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[Green Biker Dude]

The PSP software situation can't really get any worse.

This would offer another avenue for new customers of PSP games, so it can hardly hurt.

If Sony wants to build a tablet, IMO it makes all the sense in the world to take the PSP tech, the PSP software platform, and to build it upon that.

The PSP has in fact, to a degree, been a tablet platform dressed as a games system. You've got games, net browsing, media handling, an 'app store' and more recently new more 'general' apps - like the digital comicbook stuff. You can see where this is going...

I'd go as far as to say that it would be completely moronic for Sony to build a tablet/smartphone platform around any other base, tbh. A greater bulk of the necessary work's already sitting there in a different form (i.e. PSP). Not that it's beyond Sony to be completely moronic when it comes to things like this, but it does make so much sense that it would be terribly disappointing if it were otherwise.

Also might be worth noting, re. mapping controls to a phone or tablet, SCE actually filed a patent relatively recently about doing just that.

I'm not saying this is going to hurt sony or anything like that. i dunno, maybe it is the best decision for them.

what i'm saying is that as far as a gaming system goes, i don't see this one being good. the market for games on these things is mostly for simpler stuff. and i doubt this is going to capture the other share of the market that would be interested in more traditional games.

so, like i said, i expect this will be just "another system with games" and not really a system focused around them, like the psp or the ds, which in turn means the ds2 would be the only handheld on the market. and i'm not making this distinction just 'cause, i'm doing so because it means this one won't be getting many traditional games.

so, as i see it, not really something to look forward to in terms of games.

also, the psp is doing fine in japan. i know it's tanking everywhere else, but what it shows is that it can do well. the problem is, well, i have no idea.

 

[AndyD]

those days are long gone, these days sony is all about supporting open formats, like epub for the reader...

Yep. Stringer even said they delayed the mp3 store so they can offer mp3 without drm rather than a drm format.

So it seems like this month they are going to launch this cross device online store. GDC probably. Neat. Make one app/game and it can be played on a ton of devices, from PSP to phones to tablets to PCs. Like Itunes.

But no one should be surprised though, they did say they want to take the PSN to all their devices in the future. Probably why they separated it into its own arm of Sony and way from Games division.

 

[Vinci]

PlayStation games are not well suited for that environment. Or rather, iPhone has established the norm of what people can expect from a mobile device in terms of games, and none of the traditional strengths of the PS library is well suited for it. The best selling games on mobile devices remain fairly casual pick up and play experiences.

So to compete, they'll need to create their own suite of downloadable games, and iPhone has an immsense advantage already. Heck even DSiware has a better selection of titles in that category

This is a pretty important distinction that people need to recognize, I think. The PSP has never been a software monster. And the truth is, the sort of games comprising the core of its gaming experiences tend to be ones that could belong just as readily on a console and are not what people wanted from a handheld device, nevermind a phone. The iPhone has taken the whole field and delivered the sort of accessible, pick-up-and-play experiences that more mainstream users obviously want from a portable device.

In this particular combat, I'd prefer to be Nintendo trying the same thing. Not Sony. And even Nintendo would likely fail to impact Apple significantly at this point.

 

[krae_man]

we'll get this:lol

For a gaming phone, I'd rather have proper controls/buttons and no number pad, then a number pad used as the buttons.

It does need a slide out full qwerty keyboard though. I cant live without those anymore:lol

 

[gofreak]

While I see what your saying Gofreak and I mostly agree. I just don't see how Sony can use current PSP tech going forward. The chip set while very powerful by 2005 standards, is too power hungry to use any any smart phone or Tablet.

BUT, from what I understand the PSP API is pretty clean and psp games aren't "coded to the metal" like PS2 games were. It could be possible for Sony to move to a new more power efficient architecture and run PSP games. It may require doing what they did for PSminis once they became playable on the PS3. Namley reformat PSP games on PSN so that they include a wrapper that allows them to be playable on this new device.

I don't think they'd literally take the exact same chipset, but a tweaked one.

One for a tablet, at least, would also need to drive a higher res screen (unless they took the Apple route of just upscaling things...:|)

This is a pretty important distinction that people need to recognize, I think. The PSP has never been a software monster. And the truth is, the sort of games comprising the core of its gaming experiences tend to be ones that could belong just as readily on a console and are not what people wanted from a handheld device, nevermind a phone. The iPhone has taken the whole field and delivered the sort of accessible, pick-up-and-play experiences that more mainstream users obviously want from a portable device.

Well maybe the devices would 'just' play Minis... leveraging the whole catalogue or just minis though, IMO they should be doing one or the other with their phone/tablet efforts.

As for the wisdom of it - Sony always comes out with an 'answer'...they always give it a go. And if they are going to give it a go, it would be incredibly stupid not to leverage existing platforms/resources - even if they 'just' used minis.

 

[Trailblaster]

Maybe its just PSP Minis?

I'd like to know how they think they can compete with the ipod phone/touch when stuff like Lets Golf is $2 on the iphone and launced at $7 on the PSP.


Hopefully this will force them to abandon the $40 price point for downloadable portable games which is causing everything to be overpriced.

At this point PS1, and PSmini's are a lock on any new PSP smart phone type device or tablet. And IF they can get retail PSP games running on this thing you can bet the price of those games willl still be high as not to piss of retailers

 

[spwolf]

Maybe its just PSP Minis?

I'd like to know how they think they can compete with the ipod phone/touch when stuff like Lets Golf is $2 on the iphone and launced at $7 on the PSP.


Hopefully this will force them to abandon the $40 price point for downloadable portable games which is causing everything to be overpriced.

who is "them" exactly? Publishers?

 

[Vinci]

Well maybe the devices would 'just' play Minis... leveraging the whole catalogue or just minis though, IMO they should be doing one or the other with their phone/tablet efforts.

As for the wisdom of it - Sony always comes out with an 'answer'...they always give it a go. And if they are going to give it a go, it would be incredibly stupid not to leverage existing platforms/resources - even if they 'just' used minis.

I'm not suggesting the use of minis or otherwise is 'stupid' at all; obviously it makes sense to use existing assets. I just question the whole thrust of the endeavor, nevermind the fact that the content they'll be leveraging really doesn't suit it. Personally I just feel it's crazy to try and compete with Apple right now without bringing something wholly new and intuitive to the table. Perhaps they do have something in mind that wasn't revealed in that article, but... this, as described, just doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[sotodefonk]

I think if this is true, it will be like the current psp go, full 480x272 touch screen with few buttons at the side, and slide psp controls...

The psp go, is almost this, is small, have wifi, bluetooth, storage. They just need to add a simtray, the components that controls the sim, and edit their firmware to make it work. I hope they find a way to increase the battery life (maybe LED LCD? dont know..)
Anyway if this materializes, it will be mine

 

[Safe Bet]

..these days sony is all about supporting open formats, like epub for the reader...

If we're lucky, PS4 will be a pre-packaged multi-media PC.

 

[Byakuya769]

PSP Go with slide out controls, and only soft keys otherwise. Profit.

 

[gofreak]

I'm not suggesting the use of minis or otherwise is 'stupid' at all; obviously it makes sense to use existing assets. I just question the whole thrust of the endeavor, nevermind the fact that the content they'll be leveraging really doesn't suit it. Personally I just feel it's crazy to try and compete with Apple right now without bringing something wholly new and intuitive to the table. Perhaps they do have something in mind that wasn't revealed in that article, but... this, as described, just doesn't make a lot of sense.

Minis would be a perfect fit...they are afterall just iPhone-alike titles, indeed often ports from iPhone.

As for how effective their efforts will be, I totally see where you're coming from...I'm just saying, it never seems to stop Sony from trying.

Also, if it were the case that they were going to integrate minis support, I think that would signal far less of a 'switch' from focus on one competitor to another. If it was just a minis thing, I think SCE would still be focussed on PSP as PSP, leaving Sony to handle the tablet/phone stuff as it sees fit.

 

[mr_nothin]

Probably this phone:

Sony-Ericcson and ARM are to offer the highest performing mobile processor in their next generation phone.

The Sony U8500 will incorporate the ARM A9-Corext MPCore at 1.2GHz with ARM's own integrated graphics IP, the Mali-400 offering, "...peak application performance while also being able to support 120 hours of audio playback or 12 hours of full HD video playback on one battery charge."

The Sony U8500 will be using the Android OS from Google.

The processor is a dual core version and ARM claims this reduces power consumption as the processors can operate at lower voltages and frequencies to acheive the same results as compared to a single core processor.

Read more: Sony and ARM Smartphone @ 1.2GHz - HardwareHeaven.com http://www.hardwareheaven.com/news.php?newsid=723#ixzz0hEcuhO2r

Dual Core Phones coming...

Link for 3DMark Graphics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtaR4fBoy6I

Interview with more gaming footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ur4776L6Og

I believe it's also said to have a 18mp camera also.

 

[Cruzader]

Sony please mix these together!

 

[thcsquad]

I'm not suggesting the use of minis or otherwise is 'stupid' at all; obviously it makes sense to use existing assets. I just question the whole thrust of the endeavor, nevermind the fact that the content they'll be leveraging really doesn't suit it. Personally I just feel it's crazy to try and compete with Apple right now without bringing something wholly new and intuitive to the table. Perhaps they do have something in mind that wasn't revealed in that article, but... this, as described, just doesn't make a lot of sense.

In light of this phone, it seems like minis were created just for this purpose. They introduced them before they introduced the phone, so they could build up some sort of application pool before launching the phone. I don't know why you think the minis don't really suit it...they look like they were created for a pick-up-and-play device like this.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Please run Android.

 

[chubigans]

Guys, it's definitely not an existing phone. Even the president of Sony Ericsson said as much:

"We missed the window for high-end and touchscreen devices big time," he said in an interview with Mobile World Congress' Show Daily (Monday issue). "Part of the recovery will be much better design and closer work with our partner Sony... In the past there was no tie-up between us, the PSP platform and Sony, but you can expect to hear much more about that."

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Sony please mix these together!

The X10 Mini Pro is soooooooooooooooo pretty. I just wish it was HVGA instead of QVGA.

 

[McHuj]

Can't wait. I hope Sony can pull this off successfully.

I fear that Sony maybe to restrictive and that might stifle the success, but if they can open up development like Apple for smaller independent games and deliver great first party/big publisher games, this could be really cool.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Ignoring this particular article;

I think it would be difficult to create a platform that has the control fidelity including comfort of a gaming platform while simultaneously having a comfortable, convenient phone design and a small, cell-phone sized footprint.

Ultimately you need a pixel pitch no looser than the iPhone's, a resolution no lower than the iPhone's, a footprint no bigger than, say, 50% larger than the iPhone's 2d footprint or maybe 33% bigger than the iPhone's volume footprint, and on that you'd have to fit either a comfortable 4-way d-pad or preferably stick, at least 4-8 buttons, etc.

The Xperia isn't bad in this regard; good resolution, good pixel pitch, good screen size, good overall footprint. If you used the keyboard panel for game controls, I think you'd get pretty close to what this kind of device would have to look like. It'd still be a little bit cramped as a game system--or if you went bigger, a little too big for a phone, but that'd be the model I'd go with.

 

[krae_man]

who is "them" exactly? Publishers?

Sony

I find it hard to believe that say Atlus thinks that pricing the downloadable version of Persona PSP the same as this:

was a good idea.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Ignoring this particular article;

I think it would be difficult to create a platform that has the control fidelity including comfort of a gaming platform while simultaneously having a comfortable, convenient phone design and a small, cell-phone sized footprint.

Ultimately you need a pixel pitch no looser than the iPhone's, a resolution no lower than the iPhone's, a footprint no bigger than, say, 50% larger than the iPhone's 2d footprint or maybe 33% bigger than the iPhone's volume footprint, and on that you'd have to fit either a comfortable 4-way d-pad or preferably stick, at least 4-8 buttons, etc.

The Xperia isn't bad in this regard; good resolution, good pixel pitch, good screen size, good overall footprint. If you used the keyboard panel for game controls, I think you'd get pretty close to what this kind of device would have to look like. It'd still be a little bit cramped as a game system--or if you went bigger, a little too big for a phone, but that'd be the model I'd go with.

Sony should just use the Pandora.

...or not...

 

[Gamecocks625]

This is the part of the article that gets me excited:

...that the company is also working on a new iPad like device that “blurs the distinctions among a netbook, an e-reader and a PlayStation Portable.”

I'd love something like this, however, I would want it to be a much smaller size than an iPad as portability is still something I'm looking for. Even it is something that's basically an iPod Touch/PSPgo with a 4-5 inch screen, I'm down for that.

I love the PSPgo, but I want more functionality aside from music/movies/games along with a touchscreen.

No matter what type of device this turns out to be, it will most likely include the ability to play PSP, PSOne, and PSP Minis. Sony haven't been building their PSN library for nothing.

 

[wotta]

Could be good, if its done right obviously.

 

[GamerZero]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178219

Could this Pad be the next-gen PSP2?

 

[Vinci]

In light of this phone, it seems like minis were created just for this purpose. They introduced them before they introduced the phone, so they could build up some sort of application pool before launching the phone. I don't know why you think the minis don't really suit it...they look like they were created for a pick-up-and-play device like this.

Are you really comparing this to the massive amount of games and apps present on the iPhone? It's nowhere near the saturation level.

 

[Byakuya769]

Are you really comparing this to the massive amount of games and apps present on the iPhone? It's nowhere near the saturation level.

Those apps didn't just magically appear on day one...

 

[Tame]

if the build quality and firmware on the phone is anything like previous Sony Ericsson's i've had...............no sale

if it had a keypad on it, i'd use a dogs arse as a phone before i go back to using a Sony Ericsson

 

[SlipperySlope]

How much storage would these phones have? Some of those games were quite large. Final Fantasy 7 was 3 CD's. Granted, there's some duplicate information on the CD's, but it's still a large amount of information.

 

[krae_man]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178219

Could this Pad be the next-gen PSP2?

1up is referencing the same news article as the OP.

 

[Vinci]

Those apps didn't just magically appear on day one...

Of course not. But that's like saying that a new MMO isn't as nice as WoW "but it's far better than WoW when it first came out." It's a useless distinction.

 

[Deku]

Those apps didn't just magically appear on day one...

They also don't magically appear on any platform with the capability. A very specific combination of factors had to occur to reach what iPhone achieved.

That said, a PSPhone has been predicted by quite a few people for some time so it's not surprising they're going with this now. But considering predictions surfaced as early as 2007 when iPhone was fresh and really could have been challenged, it seems late and misplaced.

We'll see. I trust Sony's engineering . I'm just not sure what their angle of attack is. Mimmicking iPhone and leveraging their former strengts in the PlayStation brand seems like a long way to go to attack an entranced competitor.

They may get more traction with their tablet, given the patrionizing way in which Apple is approaching their own tablet device.

 

[tino]

Sony is the only company that has: licensed PalmOS; make some bastardized UI hacks; jumped ship to Symbian; make bastardized version called UIQ; lost the shirt with it, including the whole UIQ devision; jumped ship to Windows Mobile when Windows Mobile is discontinuing the whole old code base; jumped ship to Android, make a fancy UI with outdated android version, that is still not shipped yet.

If this is not the classic textbook example of why Sony will fuck up the PSP phone, I don't know what it is.

 

[CamHostage]

Maybe its just PSP Minis?

PS1 and Minis, yeah. I bet it'll basically use something equivalent to fit the restrictions of Minis (low processor use, no networking or hardware access, etc.) They got off on the wrong foot announcing Minis initially as a PSP effort (and it's taken them way too long to get it 100% on PS3) but I have a feeling the Minis program is designed for a much broader market, PS3 and now phones being key targets. Maybe we'll hear Sony talk about Minis more at GDC.

 

[Shanlei91]

My pocket is desperate for a PSP Phone.

The PSP Go + iPhone combo creates a ridiculous bulge.

 

[KittyKittyBangBang]

IF done right this could be great, but Im skeptical, If I wanted a game-playing phone I would just get an iPhone

 

[gofreak]

The WSJ article is online now - it says that it'll be 'mainly' PSone games that'll form the games catalog available to 'other devices' on Sony's new media network thing. Indeed, they suggest that it's these games that will be used to chiefly differentiate their media service from iTunes.

Has some other details about the internal division of responsibility that gives some hope, perhaps, of good co-ordination between the relevant interests within Sony.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...13088128250.html?mod=rss_Today's_Most_Popular

Threatened by Apple Inc.'s growing stable of portable devices, Sony Corp. is developing a new lineup of handheld products, including a smart phone capable of downloading and playing PlayStation games, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Japanese electronics giant also has a project under way to develop a portable device that blurs distinctions among a netbook, an e-reader and a PlayStation Portable, or PSP. The device is designed to compete against multifunction products such as Apple's coming iPad tablet, these people said.

Sony's media platform, temporarily named Sony Online Service, will offer many of the same movies, television shows and music already available on iTunes. But the company aims to differentiate its service by allowing a wide range of devices to tap into its catalog of games, mainly older titles released for the original PlayStation console.

Sony is working with Sony Ericsson on the new handset, the people familiar with the matter said. While the capital structure of the 50-50 joint venture hasn't changed, Sony is taking a more active role in developing handsets for the partnership because of how central smart phones are becoming to the company's overall strategy.

The main responsibility for delivering Sony's gadget of the future has fallen to Senior Vice President Kunimasa Suzuki, who was promoted as part of a management shuffle a year ago. He is in charge of Sony's Vaio computer business and the new Network Mobile Center. He also serves as PlayStation chief Kazuo Hirai's deputy at both the videogame unit and the Network Products & Services division.

Mr. Suzuki's various roles within the company represent the blending of business divisions inside Sony, placing him at the center of Mr. Stringer longstanding ambition to bring down the "silos" separating the company's various operations.

Sony has said that Mr. Suzuki is leading product planning for new mobile devices, without offering details about the projects. In early February, at a news conference to announce earnings, Chief Financial Officer Nobuyuki Oneda said Sony was interested in devices such as the iPad that don't necessarily fit any single product category.

So yeah...by the sounds of it, it'll be PSone and perhaps PSP Minis available more generally to Sony devices on their new PSN-based network. Starting with this phone and tablet.

 

[AranhaHunter]

I would say they are refering to Playstation 1 games, not to PSP games.

And the tablet/ebook looking like a PSP, I think they are refering to its interface (XMB) and non-games features (movie store, comics store etc)

I would say they are referring to minis, maybe PSOne games, but definitely minis, I think minis will be playable on every platform that has access to PSN (SOS?) in the future, PSP, Sony tablet, SE smartphones, PSP2, PS3, walkman, etc

 

[thetrin]

For me, it'll have to be the full package. I love PSone games, but it's going to have to be a really sexy phone for me to trade in my iPhone for it.

Also, if it's lacking functionality that the iPhone has (whether out of the box or with apps) that would be a stumbling block as well.

 

[Sipowicz]

i can already play ps1 games on my PSP you twats

make a PSP phone or a PSP2 phone.

 

[Byakuya769]

Of course not. But that's like saying that a new MMO isn't as nice as WoW "but it's far better than WoW when it first came out." It's a useless distinction.

Pretty irrelevant analogy. Google didn't exhibit this sort of thinking when they purchased android and ventured into smartphones, and neither should sony. You have to create a sexy piece of hardware with first party apps that are great, third parties have to fall in line after the fact. If you as a hardware company sit on your hands trying to use the psp minis as a way of building a large enough app catalog for a phone launch (with the psp Go as the anchor.. LOL), you will be sitting around thinking about the good ol days for the next decade.

 

[Corto]

I'm also interested in knowing what operating system Sony will use in this Smartphone/Pad. I guess Android would be the safest choice?

 

[Vinci]

Pretty irrelevant analogy.

Are you suggesting that Sony is going to be able to pull together enough 3rd party presence to compete with the massive army of people and companies developing apps for the iPhone? I highly doubt they'll make development for the system anywhere near as easy as what Apple has done. It's not enough for them to simply have PS1 titles, and it's not enough to get some 3rd party support - they have to offer something that hits the mainstream consumers that the iPhone hasn't. And that's something they have failed massively to do this entire generation.

Google didn't exhibit this sort of thinking when they purchased android and ventured into smartphones, and neither should sony. You have to create a sexy piece of hardware with first party apps that are great, third parties have to fall in line after the fact.

I've no doubt Sony can make great first party apps, but their device is going to be competing against something that allows you to turn your lights off in your house from your phone. I'm not saying that functionality is, in and of itself, a killer app - but it represents the sheer stupid levels of depth and variety already present on the iPhone. And I'm just saying, I highly doubt Sony can win this with software; they're going to need to do something distinct if they truly want to take Apple on.

 

[V_Arnold]

Imho, PS games are not designed as a portable experience - period.
Therefore, if I want to turn into gaming for a 5-15 min session, id get an Iphone or a DS, not a PS emulator (even if it is close to 100%).

And beside of what is in my eyes is the biggest problem with the majority of modern PSP games too, PS games are 10+ years old. Not exactly award-winning material for a new audience.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

A phone that is also a gaming device? Being both would be very mediocre. The closest is an iphone and I haven't heard anyone buying an iphone just to play some games. :lol

 

[gofreak]

Are you suggesting that Sony is going to be able to pull together enough 3rd party presence to compete with the massive army of people and companies developing apps for the iPhone? I highly doubt they'll make development for the system anywhere near as easy as what Apple has done.

The requirements for minis development are pretty low, IIRC. Maybe not as low as the app store - kit cost is one thing, you also have to get a esrb rating which costs too - but approval and so forth is quite a simple process. Apparently.

What they need next is a freely available SDK for minis, runnable on PC and so on.

We'll see if/how the minis program adapts if it is indeed to be adopted onto these other devices.

On the overall sentiment of your point...I think to look at things from another perspective, I think it behooves Sony to provide an alternative to Apple. It would be a shame if Apple was the only game in town.

We're ignoring the elephant in the room though: Nokia. I expect they will get their smartphone game in gear sooner rather than later, ovi was a first step. All these choices are good.

A phone that is also a gaming device? Being both would be very mediocre. The closest is an iphone and I haven't heard anyone buying an iphone just to play some games. :lol

I think it's pretty clear this won't be the phone/tablet's centerpiece. It won't be a 'gaming phone'. Playstation is in the title because of the relevance to us, but for Sony these will be general smartphones and devices with about as much emphasis on games as iPhone or ovi or whatever. They'll be exposing some visibility to the PS catalog on those phones (i.e. likely PSone and minis), amongst a lot of other content and features.

 

[CamHostage]

So yeah...by the sounds of it, it'll be PSone and perhaps PSP Minis available more generally to Sony devices on their new PSN-based network. Starting with this phone and tablet.

Maybe also we'll see the Game Archives titles on the service as well? Nintendo has dominated with its Virtual Console but with that company having no interest in getting into phones, maybe Sony can finally offer publishers of old games the trump card of having titles play on PS3, PSP and phones. They've already got PC Engine titles out and NeoGeo titles are said to be coming soon (ESRB already has some titles rated,) plus the leaked Sega docs about their classic collection, that could create a nice lineup.

IF done right this could be great, but Im skeptical, If I wanted a game-playing phone I would just get an iPhone

Apple has done a spectacular job advertising the gaming capabilities, and the developers are for sure on board, but without a game pad, lots of gamers don't look at iPhone as a game machine. That factor alone might be a selling point. iPhone games also rarely reach beyond budget-bin efforts. Stick Final Fantasy VII on a PlayStation Phone and you've established a market difference.

Plus, iPhone is great for what it is, but the market is still wide open. There's no way I can see to beat iPhone, but if a major company simply wants to come in and compete with good hardware and a good gameplan, I don't see that as impossible. Sony's failed me before, oh so many times, but myself not being an iPhone owner, I'd like to see somebody like Sony or Microsoft offer a compelling alternative. (PS. Bring on Windows Phone 7 Series games!)

 

[DiscoJer]

Sony

I find it hard to believe that say Atlus thinks that pricing the downloadable version of Persona PSP the same as this:

was a good idea.

Heck, Atlus is charging $40 for Class of Heroes still, and I don't think the UMD version came with all that P1 did.

 

[Vinci]

On the overall sentiment of your point...I think to look at things from another perspective, I think it behooves Sony to provide an alternative to Apple. It would be a shame if Apple was the only game in town.

I agree with that, but truthfully it would make more sense to go into this with partners. Joining up fully with Android or something, I don't know. I just cannot imagine PS1 games, minis, whatever, and some other 1st party apps being enough to really make a strong attempt. Now if they're able to undercut Apple in some way price-wise, or offer some hardware functionality that makes content adoption or use more convenient in some capacity, maybe they could carve some of the pie for themselves. But this honestly feels too little too late, unless there's more to this than has been reported in that article.

 

[gofreak]

I agree with that, but truthfully it would make more sense to go into this with partners. Joining up fully with Android or something, I don't know. I just cannot imagine PS1 games, minis, whatever, and some other 1st party apps being enough to really make a strong attempt. Now if they're able to undercut Apple in some way price-wise, or offer some hardware functionality that makes content adoption or use more convenient in some capacity, maybe they could carve some of the pie for themselves. But this honestly feels too little too late, unless there's more to this than has been reported in that article.

I'd be somewhat surprised if they intend to build out a whole Sony platform, from OS through to media and app delivery system.

I think more plausible, and more attractive, would be using the latter as a value add in the context of another OS/platform...like Android.

An android phone/tablet with access to the Sony network for media and games apps etc., along with e-reader functionality and so on...something that mixes those things I think could make for a really compelling Android device. I think they could be quite complimentary...may be wrong, but I don't think android has really its own 'itunes' built in (?), and Sony's offering could plug that gap neatly in such a device.

We'll see. If they are going to have their own OS, their own platform entirely, then I agree they need to build out the app development opportunities and tools, and open that up a lot more.

But it depends what Sony wants...to own a platform from tip-to-toe or to 'just' be a primary media delivery mechanism for movies/books/games/music on their devices.