Everyone is all over Sony's new Next Generation Portable, but there's something else that also made news today - the introduction of a PlayStation gaming package for Android phones.
On the same day that the NGP is released to stores, Android phone users will be able to download PlayStation Suite, which will allow Android users to download and play PS One Classics as well as other mobile games designed specifically for touch-screen platforms.
This doesn't come as too much of a surprise. After all, rumors of a Sony Ericsson PlayStation phone have been rampant for some time, and it was recently leaked that all Android phones would get the same PlayStation software.
The iPhone is notably absent from this announcement, but that too was expected. Despite being the preferred mobile choice for many big game developers, Sony is going with Android, probably because it has almost single-handedly helped bring Sony Ericsson back to a profitable status.
Before all you G1 owners get too excited, you'll need at least Android 2.3 to download the PlayStation Suite. Currently, according to Google's most recent stats, a whopping 0.4% of all Android users have version 2.3, as only two of the dozens of Android handsets have received the upgrade. Many more should be eligible in the future.
Nevertheless, this app isn't coming out any time soon so that's a moot point right now. To sum it all up, here's what we know about PlayStation Suite as of now:
- Compatible with all Android 2.3+ devices, including tablets.
- PS One Classics will be available.
- Sony will release more games specifically for the touch-screen interface.
- Sony will provide support and licensing to hardware manufacturers.
As Sony notes, this is the first time ever that it will allow PlayStation games on an open operating system (remember Bleem? RIP). Exciting times indeed.
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