As recently as May Sony has itself stated that a PSP phone "could happen," and now a report from Nikkei business daily states that Sony is planning on putting together a team as early as next month to build product that would act as a combination of a PSP and a Sony Ericsson handset. It makes plenty of sense, both as a differentiation from Nintendo and as a confrontation of the looming iPhone threat -- and hey, it might also act as a decent salve over the lukewarm reception of the pricey PSPgo. Unfortunately, if Sony is just about to get started on this, we likely wouldn't be looking at any resulting product for a while to come. Sony declined comment according to Reuters, which doesn't mean a whole lot, but it's worth keeping in mind that we've been hearing this sort of rumoring since back when the N-Gage (as a product) was still almost relevant.

[Via Mac Rumors]

While most folks welcome gaming devices that do more than simply play games, Texas-based Wall Wireless LLC seems to think that's a bit over the line, at least when it's not getting a piece of the action. More specifically, the little known company says that Sony, Nintendo, and Nokia are infringing on its patent for a "Method and Apparatus for Creating and Distributing Real-Time Interactive Media Content Through Wireless Communication Networks and the Internet," which apparently relates to someone distributing "messages having aural or visual content that is generated by the operator using handheld apparatuses such as mobile telephones." According to Wall Wireless, that patent not only covers the DS and PSP, but specific games like Mario Kart and Wipeout Pulse, and a whole host of Nokia's game-playing phones, including the N95, N93, and N82. As a result, it's seeking a permanent injunction against the allegedly infringing companies lest it be "irreparably harmed," as well as the usual damages, expenses, and attorney's fees, not to mention "pre-judgment and post-judgment interest."

[Via Register Hardware]

We've been following PSP Phone rumors since 2006, forever on a tech timeline. A device we figure to be in-line with the natural evolution of mobile gaming and by the fact that Sony already licenses its Bravia and Cyber-shot brands for use on other Sony Ericsson phones. Not so fast buster. Mobile Today (citing "several sources close to the matter") is reporting that Sony Ericsson has been refused the use of the PlayStation brand by Sony Corp. after pitching the business case in December. A spokesperson for Sony Ericsson wouldn't comment directly on the matter but did say, "In the past, we have been keen that our product proposition lives up to brand promise, and we feel at the moment the technical specs are not high enough to put such a prestigious brand on a phone." With Sony Ericsson posting a massive $346 million dollar loss today compared to the $95 million expected, well, maybe Sony's wisdom shouldn't be questioned. Then again, Sony's not doing much better.

[Thanks, Matthew A.]

Read -- Sony refuses to license PlayStation brand
Read -- Sony Ericsson slips into the red

According to extremely reliable and embarrassingly handsome Engadget sources, at an iPhone event held today, John Geleynse (AKA Director of Technology Evangelism at Apple) made some statements regarding the iPhone platform that should seriously raise a few eyebrows. During an ADC "iPhone Tech Talk" in San Jose, Geleynse apparently waxed excited about the potential for the handheld as a viable threat to the DS (and the PSP by proxy), calling the iPhone a "gaming console" and claiming that "it's not a phone, it's a console experience." Pretty bold talk about a device that has yet to really prove its gaming mettle, but nothing new from the Apple camp as far as we're concerned. Considering these comments alongside those from a recent interview in which Greg Joswiak compared the touch to the DS, it seems clear that the company is making a noticeable effort to push this angle. Adding some fuel to that fire is PR that just went out announcing a series of EA "sneak peek" events at Apple Stores around the US. In their words:

Throughout the month of December Apple Stores in New York, LA, San Francisco and Chicago will host special "EA Games Sneak Peek" events where Electronic Arts will discuss why the iPod touch and iPhone are amazing platforms for mobile gaming...

While there's no question the iPhone and touch have made inroads when it comes to gaming, it still isn't clear that there's going to be anything beyond a casual interest for these devices. Then again, if the Wii's success has proven anything, it's that there's plenty of cash in casual if you can make it appealing enough. And you know how Apple feels about appealing products and money.

Call it off Sony, no need to throw any precious man hours into making your perennially #2 handheld into some sort of amazing featurephone hybrid, some hacker has already done it for you. Through the amazing wonders of modern thinphone technology, soldering irons and probably a bit of glue, some hacker has managed the slap a Haier touchscreen phone onto the back of his PSP -- killing the UMD drive in the process, but we'd say it was well worth it.

Look, we've heard our fair share of PSP phone rumors, and there's really no reason to trust this one any further than your average baseless musings, but if Marketing Week's "sources in Japan and Korea" can be trusted, Sony's PSP phone could be hitting shelves as soon as Christmas 2009. What does seem clear to these shady sources is that Sony won't be forking over the PlayStation branding to its Sony Ericsson partnership, and instead will build its PSP phone all by its lonesome. Other "details" from "analysts" are slightly less legit-sounding, with some stating it would be "relatively easy" to work phone features into the PSP since it already includes WiFi. Um, ok. Still, reasonable or not, this is clearly a rumor that will never die -- until Sony builds the dang thing, in which case we can start talking up a sequel.

[Thanks, Alex]

It seems that several years of taking their lumps on the long road to mobile gaming success has hardened the boys and girls at Nokia just a bit, and they're ready to come out swinging. The target? Fellow European manufacturer Sony Ericsson, of course, which has been rumored for eons to be cooking up some sort of PlayStation- or PSP-branded handset to go head to head with the likes of Nokia's N-Gage service. The head of Nokia's games division went on the assault at a recent press event for its brand spanking new N-Gage client, saying "I'm not scared about anybody. The real question is how do they do it? Can they create a link between the PSP games and a phone? Can they do the multiplayer and online stuff? We've been doing this for two years and it hasn't been easy." In other words: bring it, Sony Ericsson, because we don't think you can do it. Kind of funny to be lashing out against a product that hasn't been announced (much less launched) though.

[Via Tech Digest]

Corporate denials aside, a gaming handset from Sony Ericsson seems to make flat-out good sense -- particularly in light of Nokia's renewed emphasis on making N-Gage a success. What's more, you figure that Sony Ericsson has swiped Sony's Walkman and Cyber-shot brands for its own devices, so why not PlayStation, too? Indeed, it seems the "PSP phone" rumor ain't dying until the phone is magically willed into existence by the hopeful masses, and here's another bundle of kindling to toss into the fire: a shot of Stuff's latest issue in the UK, featuring an unusually real (and realistic) looking PlayStation-branded handset. Of course, odds are that Stuff's graphics peeps have just taken a little creative license in rendering their dream phone, but if that's the case, we think Sony Ericsson would be wise to pay attention -- it's a beaut, is it not?

[Via Unwired View]

We get a wee bit excited round here when brands collide to create interesting new spinoffs, but this handset is full-on ridiculous. Our creative Asian friends weren't happy with a simple gaming handset, they had to bust out a Windows Mobile-esque OS, with a dash of faux PSP, a splash of Nintendo all wrapped in almost Anycall. Notice that great big PSP logo on the back? Well that's all there is for Sony content here, the handset is actually loaded with NES games and Pac-Man? Of course, we have to congratulate on the Samsung F520 double slider thing going on here, we feel that this is definitely a winning idea, but of course this handset only copies and is definitely not the brainchild of Samsung. Packing dual-band GSM a-la 900 / 1800, a 1.3 megapixel shooter, a touchscreen, and support for up to 2GB of memory, the mystery manufacturer handset definitely has the goods. This is without a doubt the pinnacle of Keepin' It Real Fake fare, and we think this could only be topped by some clever use of iPhone branding and maybe a Coca-Cola color scheme. This one won't be hitting carriers over here, but at the end of the day, who really cares? We are justifiably in awe.

While there are plenty of all-in-one DAP/PMP/gaming units out in the Chinese market, the V191 takes it to another level by tossing in phone functionality and a PSP-styled enclosure to boot. A very likely candidate for Keepin' it real fake, this handheld device comes in a tad shorter than the tried and true PSP, and replaces the unmistakable "PSP" logo with "FUN." While details on this dodgy unit are far and few between, it apparently accepts any SIM card for mobile use, sports a 1.3-megapixel camera, supports MP4 / MP3 playback, and even boasts a gaming function for a bit of 8-bit reminiscing while on the go. You can store your tunes, movies, and homebrew apps on the included 256MB microSD card, or toss in a larger one for those extra lengthy trips. Assuming you can find one, the V191 is reportedly going for a whopping HK$5400 ($695) overseas.

[Via Akihabara News]

As far as rumors go, this one is about as thin on the deets as they come, but Cnet Asia is reporting that Sony Ericsson senior VP of Product and Application Planning, Rikko Sakaguchi, actually alluded to plans for a game-playing phone at a recent press event in Sweden. During what was presumably the Q&A portion of a media conference in honor of the merged company's fifth anniversary, Sakaguchi reportedly answered a question about a theoretical PSP phone (most decidedly NOT pictured above) by saying simply that Sony Ericsson "is working on something," but that "the surprise must be kept for the future." Yeah, we know, not too much meat here -- Sakaguchi did mention that the objective was to integrate gaming and communications functions, not to create a dedicated gaming device (whatever that means) -- however, after the relative success of its Walkman and Cybershot lineup of handsets, it certainly makes sense for the company to leverage the PlayStation brand in this market as well. Sony Ericsson would be wise, though, to learn from Nokia's experience with the N-Gage, which is that, well, people don't like the N-Gage. So, here's to hoping that the Ericsson side of the equation can knock some sense into the Sony side of the equation, or else we may end up with a bulky, side-talkin' handset which uses even more proprietary formats that no one is interested in.

[Via Maxconsole]