Sony has made good on its promise made last month and launched the PlayStation Suite SDK beta for developers. Any interested party can download the software, letting them create software for all PlayStation-certified hardware. This includes the PS Vita console and the Xperia line of phones and tablets.
Sony is aiming to expand its PlayStation Suite with the release of a free open beta SDK to developers next month, with a final version due later this year for $99. The SDK had previously been in a closed beta for select vendors, although anyone could apply for access. The SDK is designed to help spur the development of new PlayStation Suite specific apps that will be able to find their way on to any PlayStation Certified Android device.
HTC might be the first company outside of Sony itself to get its devices PlayStation certified. A rumor from Pocket-lint sources had them being cleared to use PS1 and PlayStation Suite-specific games sometime this year. The approval would come in the second half of the year, likely ruling out a Mobile World Congress mention in two weeks' time.
Sony is now offering developers a chance to sign up for consideration on joining its closed beta PlayStation Suite SDK. With it, they will have the ability to develop games for the upcoming PS Vita and Android devices that aren't Sony-branded. The SDK uses the C# programming language and will run on a C# virtual machine.
Sony has often been one to pick its battles carefully: sometimes it enters first, like with the Walkman, while in others it waits until it thinks it can achieve something distinct. With the Tablet S, that's more true than ever: Sony is taking on the iPad in the hopes that an infrared remote, custom apps, and a genuinely unique design will give it an edge. Whether or not Apple or Sony's fellow Android tablet rivals have reason to worry is the core of our Sony Tablet S review.
Sony's second tablet, the S2, was given some last-minute details Friday in a leak. The Android 3.1 clamshell is now known as the Tablet P, a direct tie back to the VAIO P it effectively replaces, and will support 4G along with Wi-FI. Whether that's LTE or pseudo-4G like AT&T's HSPA+ wasn't gleaned by Engadget tipsters.
Sony's S1 tablet has had some of its launch details spoiled just a week before it's expected to show. Now rechristened the Tablet S, the 9.4-inch slate should now be shipping with Android 3.1. Its support for remote controlling home theaters over IR was known, but Engadget has seen that it will now have a pseudo-AirPlay style "throw" over DLNA and should be groomed for Ice Cream Sandwich when it arrives.
Sony plans to follow an at once higher- and lower-end approach to launching its S1 and S2 tablets. A leak Monday had the core S1 slate coming in 16GB and 32GB versions, each in Wi-Fi only as well as editions with 3G added. The S2 clamshell would have the same capacity, but it would only come in the 3G-plus-Wi-Fi models, CNET gleaned from an insider.
Multiple clues have emerged in the past day that the Sony NGP now had a final name. A photo leak and a working developer web domain, vita.scedev.net, have hinted that the quad-core gaming machine will be called the PlayStation Vita. The Sony Computer Entertainment site redirects to a portal but works with subdomains based on other device names, like NGP and PS3, while ignoring other made up addresses.
Verizon on Tuesday at last committed to its launch plans for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. As widely rumored, the first PlayStation phone is due to reach the US on May 26 and will cost $200 on a contract. Verizon's edition will support 3G hotspot sharing for up to five devices and will see over 50 game coming through V Cast Apps; it's not clear whether this replaces or supplements the usual PlayStation Suite.
NVIDIA through its Android Tegra Zone app this week said that Sony's PlayStation Suite was coming to Tegra 2-based Android devices. The move makes it the first device and platform beyond Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play to support it. It should bring at least PS1 games like Wild Arms and eventually more original titles.
The PlayStation 3 isn't having its cycle accelerated to roll out its sequel, Sony Computer Entertainment head Kaz Hirai said in a chat on Thursday. He put the PS3 on the same 10-year track as earlier consoles and said the current system was "not at the halfway point yet." There were still hot games coming out for the platform, and the feature and software bundles would still get improvements, he told Impress.
Sony Ericsson as promised tonight unveiled the Xperia Play. The Android 2.3 flagship is the first to support PlayStation Suite and is designed to not only run PS1 and original games with PSP-style controls but to run them well. A 1GHz Snapdragon with an Adreno 205 graphics core runs many games at the full 854x480 resolution at 60 frames per second.
Sony Ericsson is about to hold a iive event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to formally launch the Xperia Play, better known as the PlayStation phone. It should also launch the Xperia Neo and possibly other devices. Check in after the story break for updates as they occur in person, in Barcelona time.
Sony Ericsson may make a rare gesture towards CDMA carriers by supplying the Xperia Play to Verizon. A comparison at third-party phone store Wirefly shows the PlayStation phone listed as coming to Verizon in a comparison with the iPhone. The store doesn't claim to be authoritative but has accurate specs and is known to get advance information.
Sony Ericsson's Facebook fan page on Sunday formally acknowledged the existence of the Xperia Play. Challenging Apple with the claim that "Android is ready to play," the update confirms the PlayStation phone will be detailed at Sony Ericsson's Mobile World Congress event on February 13 at 6PM Barcelona time (noon Eastern). While it didn't provide technical details, the shot showed the same customized interface as the Xperia Arc and will certainly use Android 2.3.
Sony's SCEA president Jack Tretton gave hints in an interview that the NGP might ease some of the worries on battery life, but not necessarily on price. He stressed that the company would "certainly look to improve" on the PSP's battery life even with the five-inch screen and quad-core hardware. Engadget in sitting down with Tretton figured that meant more than the 4.5 to seven hours of typical use.
Alongside the Next Generation Portable, Sony at its PlayStation Meeting event brought out a platform for bringing PlayStation games to non-PSP devices. PlayStation Suite brings games to any device with an "open operating system" that meets a PlayStation Certified level of performance. PlayStation 1 games like Syphon Filter will be in the first batch, but Sony hopes to have Suite-specific games.
