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Here's another 'PlayStation Phone' that Sony could have made
Sony may have given up on its Xperia Play, but Chinese gaming companies 78point and Much think there's still a demand for Android phones with built-in gaming buttons and joysticks. Funnily enough, both brands ended up sourcing their hardware from the same OEM, which is why 78point's P01 and Much's W1 are technically identical, with the exception of their Android 4.2 skins. This dual-SIM (WCDMA/GSM) device is essentially a typical Chinese mid-ranger, for it features a 5-inch 720p IPS display plus MediaTek's 1.7GHz octa-core MT6592 SoC (with 2GB of RAM and Mali-450 MP4 graphics). You also get 16GB of internal storage, microSD expansion of up to 64GB, 8MP/2MP cameras and a generous 3,000mAh battery.
With the dedicated gaming buttons, CN¥1,999 (about $330) is a pretty competitive price for this package, as long as you don't mind the 213.8g weight -- about the same as the refreshed PS Vita's 219g -- and the chunkier body. The 78point P01 even appears to come with a multi-platform emulator (MAME, PSP, Dreamcast, NDS, GBA, NES, SNES, N64 and more), whereas Much plays it safe by recommending emulators instead. Folks in China can now pre-order the P01 on JD.com ahead of its August 20th launch, or they can nab a W1 from Chinese operator Snail Mobile.
[Image credit: 78point; Much]
