The player

Sony is taking gaming in hand with new consoles and mobile sets, writes CIARA O'BRIEN

AFTER WEEKS of speculation about Sony’s next move in the handheld gaming market, the company this week made it clear that it is planning a full-on assault.

In addition to a new handheld games console, the tech firm is planning to make its mark on mobile handsets, with a new service that will bring classic games and new PlayStation content to mobile handsets.

The successor to the PSP has been rumoured for some time, with speculation that there would be a PSP2 announced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There has also been talk of the PlayStation phone, but no official word on when, if ever, we’ll see such a device.

But last week, Sony finally announced some details of what’s to come. Currently codenamed the Next Generation Portable (NGP), it has 3G connectivity (Sony’s first handheld games console to include this), a five-inch OLED touch screen, a back touch pad and a motion sensor.

One of the most crucial details – the price – was not disclosed, nor was a release date. Instead there was the promise that the NGP would go on sale at the end of 2011.

Gaming used to be a straightforward market, but it’s become increasingly diverse in recent years. The rise of the smartphone – and particularly Apple’s success in this area – has given impetus to mobile gaming as a market.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is going down the route of 3D, with the 3DS set for launch on March 25th.

It’s against the background of this rising competition that Sony announced it is also planning software for Android phones that will see PlayStation games move on to the mobile platform. Dubbed PS Suite, the service will bring classic PlayStation games and new content to mobile users.

Not all phones will be suitable for games. So Sony will roll out a PlayStation Certified development programme that will take some of the confusion out of it, for both manufacturers and consumers.

Will it help Sony fight back against Apple and Nintendo? Impossible to say now. But it’s a sensible move for Sony for two reasons: it’s not unknown for console makers to take a loss on hardware and make it back on software sales; and the rise in competition can no longer be ignored.

Given that the PS Suite content will also work on the NGP, it may just persuade a few people to invest in the games device when it finally makes an appearance.