PSP getting VoIP'ed in UK

by James Ransom-Wiley { May 23rd 2007 at 1:57PM }

UK telecommunications operator BT has developed software for PSP that will enable Sony's handheld to call other participating PSPs and some BT phones in the UK, and eventually PCs, landlines and other cellies in as many as 100 additional countries. Using the Go!Cam peripheral (currently scheduled for a UK release on May 25), the service will utilize BT's 21 Century Network, which has been designed for IP technology -- supporting both voice and video calling. BT plans to reveal further details during the Leipzig Games Convention in August, but the service's initial launch will be limited to UK calls to and from home or BT-operated wireless hotspots (there are roughly 2,000 scattered in and around airports, train stations, hotels and fast food joints in the UK).

BBC recalls that Nintendo ~~was the first to~~ has also attempted to transform a portable gaming device into a clunky, crippled phone, revealing DSpeak in 2005, which enabled Mario-mimicking VoIP calls -- but the application was never released. Still, with a headset, DS users can make calls to friends while both are playing VoIP-compatible games like Metroid and Pokémon.

Update: PSP games like SOCOM Fireteam Bravo also support player-to-player VoIP communication via a headset.

[Via Engadget]

Tags: bt, gocam, psp, uk, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom, voip

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:11PM

question is, is it real vonage-type stuff where you can call actual phones, or is it all psp to psp stuff?

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:14PM

Why mention the DS and its VoIP-compatible games and overlook the PSP VoIP-compatible games?

Viridium @ May 23rd 2007 2:15PM

Sidetalkin' taco? :(

Rob Accomando @ May 23rd 2007 2:18PM

omg, Sony copies Nintendo AGAIN. :oP

DBX00 @ May 23rd 2007 2:19PM

JodyAnthony

"Sony's handheld to call other participating PSPs and some BT phones in the UK, and eventually PCs, landlines and other cellies in as many as 100 additional countries"

nate @ May 23rd 2007 2:20PM

it's fun to read

Chris @ May 23rd 2007 2:21PM

The Sony N-Gage?

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:23PM

oh, I have no idea what a BT phone is.

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:23PM

fyi: SOCOM arrived on the PSP with this functionality in 2005. Metroid was 2006 and Pokémon 2007.

shmahat @ May 23rd 2007 2:25PM

there you go again!
"Still, with a headset, DS users can make calls to friends while both are playing VoIP-compatible games like Metroid and Pokémon."

right, yes or no joystiq, are you implying that there are no games for psp that use the headset?
if you are unaware of these games with these functions on the psp, why are you reporting on this medium? if this was a story about the ds you just wouldn't bring up the psp and its comparable services, but guaranteed you will always mention the ds and the end of a piece about the psp.
why am i even bothering to make a point here?
oh yeah I'm an idiot, i some times think you people care about games as medium.
does anyone else think that journalism should report fact and shape popular opinion rather than follow it and bitch on its behalf?

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:26PM

in addition the never released/never existed DSpeak had nothing to do with video calling.

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:28PM

shmahat, joystiq's "James Ransom-Wiley" gets his back pocket stuffed by nintendo, if you know what I mean.

XGamerX @ May 23rd 2007 2:28PM

Lol I doubt handhelds will ever be able to shrug off the N-Gage image when it comes to voice transfer.

http://gamergeddon.com/

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:30PM

"right, yes or no joystiq, are you implying that there are no games for psp that use the headset?"

it seems to me that joystiq is saying something along the lines of "although DSpeak was never released, there are DS games that have voice chat ability"

nowhere does it say anything about PSP games not having voice chat.

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:31PM

the ds thing was just an aside to the article. You people look so hard for stuff to complain about you'll just pull shit out of your ass.

shmahat @ May 23rd 2007 2:37PM

see? why did i say anything here?

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:36PM

JodyAnthony,

Mentioning the DS w/Chat w/o mentioning the PSP games that hit the market with this functionality years before the DS is devious at best.

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:42PM

I think the only reason they brought up the DS games is because the BBC article talked about DSpeak, and James was only saying that while DSpeak wasnt released, the idea was put into future games.

But they updated the post to mention SOCOM so lets all stop pointlessly bitching now, shall we?

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:45PM

"they updated the post to mention SOCOM"

yet they (you) intentionally left out the FACT that it came out years before the DS games

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:47PM

"yet they (you) intentionally left out the FACT that it came out years before the DS games"

oh holy jesus christ almighty, who really cares? does it really matter in the least?

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:47PM

Important overlooked fact: Nintendo was NOT the first.

X_Arre @ May 23rd 2007 2:50PM

You guys are such whiners, damn. Does it really matter anyway, it's been updated.

"see? why did i say anything here?"

What, you can't take feedback or rebuttal at all? This is the internet. If you didn't want anyone to say anything, you shouldn't have posted, or just not check back to see if anyone responded.

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:50PM

"BBC recalls that Nintendo was the first to transform a portable gaming device into a clunky, crippled phone"

NOT

"BBC recalls that Nintendo was the first to add voice chat into their games"

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:50PM

"oh holy jesus christ almighty, who really cares"

those expecting non fraudulent reporting

X_Arre @ May 23rd 2007 2:51PM

Jody, they didn't quote it, so you can't really disprove anything...

But I do see your point.

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:53PM

Socom PSP came out on Nov 8, 2005, but the NGAGE CAME OUT OCTOBER 7 2003 I DEMAND JOYSTIQ UPDATE THE ENTRY WITH THIS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!!!!!!1

rellik_san @ May 23rd 2007 4:35PM

You know if you wanna talk about who's copying who, they all technically copied Team Speak, as for the VoIP mobile thing, well, Pocket PC's anyone?

Seriously if you want to talk about who copied who, everyone in the console industry copied PC's.

Happy now?

As for the not mentioning games, from what I can gather, all that was being said, was that Nintendo were also working on a similar project but it never saw public release for whatever reason. Honestly, you people are so defensive over anything bad said about Sony, its ridiculous and probably doesn't affect most of you as to start with its being offered by BT as a UK only service, so stop your bitching already.

required @ May 23rd 2007 2:57PM

"BBC recalls that Nintendo was the first"

you misquoted the BBC article as well. it mentions that in 2005 Nintendo made an announcement not that it was the first and the fact that you overlooked socom which launched in 2005 further lowers your honesty level.

Taylor B @ May 23rd 2007 2:58PM

I'm cautiously optimistic about the PSP gaining phone capabilities. Past history shows that phones turning into other devices have been strewn with issues. Perhaps a real gaming device turning into a phone will have different results.

Regardless, I'm still excited about the possibility of the following:

1. Realization of PSP Remote Play (See: PS3 1.8 notes)
2. PSP (slim?) redesign.
3. Phone capabilities giving Remote Play access anywhere.

The major impedances are plenty. And this is likely a pipe dream, but to me, this seems like it would be an awesome way of unifying their devices. I'm sure this idea has come up at Sony, given our lovable Kutagari's talks of a PSP phone in the past. Who knows if it's a reasonable, or even a practical idea from a market stand point.

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 2:59PM

they had a demo going at e3 in may of 2005. socom came out in september of 2005.

Taylor B @ May 23rd 2007 3:01PM

One more thing. Probably the biggest obstacle would be battery life and weight. A PSP phone would be terrible if the PSP wasn't able to run in a very reduced power mode while being actively used. The idea of a phone that is only powered for 12-16 hours sounds terrible.

P.S. Doesn't the guy in the picture look like Julian Casablance from The Strokes?

LongshotX @ May 23rd 2007 3:03PM

I guess I should throw my cell phone out and cancel my AT&T service. Now I just need a PSP to talk to my friends.

required @ May 23rd 2007 3:04PM

JodyAnthony, why mention the Nokia phone? It was not the first phone to play games and it was never not a phone. It's non sequitur.

shmahat @ May 23rd 2007 3:06PM

"What, you can't take feedback or rebuttal at all? This is the Internet. If you didn't want anyone to say anything, you shouldn't have posted, or just not check back to see if anyone responded."

no, my point being you total morons just ignore the sentences that follow the part you decide to quote!
I'll have to quote myself won't i!!??
"if this was a story about the ds you just wouldn't bring up the psp and its comparable services, but guaranteed you will always mention the ds and the end of a piece about the psp."
seriously, am i really asking too much, i just want some psp news without " yeah but the ds...." at the end of it. if you like the ds, enjoy it, just stop ramming down my throat. oh and the same goes for that halo3 beta/demo!!

required @ May 23rd 2007 3:09PM

JodyAnthony, are you suggesting socom was coded, published and shipped in 3 months?

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 3:10PM

"JodyAnthony, why mention the Nokia phone?"

for the same reason you're bitching about the little aside in this post about DS games - no intelligent reason whatsoever.

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 3:10PM

"JodyAnthony, are you suggesting socom was coded, published and shipped in 3 months?"

no, im suggesting "who the hell cares who came out with what first"

required @ May 23rd 2007 3:15PM

"who the hell cares who came out with what first"

obviously both you and James Ransom-Wiley want everyone to think it was the DS eventhough it was not

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 3:17PM

"obviously both you and James Ransom-Wiley want everyone to think it was the DS eventhough it was not"

yet i pointed out above that socom psp came out in september of 2005.

Again, the post said:

"BBC recalls that Nintendo was the first to transform a portable gaming device into a clunky, crippled phone"

NOT

"BBC recalls that Nintendo was the first to add voice chat into their games"

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 3:19PM

and for the record I play my PSP WAAAY more than I play my DS. Why would I want to go out of my way and say nintendo released voice chat games first? noone EVER said that. im sure that like me, james doesnt really give a damn who came out with what first.

JodyAnthony @ May 23rd 2007 3:20PM

one more, then im done (i promised chris grant I would be good)

"obviously both you and James Ransom-Wiley want everyone to think it was the DS eventhough it was not"

then why in the world did I say multiple times "who the hell cares who came out with what first"?