Playstation Mobile
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Sony streamlining ratings for PlayStation Mobile
Publishing a game on PlayStation Mobile will be easier than usual, thanks to an initiative by Sony. Developer relations exec Shane Bettenhausen revealed during a Fantastic Arcade panel that Sony has collaborated with ratings boards for a simpler method of ratings. "ESRB lite, PEGI lite, CERO lite," he called it.Under the new system, developers are able to self-report content by checking spaces on a form. That saves time and overhead required for ratings boards to check the content manually. It also means that games on PS Mobile are subject to the same content restrictions as console games – and not, say, at the mercy of Apple.
Sharp and Fujitsu join PlayStation Certified program, PS Mobile SDK available this November
Move over HTC -- both Sharp and Fujitsu are joining Sony's PlayStation Certified program, allowing games in the PlayStation Mobile marketplace to be purchased and played on various portable devices from the two hardware manufacturers. In Fujitsu's case, its ARROW series of smartphones and tablets will carry the PlayStation Mobile titles, while Sharp isn't getting specific just yet. Beyond the partnership announcement, Sony's PlayStation Mobile SDK comes out of beta this November and becomes available for any developer. Licences cost $100/year, and the SDK becomes available on a region-by-region basis starting with Japan, the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, allowing for cross platform development on PlayStation Certified devices and the Vita. Update: The PlayStation Mobile store will launch on October 3rd in nine countries, including Japan, the US, Canada and the UK, carrying 30 titles on the opening day, with more coming as they roll off the production line.
PlayStation Store for PS Mobile opens its virtual doors on Oct. 3
PlayStation Mobile users, you may have just felt a brief phantom tug at your wallet. That's because Sony just announced the PlayStation Store for PlayStation Mobile is coming on October 3.The first countries allowed to access PlayStation Mobile content through the PlayStation Store are Japan, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Australia. At launch on October 3, there will be 30 games available for download on PlayStation Certified Mobile devices.In addition to the news of new e-commerce avenues, Sony says the PlayStation Mobile SDK will be rolling out to wannabe mobile developers in November at the cost of $99.99 annually. PlayStation Mobile arose from the ashes of PlayStation Suite, and adds two new hardware partners to the PlayStation Mobile Certified License program today: Fujitsu and Sharp.[Note: Image taken from Sony's E3 2012 keynote.]
Eufloria Adventures headed for Vita via PS Mobile
Eufloria Adventures, a new game in the Eufloria universe from Omni Systems, is being prepped for launch on PlayStation Mobile, or as we like to call it, Vita.Eufloria Adventures will feature new gameplay mechanics with a focus on exploration and customization. Players control a seedling ship as it rounds up artifacts for study, highlighting the game's conflict-strategy approach, Gamasutra writes.Eufloria (pictured above) has sold 250,000 copies on PSN, and Omni's Rudolf Kremers says the team enjoys working with Sony. "I think PS [Mobile] is a really smart and likeable move by Sony," he says. "Personally I find the Vita a stupendous handheld gaming device and to open it up to indie devs is exactly what it needs to set itself apart. Original indie games with a strong personal identity on a fantastic piece of kit? Seems to me the right approach."
Sony announces new PlayStation Certified Xperia tablet and phones
There may be a lot of "not video games" happening on this tablet's screen, but it's Sony's next big PlayStation Certified device, the Xperia Tablet S. Not to be confused with last year's totally non-Xperia Tablet S, the new Tablet S is filled with a Tegra 3 processor, Android 4.0 (Ice-Cream Sandwich) and, depending on how much money you want to shell out, 16 to 64 gigs of storage. The device has a 9.4-inch IPS screen and will be available on September 7 for $400, $500 or $600, again depending on storage options.Sony has also announced two new PlayStation Certified smartphones: The Xperia T and Xperia V. The T will be Sony's new flagship smartphone, featuring a 4.6-inch 1,280 x 720 screen, 1.5 Ghz dual-core Qualcomm processor, 13 megapixel camera and NFC capabilities. The V, on the other hand, is a water resistant LTE device with a slightly smaller screen (4.3 inches) and no NFC tricks, but otherwise similar internals. Both phones will launch before the end of the year, with the T dropping within the next few weeks.Though all three devices ship with Android 4.0, an upgrade to Jelly-Bean will be available for both phones and the tablet sometime in the near future.
Aqua Kitty, and more of the PlayStation Mobile launch lineup
PlayStation Mobile is slowly becoming a more concrete, real thing, as Sony introduced a selection of games due to launch on the Android/Vita service this year. There's a screenshot and synopsis of each on the UK PlayStation site.Some interesting games include Aqua Kitty, about drilling for milk under the sea to feed kittens, while shooting hostile sea monsters – we did say interesting! Passing Time is a pixelated soccer game by Honeyslug in which you control the passing, shooting, and fireballs of otherwise autonomous soccer players. Frederic - Resurrection of Music is a rhythm action game about a resurrected Frederic Chopin fighting waves of enemies, controlled by an onscreen keyboard. And Panic is about creating blockades to keep an invading slime monster from eating people.See more games on the site, including, of course, Super Crate Box. So far, PlayStation Mobile is shaping up to be really odd, which is good news.
Sega, THQ, and dozens of others have signed up as PlayStation Mobile developers
PlayStation Mobile remains a mysterious project discussed only in whispers and shown only in montages. During Gamescom, Sony finally began revealing details about the service by releasing a list of developers who have signed on to create content for the Android/Vita mobile content platform.We knew about Vlambeer (Super Crate Box), but we didn't know about the 38 other international companies, and 46 Japanese companies, that have expressed interest in the service. Among them are Action Button Entertainment, who made the excellent Ziggurat for iOS; Necrosoft, Team 17, THQ, and more.There are a lot of familiar Japanese developers on the list, including Sega, Q? Entertainment, Tecmo Koei, Arc System Works, and smaller devs of note like Granzella (ex-Irem), Spike Chunsoft, D3 Publisher, and Nippon Ichi Software.We've got the full list after the break, including the ones whose names were just in Japanese. We figure the translated list will be of more use to most of you.
PlayStation Mobile launch games include Lemmings, Super Crate Box
Sony offered a relative blowout of news for its PlayStation Mobile service today – by which we mean it actually showed games. The whirlwind of mostly unidentifiable game clips included Vlambeer's Super Crate Box and Lemmings. Sony promises games from both big publishers and indies.These launch games are planned for release at the launch of this service, later in 2012. They'll be playable on Sony Xperia phones, PS Vitas, and – newly revealed – Asus and Wikipad devices.
PlayStation Mobile detailed: different screens, same games
Sony's decided to spill the beans on PlayStation Mobile, its upcoming cross-platform gaming service. It will connect to your own PSN ID, linking into its software store and aiming to offer up a "wide range of portable experiences." We're still looking at PlayStation-certified devices here, but Sony's also announced that ASUS and (bizarrely) Wikipad hardware will join the (pretty Sony-centric) line-up. We can already recognize a handful of Xperia phones alongside the Tablet S and, of course, Sony's premier handheld, which will also be able to play the incoming selection of mini-games. %Gallery-162377%
PlayStation Vita Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified bundle announced, pricing MIA
Sony's handheld will get its own companion bundle for its incoming (and exclusive) Call of Duty title. The set will include the game, a PlayStation Vita and a carry pouch -- camouflage pattern TBC. Unfortunately, Sony it neglected to mention a price or a date -- though it's likely to arrive around the same time as the game, later this year.
Left 4 Dead running on Vita via PlayStation Mobile is pretty Suite
The wizard digitalarts001 has made it possible to run Left 4 Dead with motion controls on the PS Vita, via remote desktop play and PlayStation Mobile (formerly "Suite"). The above video provides a magical demonstration of L4D on Vita, appearing to run smoothly even when motion controls are activated by the player pressing the left trigger and mumbling an incantation in broken Latin, we assume.A remote desktop application is just one of the homebrew innovations we can expect from PlayStation Mobile, but it may be one of the most important: When players can make their own games suddenly appear on the Vita, Sony won't have to create any of its own titles. Now you're thinking with Portals, Sony. Speaking of....
HTC is first partner for 'PlayStation Mobile,' the new name for PlayStation Suite [Update: Press release added]
No longer will PlayStation Certified titles be confined to Sony hardware. Andrew House, president of SCEE, revealed that HTC would be the first third-party hardware to support PlayStation Suite – not surprising since the platform has been in open beta since April.Oh, and that's the other thing – it's no longer called PlayStation Suite, but rather PlayStation Mobile. House provided no timetable for when we'd see the first PlayStation Certified titles on HTC's line of products.Update: Sony has sent out a press release, but it doesn't really say much beyond what was revealed during the press conference. Still, we've embedded past the break in case you're curious.
HTC officially a maker of PlayStation certified handsets, PlayStation Suite is now PlayStation Mobile
Thought Sony's E3 2012 presser would be about a next-gen console? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that doesn't mean there's no news on the PlayStation front, as Sony's just informed the world that the PlayStation Suite has been renamed PlayStation Mobile. Not only that, but it's opening PS Mobile to third-party Android manufacturers, and as was rumored, HTC is the first handset maker not named Sony to get certified -- meaning that you'll soon be able to get your PlayStation on using the Taiwanese outfit's hardware. Unfortunately, we don't know when HTC will debut its first such handset, nor when other Android makers will get in on the action, but it's nice to see Sony finally start to share the gaming love.%Gallery-156968%
