14 DAY TRIAL // Sony, in between detailing some of the features of its upcoming Next Generation Portable, has revealed a new service aimed at mobile phones powered by the Android operating system, called PlayStation Suite.
We've been hearing a lot about Sony's NGP, which will be its next foray into portable gaming, but Sony is also eying the mobile sector, with a special service called the PlayStation Suite.
The service will offer classic PlayStation 1 games, as well as other applications, to Android-powered smartphones and emulate the controls needed to play them through a touchscreen interface.
According to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss Andrew House, the PlayStation Suite service is needed to take advantage of the increase in casual gaming on mobile devices, not just on dedicated platforms like the current PlayStation Portable or Nintendo DS.
"As well as offering the ultimate portable gaming experience, via NGP, we will also be introducing a new way to deliver PlayStation games, via PlayStation Suite," he said.
"Casual gaming on multi-purpose mobile devices is a growing market that we simply cannot neglect. With that in mind, PS Suite is a new initiative to offer PlayStation quality games on Android based portable devices, be it mobile phones, smartphones or tablet PCs."
"By offering a fantastic selection of legacy PlayStation games (PS one classics), alongside content made specifically for PS Suite, we believe that we will be offering the PlayStation experience to a wider base of users."
What's more, House also says that in the near future, the full pledged PlayStation Store will have Android sections so that people can shop around for content straight from their mobile device.
"We also realize that PlayStation content should be provided through a secure and unique means, that is both reliable and user friendly. Therefore we also plan to open PlayStation Store to download content on the Android based portable devices. This is a significant move for us and one that we firmly believe will make PlayStation content more accessible than ever before."
Sony is definitely taking some huge steps forward, with the Next Generation Portable especially, but it's also nice to hear that it is spreading the "love" to other devices and platforms.