More information surrounding the PlayStation phone may have emerged in a leak this evening that focused on the screen and games. While backing many details that were already known, it should have a "mind-blowing" display that would be comparable to the iPhone 4's screen. Sony Ericsson is considering using the Bravia brand to promote the quality, MobileCrunch said, much as it has for some Japan-only phones.
The contact also supposedly saw both an X8 sequel and the X12, whose AMOLED he said might also get a Bravia label.
Earlier tips from Engadget had already pointed to Android's presence and plans for games from high profile franchises, but the new tip mentioned Namco's Tekken fighting game series as one example of what's likely to come. Sony Ericsson would also avoid the mistake it made with the PSP Go of charging full retail prices for downloadable games. Most titles should be priced more like iPhone games, at $10 or less versus as much as $40 for a new-release game either on UMD or on the PlayStation Store.
The Z-System name for the platform resurfaced once again and was suggested as referring not just to the end platform but the distribution method. Previous rumors of a PlayStation-specific section of Android Market were allegedly true. Google's existing payment system for apps is considered a likely reason for opting out of an entirely separate store.
Gameplay is supposedly the "the best gaming [the source] ever had on a mobile device," the rumor added. Sony Ericsson is known to be building on the control scheme of the PSP Go with touchpads instead of analog sticks but otherwise including everything up to and including shoulder buttons.
Pricing for the phone may be in line with other smartphones, at $500 off-contract, but may include downloads or pre-installs for five games. The insider supported hints from Sony Ericsson's CEO that the phone could be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February and debunked a French rumor of a December 9 event, saying the PlayStation phone was "nowhere near ready."
The device when it ships will fulfill a longstanding call for Sony to work on a PlayStation phone but may also be Sony's main hope to take on the iPhone before the expected arrival in late 2011 of the PSP2. Executives and company TV ads have been quick to dismiss the iPhone's gaming ability, but they have also seen PSP sales plummet owing directly to Apple's effect. A much quicker yearly hardware upgrade cycle as well as much stronger Internet access, fuller media support and cheaper games have given the iPhone and iPod touch appeal both as direct substitutes and as multi-role devices that are easier to carry than a PSP and another handheld.
Source: electronista