By Toby Green
We've already had one great Playstation rumour in the past few days, but here's another which could cause repercussions around both the gaming and mobile phone worlds. Marketing Week are reporting that Sony is considering launching its own mobile phone, based on its handheld gaming system, the PSP. The phone, which would raise questions about Sony's long-term association with Ericsson, would be the first to be carry the Playstation brand and, if true, could produce a real challenge to the iPhone.
The popularity of the iPhone comes from combining the desirability of the iPod with the everyday necessity of a mobile phone. The Sony PSP isn't as popular as the iPod, but it is a very impressive piece of kit. And unlike the Nintendo DS, it also looks the part – a vital factor for mobile phones.
Mobile phone companies clearly believe there is a market for mobile gaming, and have tried to capatilise on it with phones such as the Nokia NGage.
But with its great graphics and games (such as a number of versions of Grand Theft Auto), a phone based on the PSP would blow the competition out of the water.
Add to this the fact that the PSP already supports both MP3 and video playback, and you've got the recipe for a phone that – whisper it – could be an iPhone-beater.
That is going to be AWESOME!
If only they could associate themselves with some one else other than Ericsson!
Posted by: CWTF | Thursday, 26 June 2008 at 07:18 PM
This would be awesome. I would buy is in a second!
Posted by: Kristi | Tuesday, 01 July 2008 at 04:42 PM
This would be fantastic. I suspect it wouldn't have the same mass appeal of the iPhone, after all far more people have iPods than PSPs, but I would be off down the shops like a shot.
A system that could actually offer a sensible internet interface, a reasonable size screen, films and gaming... don't get me wrong I like music but I also like alternatives and this would do MP3's too. The only issues to my mind would be built in hard discs (essential for this really imo) and battery life. Would I have to charge the damn thing every night?
Still, i'm sure Sony could sort it out, I hope they run with this.
Posted by: Graham | Friday, 04 July 2008 at 04:33 PM
You're missing the point of why iPhone (and iPod) sales continue to go through the roof. It's NOT about playing games. It's NOT about the latest and greatest tech specs. It's about usability - solving the problems that people have in their everyday life and solving them without needing to read a 50 page manual, beforehand. The Apple kit just works. The rest of the industry - and pretty much every single article writer - doesn't seem to have caught on to this, yet.
Posted by: Jason Anderson | Saturday, 05 July 2008 at 11:28 AM