John-ShepardHey, this is a little too close to breaking company policy…
Sony never "comments on rumor and speculation" and never "announces anything until there's something to announce." It's so 100% written-in-stone that any journalist in the field for more than six months knows you don't bother with e-mails to Sony concerning rumors. And yet, during a conference call, Sony CFO Masaru Kato did indeed hint that Sony is working on a certain product that will cater to the mobile gaming market. Thanks to a Seeking Alpha transcript from that conference call, we get Kato's full comments on the matter.
"I don't think we can discuss specific product or features at this conference call. Mobile gaming is a very important business area for us. We started out with the PSP that was our first mobile gaming console, but since then the market as you know has expanded into bigger arenas that gaming on mobile phones, gaming on tablets, gaming on and also certain mobile devices.
The PSP being a proprietary platform was more concentrated I'd say core gaming segment rather than the light game [segment], but now we are addressing that market as well. I cannot be specific as to how we will introduce [a] new product to address these markets, but one thing I can say is that we have those markets addressed, and we will come out with products and services to capture the broader gaming market."
You "have those markets addressed," huh? So who's going to interpret that as "yep, the PlayStation Phone is coming"? Let's just assume for a second that it's a foregone conclusion: what do you want to see from this PS Phone? What features should they include and which should they avoid? How fixated on gaming should it be, what with the PSP2 also in the works? Also, what's a good price point for the device…?
i hope something like this is true. i would so rather have a psp phone than an iphone. i would love to know more now i hate this waiting game. i really hope its not e3 next year that we hear about this for real.
I'm kinda interested in this, maybe it's time to ditch my 8 year old cellphone.
Damn, I thought my phone coming up on it's 7th birthday was old! I see no reason to replace it yet, nothing is broken on it!
maybe they mean that the psp 2 will come with free 3/4g built in so that you can play multiplayer without a wifi connection. You know kind of like the kindle has 3g but it isn't a phone.
Don't really know what to think until I hear/see more about it. I don't think I would be particularly interested in this at the moment. Maybe once I can hold the actual hardware in my hands, see how it feels and plays.
Thinking of rather picking up a PSP and look at working through some of the systems best games. Simply put on the PSP front, things will just get cheaper as time passes.
By end 2011 PSP2 should be out, and that will be another whole new ball game.
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
I'm figuring the PSP2 will support lame mobile games as well as sweet games, and will have bluetooth and some sort of "always on" mode that doesn't eat batteries like a monster.
PSN on Android phones. Minis and certain downloadables.
Android on PSP Phone. Full featured gaming device with apps and Phone.
PSP2 powerful gaming device with advanced PS3 capabilities.
I hope they can magically manage to provide all of the above in one package.
A PSP phone with the latest Android running on it would make me a pretty happy camper.
Although to be honest… hardware wise I just don't know how they could possibly fit all the things I want in a smartphone and PSP together in one device that I'd be willing to haul around in my pocket all day… I have faith though, lets see what you got Sony.
So…
will the PSP2 be basically like the iTouch and Playstation Phone like the iPhone? nearly the same thing except one makes phone calls?
Hopefully
if im honest, thatd be frickin brilliant. as long as the thing actually plays proper games, not just stuff from an app store. i mean the psp 2 HAS to be a stepforward. i dont care if the games come on some new small micro sd style card. just games feck it! and obvs backwards compatibility with the psp-000s.
Sony must come on strong with this device. I believe that if they have truly surveyed the market they have found that consumers require a device that simply does do it all, even if they know it or not. If they create said device they can continue with the" It Only Does Everything" campaign. It must be beautiful. It must be smart. It must be accessible. Most of all it must be better! Dont come half-ass into this SONY. To me it seems that most companies are simply upgrading tech that has been dormant for years and branding it a innovative and the wave of the future. Sony has been there and done that. But it is now show and prove time. Nowadays it isnt about the idea. It is about who gets to it first and who makes it works best.
completely agree, specially on the last statement. first and best! the only reservations i have against this prototype design are the touchscreen sticks. not sure how reactive thats gonna be. i tried playing with touchscreen sticks on my friend's iPad and the experience was very dumb-ening…
as the days go on, im more and more convinced the PSP phone is the PSP2 developers have been talking about.
i so hope not, i dont want a phone i want a gaming device!
"The light game segment"? I think he's talking about Angry Birds!
While that is a pretty decent game in its own right, I expect much more "core gaming" from a product that has the word 'PlayStation' in it, not beer drinking and farting simulation apps.
I have a sinking feeling this is the rumored PSP2, and I so hope that I am wrong 🙁
Wow I'm psyched for this! now i don't have to have both pockets full (phone on one, PSP on the other).
I really hope Apple and sony collaborate on this one( I know it's not gonna happen but a guy can dream).
the reason behind this is I really hate the android operating system, way too techy for my liking
@Fathasun – I couldn't agree with you more.
Some people just don't understand that a phone and a gaming device can be one. I surely hope the PSP2 is this device. I cant wait. The PSP phone will be a smash success.
i really hope the ps phone is legit. i have the samsung moment for sprint, it was good for a few months, then it completely crapped out. the ps phone has to be better than the moment, and if it can be used with sprint, im down for sure.
I've been contemplating picking up a Sony E-reader because..well I like to read. If Sony's going to come out with a Handheld console that is a phone and a e-reader? I may just wait…