PlayStation Suite will bring PSOne games to Android phones
Android fans will be able to get their retro gamer on with Sony's new PS Suite service. It promises to bring a selection of PSOne classics to smart phones running Android 2.3 and upwards.
PlayStation games are coming to Android, and not just to the much-leaked Xperia Play handset. Sony has announced PlayStation Suite, a service that will bring PSOne games to new smart phones running the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system.
The PS Suite service was unveiled today as part of Sony's launch of the next-gen NGP handheld. It will launch this year with a range of PSOne games from Sony, plus an on-handset PlayStation Store application via which you'll be able to buy and download more games.
Which games? "We will announce the titles when ready," stated Sony in its press release, keeping its cards close to its chest.
Handset makers will have to get a 'PlayStation Certified' licence from Sony, which will allow them to slap the PlayStation logo on their devices. This could be a big deal -- after months spent speculating about the PlayStation Phone, it seems we might get a blizzard of them, from different manufacturers.
That's not all. Sony wants developers to make new games for PS Suite, in a move that could see games from both the iPhone and Sony's existing PlayStation digital store making their way to Android. PS Suite games will also be playable on the NGP.
Life has been fairly dull for Android-owning gamers until now. We were at the Mobile Games Forum in London yesterday, where developers were queuing up to be extremely rude about Google's Android Market app store, and explaining why so many are focusing on the iPhone instead.
PS Suite has the potential to change all that if Sony does a good job with its new service. But the key will be which games are available and which handsets support it. How you pay for games is also an important factor, but we reckon the service will tie into Sony's existing PSN Wallet system.