What Can We Expect From The Playstation Phone?

Sony no longer seem to be able to keep new game console products under wraps. The positive side is that people are clearly eagerly anticipating their new devices, and should a piece of black plastic with the correct logo design on its plastic surface will be held aloft as a sign of the spectacular things to come, even if it originated from a 15-year-old's school project. But there's a good dose of industrial espionage and tattle telling coming out of the Asian production lines that are stockpiling Sony devices ahead of time. In recent memory, both of Sony's new console updates have appeared online well before their official release: the Playstation 3's slimline version was exposed when its boxart and shell were photographed in May 2009. That same year, the PSP Go was widely rumoured then photographed before the conference at which it was to be announced.

And currently, the buzz is all about the next wave of portable devices to carry the PSP logo present and correct. A Playstation Portable 2 has been anticipated for some time, especially as the rival Nintendo 3DS is an imminent release. But the rise of the iPhone (and more recently, Android) has been a game changer for the portable gaming market, and Sony cannot afford to ignore the appeal of convergence. The logical step has seemed for some time to be a Playstation Phone, especially as Sony are in the unique position of having big brands in both phones and gaming.

The existence of such a device broke practically half a year ago, but Sony is only going to announce it by the end of January. But are the leaks a sign that the very departments that make this device possible are in some way warring with each other?. Sporting the custom logo design of the Sony Ericsson 'Xperia' range, it's supposedly been discovered that it won't interface with the existing PSP go store. The rumours seem to be true, and due to factionalism in Sony, the phone will only play Android games and a selection of Playstation One titles. Sounds like another good idea gone to waste.