The rumors about Sony's game-playing smart phone have only just been laid to rest (the PlayStation phone is for real!) and already a fresh new Sony gaming rumor has sprung up to take its place. This time around, the rumor mill is abuzz about a possible PlayStation tablet.
The 9.4-inch tablet — which is being called the "S1" — will run on Android 3.0. It will play PlayStation 1 games and will come in a unique folded design, according to an exclusive report from Engadget.
This news comes after Sony said it would bring PlayStation games to Android phones and have a PlayStation Certified program to ensure quality gaming across multiple devices.
As far as the tablet goes, Engadget says they spoke to "two highly trusted and independent sources" and:
The tablet itself, we're told, is 100 percent focused on Qriocity, Sony's music, games, ebooks, and videos on demand service that's just been launched in Europe. It comes preloaded with Sony PS One games, a Bravia Media Remote, and yes, PlayStation integration ... We now have confirmation that the S1 is indeed PlayStation Certified making this a full-blown gaming tablet.
The S1 is supposed to be about the same size and weight as Apple's iPad, but will apparently feel lighter because of the new folding design which shifts the device's weight into the user's hands and is supposed to mimic "a magazine folded backward upon itself." It will have both front- and rear-facing cameras, a USB-A port for thumb drives and is planned for a September launch at $599.
Sony has been noticeably absent from the tablet race, so these rumors certainly make sense, especially when paired with recent comments from Sony's top brass.
Sony surprised some when it didn't unveil a tablet to rival the iPad at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year. But Sony's computer division head Kunimasa Suzuki insisted that the company would be shooting to take the No 2. spot in the tablet competition. As audacious a claim as that is, at least this gives us an inkling of what he might have been talking about.
From a gaming standpoint, it's worth pointing out that the iPad has become a powerful contender in this area. With Sony recently revealing its forthcoming Next Generation Portable game machine — in addition to the Xperia Play phone — a gaming-focused tablet would certainly round things out nicely for the company.
Be sure to check out Engadget's article for more details on the tablet here.
For more on Sony's gaming plan, check out:
- Xperia Play game phone comes to Verizon in spring
- Android getting games from Sony
- Sony reveals PSP successor - the Next Generation Portable
Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things right here on Twitter.
