PlayStation Team Wants Android Engineers
Sony's PlayStation team is looking for engineers with Android development experience fueling reports that the company is planning a PSP phone powered by Android.
There is absolutely nothing new about PSP phone rumors. Every since smartphones hit the mainstream, there's been will they/won't they talk regarding a phone based on Sony's popular handheld gaming console. However, Android Central points to a recent Sony PlayStation job posting for a server engineer based in London that requires applicants to have "experience in mobile development, specifically Android."
Android Central speculates that Sony is aiming to pad its internal game development teams with some Android talent to ensure they have launch titles for an Android PSP phone. Engadget's Nilay Patel writes that they could be prepping an Android/PSN service to combat Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 and Apple's iOS Game Center.
The most recent rumors involving a PlayStation phone was word of an Xperia-branded phone that would also carrier the PlayStation brand and feature a touchscreen measuring between 3.7- and 4.1-inches and a slide out panel with game controls. Instead of analog controls, the device is said to have a long narrow touchpad. The phone is said to boast a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU under the hood and a 5-megapixel camera. Android 3.0 would be the operating system along with a custom UI on top.
Would you buy a PSP phone running Android? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Android Central, Sony, Engadget
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Hmmm...PSP go phone with android on it?
Perhaps, I will get one.
I can understand why Sony would marry its gaming aspect and its phone aspect together, but it really feels like a desperate attempt to maintain market presence because of the looming threat of the 3DS and them not having a PSP2 in sight for a while. Personally, i'm keeping an eye on this from a distance and will look at how this products prospects pan out when it gets released. Depending on this i'll consider it for purchase, but i'm most anxious about PSP2 related things.
I think it could be really successful with proper support from developers and publishers. Especially if Sony can release emulators where you could download old games, maybe dear I say it, Nintendo and Sega classics from the 8 and 16bit era would be real hit.