By now, it seems like a new tablet has been announced by every major electronics manufacturer… except one, of course.
Sony has hinted at its own tablet a few times in the past, but until now, nothing of significance has really popped up. Engadget is now reporting that Sony has multiple tablets coming – and that one of them is marked as “PlayStation Certified.” This new tablet apparently even comes preloaded with a handful of PS One games. It seems like Sony is interested in making a legitimate gaming tablet.
So, what is this PlayStation Certified business? From what we know based on a reveal in January, the certified label means that the tablet will be part of a network of phones and devices coming from Sony that all, basically, play games. The suite will come with a PS One emulator along with an Android style game store that will make purchasing new games fairly painless. It also appears that most controls will be emulated on screen via a pseudo-controller touchpad thing. Which sounds pretty cool, provided it actually works and doesn’t get all touch-frazzled.
The device itself packs a Tegra 2 processor, the same used in the upcoming Motorola Xoom and Droid Bionic, so it should have more than enough punching power to tackle most mobile games. Likewise, it seems that it will have at least one USB port, which already gives it a leg-up on the tablet king, the iPad.
As far as a ship date, it looks pretty cloudy so far. September seems to be the goal, but according to Engadget, that date has already been pushed back numerous times. Pricing estimates seem to put the device in the $5-600 range, although that number is probably uncertain as well.
With the Sony Xperia Play, a tablet and a new PSP in the pipeline, it seems like Sony is sure going to have quite a few platforms to cover. Here’s hoping their new PlayStation Certified thingy keeps everything organized.
