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A Sony PlayStation phone -- long talked about, but late to the mobile party -- may be coming after all.
Engadget shared photos of a prototype PlayStation phone it said may be out this year, although 2011 is "looking much more realistic."
Sony Ericsson, contacted by msnbc.com, says it "does not comment on rumours, speculation or unannounced products," which leaves the issue fairly muddled.
With the iPhone (and iPod Touch) a heavy player in the mobile games market, and Android growing quickly as well, the notion of a PlayStation phone seems almost ... quaint, something that might have made sense several years ago, but is outdated now.
Not necessarily so, says Avi Greengart, research director for consumer devices at Current Analysis.
While the PlayStation phone is "only a rumor at this point ... mobile gaming on phones is a large and growing trend."
Sony Ericsson's phones are not as high-profile or alluring as iPhones, Android devices or BlackBerrys. And Microsoft, with its new Windows Phone 7 integrating Xbox Live, looks to finally have real life. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
But it's all those threats that make a PlayStation phone's chances good, says Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for The NPD Group research firm.
"Games have been among the most popular apps for smart phones, and Apple has been able to leverage developer interest in the iPhone to make the iPod Touch a more direct competitor to handheld consoles," he said.
Sony Ericsson could use a win here. The company's overall cell phone shipment ranking fell to sixth place in the second quarter, down from fourth in the first quarter, according to a recent report from iSuppli research.
That "marked the first time in at least three years that Sony Ericsson didn’t rank among the Top 5 global cell phone brands."
But, notes iSuppli, Sony Ericsson also "achieved a 15.4 percent increase in smart phone shipments during the second quarter. This made Sony Ericsson the fourth fastest growing smart phone brand during the second quarter."
With its "shift" from "volume to value-add" -- and a PlayStation phone would be that -- the company is "positioning itself to cash in on the fastest growing and most profitable segment of the global wireless market,” said Tina Teng, senior analyst for wireless communications at iSuppli.
The PlayStation phone, according to Engadget, would use Google's increasingly popular Android operating system, and Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg recently said that the company's goal is to "become the global No. 1 handset provider on the Android platform."
Engadget says the PlayStation phone will use Android and Sony's "Marketplace, which will allow you to purchase and download games designed for the new platform ... The device ... is sporting a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 ... 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and the screen is in the range of 3.7 to 4.1 inches."
Gaming website NowGamer, based in Britain, thinks the phone is fake. A "closer look at the top screen in particular reveals a number of telltale signs, such as a large amount of dirt collecting around the screen, as well as mention of 'A' and 'B' buttons on the interface."
Whether the prototype is real or not, a PlayStation phone stands a good chance, says Rubin, who makes a good point.
"A handset that has close ties to a home console has an opportunity to be a more casual companion since gamers need to carry phones anyway."
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