PlayStation jumps on Android bandwagon
Sony Ericsson working to bring Sony’s gaming line-up to mobile phones.
It’s a recipe for success. The PlayStation has many games that people have never played because they did not purchase the console. Ericsson makes mobile phones and is trying to break into the Android market. Meanwhile, enterprising software makers have already built emulators that allow PlayStation one games to run on the Android.
It was only a matter of time before they came out with a PlayStation phone: Engadget.com broke the news and showed pictures of the phone as proof.
Earlier, Sony and Ericsson had filed a patent application for a gaming phone in 2007. And all of us, even in Pakistan, have all been at the receiving end of Ericsson’s phone lines based on Sony brands like the Walkman and the Cyber-shot.
But my android could already play station!
Here is the interesting part. It is already possible to play the original PlayStation’s games on your Android phone via an emulator – a programme that, simply put, makes the game think your phone is a PlayStation.
The is emulator called ‘PSX4droid’ and is far from perfect but bears testament to the ability of an Android phone to run PlayStation games.
It also established that the platform could be successful because even with its less-than-satisfactory performance, it was downloaded more than 10,000 times. And at $5.99, the makers must have made quite a profit on it.
Nintendo’s portable gaming platform was just better than Sony’s
Sales of the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) have been suffering against the Nintendo DS.
According to recent figures, only 62 million units of the PSP have been sold compared with the 125.13 million units of the Nintendo DS.
Given that the Nintendo has come out with three iterations in order to sell more unit, it did manage to entice customers to buy them as well, establishing itself as the stronger gaming platform.
Then the iPhone came along and sold millions and when Steve Jobs said “let there be games,” games were produced. And they sold really well, making tons in profits for the developers which prompted larger companies like Electronic Arts to jump on the bandwagon and start developing for the iPhone as well.
The bottom line
The fact is that Nintendo’s DS and the iPhone have been selling incredibly well, while the PSP has not.
Laurent Benadiba, CEO of French software developer Smack Down Productions gave an interview to GamesIndustry.biz.
“The other day we were with a publisher and trying to figure out a business model for a PSP game,” she said, “... we couldn’t work out how we could break even. Because there are so few sales on the PSP in Europe now, you have to make a huge title on a small budget just to break even.” What this meant was that that Sony needed a platform that sold more and was accessible to more consumers: this is where the new project comes in.
Obviously, game design companies will choose the stronger platform when deciding to make games because the amount of profit that they earn is dependent on how many people actually buy their games.
The company (Sony) may be betting on the phone to be able to reach more people. Since giving people an Android phone along with the PlayStation platform does seem like enough incentive to shift.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2010.
It was only a matter of time before they came out with a PlayStation phone: Engadget.com broke the news and showed pictures of the phone as proof.
Earlier, Sony and Ericsson had filed a patent application for a gaming phone in 2007. And all of us, even in Pakistan, have all been at the receiving end of Ericsson’s phone lines based on Sony brands like the Walkman and the Cyber-shot.
But my android could already play station!
Here is the interesting part. It is already possible to play the original PlayStation’s games on your Android phone via an emulator – a programme that, simply put, makes the game think your phone is a PlayStation.
The is emulator called ‘PSX4droid’ and is far from perfect but bears testament to the ability of an Android phone to run PlayStation games.
It also established that the platform could be successful because even with its less-than-satisfactory performance, it was downloaded more than 10,000 times. And at $5.99, the makers must have made quite a profit on it.
Nintendo’s portable gaming platform was just better than Sony’s
Sales of the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) have been suffering against the Nintendo DS.
According to recent figures, only 62 million units of the PSP have been sold compared with the 125.13 million units of the Nintendo DS.
Given that the Nintendo has come out with three iterations in order to sell more unit, it did manage to entice customers to buy them as well, establishing itself as the stronger gaming platform.
Then the iPhone came along and sold millions and when Steve Jobs said “let there be games,” games were produced. And they sold really well, making tons in profits for the developers which prompted larger companies like Electronic Arts to jump on the bandwagon and start developing for the iPhone as well.
The bottom line
The fact is that Nintendo’s DS and the iPhone have been selling incredibly well, while the PSP has not.
Laurent Benadiba, CEO of French software developer Smack Down Productions gave an interview to GamesIndustry.biz.
“The other day we were with a publisher and trying to figure out a business model for a PSP game,” she said, “... we couldn’t work out how we could break even. Because there are so few sales on the PSP in Europe now, you have to make a huge title on a small budget just to break even.” What this meant was that that Sony needed a platform that sold more and was accessible to more consumers: this is where the new project comes in.
Obviously, game design companies will choose the stronger platform when deciding to make games because the amount of profit that they earn is dependent on how many people actually buy their games.
The company (Sony) may be betting on the phone to be able to reach more people. Since giving people an Android phone along with the PlayStation platform does seem like enough incentive to shift.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2010.