Most of us have been waiting for Sony Ericsson to unveil the XPERIA Play so it can really up the ante when it comes to Android gaming, but Sony may have beaten SE to the punch. Earlier today in Tokyo, Sony announced PlayStation Suite, a game platform that will allow Android devices running 2.3 and up access to PlayStation 1 games. All games will be certified to make sure the games run smoothly, and both QWERTY and full-touch devices will be supported. The service will be going live by the end of the year and will feature a healthy mix of PS1 titles. Check out the full presser down below.
While a lot of people expected a service like this to be available on the Android-powered XPERIA Play, the fact that it'll be available to all devices sporting Gingerbread or higher is awesome and should really help attract gamers to the platform. It's kind of disappointing that we'll have to wait until the end of the year to actually take advantage of the PlayStation Suite's offerings, but hopefully the XPERIA Play will be along before then to keep us busy. So, what do you all think? Are you excited at the thought of playing your favorite PSOne games on your Android phone?
SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TO UNVEIL "PLAYSTATION®SUITE," DELIVERING THE WORLD OF PLAYSTATION® TO ANDROID™ BASED PORTABLE DEVICES
Simultaneously Launching "PlayStation®Certified" License Program to Provide PlayStation® Content and Development Support for Android™ Based Portable Devices
Tokyo, January 27, 2011– Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today unveiled "PlayStation®Suite" (PS Suite), delivering the PlayStation® experience to Android™ based portable devices*1. Through this entirely new initiative, users will be able to enjoy PlayStation content on an open operating system for the first time in PlayStation history. In the dramatically evolving and diversifying mobile market, the number of users who enjoy games casually on a variety of devices including mobile phones, smart-phones and tablet PCs, has been increasing significantly. By offering "PlayStation quality" content to this rapidly growing market, SCE will not only deliver the PlayStation experience to a wider base of users around the globe, but will also be able to offer game developers and publishers the potential to further expand their business opportunities to these devices.
In providing the PlayStation experience on Android based portable devices, SCE will commence a "PlayStation®Certified" license program for hardware manufacturers. Through this program, SCE will offer necessary support, including development support as well as logo licensing, to ensure the delivery of PlayStation quality experience across various devices.
On the software front, SCE plans to provide PS Suite content within this calendar year, starting with original PlayStation games*2 (PS one® classics) that will allow users to enjoy "PlayStation quality" gameplay on their Android based portable devices. SCE also plans to open PlayStation®Store where users will be able to download content in an easy to use environment, directly via the Android based portable devices. Moreover, SCE will provide a new game development environment in an effort to ensure new and compelling content is delivered on PS Suite, which will also offer opportunities for a wider base of developers and publishers to further expand their business on various portable devices.
Newly developed content for PS Suite can also be enjoyed on the next generation portable entertainment system (codename: NGP), which SCE announced today. Users who have never experienced PlayStation content can get a taste of the PlayStation experience through PS Suite and from there, they can enjoy the ultimate portable entertainment experience that is only possible on NGP.
SCE will vigorously enhance the entertainment world delivering the PlayStation experience to a wider base of users.
*1 Android™ 2.3 or beyond is required.
*2 PS one game console software title. We will announce the tiles when ready.
Via Engadget
