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PlayStation Mobile: devices, development, and more

PlayStation Mobile — formerly PlayStation Suite — is Sony's effort to roll out gaming content to Android mobile devices, from PSOne classics to original content developed with its SDK. So far the service has been limited to old PlayStation games on Sony-made devices, but the company announced at E3 that HTC will be joining the ranks of PlayStation-certified device manufacturers. Follow this stream to keep up with the latest.

  • Sam Byford

    Mar 11, 2015

    Sam Byford

    Sony is closing its failed PlayStation Mobile platform

    PlayStation Mobile, Sony's initiative to build a store for indie games and PlayStation classics that could be played on both the PS Vita handheld and certain Android phones, is coming to an end. No further content will be published after July 15th, and come September 10th you won't even be able to re-download any games you've bought in the past. Sony ceased support for the Android side of the platform last year.

    PlayStation Mobile never got serious traction, but its shutdown could mean that the Vita becomes a slightly less attractive target for indie developers — although in recent years Sony has been doing a good job releasing indie games in the regular PlayStation Store. Still, the failed venture highlights Sony's inability to bring the flailing mobile division and the high-flying PlayStation business together in a meaningful way.

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  • Sam Byford

    Aug 6, 2014

    Sam Byford

    Sony gives up on PlayStation Mobile for Android

    Sony has announced that it will no longer support the Android side of PlayStation Mobile, its initiative to support cross-platform indie game publishing for the PS Vita and Google's OS. The service will continue to operate on PlayStation Certified devices running Android 4.4.2 and below, but from Android 4.4.3 and up, Sony can't guarantee that games will play correctly or that users will be able to access the store. Phones and tablets on Android L, the upcoming major refresh, won't have store access at all, and Sony says it has no plans to give any more devices PlayStation Certified status.

    PlayStation Mobile offered a selection of original PSOne games, and had the occasional breakout hit of its own like Velocity, later remixed into a deluxe version for the regular PlayStation Store. But many of its most notable titles were also available on iOS, like Super Crate Box and Rymdkapsel. It may still have a place as the simplest way for indie developers to get their games onto the Vita, but given the console's increased focus on indie games in general, it appears that the end is in sight for this initiative.

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  • Bryan Bishop

    Sep 19, 2012

    Bryan Bishop

    PlayStation Mobile titles go on sale October 3rd, Sharp and Fujitsu join as hardware partners

    PlayStation Mobile
    PlayStation Mobile

    Back at E3 Sony rebranded its Playstation Suite mobile gaming initiative to PlayStation Mobile, and the company has now announced it will begin distributing content to certified devices through the PlayStation Store on October 3rd. Aimed at Android-based smartphones and tablets, PlayStation Mobile games will be available in nine different countries at launch, including the US, UK, Japan, Canada, and France. Around 30 different titles will be present to start with, from both Sony and third-party developers. According to Sony, the titles will be priced between 50 to 850 yen (approximately $0.64 to $10.80).

    Joining HTC — the first third-party PlayStation Mobile hardware partner — will be Fujitsu and Sharp. Sony's press release makes specific mention of Fujitsu's Arrows line of smartphones and tablets, though it's not clear which specific models are participating in PlayStation Mobile at this time.

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  • Ross Miller

    Jun 5, 2012

    Ross Miller

    HTC One phones running PlayStation Mobile spotted at Sony's E3 booth

    HTC One with PlayStation Mobile (angled)
    HTC One with PlayStation Mobile (angled)

    Yesterday at E3 Sony announced a partnership to bring PlayStation Mobile — previously known as PlayStation Suite — to HTC's phones. While no specific devices were mentioned at the event, the HTC One X on stage gave us an decent idea of what to expect. Sony has since revealed that HTC's One series will be the first third-party products to don the PlayStation Certified moniker, specifically, the HTC One X, One S, and One V.

    Sony wasted no time showing off its new relationship with HTC. We spotted the HTC One X, One S, and One V running what's purported to be PlayStation Mobile (née PlayStation Suite) behind glass at Sony's E3 booth. Unfortunately we couldn't play with the units, and the screens shown were more proof of concept with some minor idle animations and menus. The appearance of HTC's One series is more symbolic than anything — all three of the well-received devices were presented on the foreground with the Sony products (Xperia S, Vita, Tablet S, and Tablet P) behind them. Notably absent? The Xperia Play — not that we're surprised at this point.

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  • Bryan Bishop

    Jun 5, 2012

    Bryan Bishop

    PlayStation Suite is now PlayStation Mobile, HTC first third-party hardware partner

    Sony has just announced it will be partnering with HTC to create PlayStation Suite-certified phones — a program it is renaming PlayStation Mobile. While no specific phones were mentioned, the new HTC One X was held up as an example of the collaboration, as well as being featured in a slide promoting the partnership. PlayStation Suite was announced last year, and the developer program went into open beta this past April. The focus up until this point, however, had been on Sony Ericsson — now Sony Mobile — devices. The move to third-party partnerships, particularly with a manufacturer of HTC's stature, changes the program's potential drastically, and could open up a significant new venue for PlayStation Mobile gaming. We'll be visiting Sony during E3 to see what devices they're showing off in connection with the program — and to see if we can try our hand at some PlayStation gaming on a One X.

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  • Sam Byford

    Apr 19, 2012

    Sam Byford

    PlayStation Suite developer program goes into open beta

    playstation suite open beta
    playstation suite open beta

    We were expecting the PlayStation Suite developer program to go into open beta this month, and sure enough it's happened. Developers can now download the free Suite SDK, which will allow them to create apps and games for the PS Vita and PlayStation Certified devices. Once the beta period is up at some point later this year, signing a $99-per-year contract will allow developers to sell their content in the PlayStation Store.

    Sony isn't revealing much information on exactly how stringent the contract requirements will be, though the FAQ does say that games must be either paid or freemium, and an in-app purchasing system is coming later in the beta period. PlayStation Suite's been a little slow getting itself off the ground since its announcement over a year ago, but the news that more content is finally on the way should be reassuring to owners of the Vita and other Sony devices.

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  • Sam Byford

    Mar 14, 2012

    Sam Byford

    PlayStation Store comes to the Sony Xperia S, 14 PS One titles available

    Sony Xperia S PlayStation Store
    Sony Xperia S PlayStation Store

    We weren't best pleased with the Xperia S' lack of gaming options in our review, especially for a flagship PlayStation Certified device. Thankfully, Sony has gone some way to rectifying the error by making the PlayStation Store available on the new phone, as well as its Japanese equivalent the Acro HD. To access the store, you'll need to enable non-Android Market apps in the Settings menu, run the "Let's start PS Store" application that's in the app tray, and finally download both the PlayStation Store and PS Pocket apps. You'll also need a Sony Entertainment Network account (née PlayStation Network) if you don't have one.

    It doesn't sound like the Xperia S is quite ready to replace your PS Vita yet, however — only sixteen PS One games are currently available on the S's store, two of which are inexplicably marked as Xperia Play-exclusive. Other Sony devices have games like Crash Bandicoot available on their respective versions of the PlayStation Store, and it's a little disappointing that there doesn't seem to be parity across the Xperia line.

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  • Sam Byford

    Mar 7, 2012

    Sam Byford

    PlayStation Suite SDK in open beta next month, more content on the way

    sony tablet p playstation suite
    sony tablet p playstation suite

    Sony Android devices like the Xperia S and Tablet P may well be PlayStation Certified, but you wouldn't necessarily know it from looking at the meagre selection of content available. While the promise of PlayStation Suite seems yet to materialise, Sony is at least making efforts towards it today by announcing that the SDK for the platform will go into open beta next month. This will hopefully bring a range of new, original content to PlayStation Certified devices, going beyond the smattering of PSOne games we've been limited to until now. Later this year the official SDK will be released for an annual fee of $99, giving developers the opportunity to sell their content through the PlayStation Store on mobiles and probably the PS Vita. Sony also pledged to roll out more content across the service this year, and promote PlayStation Suite more heavily on the store.

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  • David Pierce

    Mar 6, 2012

    David Pierce

    Sony Tablet P review

    Sony Tablet P hero
    Sony Tablet P hero

    In a market riddled with similar slates, no one's going to accuse Sony of adopting a copycat tablet strategy. First the company released the Tablet S, a tablet seemingly inspired by a folded-back magazine, and now comes the Tablet P, which draws its design from some combination of a Nintendo 3DS and a Kyocera Echo. We’ve been hearing about the Tablet P for more than a year, originally as the Tablet S2, and now it’s finally available: the clamshell device has two 5.5-inch displays, a Tegra 2 processor, dual cameras, Android 3.2, and data connectivity through AT&T's HSPA+ network. It's available for $399.99 with a two-year AT&T contract, or $549.99 contract-free (oddly, there’s even a $5 / month discount on your data bill if you don’t get a contract).

    Sony's doing things very differently with the Tablet P, but is it fixing what wasn’t broken? Or does the new form factor solve a design problem we didn't know tablets had? Read on to find out if two screens really is better than one.

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  • Mar 5, 2012

    Vlad Savov

    Sony Xperia S review

    Sony Xperia S review_1020
    Sony Xperia S review_1020

    The Sony Xperia S is the first product to emerge from the newly consolidated Sony Mobile group. Although it'll inevitably be treated as the bellwether for Sony's attempt at going it alone on the mobile front, this phone's design and development can rightfully be attributed to the former Sony Ericsson partnership. Whatever the logo at the top, the Xperia S comes with a clear mission to woo users with its dashing good looks and to keep them interested with a highly competitive spec sheet. Its 4.3-inch display has a 1280 x 720 resolution, the camera features a 12-megapixel Exmor R sensor, and beating inside is a dual-core Snapdragon heart clocked at 1.5GHz.

    The one disappointment spoiling matters is that Sony is shipping the Xperia S out with the year-old Android 2.3 as the preloaded OS. An upgrade to the latest Android 4.0 software is in the works and promised for the second quarter of 2012, but your first few weeks with the new handset will be spent savoring the all too familiar taste of Gingerbread. Sony has clearly been keen to shorten the time between announcement and release, but being quick to transition from a CES headline to store shelves only matters if the Xperia S is actually worth your time and money. Read on to find out.

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  • Feb 14, 2012

    Vlad Savov

    PlayStation Certified HTC devices rumored for second half of 2012

    HTC logo
    HTC logo

    PlayStation certification for mobile devices has been an exclusively Sony-only affair up to this point, but today Pocket-lint is reporting that HTC will break that monopoly in the latter half of 2012. Citing sources in the know, the site suggests HTC will get approval to slap PlayStation Certified stickers on its products later in the year, though it's not entirely clear if that will apply retrospectively to devices already released or only to brand new ones. There's also no way to yet know if we're talking about future smartphones, tablets, or both.

    From the moment it introduced us to the concept of PlayStation Certified devices, Sony has stressed that it will look to bring other Android device manufacturers into the fold, and HTC looks like a very logical candidate. Frankly, it's taken a surprisingly long time for us to hear anything about other phone makers wanting in on Sony mobile gaming ecosystem (which grants you access to a number of PS One classics as well as the PS Suite). HTC has kept quiet on the rumor, but we'll see if it becomes more talkative during the Mobile World Congress gathering in Barcelona later this month.

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  • Jeff Blagdon

    Feb 12, 2012

    Jeff Blagdon

    Sony exploring Vita OS smartphones and tablets, says AV Watch

    Sony’s soon-to-be President and CEO, Kazuo Hirai, has hinted that the company is investigating porting the Vita OS to other mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Japanese site AV Watch reported on Friday that Hirai told reporters at a Q&A session that the company doesn’t want us to forget Vita OS as a mobile (i.e. not just gaming) platform. The report goes on to quote SCE’s Senior Vice President Yoshio Matsumoto as saying, "if you’re asking if we’ve made it in a way that’s expandable, so that it’s possible to apply to smartphones and tablets on top of achieving the high responsiveness we need for gaming devices — it is possible," hedging his comment with, "that doesn’t mean that we’re applying it to smartphones and tablets at this point in time, but it’s been designed with expandability in mind."

    The company’s efforts to compete in the low-margin Android handset business haven’t been a huge financial success — Sony Ericsson posted a €247 million loss (about $325 million) for fiscal 2011, citing intense competition, despite a 65 percent year-on-year increase in Xperia Android smartphone sales. A wholly-owned platform building on the company's strengths in gaming could provide a key differentiator as Sony expands its mobile operations. When asked about the feasibility of porting smartphone apps to the Vita platform, Sony’s deputy president Kunimasa Suzuki responded by saying, "that’s exactly why we’re going to be putting energy into building up PlayStation Suite this year."

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  • Sam Byford

    Dec 8, 2011

    Sam Byford

    PlayStation Store comes to certified Sony Ericsson Android phones in Japan

    xperia playstation suite
    xperia playstation suite

    The PlayStation Store is now open for business on a range of PlayStation Suite-certified Sony Ericsson Android phones in Japan. Sony released 23 original PS One games onto the store, with prices starting at 600 yen, and is throwing Minna no Golf 2 (released as Hot Shots Golf 2 in the US) in as a freebie for the next two months. The store can be used on Docomo's Xperia Arc SO-01C and Acro SO-02C, along with KDDI's Acro IS11S, joining the Xperia Play which has had the ability since its Japanese launch in October. No word on an international release for these games, but we wouldn't hold our breath considering the selection available. It's a pretty esoteric list, largely made up of titles that never saw the light of day outside Japan back in the original PlayStation era — those of you clamoring for a portable version of Ganbare Morikawa-kun 2-gou should probably start booking your flights.

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  • Nathan Ingraham

    Nov 11, 2011

    Nathan Ingraham

    Sony launches PlayStation Suite SDK closed beta

    Uncharted for PlayStation Vita hands-on at E3 2011
    Uncharted for PlayStation Vita hands-on at E3 2011

    With the PS Vita's February launch drawing ever closer, Sony's working to get developers of all sizes and types on board. To that end, it just announced a closed beta for the PlayStation Suite SDK, which lets Windows 7 and Windows XP users start developing for the PS Vita, as well "PlayStation Certified" devices in the PS Suite, such as the Android-powered Xperia Play. You don't even need to own a PlayStation device to take advantage of this free SDK — it comes with an emulator for testing purposes. However, Sony cautions that this closed beta is limited and intended to improve the SDK, so those trying it may encounter some bugs and snags along the way to developing their portable masterpiece.

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  • Ross Miller

    Nov 10, 2011

    Ross Miller

    Xperia Acro and Arc become PlayStation Certified in Japan

    Xperia Arc
    Xperia Arc

    No word on certification outside of Japan just yet — Acro is a Japan-only device, but Arc has a European presence and had a limited run in the US as an unlocked GSM device. Of course, now that Sony is taking full control of Sony Ericsson, our hope would be that PlayStation Certification becomes more of a rule than an exception. We've reached out to both companies to see what else we can find.

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  • Joanna Stern

    Oct 21, 2011

    Joanna Stern

    Sony's Kaz Hirai: We're breaking down barriers with software, networking, and Android

    Sony's Kazuo Hirai took the stage this morning here at Asia D to talk about Sony's large portfolio of products, and while he didn't reveal anything brand new, there was absolutely a theme of Sony breaking down its internal and external barriers. When we asked Hirai about the fact that lots of Sony's products — TVs, phones, tablets, cameras, laptops— don't work well (or at all) together, he made it clear that he's actively looking to change that. "Now that I'm responsible for all of the consumer products with a Sony label, one of the organizational changes that I've made is to create a new group of people from each of the different business units. They are tasked with looking across the entire spectrum (particularly networked products), and ask 'What is the experience we need to provide as a suite of Sony products?'"

    That certainly sounds like a step in the right direction for the company, but even beyond that, Hirai touched upon opening Sony's services beyond its own products. When Engadget asked about the PlayStation Suite coming to other Android devices, he said this "isn't an ecosystem where we want to keep everything within the Sony family, that's the beauty of Android. We're in discussions with non-Sony companies to bring them onboard. We'll make those announcements when it's time to go public with it. This is not just for Sony devices." Of course, Sony had hinted at that at GDC Online with its PlayStation Suite SDK, but there's no doubt that Hirai's working to open Sony's services both internally and externally — now let's just hope we don't have to wait too long to see the fruits of that openness.

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  • Ross Miller

    Apr 26, 2011

    Ross Miller

    Sony S1 and dual-screen S2 Honeycomb tablets with PlayStation Suite coming this fall

    It's been a long time coming, but Sony has just unveiled two Android 3.0-powered tablets, the "magazine style" S1 and the dual-screen S2. The former is a 9.4-inch single-screen device with a Tegra 2 processor, front- and rear-facing cameras, and a curve at the top — "it's like holding a magazine" says Sony's Kunimasa Suzuki at today's event in Tokyo (via The Wall Street Journal), and it's almost to the letter what Engadget had in a leak back in February. The tablet has a modified Honeycomb interface with a heavy emphasis on tiles (reminiscent of Windows Phone 7) and can be used as a universal remote for "a variety of AV devices" — starting with Bravia, of course. There's DLNA support for TV sets and wireless speakers. Unsurprisingly, the S1 supports media via Sony's Qriocity service. It'll also be PlayStation Certified, making it the second device (after Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play) to wear that badge, with the controls being displayed as on-screen virtual buttons in the presentation.

    The S2, which also leaked months prior, is a clamshell-shaped, dual-screen device with two 5.5-inch, 1024 x 480-resolution displays (and lots of bezel) that folds onto themselves. It shares most of the features of S1, including Qriocity, DLNA support, and PlayStation Certification, with controls mostly on the bottom and the PS L and R triggers adjacent to the action up top. The custom Email app splits inbox on the bottom and messages above. It's without a doubt the most unique Honeycomb form factor around, but given my recent bout with the Acer Iconia and Kyocera Echo, I can't help but have some reservations already.

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