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Sony’s Kaz Hirai hints at PSP 2 and PlayStation Phone

Touches on touch controls

Sony’s Kaz Hirai hints at PSP 2 and PlayStation Phone
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Sony’s gaming head honcho Kaz Hirai has been chatting with The New York Times, and he's dropped a few coy hints and clues about the company’s portable gaming future.

Hirai talked about the optimum gaming controls for a next generation handheld. “Depending on the game, there are ones where you can play perfectly well with a touch panel,” he said, “but you can definitely play immersive games better with physical buttons and pads.”

His statement, “I think there could be games where you’re able to use both in combination,” definitely sounds like a hint about the types of controls on the PSP 2. And that’s something that all the rumours directly corroborate. VG247’s leaked photos revealed a touchpad around back and Sony recently filed a patent for a rear-facing touch panel.

The SCE President and Group CEO also had some words about the heavily rumoured PlayStation Phone - an Android mobile from Ericsson with a heavy focus on gaming.

“We don’t want gamers to be asking, what’s the difference between that and a PSP,” said Hirai. “We have to come up with a message that users will understand. It would have to be a product that keeps the PlayStation’s strengths intact.”

The latest rumours say the fabled device will be called Xperia Play, will get its debut at February's Mobile World Congress and hit UK shelves in April.

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer