PlayStation Phone prototype further detailed, codenamed 'Zeus'

@supersonic124
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_THqRYIZT8h0/TMh-6eBrFBI/AAAAAAAAABg/jM8Y0UpHCv4/s400/pspphoneengadget.jpg

@supersonic124 all i care if this device has a good battery life because playing games on a phone sucks. So POWERFUL or not it needs a good damn battery.

@golfs4panzys

Oh rest assured they will be full of fail.

Like early DS game "touch screen analog stick" fail.

@golfs4panzys

I don't know, the big problem with touch controls is the lack of tacticle feedback. But if you look at the design notice the little nubs on each side of the pad. My guess is those mean that when using the pad as a stick subsitute you can still tell the position of your thumbs just by feel. It could work. It's not like the PSP's analog nub is the greatest thing in the world either...

@Co I think it can work. DS analog stick is fail because it's a crappy resistive touchscreen. These will be more sensitive and responsive. It won't have the same physical feel but it should give the same input results, like iPhone-screen analog sticks which can work really well (see Gameloft games).

@TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2

I think they will have a separate non-phone device, they can't miss all those 11-14 years old who can't buy new phones.

@TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2

No this is definitely not their PSP2.

Erricson has been saying for sometime they've wanted to make a Playstation Phone. Since you can freely throw Android on anything and there is a serious lack of games on the platform; this must have been a no brainier for Sony.

People here probably wont admit it but the PSPGo was clearly a shot at the iPhone/iPod Touch market. I think this is Sony prepping for round two...

As for the PSP2, I don't think Sony is silly enough to release a gaming phone and say "Look we did something". Just like the original PSP brought raw power to the handheld ring, so too will the next PSP. The 3DS clearly has gimmicks in spades now. The duel screens, motion control, 3D screens...I bet anything that Sony is going to go the opposite route and release damn near a portable PS3.

@Complex

The PSP2 and PSPhone may be two different things. However, it's always possible there may be no real PSP2 as well and that Sony has a completely different vision for it's portable gaming going forward.

@NaeemTHM

".I bet anything that Sony is going to go the opposite route and release damn near a portable PS3."

Oh and before anyone calls me loony:

http://gizmodo.com/5490330/you-will-have-the-power-of-a-ps3-in-your-pocket-in-3-years

It's possible maaaaaaan*!









*In a few years.

@Chibi Chaingun I seriously doubt they would just drop the PSP and NOT bring out a PSP2 at this point....while the PSP2 might have built in data connection like the Sony E-Readers or a Kindle, it damn sure is coming...that much should be certain.....

@NaeemTHM
Dude...pleeeaaase. Why does EVERYTHING have to be a "gimmick"? The word 'gimmick' is becoming a gimmick to use. Nintendo DS touchscreen: gimmick. Dual screens: gimmick. Microphone: gimmick. Virtual pet sim games with stylus: gimmick. 3D slider on the 3DS: gimmick. WTF?? You could also say PSP camera add-on for Invizimals: gimmick. Skype: gimmick. Blah blah blah. Truth is, it's NOT a gimmick but simply an innovative and creative hardware design to excite gamers in new ways. Because if a PSP or DS had no "gimmicks," people'd be bitching about "handhelds are all the same."

@C1ph3rDivyne

Why does the term gimmick enrage fanboys so easily is the real question.

Gimmick:
In marketing language, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries

That's all I meant bro. I demand you unclench your buttcheeks.

@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi -

Part of me wants to believe that this isn't the PSP2, but the other part wonders if Sony is crazy enough to put out a series of handhelds that won't play the newest PSP games. Is there any point in putting out a phone that plays original PSP games (other than in Japan perhaps)? If not, will the PSP2's specs be in line with the specs on this phone in order to get the games out on as many devices as possible?

If this is the PSP2, I think we can kiss the PSP line goodbye. I'm definitely hoping that it's not.

@TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2

I think the PSPhone is somewhere between regular PSPs and the PSP2.

I say that because if there are two analogue nubs, then it means games would have to be built to accomodate the two instead of 1 on the PSPhone, not to mention the fact that from the looks of the stats, PSPhone is more powerful then PSPs anyway, so games will look better.

I expect people to see this as PSP 1.5 if we pretend that the Go never happened and you'll probably find that PSPhone has much more in common with PSP2 than it will the PSP itself. Especially using logic that the screen is touch screen, meaning games are far more interactive.

PSPhone won't just be doing what PSP does from the looks of it, but instead doing what the PSP does and what the PSP can't do. For that fact alone, my curiousity is peaked. The design doesnt look half bad, to be honest, this is more or less the comfortable image I had in mind, just slightly different, and as long as the tariff selections, android capabilities and just about everything else are good, I'll get it, but it will have to compete against my BB which is my pride and joy, Sony better pull out the big guns on this one, I expect nothing short of superb with my PSPhone.

@NaeemTHM
Fanboy? I'm the proud owner of a DS Lite, DSi XL, PSP 2000, and looking forward to the 3DS AND PSP2, thank you very much.

@asamohthpesoj

You're lucky I hit my bandwidth limit on Photobucket, or I'd hit you with a doozy of a 'fail' gif right now.

@asamohthpesoj

Derp

@asamohthpesoj

GT5 is already out & Duke Nukem is slated for next year. Have you been living under a rock for the first 3 quarters of 2010?

@Prboi

GT5 is out? Um... time to wake up from that dream.

@Prboi Yea....so uhhhhh....who is living under a rock>??

Had you said Killzone 3 was already out I'd just assume you seen a friend playing it.....since the Beta doesn't say Beta at all....but GT5 out?? smh

@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi

Wow, I just checked the date. My bad, I could've sworn it was out already since a guy on youtube was playing it. Must be an early demo or something.

@matthewlowery

"most definitely real. We're not saying that because we want to believe or because we're gingerly trying to nab pageviews: we're saying it because we know it to be true."

Is it really that hard to read the article? Besides, can you, without a doubt, prove that it's fake? If you can't prove it's fake and Sony doesn't want to say it's fake, then what makes it fake?

@matthewlowery yea Engadget isn't going to risk losing credibility for reporting on something this serious and not have the info to back it up....

@matthewlowery Guys, guys, guys. Calm. I was joking. Deep breaths now.

@matthewlowery

You forgot to indicate that you were joking in your post, idiot.

@darkheartlessriku

Interesting question, but the answer really depends on what you define "power" as. If you mean raw processing power, then yes it will be more powerful than the 3DS.

Just keep in mind that the extra power and RAM is used to run Android and other processes in the background. It may very well perform WORSE than the 3DS after all processing "expenses" are accounted for.

@darkheartlessriku

In terms of actual processing power, it is, however in actual output no since it will be running a background OS while trying to run at a higher resolution

@Ars

True, and features that come along with phones have even more mess to slow them down (as evident between the iPod Touch 2nd Gen and 3g iPhone - the Touch is as much as 30% faster).

@Ars Have you never used the DS virtual analog stick? That didn't get in the way of top screen and controlled like shit.

Physical buttons are a must. I'd seriously like to see you finesse SF2 like I did on my modded Epic 4G with a virtual dpad. Without any tactile feedback how in the world are you supposed know what you are touching exactly?

I will grant you that one needs to worry about wear and tear on the analog nub, so they should make it easily user replaceable or pretty resilient. The analog nub on my PSP is still going strong, so they probably already have tons of research into designing small analog nubs.

Physical buttons will always trump virtual buttons when speed and accuracy matter.

I don't mind virtual keyboards, because if I mess up, I can just go and delete the offending error and continue. I can't just rewind time when virtual controls are clumsy in a game. I'd wind up just getting frustrated and not bother playing games that require twitch sensitive gaming.

Have you noticed that pretty much ALL of the popular iPhone games revolve around asynchronous gameplay? Angry Birds, Plants Vs Zombies, countless Tower Defense games.

Hell, the only reason GameLoft games sell is because they look like half way competent clones of games we love. The controls still suck on those though.

@ars

Sorry Ars, that reply was supposed to go to @BeatFreaker.

@Phawx

You almost made me cry...*tear* =P

@Muu

You're really going back to the Ngage? How about comparing to the device that was the major driving force that unified a robust game/app store and a mobile phone very successfully...

Hint: iPhone.

@Chibi Chaingun

ngage is a perfect analogy. Ngage was a separate games platform to the rest of the symbian community, not forgetting that Nokia isn't the only company that makes symbian phones.

If this Playstation phone ends up as a simple break away the marketplace from the rest of Andriod as opposed to a PSP platform for your mobile, then it will be an epic fail. What developer in thier right mind would want to create games for yet another platform?

@Nate Dogg

You are right about Ngage being a different platform than the rest of Symbian devices, that's a good point. Though this is likely a reaction to the success of the iPhone and Apple's hugely successful online App Store, not the failures of the Ngage. Do you think the PSPhone will just play Android marketplace games?

@Prboi

What are you smoking today? Sony has partnered with Google. This is no rumor, this is fact.