So we know that this rumor first came up back in 2007, but this time it’s being promulgated by a reliable source. Japanese business paper Nikkei reported that Sony is thinking of having its video game and mobile phone division work together to make a hybrid of the PSP and a Sony Ericcson phone. On the rumor aspect, let’s be brief. Sony denies it, but they deny everything, and the fact that this is coming from Nikkei gives it the scent of a tip from an insider.
On the idea itself, the question is whether this could make Sony money, and the answer is probably yes. The success of hybrid devices is from noticing when two things should share functionality. When Apple designed the iPhone, they thought “Hey, people carry iPods and phones. What if we can get them to carry one device that we sell to them?” So that’s what they did. Gamers who use PSPs carry PSPs and phones, so why not sell them a single toy that does both?
The biggest barrier to entry on a PSP phone is almost certainly the battery. As the users of many smartphones can attest, spending too much time doing data-involved activities, such as web browsing and streaming video, kill your battery pretty quickly. So playing full-on PSP games could make for a phone that does not even come close to making it though a full day, or a fat phone at that. But if Sony can bound that obstacle, they stand to make a whole lot of cash.
Gamers out there, tell us! Would you buy a PSP phone?
