Sony May Look To Merge PSP With Cell Phone

A Playstation on your cell phone?  The notion might not be so far-fetched. The latest news out of the Japanese electronics and gaming giant is that it's "considering developing a cellphone-game gear hybrid" on Sony Ericsson phones.

Once the superpower in portable music - the Walkman, launched about 30 years ago, was revolutionary and became one of the best-known brands of its time. Anyone who didn't own a Walkman owned a knockoff. The Discman, which, as it sounds, played compact discs wasn't as huge a hit, but primarily because it wasn't as huge a change as the Walkman was and because, after all, it was only recently that you could make your own CDs. Who didn't listen to a mix tape at some point or another in their Walkman?

Then came the iPod and then the iPhone, and Sony's trailed Apple ever since. Did you know Sony had a Walkman Phone?

Reuters reported that the Nikkei business daily in Japan said Sony planned to start getting its team together on the project as soon as next month.

Sony PSP Phone Concept


Sony gaming phone concept draft...
Click for high res.

The new device would be something of a hybrid between the Sony Ericcson phones and the popular
PSP, Sony's portable gaming system.

With Electronic Arts (Sims, Tetris and Tiger Woods PGA Tour) and Square Enix (Crystal Defenders and Song Summoner), among others, starting to offer gaming software for Apple products, Sony and other portable game makers see a big ol' bullseye on their doors and are trying to avoid falling to the iPhone/iPod juggernaut.

Sony, Reuters said, refused comment.

This isn't the first time the idea has made the rounds of the rumor mill. Back in 2007, Latest-Mobile carried a report saying rumors of a PSPhone had been both confirmed and denied.  Interestingly, Sony Ericsson has had a patent in place for some time now.  It makes perfect sense to us actually.  Just bring it.