Many thousands of early Windows Phone 7 users are enjoying seamless connectivity with Xbox Live, but it may seem like nothing when compared to Sony’s effort in delivering PlayStation integration to literally millions of existing smartphone owners.
Sony will release PlayStation applications for iPhone and Android and it will be available in the App Store and the Android Market. The app is only available for iOS 4 or higher and Android 1.6 or higher (which covers almost the entire spectrum of Android devices today).
At this moment, it has relatively limited functions but promises many possible improvements and additions for future versions. It will also have some social features such as checking our profile and friends’ online status.
The PlayStation app icon looks similar to what we’ve seen on PlayStation Phone. Sony said that, this app won’t allow users to play any Sony-sanctioned game and instead it will act as PlayStation Network “companion,’. Users can see their trophies, receive PlayStation news, find friends who are playing online and more. The application is free and it will be ridiculous for Sony if it asks users to pay for the app. The Playstation app is essentially a good advertising tool for Sony, as users can get the latest news and developments in the PlayStation community, including new peripherals, games or downloadable content. A free app will encourage more users to download it and allow Sony to showcase its new products. The app is also a good way to build up interest among smartphone users for the upcoming Playstation Phone, with frequent news updates and teasers, some Android and iPhone phone owners may ditch their phones and get a Playstation Phone instead. Obviously, this app is not everything Playstation users would want it to, even so, it’s a good step. Hopefully enough many users will see values an application like this can offer, which will encourage game distributors, like EA Games to develop a similar app.
Some experts believe that the PlayStation app may revolutionize the mobile gaming. Perhaps, that’s what Sony actually hopes. The current mobile gaming industry is dominated by the iPhone and Android platform, it really makes sense for the titans of console gaming, like Sony, to start making a foothold.
The PlayStation App will be available in early 2011, in Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. It is not yet known when the North American version will be released.