By 
So we’re all pretty much convinced that the device is real, but what exactly is it? When will we see it? What will we be able to do with it? None of these questions can be answered with 100% certainty, but MobileCrunch was fortunate enough to receive an informing phone call from their “much-trusted tipster” who shares with them the following:
- Yes, it’s absolutely real.
- The screen is “mind-blowing”, on-par (at least by the tipster’s eye) with the iPhone 4′s retina display. The person giving them the rundown on the display indicated that some of Sony’s Bravia technology has trickled in here, with Sony Ericsson considering leveraging the Bravia brand when highlighting the display.
- It won’t ship in time for the holidays, with our tipster saying it was “no where near ready”. According to their Sony-Ericsson rep, the company is off-the-record-officially aiming for February. At this point, a launch scheduled around Mobile World Congress is nearly certain.
- Sony Ericsson currently has the off-contract price floating somewhere around $500, with that purchase including 5 free games.
- It’s unclear whether the “Playstation Phone” is capable of running actual (downloaded) PSP games — I’d wager that it’s not, given what I’ve heard and the amount of emulation work that would be required. We’re likely looking at a new, independent line-up of games built specifically for this platform, which might explain why Sony Ericsson is reportedly planning on pushing this handset with the XPERIA brand rather than the more recognizable Playstation brand. Sony Ericsson is heavily leveraging Sony’s licensing partnerships, though, with names like Tekken being thrown around.
- Games will purportedly be priced like mobile games, not like PSP games. In other words, expect sub-$10, not sub-$40.
- The tipster confirmed that the “Z-System” name so oft thrown around the rumor mill around is still in play, and that Sony-Ericsson reps used it to describe both the gaming platform and the distribution center. It’s still unclear (even to Sony-Ericsson, it sounds like) whether the game distribution will be done in a standalone application or through the Android Market, but our tipster was told that Google was working closely with Sony Ericsson to try and bring it all into a section of the Android market exclusive to these devices. It’d be highly beneficial for Sony Ericsson to have Google on their side, here, given that the latter has considerably more experience with payment processing (and relationships for things like carrier billing).
Their tipster says that it’s the best gaming experience they’ve ever had on a mobile device. If this won’t run current PSP games, what games could he be talking about? There are no games in the market that could take advantage of the unique set of controls which make up the surface beneath the supposedly-gorgeous display, so we can only assume he’s either using an emulator or insinuating that some games are already in the works, not a crazy assumption at all. As always, we’ll be on the lookout for more.
Using the XPERIA name instead of the Playstation name pretty much seals this thing’s fate. I’m excited for it, but nobody gives a shit about XPERIA.
I would hope the games would be simply downloadable and not require the owner to buy cartridges? That would be archaic. Sony should just open up an App Market and open up a games marketplace specifically for them.
Damn – imagine Little Big Planet on that? Whooooo!
They must go with PSP name.
Patapon on a phone would be a dream come true. I would never get another productive thing done ever again if I could have that on my phone!
This phone is from the future… the next Friday Feb 1st is in 2013… Either that or they have been working on it since 2008.
i would go with the name PSPhone
I want.
hey as long as it doesn’t look like the one in the picture, then ok :P
PST? you gotta admit, it does rhyme with their other products… but does anyone actually say “tele” before “phone” anymore?
…and yes I know, PST does sounds stupid.
February, eh? Isn’t that around the time we’re lead to believe that Honeycomb releases?
.
So I guess we should expect it to launch with Eclair, then?
even if this just plays ps1 games and emulator’s i’ll consider it, hopfully if google are working alongside sony-ericsson(even if its a failed experiment)it’ll mean an increase in games for android as a whole.
a phone unsubsidized for 500 dollars, with less than ten dollar games? I don’t know who this company is and what they did with the real one.
500 is about the average price for a good smartphone. plus the 5 ~$1o games will make this an ok price
i mean off contract. if ur talking about on contract price then ya, thats terrible
If this thing cant run psp games then its a straight downright failure.
As if they are going to realease a separate market JUST for this line of mobiles.
@dave the phone already comes with froyo, why do you expect it to come with eclair?
Hopefully we’ll finally get a LocationFree Player app now that a “PSP” phone is coming. Its available on the PSP so lets have it for android PSP phones!!
@Drake Fan, the phone doesn’t even officially exist, how can it already come with something? Nothing has been announced, so I’m speculating, based on S-E’s strange propensity for equipping their phones with ancient versions of Android at launch.
.
If you want to be generous and predict that it will launch with Froyo, feel free. That will probably still be two versions old by the time the phone finally hits shelves.
Nah, another Sony Phone not quite wowing the crowd.. I was desperately hoping it would be able to play PSP games, but that would be a big ask really, even the smallest PSP is larger than a decent smartphone size. Also the PSP has a resolution of 320×240, and current average standards for Android phones are 480×800, i.e. dirty scaling for PSP games.. Unless Gingerbread will support a vast array of screen resolutions (likely) AND Sony produce a phone that will support a 960 x 720 (3x PSP res, nicer scaling of games)- VERY UNLIKELY.. So we are left with what is probably a top of the range Android gaming phone, with a lack lustre wealth of games available for it (atleast a yay for Tekkan:-).. Again Sony are making the same mistakes, not studying the markets, not listening to consumers and producing a phone that will spark a tinkle of interest rather than a explosion of excitement.. but I really really hope i’m wrong..
… and I’m no longer interested.
TEkken on my phone will be sick but yes Xperia does suck. Symbian FAILZ
I’ll buy it just for the emulation possibilities. Seriously…I can carry an NES, SNES, Game Boy, AND Sega Genesis around in my pocket AND have dedicated controls AND all the greatness of Android?!? The modern games are only an added bonus. Then once XDA gets their hands on it…SOLD.
Who wants old 320×240 games just for compatibility? I want a phone with games that seriously kick anything available for iPhone with real controls!