PSP Phone from Sony Ericsson

Nowadays everything seems to be converging into a mobile phone. It already can be a perfectly good digital camera (e.g. SE K850i Cybershot), a mobile TV station a music player or GPS receiver. One of the things missing here was a mobile gaming platform. But it’s coming too.

And who’s better positioned to create a perfect mobile gaming platform then Sony? It already has one – Sony PSP. It also makes some great mobile phones via joint venture with Swedish Ericsson.

Their recent patent filing shows how Sony Ericsson will go about integrating these two gadgets:

sony-ericsson-psp-phone.jpg

The main question Sony Ericsson asked when designing PSP phone was – what is the main problem with using your phone for mobile games?

And the answer was – gaming controls.The numeric keypad is just not good enough to control the action in games. But who says all the keys on the numeric keypad have to be identical?

Sony has already designed very good game controls on PSP. So now they just made a few keys on numeric keypad into a game controls and the problem was solved.

The other problem was that most of the good games are played holding PSP console with both hands and using two thumbs to control game characters. And the phone is operated usually with a single hand and thumb.

Rotating screen came to the rescue here. When the device is in a phone mode, all you have is a simple mobile phone with numeric keypad , menu and function keys. Turn the screen around 180 degrees, your menu/functional keys are transformed into game controls and you have a perfectly good portable gaming device.

Oh and why not use the screen turned 90 degrees to make this device into a mobile TV station as well?

The beauty of it all is that Sony will not have to worry about the games for the PSP phone. Just make it compatible with the standard PSP games and Nokia will have a really tough time catching up with it’s next gen N-Gage platform.

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Posted on 01 Jun 07 - Filed in Patents, Sony Ericsson, Wireless - Comments - Written by Staska

  • 123psp
    Very informative article. I just created a private blog where you can download PSP games, videos, music and themes. Email me and I will send you the URL and invitation code.
  • jason
    send me that link i wpould love to have it
  • Drummerluck
    Please send the link to me. I'd love to have it.
  • Drummerluck
    Is the games to my PSP?
  • Yusuke
    Wow! Amazing, I can’t wait to get my little hands on it.
  • kell
    how much it cost and wat company it going to be with
  • rohan
    its of sony ericson
  • sexyt
    datz like the dumbest shit i've eva seen!
  • anaon
    EW.
  • I think this device i wonderfull but i dont believe that Sony can make this device properly :D
  • 1* Charlton Fan
    im getting 1 as soon as it comes out!!
  • Don corleone
    I ll be the frst to buy....but i cant wait to have it in ma hand
  • luke
    OMG IF THIS PSP GETS OUT I WILL BUY ONE CUZ IT LOOKS SOOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME!
  • macalister tuplano
    ...that said well i guess we'll see the last of the UMD in psp games and replace it with HDD am i right people? and once perfected it will definitely cost much but it will be the all in one gadget of all time and the inventor shoul be given a nobel prize heheh =) goodluck to the developers and other platform makers beware!!!
  • seymour butts
    wtf?
  • David
    has the new psp phone even released yet
  • ADIE
    WHEN IT WILL BE LAUNCHED BY SONY? THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT IT SINCE 2006.
  • ldsboots
    Sony released that it will not be letting sony ericson make a psp phone, and that if one is made it will be made by playstation. Read the article released by going to joystiq.com and searching psp phone.
  • boodigga
    this will be the envy of all phones and games systems
  • umesh
    ummm...i hope it comes out soon
  • TMAN
    WHEN IS IT COMING OUT AND FOR HOW MUCH!!!!
  • moe
    thats pretty sick
  • me
    WHEN
  • Danny
    looks high tek but how does it work?
  • John
    OMG. What is so difficult? A PSP phone should be completely identical to a PSP with the phone controls completely on a touch screen save one or two function keys like any modern touch screen enabled mobile phone. there should be no alterations to the PSP because that is essentially what it is; a PSP. Wont be the same otherwise.
  • loyalsonyfan
    Absolutly, I second that and in fact wrote almost the same thing before I read this post. I really like Sony, and have for years, but they are drifting away from being in touch with the consumer. This concept is not that hard to figure out. The touch screen is essential. Use it to control the phone and leave the PSP controls alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • iphonenono
    if you dont mind me saying F U C K the iphone its doing my head in about how great it is, yes its a good phone and no one can say it aint plus it wont be beaten for some time but we need something completely in a new direction and if they make a decent camera and good unique features i think it may get a decent chance to challenge the iphone.
  • sya-ke
    lol ive ever seen human who wanna tell own friends with playing game
    such behavior is a breach of etiquette.
  • lioneldean
    Will there be a PSP phone released for this year?
  • loyalsonyfan
    Too much phone and not enough game handheld. Listen, Please Sony and Ericson, listen. Take the existing PSP Go. The exterior of the phone / psp should look exaclty like the PSP Go. The game controls and everything about playing the game should be just like the existing psp go. I hope that's clear. Then add the phone which should be controled via a touch screen. I'm not an engineer so the details will have to be worked out by someone who is paid to figure those things out. The benefits here are limitless, however. They want to compete with the IPhone, this is how. Sony wants more developers with non gaming aps, they can be controled via the touch screen, while the device maintains backwards compatibility because the game control scheme is the same. This is so obvious, Why cant they figure this out?
  • Guest
    The concept is nice and I am looking forward
    to a PSP phone coming out. But to be quite
    honest I am not looking forward to the design
    that is displayed above. The reason is simple
    The PSP 1000 or PSP Phat is already large
    and heavy and this model looks to be on the
    same scale but bigger and bulkier. Seriously
    I doubt that I will be able to cary this phone in
    my pocket without feeling its bulky weight.

    What they should do is that they should retain
    the current PSP design that they have and for
    the number buttons it should be virtual. ie
    inside the PSP itself and when you need to use
    them access them either via a touch screen or
    simply use the cursor to select the buttons.
    This will not only free up extra space but also
    the weight problem.

    Agreed at this point we may not get a web cam
    but this can also be arranged by using an external
    web cam. For sound we can use mikes with head sets
    and the built in mic like we have in the PSP 3000.

    So far the only problem that I can see is how
    we are going to get in phone SIMS and
    telephone service providers for it such as Jazz
    etc... Also how can we use these services
    internationally. Some of the phone services
    can be clearly simulated via WiFi and MSN
    messenger, google chat etc.

    Also I would like to see atleast free talk time
    between two PSPs and same service providers
    in my phone.

    I know that such things are not possible at present
    but be thankful I am not telling you the stuff that I
    like thats totally Sci-fi like the Globals in
    Earth Final Conflict or other cool shows/movies.
    though if they manage to pull this of that will
    clearly be the next step.

    Apart from this I would like to see some better
    graphics and games on the PSP in the near future
    as well

    Till next time Make Mine Marvel
    Live long and Prosper
  • rileyfreeman
    its way to thick!!!!
  • Matthew whittle
    Not sure if this was mentioned in a post. Buy all Sony would have to do is take the psp go and add phone/ camera. No further buttons would be needed if they made the screen a touch screen. It would be better for internet naviagation than the current psp and people need game controls more than they need number buttons. I am writing this from my iPhone and if you could combine the ui from it and the psp go for gaming it would be the best mobile platform / cell phone on the market.
  • Blah
    huh?? what shit is this??? SonyEricsson will never release that shit, because PSP belongs to PlayStation® and not SonyEricsson - it's phones are based on Ericsson's platform...
  • Avish
    Do you all think that the PSP phone will support PSP games, like Gran Turismo, Tekken6 psp, or PES 2010 psp, if yes then, I think PSP phone will be the best ever phone released up to now.

    Please let me know about it................(FUCK IPHONES)
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