make PSP Phones from now on.

 

[Rangers]

The PSP phone != the PSP2.

 

[corduroygt]

The PSP phone != the PSP2.

Why have all these products competing with each other? It's pointless to have both this and the PSP2 if they're not the same hardware besides the phone radio chip. The iphone/ipod touch model should be used for PSP2, not two different devices where each is played differently and has different controls.

 

[brain_stew]

Pretty beefy phone. This in no way corresponds to the up and coming PSP2?

It is? Seems pretty middle of the road to me, especially in terms of GPU performance, even against the smartphones of 6 months ago (e.g. anything using Samsung's Hummingbird for example). Its going to look pretty damn underpowered going up against dual CortexA9 + SGX543MP2 phones which should be hitting sometime close to its 2011 launch. No idea why you would choose a Qualcomm SOC for a device that is focused on gaming.

 

[Xenus]

Only thing I can think of is they are trying to make an iPhone competitor and expect to refresh it every year or two. In that way it could work for them.

 

[patsu]

Why have all these products competing with each other? It's pointless to have both this and the PSP2 if they're not the same hardware besides the phone radio chip. The iphone/ipod touch model should be used for PSP2, not two different devices where each is played differently and has different controls.

I agree they should consolidate their hardware use, but this is basic principle. Sony can't be that stupid. May be they want to introduce the Playstation branding to other cellphone makers too ?

The earlier rumor mentioned a different CPU (as a likely candidate):
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/11/exclusive-sony-ericsson-to-introduce-android-3-0-gaming-platfor/

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, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and LittleBigPlanet possibly on tap, and future plans for titles which incorporate augmented reality features.

EDIT: *If* … IF this is true, it has great implications even for the PSP2.

 

[corduroygt]

It is? Seems pretty middle of the road to me, especially in terms of GPU performance, even against the smartphones of 6 months ago (e.g. anything using Samsung's Hummingbird for example). Its going to look pretty damn underpowered going up against dual CortexA9 + SGX543MP2 phones which should be hitting sometime close to its 2011 launch. No idea why you would choose a Qualcomm SOC for a device that is focused on gaming.

The best of today's smartphone games still can't compete with the likes of LBPSP,GTPSP, and the two GOWPSP's running on 6 year old hardware though.

 

[brain_stew]

The best of today's smartphone games still can't compete with the likes of LBPSP,GTPSP, and the two GOWPSP's running on 6 year old hardware though.

I don't see how that bodes well for this device since it has to deal with the same abstraction layer, OS overhead, inefficient drivers and lowered price expectations as all the rest of these phones do, its running the same OS on very similar hardware afterall.

 

[patsu]

You won't be able to hog too much power on a phone anyway. People want (to reserve) the juice for the phone.

 

[brain_stew]

The earlier rumor mentioned a different CPU (as a likely candidate):
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/11/exclusive-sony-ericsson-to-introduce-android-3-0-gaming-platfor/
.

It does? I'm only seeing a mention of a "1ghz snapdragon CPU" which is exactly what the CPU powering the MSM8655 can be described as.

 

[patsu]

Whoops, yap… the earlier rumor mentions the same CPU, but the rest of the rumor is still intriguing: The content could be made available to other devices as long as the performance and button layout meet requirements.

 

[cal_guy]

Why is Sony so slow on merging Ericsson with the networked products division? SE is hemorrhaging a lot of money, and the future of portable gaming is in phones or more like "connected devices." It's time to let all the redundancy go in SE and make PSP Phones from now on.

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture between Sony and Ericsson so that would not be possible.