Sony Ericsson "PSP" phone could threaten Apple's iOS game revenue

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
An unconfirmed report claims that Sony Ericsson is at work on a Playstation-branded Android smartphone with a new gaming ecosystem.



Published by Engadget, the report cites "a trusted source" for leaked details of the upcoming device. Described as a cross between "the Samsung Captivate and the PSP Go," the phone would use PSP-style controls instead of a traditional QWERTY keyboard. It could also include a 5 megapixel camera and a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor.



With a potential release as early as October of this year, the phone would pioneer both an Android dedicated gaming ecosystem and the long-rumored PSP phone combination.



The smartphone will reportedly run Android 3.0, also known as Gingerbread. A new area of the Android Market would be created specifically for games, which could be ported from the PSP or PSX library. These games could then be brought to other Android phones, provided they meet certain specification and control requirements.



For its part, Apple has recently been ramping up its focus on mobile gaming. The Cupertino, Calif., company is developing a Game Center social gaming network for iOS 4 that will provide a centralized friend system, leaderboards, and unlockable achievements. The feature was announced in April and is slated for release this fall.



In March, Flurry Analytics reported that Apple's share of the American mobile gaming market had grown from 5% to 19% from 2008 to 2009. Apple's growth cut significantly into the Sony PSP's market share, which dropped nearly half from 20% to 11%.



In April, Apple hired a new games editor, Matt Casamassina, for the iPhone App Store. According to Casamassina, he will "be leading the charge for games on the App Store."



Apple could also be looking to purchase a Chinese game developer to advance further into the mobile gaming market. In early August, rumors said a final deal with Handseeing Information Technology Co is "close," with an estimated price of $148 million.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 83
    I'd rather not look at this as "lost revenue" but more as "strong competition". Competition makes products better. That said, this is Android (where the best stuff is only available on cutting edge and consumers have to constantly buy new phones to stay on the cutting edge), Sony (who seems to be making one majorly bad business decision after another), and PSP (which, let's face it, was a massive flop in almost every respect).
  • Reply 2 of 83
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    OOooooo that's gonna hurt. But Sony won't get it right the first time.
  • Reply 3 of 83
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    This is interesting but yet again points out the problems with Android. Every device has it's own design which game developers have a hard time developing for and will end up having bugs.



    Another problem is Android users generally don't like paying for apps. Everybody likes to compare the number of apps but actual sales aren't remotely close. I've yet to hear any stories of an Android dev getting rich from their App Store.



    This device might appeal to some teens but most don't care enough about gaming to have the design of the phone dedicated to it.
  • Reply 4 of 83
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Personally, I never bought into Apple's declaration that their mobile platform was all of a sudden a suitable gaming system, so my expectations for Sony's effort is rather high given their storied history in this arena.



    We'll See...
  • Reply 5 of 83
    doroteadorotea Posts: 323member
    The sun "could" explode too!
  • Reply 6 of 83
    aimbddaimbdd Posts: 49member
    wow... whats up with these people... ill believe it when i see it.... it would take a while to catch up to apple... and Nokia hasn't exactly been putting out to great of phones recently...
  • Reply 7 of 83
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dorotea View Post


    The sun "could" explode too!



    No kidding. Whatever.
  • Reply 8 of 83
    This phone could be soooooooo awesome. I'd heard rumors of a playstation phone, just assumed it would suck because they try and do their own OS. By teaming with Android to build something, this could be really great!



    I don't think Sony will screw this up, its such a good idea in the first place. Very ambitious. They're going to really have to blow it for this not to be a hit.



    I'm still stuck on my iPhone, and am not a big enough gamer for this, but damn.
  • Reply 9 of 83
    shadashshadash Posts: 470member
    Nintendo wrote Sony off recently - I think they said something like Apple was the only real competition in the handheld space now. But this could be big for Sony and - if the games are portable to other Android handsets - big for the Android platform as well. Of course Sony has managed the PSP pretty badly, especially the last couple of years, so we'll see.
  • Reply 10 of 83
    firefly7475firefly7475 Posts: 1,502member
    If Sony want to make an impact they need to build PSN and a games division for Android, not just Sony phones.



    They could still maintain control (or rather - they have to, to make it work) by certifying minimum requirements for phones to have the Android PSN.



    I've got a feeling the won't be able to put something together fast enough though. Apple are furiously copying Xbox Live at the moment and they will no doubt have a solid product in place in 12 months.
  • Reply 11 of 83
    firefly7475firefly7475 Posts: 1,502member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dorotea View Post


    The sun "could" explode too!



    The sun is going to explode
  • Reply 12 of 83
    eyepadeyepad Posts: 39member
    This will sell nearly twice as many units and Microsoft did with the Kin



    John Gruber



    Sony doesn't know what Americans want and expect. See X10 for more info...
  • Reply 13 of 83
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Sounds like a desperation move by Sony if they adopt Android. Instead of "strong competition" it sounds more like "Sony's death rattle".
  • Reply 14 of 83
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mbarriault View Post


    I'd rather not look at this as "lost revenue" but more as "strong competition". Competition makes products better. That said, this is Android (where the best stuff is only available on cutting edge and consumers have to constantly buy new phones to stay on the cutting edge), Sony (who seems to be making one majorly bad business decision after another), and PSP (which, let's face it, was a massive flop in almost every respect).



    I totally agree! PSP, including the PSP Go, has failed and I don't think PSP Phone, if and when it even comes out, would be any threat to Apple GameCenter initiatives. Interesting thing is that even I believe the gaming for iOS is going to become more prevalent on iPad in future, as that experience is even richer than iPhone/iTouch. I don't Apple needs to be worried here.
  • Reply 15 of 83
    PSP Phone for Gamers



    iPhone for you, your dad, mom, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, girlfriend, your neighbor, your dog, cavemen, the 2 a.m. wh*re at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood, everyone...



    I'm sure the hardcore playstation boys would love this.



    Maybe Microsoft will follow with an Xbox phone...
  • Reply 16 of 83
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wurm5150 View Post


    PSP Phone for Gamers



    iPhone for you, your dad, mom, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, girlfriend, your neighbor, your dog, cavemen, the 2 a.m. wh*re at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood, everyone...



    I'm sure the hardcore playstation boys would love this.



    Maybe Microsoft will follow with an Xbox phone...



    I guess you didn't get the memo: X-Box Live is an integral part of Windows Phone 7.
  • Reply 17 of 83
    nealgnealg Posts: 132member
    As a provider of consumer electronics, from my standpoint, Sony has done very poorly the last several years. Sony used to be a quality brand but I had nothing but trouble with all the Sony stuff that I had purchased several years ago so I stopped buying Sony electronic products. Don't have a clue about their VAIO systems but they seem to garner some respect in the PC world but I have never been interested in them.



    Their gaming systems were different. The PS2 was nice but after the Wii, we haven't purchased anything Sony(or anything else) after that. I am not much into gaming anymore so I don't really know about the PS3 or the PSP but Sony had done a good job with their games. Although Sony has been off the mark by a good deal lately, they could, in games more than any other arena, pull off something that people want, IMO.



    But this is just a rumor, right?



    Neal
  • Reply 18 of 83
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    I guess you didn't get the memo: X-Box Live is an integral part of Windows Phone 7.



    i guess you didn't get what i meant. i meant an xbox phone like how sony is rumored to be planning with controls and all... maybe nintendo will also follow with a DS phone...



    oh and i wasn't serious about the xbox phone... c'mon man.
  • Reply 19 of 83
    I think this phone will be a flop, they couldn't sell the stand alone version. now they want you to get a contract for one.
  • Reply 20 of 83
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aimbdd View Post


    wow... whats up with these people... ill believe it when i see it.... it would take a while to catch up to apple... and Nokia hasn't exactly been putting out to great of phones recently...



    You have $500 to spend ($100 subsidized):



    Would you buy a portable game player that could make phone calls



    or



    a portable phone that could play games?



    ,
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