Sony considering 'PSP Phone', says report

According to the Nikkei business daily, Sony is actively considering developing a 'PSP phone,' a mobile phone/gaming handheld hybrid, in an effort to compete with the astoundingly popular iPhone.

The company has plans to get a project team together in July to develop the new product, which will "combine functions of its portable game player (the PSP) and Sony Ericsson's mobile phones," reads the report.

Although Sony declined to comment on the speculation, the move would make sense and has been oft rumored for years.

Game developers such as Capcom have been offering games for the iPhone, taking advantage of the strong market share for Apple products while at the same time taking away revenue from the traditional handheld gaming devices, the PSP and Nintendo's DS/DSi.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 29 Jun 2009 19:34

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30 comments

Morreale

Well if they do come out with a PSPhone then I hope it comes 2 years from now cause that's when my contract ends :)

29.6.2009 20:01 #1

ZeusAV

PSP has a far better game library than the iPhone so if they were to do this then I'd be very interested. The real question is will it be able to compete with iTunes and the content of the App Store and will the design be as nice and sleek as the iPhone.

I doubt it would be competitively priced since Sony and Apple both have a tendency to overcharge for their products.

30.6.2009 00:08 #2

korgoth3

it would be cool to see it as an android. the android market could hold the downloadable games, and the game developers could code button settings for the psp phone as an option. much bigger market that way.

30.6.2009 00:50 #3

sideffx

I've been saving for an Iphone but if this is true and it could be released in the next 12 months I will hold off for it. And then probably end up buying and Iphone or Blackberry!?!!?!?

30.6.2009 01:00 #4

qianzui

Am looking forward to the arrival of this product

30.6.2009 02:19 #5

SDF_GR

a dream comes true, a PSP with 8.1mp camera and all the other features would be more than perfect.

30.6.2009 03:54 #6

Morreale

Originally posted by SDF_GR: a dream comes true, a PSP with 8.1mp camera and all the other features would be more than perfect.More then expensive too lol

30.6.2009 04:04 #7

pphoenix

The iPhone already has the market share, just as sony were last out the gate with mp3 players and lost out to the ipod, zune & creatives offering, they are last out the gate with a handheld gaming, phone, internet handset.

30.6.2009 11:38 #8

SDF_GR

^^^ nah normally sony will add all the PSP staff including remote play (aino is the first phone that supports it) ps store, wi-fi etc
and if the phone has a 5mp+ camera and is acctually able to play "all" the psp and psx games i think that iphone etc dont have a chance.... and if it has a touch screen too... well imagine a phone like this.
I will buy it anyway, now i have the c905 i pay for it 500euros at christmas I think that PSP-phone will have more or less the same price and still it will be a hit.

30.6.2009 13:24 #9

DXR88

Ahh... my god... make it stop the Voices... t..he VOICES.

30.6.2009 14:37 #10

xyqo

It's interesting to think just how this will work.
First of all they're using a proprietary firmware which means they'll have to do all the software work to port mobile phone apps to the system.
It's impractical to make it dual boot Android (pointless really).
So that means one more locked up smart phone OS would be heading to the market.
Then will they go EVDO or HSPA if they're smart they wont alienate Verizon customers in the US instead copy RIM when they made the Storm to operate on GSM and CDMA based networks.

30.6.2009 16:22 #11

shaffaaf

id so buy this if dark alex does his majic

1.7.2009 09:45 #12

KillerBug

I've been wanting this forever! Sure Apple got to it first, but PSP is so much better than the iPhone in terms of gaming...can't wait!

2.7.2009 00:05 #13

Jemborg

About time! Might be the only way to get the PSP doing better in the marketplace. Even getting more and better games (and perhaps apps) produced for it.

Frankly, I thought they were going to do this ages ago. It comes across as a begrudging step imo.

I'm all for it. I'd like to see Apple kicked in the ass, even by Sony. I'd even consider perhaps getting one.

Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

2.7.2009 12:42 #14

gmontalc

*
*
It is about time SONY !, waiting for this product for 3yrs now!, If the iPSP comes out, it will be the END for the iPhone

3.7.2009 21:38 #15

pphoenix

Originally posted by gmontalc: *
*
It is about time SONY !, waiting for this product for 3yrs now!, If the iPSP comes out, it will be the END for the iPhonelol, the install base is huge for the iphone, sony have missed this ship i'm afraid.

4.7.2009 05:54 #16

chris4160

Lol, sony would have to make the discs a lot smaller, nobody is going to want to carry around something that big everywhere... imagine playing a game and the phone rings, how annoying will that be.

I doubt it will be able to compete with the iphone.

5.7.2009 02:19 #17

chrissd

Originally posted by KillerBug: I've been wanting this forever! Sure Apple got to it first, but PSP is so much better than the iPhone in terms of gaming...can't wait!
What is everyone going on about Apple getting to this first? This is a tech site.. I'm sure you can all remember the N-Gage. :P It was just before it's time unfortunately. Sony could do well if they released a psp phone combo. If they released the PS store to it, you'd instantly have a heap of games for it.

@chris4160
Seeing as how big the Sony MS Pro Duo cards are now, they could release binary files online to load onto a mem stick. Partition off an area in the main phone memory, put a key (username and pwd) in there, have that list all the games the user is allowed to play. Then give them a link (store?) to download the binary files for it online. Could be awesome if they made it like Steam with the ability to preload and then play as soon as it came out. :D

The smart phone market is still wide open. Apple wasn't one to look after security and, up till recently, they didn't need to. But now the iPhone is a popular phone, they've got security flaws coming up every which way. MSFT fanbois are having an awesome time but the iPhone could die just as quickly as it came up if Apple don't fix it. Problems I've seen so far: Safari will load and run .dmg (image) files in the background silently with no user interaction required. Binary code in an sms will auto run on an iPhone.

Also heard of really dodgy temperature fails but first lesson is not to trust the net unless you can find it elsewhere and I haven't gotten around to that yet. But if it does die round 32C, then it's gonna be fun in the aussie summer.. lol

5.7.2009 03:44 #18

chris4160

That's a good idea, but it would use to much download limit, each game is 6gb+. Also most games are designed for playing off a disc, so most multiplatform games would not work or would need additional developing. Releasing console games via download would bring up a whole lot of piracy issues.

5.7.2009 03:52 #19

chrissd

Yea, for a place like Aus where we pay for speed AND data.. But companies are talking about having streaming movies. Some person said Blu Ray was going to die because the move was toward online downloads. And if they upgrade everything to manage movie downloading, then games will be easy to get. If, of course.

Steam does digital downloads reasonably well. You download the games, can back them up as ISOs, but need the Steam client to play them. And seeing as how big they're getting, doesn't seem to be much problem with piracy.

The online community has been releasing games playable on memory sticks for years. I'm certain Sony has developers that can beat "some modder". :P

5.7.2009 05:07 #20

girith

cool I'm looking forward to its arrival. I'll buy 1

Nothing is impossible.

6.7.2009 23:49 #21

Jemborg

Originally posted by chris4160: That's a good idea, but it would use to much download limit, each game is 6gb+. Also most games are designed for playing off a disc, so most multiplatform games would not work or would need additional developing. Releasing console games via download would bring up a whole lot of piracy issues.Dunno what your on about... PSP games are gonna have to be downloaded for the new PSP anyway and they don't use anywhere near 6gb+. Check out the recent model.

On another note,I would assume a PSPhone would have far more portable computing power than anything in the same "handheld" class (eg iPhone, Blackberry etc.), could anybody confirm this?

Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

7.7.2009 00:42 #22

chris4160

Originally posted by Jemborg: Originally posted by chris4160: That's a good idea, but it would use to much download limit, each game is 6gb+. Also most games are designed for playing off a disc, so most multiplatform games would not work or would need additional developing. Releasing console games via download would bring up a whole lot of piracy issues.Dunno what your on about... PSP games are gonna have to be downloaded for the new PSP anyway and they don't use anywhere near 6gb+. Check out the recent model.

On another note,I would assume a PSPhone would have far more portable computing power than anything in the same "handheld" class (eg iPhone, Blackberry etc.), could anybody confirm this?Most multiplatform games are 6gb+, how will it not take 6gb+ download limit to download it?

7.7.2009 01:02 #23

DXR88

The iphone has more Processing Speed and GPU power than the PSP, but the PSP has got more bandwidth and a controller to play games with.

7.7.2009 03:07 #24

Jemborg

Originally posted by chris4160: Originally posted by Jemborg: Originally posted by chris4160: That's a good idea, but it would use to much download limit, each game is 6gb+. Also most games are designed for playing off a disc, so most multiplatform games would not work or would need additional developing. Releasing console games via download would bring up a whole lot of piracy issues.Dunno what your on about... PSP games are gonna have to be downloaded for the new PSP anyway and they don't use anywhere near 6gb+. Check out the recent model.

On another note,I would assume a PSPhone would have far more portable computing power than anything in the same "handheld" class (eg iPhone, Blackberry etc.), could anybody confirm this?Most multiplatform games are 6gb+, how will it not take 6gb+ download limit to download it?True, but we are talking handhelds here. Not home consoles. The maximum size of the outdated UMD discs for the PSP is 1.8gb but in reality many or most of the games come much smaller than that. New downloaded games may end up larger... but I doubt it.

Originally posted by DXR88: The iphone has more Processing Speed and GPU power than the PSP, but the PSP has got more bandwidth and a controller to play games with.Regards DXR88- on the ball, as usual. I'm quite surprised by that. It must have a fairly decent GPU then.

Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

7.7.2009 04:39 #25

chris4160

Originally posted by Jemborg: True, but we are talking handhelds here. Not home consoles. The maximum size of the outdated UMD discs for the PSP is 1.8gb but in reality many or most of the games come much smaller than that. New downloaded games may end up larger... but I doubt it. Doesn't psp have multiplatform games? Anyway, if the psp phone is anything like the other internet compatible phones, it will have a plan, with a set, included amount of download limit... which is usually less than 1gb

7.7.2009 04:51 #26

Jemborg

Originally posted by chris4160: Originally posted by Jemborg: True, but we are talking handhelds here. Not home consoles. The maximum size of the outdated UMD discs for the PSP is 1.8gb but in reality many or most of the games come much smaller than that. New downloaded games may end up larger... but I doubt it. Doesn't psp have multiplatform games? Anyway, if the psp phone is anything like the other internet compatible phones, it will have a plan, with a set, included amount of download limit... which is usually less than 1gbNot really, a game is specifically written for the handheld in question. Occasionally a PSP game has been ported to the PS2 (or maybe the PS3 afterwards)- like one of the Silent Hill games.

I guess for their new "download the games for the PSP" tact you will download the game thru your poot's ISP then transfer it via USB to your PSP- pretty much what you do with a hacked PSP anyway.

Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

7.7.2009 05:22 #27

chris4160

Originally posted by Jemborg: Originally posted by chris4160: Originally posted by Jemborg: True, but we are talking handhelds here. Not home consoles. The maximum size of the outdated UMD discs for the PSP is 1.8gb but in reality many or most of the games come much smaller than that. New downloaded games may end up larger... but I doubt it. Doesn't psp have multiplatform games? Anyway, if the psp phone is anything like the other internet compatible phones, it will have a plan, with a set, included amount of download limit... which is usually less than 1gbNot really, a game is specifically written for the handheld in question. Occasionally a PSP game has been ported to the PS2 (or maybe the PS3 afterwards)- like one of the Silent Hill games.

I guess for their new "download the games for the PSP" tact you will download the game thru your poot's ISP then transfer it via USB to your PSP- pretty much what you do with a hacked PSP anyway.Wow, you're right (no offence meant), psp has entirely exclusive games (except for a few sports games). I guess if all ps3 games were released on psp then everybody would just buy a psp instead of a ps3 (not that anybody is buying a ps3).

7.7.2009 05:36 #28

shaffaaf

doesnt the newer PSP (Slim) have 64MB of ram?

and you can Overclock the porccessor via M33 FW?

7.7.2009 08:52 #29

Jemborg

Originally posted by chris4160: I guess if all ps3 games...What games? LOL

(no offence taken btw)

Originally posted by shaffaaf: doesnt the newer PSP (Slim) have 64MB of ram?

and you can Overclock the porccessor via M33 FW?
I got the impression (from a quick squiz around) that the M33 firmware resets the PSP's cpu fsb to it's factory propriety speed of 333MHz (see DXR88's table), that's because Sony underclock the thing by a whopping 33.3% to 222MHz! So that creates an impressive 50% leap in performance for users... not bad.

Its a lot easier being righteous than right.

7.7.2009 11:24 #30

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