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PlayStation Suite SDK beta coming in November, offering new games in spring 2012
We haven't heard much about the PlayStation Suite for quite some time, but at the TGS 2011 opening keynote today, Sony announced that it'll finally be rolling out an SDK for said cross-platform framework in November. Furthermore, Sony's expecting new games and apps to be available for the PlayStation Suite in spring, which means willing C# developers will be busy over the next few months should they wish to deploy their software across certified devices -- these currently include the PS Vita, Xperia Play, Tablet S and the upcoming Tablet P. Of course, we're also hoping that Sony will convince at least one other manufacturer to get its NVIDIA Tegra devices certified for the PlayStation Suite, otherwise it'll be tough to get the ball rolling for everyone.
Sony officially renames the S2 the Tablet P, opens up about the software (video)
Compared to the S1 tablet -- make that the Tablet S -- Sony's dual-screen tab remains something of an enigma. AT&T hasn't said how much it'll cost on contract, nor do we know when it'll finally go on sale. Still, the tablet just get one step closer to becoming a real, shipping product, with Sony renaming it the Tablet P, as rumored, and clarifying the full range of specs -- namely, that it weighs in at 0.82 pounds and runs a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 SoC with twin 5.5-inch (1024 x 800) displays, dual 5MP and VGA cameras, an HSPA+ radio, a 3,080mAh battery, a full-sized SD card slot, 4GB of internal memory, a micro-USB socket and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Those displays use the same TruBlack technology found in Sony's Bravia TVs, promising blacker blacks and whiter whites. What's more, Sony is opening up about the software, a topic it pointedly ignored when we first handled the hardware, then codenamed the S2. For starters, by the time it ships, it'll join the ranks of a growing number of tablets (most of them 7-inchers) running Android 3.2. And guess what? We recently sat down with the Tablet P a second time for a preview of how the outfit's optimized Honeycomb for those dual displays. Here's what to expect. %Gallery-132058%
Sony's S1 Android Tablet is the Tablet S, due to arrive in early September
While one consumer electronics giant is unceremoniously exiting the tablet wars, after many teaser trailers we're hearing Sony is finally ready to reveal its entry. We uncovered the S1 PlayStation Tablet ahead of its official reveal earlier this year, and after getting our hands all over it we've got more details to report before it launches. The official name of the S1 is the Sony Tablet S, which is currently projected to bring its 9.4-inch (1280x768) screen to market in the first two weeks of September. It will ship with Android 3.1 with an eye towards upgrading to Ice Cream Sandwich once that's available, and just as the company said many of the key features will revolve around using it to control all devices in the home, via the network or the integrated IR blaster, as well as having the ability to "Throw" media to other DLNA-compatible hardware, whether it's made by Sony or someone else. The slate's dual cameras come in at 3.0MP res up front and 5.0MP around the back, while it's also expected to bring along accessories our source indicates are very similar to those for the iPad. In the images below you can check out a wireless keyboard and dock setup and micro-USB to USB host dongle, details on the "TruBlack" screen technology that's supposed to provide better colors with less glare, and of course all of Sony's preinstalled software bringing PlayStation Certified gaming plus its music, movie and book services. What we don't know yet is its final price -- we'd heard $599 previously -- but there should be more to say about that and the clamshell S2 tablet soon. Update: Eagle-eyed Daniel wrote in to let us know that it looks like Sony is rebranding its video service as "Video Unlimited," which will make it a much nicer match for Music Unlimited. %Gallery-131422% %Gallery-128312% [Thanks, J]
Verizon's Xperia Play now on sale for $100, Crash Bandicoot spins in celebration
Getting your PlayStation-certified gaming fix on just got 50 percent cheaper. Verizon's cut the price of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play in half on its website, selling for $100 with contract only four months after being greeted with open arms. The price cut is a result of Big Red's "Back to School" promotion, though it's difficult to believe this one will come out the other end of the sale any costlier than this. Was this sudden reduction made to instigate a price war with AT&T now that it's introduced the model to its lineup? Or, is this a last-ditch effort to bolster lackluster sales before the Play is discontinued? It's hard to say -- given its meager selection of PlayStation Suite titles, we can't imagine that the product's flying off of shelves. Still, five Jacksons is much more reasonable for anyone who just has to have The Sims 3 on the go, right?
WipEout, Syphon Filter 3 join European Xperia Play library
Despite slow initial sales, things are starting to look up for Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play phone/gaming device. Not only have games actually been announced for the platform, they're even starting to be released! In Europe, anyway. WipEout and Syphon Filter 3 have been added to the European PSOne Classics Library, so if you're: in Europe, have an Xperia Play and are sick-to-death of Jumping Flash, these new additions might hold you over through the cruel, unforgiving summers. Both games are available in the Android Marketplace for £3.99.
Sony's S1 and S2 tablets pose for the cameras again, show off more angles (video)
Sony's S1 and S2 Honeycomb tablets have been very coy in front of the cameras since their initial unveiling. Aside from two visually pleasing short films and a tease of a hands-on, we haven't seen much of them since -- or any specific release details, for that matter. The former's changed at least, however, thanks to Notebook Italia. The site managed to handle the duo long enough in front of a lens to capture a bevy of snapshots, along with a short video of the S1 running PlayStation Suite. If you've been anxious to get a better look you'll find the S1 clip past the break, and all of the photos by hitting the source link below. Update: Niccolo from HDblog.it wrote in just as this post was going live, offering up another batch of screenshots and another hands-on video. That's down below, enabling double your viewing pleasure, and double your fun. [Thanks, Lau]
Xperia Play finally lands at O2 UK, available in black or white
It took a while, but that O2-exclusive (for the UK) white Xperia Play is finally with us. Earlier this month, the UK carrier had promised to deliver the Play in June, but evidently things have gone better than expected, as we now see "in stock" signage next to both the black and white models of Sony Ericsson's gaming phone. Pricing is identical for both color variants, starting at "free" when attached to expensive (£34 per month) two-year contracts and peaking at £430 ($702) on pre-pay deals. O2 also throws in a matching multimedia dock plus three bonus games to sweeten the deal. We're guessing that Android 2.3.3 update that Sony Ericsson just rolled out for the Xperia Play might finally have allayed O2's software concerns, which has allowed it to now start selling the device in earnest.
Xperia Play launches next Thursday through Verizon
Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play will make its US launch next Thursday, May 26, Verizon announced today. The carrier will start taking pre-orders for the $200 device -- with a two-year contract -- beginning this Thursday. Once dubbed the "PlayStation Phone," the Xperia Play was outed through a series of comically comprehensive leaks -- and even a commercial -- before Sony Ericsson got around to announcing the thing. While it doesn't quite live up to its original nickname, the Xperia Play is the first "PlayStation Certified" Android smartphone on the market -- and it's got the four "iconic" PlayStation buttons to prove it. While the full PlayStation Suite framework, with its PSN access (and limited compatibility) for certified mobiles, won't launch until later this year, the Xperia Play will come pre-loaded with seven games, including Madden NFL 11, The Sims 3, Crash Bandicoot and Tetris.
Sony S1 and S2 dual-screen Honeycomb tablets get official (video)
Sony's hosting a press event in Tokyo today where it just made the first announcement: a pair of Android 3.0 tablets -- yes, the very two Honeycomb slabs we told you about exclusively back in February. The first is the Qriocity-focused 9.4-inch S1 media tablet with both front- and rear-facing cameras and a curved wrap design that resembles a folded magazine. The S1 features a Tegra 2 SoC and customized "Quick and Smooth" touch panel UI with "Swift" web browser. It can also be used as a remote control for Sony gear thanks to integrated infrared. The second tablet is the dual-screen S2 clamshell with its pair of 5.5-inch 1,024 x 480 pixel displays, Tegra 2 SoC, and camera. While it sounds bulky, Kunimasa Suzuki just pulled the hinged tablet from his jacket pocket on stage. Sony takes advantage of the two screens with a custom book-style UI layout for its e-reader app, split keyboard and messaging displays for email, and split display and game controllers for PS One gaming. Both the S1 and S2 are PlayStation Certified, support DLNA, and are WiFi and 3G/4G "compatible" according to Sony. See the Sony tablets codenamed "S1" and "S2" in action after the break on their way to a global release in the fall -- possibly sooner in the US. P.S. While the company isn't ready to talk prices yet, our sources told us back in February that Sony was considering a $599 MSRP on the S1 while the S2 would likely come in at $699. Still no word on the Windows 7 slider but with the other two leaks official, it's now only a matter of time. %Gallery-122248% %Gallery-122251% %Gallery-122257%
Report: Sony's PlayStation Certified tablet due this summer
Sony's gearing up to release yet another "PlayStation Certified" device by year end, Nikkei reports (via Bloomberg). Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer confirmed as much to the Japanese newspaper, saying that the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablet will be available in unspecified territories by the end of the summer, with the US receiving the first batch. Oddly, Sony later told Japanese site AV Watch that the tablet would arrive "before the end of this year" -- Engadget speculates that this could both be referring to the Japanese version's release or simply an attempt to muddle things after Stringer said something he shouldn't have. Stringer unfortunately didn't specify if he was referring to the rumored "S1" tablet in development at Sony (mock-up seen above) or the clamshell resemblant "S2" model, both of which are said to feature Honeycomb and ... uh ... both of them are unreleased Sony tablets. Given how Sony handled its last PlayStation Certified device, though, we expect to hear much, much more as 2011 progresses.
PlayStation One games appear in Android Market, predictably restricted to Xperia Play (update)
If there was one thing that bothered us most about the Xperia Play, it was the dearth of original PlayStation games we could, you know, play on it. That's getting a shot in the arm tonight with the introduction of five PS One titles to the Android Market: Syphon Filter, MediEvil, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, and Jumping Flash. Each is priced at £3.99 in the UK, with the first two games on the list also being available in five languages. That pricing translates to $6.38 when the games are accessed from the US, but we imagine the final pricing may differ once the Xperia Play lands stateside. And yes, the Xperia Play will be your only way to access these for now (R800i is its codename), leaving the rest of us Android PS One lovers with a bunch of games to envy and one less emulator to enjoy. The Android giveth, and the Android taketh away. Update: Sony Ericsson wants you to know that since the Xperia Play is, in fact, an Android handset, it won't be restricted to just those five PS One games -- it will also feature quite a few titles that you can also find on the Android Market and even a few temporary exclusives like Backstab and Dungeon Defenders Second Wave. Still, it's a little light on actual PlayStation gaming... See the full list in the press release after the break.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review
The PlayStation Phone. We've had quite the intimate history with this gamepad-equipped slider, learning of its secretive existence way back in August and then handling a prototype unit in January, so you'll forgive us for feeling sentimental and still entertaining our pet name for it. The Sony Ericsson marketing gurus renamed it the Xperia Play when it finally went official at MWC this year, but the PlayStation connection remains as strong as ever. Aside from the D-pad, iconic game keys, and two touchpads, this device comes with a little app named PlayStation Pocket, which will be serving up dollops of classic PlayStation One gaming to all those with a taste for it. Yes, the Sony influence is strong with this one, and the Android Market will be joining the fun with Xperia Play-optimized titles from third-party developers. So all we really need to know now is whether the Android smartphone underpinning this smash-bang fusion of old and new school entertainment happens to be any good. Shall we get Started? %Gallery-119806%
PlayStation Suite coming to Tegra 2 devices
NVIDIA's Tegra Zone app, freshly launched this month, has become the source for a nifty little bit of Sony-related news: the PS Suite that is currently slated to deliver PlayStation One games to the Xperia Play is coming to Tegra 2 devices. Of course, if you're keeping up with your Sony tablet exclusives, you'd already know that the company's expected to unveil a Tegra 2 slate this year, so don't go assuming that your Xoom will necessarily get the PlayStation Certified badge. On a separate note, we're also hearing this expansion of supported hardware will be followed up with the eventual addition of PlayStation 2 games to the Suite. Those are clearly not on the immediate horizon and we suspect Sony might be waiting for quad-core mobile chips -- such as the one within its upcoming NGP -- to hit the market before rolling the last-gen console's wares out to pockets and messenger bags across the world. [Thanks, Onno] Update: Upon further investigation, we've been unable to confirm the claim about PS2 games being on Sony's PS Suite roadmap. Android and Me reports it to have come from NVIDIA, but the original Tegra Zone post makes no reference to PS2 games. We've updated the post to reflect this.
Exclusive: Sony 'S2' dual-screen Android clamshell and 9.4-inch Windows 7 VAIO slider due this year
So, by now you've seen the PlayStation Certified Qriocity tablet known within Sony as the "S1." But that's not the only tablet the venerable Japanese company is preparing to launch in 2011. We've been told by a pair of highly trusted and proven sources that Sony is also working on two rather unconventional tablet form factors including a dual-screen Honeycomb clamshell and newfangled Windows 7 tablet slider. First, let's look at the clamshell model sporting a pair of 5.5-inch displays -- a device first hinted at in a 2010 Sony patent application titled "Electronic Book with Enhanced Features." However, unlike the patent's blocky illustration, we're told that Sony's clamshell -- known as the "S2" internally -- more closely resembles an oval cylinder when closed as depicted in the illustration above. Spec-wise, we're told that it will be very similar in performance to the S1 with a Tegra 2 SoC and WiFi + 3G radio on the inside and front- and rear-facing cameras on the outside. And like the S1 tablet, the S2 will be focused on delivering Qriocity media to the consumer. Sorry, no word on whether the S2 is PlayStation Certified. Obviously, the S2 won't be running stock Honeycomb -- instead, Sony is currently optimizing the Android OS to make the most of those two displays. One source reports having seen Gmail running on a demonstration prototype where the list of messages is displayed on one screen with the body of the selected message displayed on the other. Maps, we're told, will display the map graphic on one display with the detailed turn-by-turn instructions or Streetview displayed on the other. Likewise, the S2 will display a video and picture navigation menu on one half of the clamshell with the selected content blown-up to fill the screen of the other. We're also told that these apps will work in a variety of orientations. Sounds interesting, to say the least. Regrettably, our sources are less than enthusiastic. Click through to find out why.
Report: Sony 'S1' tablet is PlayStation certified, features Qriocity
Engadget reports on a new Sony tablet that might just be the one Kaz Hirai called "currently in development" at CES, integrating PlayStation branding and content. The device, code-named "S1" will reportedly run a custom version of the Android Honeycomb OS (even though Honeycomb will already have a nice UI courtesy of Matias Duarte) and is said to integrate the Qriocity media platform, currently available on PS3 for music (in Europe) and video streaming. Like the Xperia Play, according to Engadget's sources, this tablet is "PlayStation Certified" and will come preloaded with PlayStation games. The Tegra 2-equipped tablet will supposedly have an odd design (as seen in Engadget's mock-up above), meant to recall a folded-up paperback, which will allow the tablet to be set down at an angle for easy typing. The device is tentatively scheduled to ship in September, according to the report. If the S1's buildup is anything like the Xperia Play's, we'll hear a lot more about this thing even before Sony decides to say a word.
Sony reveals PlayStation Suite framework, store for Android gaming
Sony just dropped a bomb on the Japanese stage -- not a single PlayStation Phone, but a PlayStation Phone experience for everybody. The company unveiled a cross-platform software framework called PlayStation Suite, which sounds rather boring in those words, but what it amounts to is an official PlayStation Store filled with games for your Android tablets and cellphones. Sound familiar? Sony's starting with an emulator for existing PSOne titles and is promising an Android game store later this year, but soon it might be much, much more: the company's calling PlayStation Suite a "hardware-neutral" development framework to make games portable for all sorts of handhelds, and says that "new and exciting content" is also on the way. Sony will sponsor a first-party licensing and quality-assurance scheme called PlayStation Certified, and provide the marketplace as well, likely hoping to attract major game developers to build top-tier titles for mobile and get a piece of the action too. If your device doesn't have a pop-out gamepad handy, it looks like PlayStation Suite will emulate touchscreen controls, and you won't necessarily need a phone to get in on the action, as Sony says the next-generation PlayStation Portable will be compatible with games developed for PlayStation Suite right off the bat. Doesn't look like we're getting any details on game prices or compatible devices, but we imagine one particular phone will change all that at Mobile World Congress next month. Update: Looks like PlayStation Suite requires Android 2.3 at a minimum, and it's PSOne, not PlayStation Portable titles that will be emulated here, despite Kaz Hirai's quote during the festivities. PR after the break! %Gallery-115181%
