Pocket-lint reports that HTC will be one of the first smartphone manufacturers outside Sony that will receive PlayStation certification for its mobile devices. Unnamed sources have indicated that certification will be awarded in the second half of 2012, but an announcement is expected to be made later this month at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona.
The news implies that new and current HTC smartphones and tablets may receive Sony's certification, depending on the qualified hardware. Currently the only PlayStation certified devices on the North American market are Sony Ericsson's Xperia PLAY, the Sony Tablet S and the Sony Tablet P. In Japan, Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc and Xperia Acro smartphones also received PlayStation certification after receiving a special update.
Sony first announced its PlayStation certification plans over a year ago when it introduced the PlayStation Vita handheld in Japan. As reported at the time, these devices would be qualified to run the company's PlayStation Suite software framework which will allow users to download and install PlayStation content on their certified devices.
According to upcoming Sony President and CEO Kazuo Hirai, the framework will be cross-platform and cross-device, meaning gamers can play against each other whether they're on a certified Android tablet, smartphone or the PlayStation Vita itself. Software offered via the PlayStation Suite will be both exclusive titles and PlayStation classics like Crash Bandicoot, Syphon Filter and more. A later announcement revealed that PlayStation Suite will need a Tegra 2 SoC at the very least.
"It expands the PlayStation experience beyond the PSP border. It is the first cross-platform endeavor," Kazuo Hirai said last year.
On Friday Hirai hinted that Sony may also branch out with its Vita OS to Sony smartphones and tablets, stating that the new handheld's OS isn't just for gaming.
"If you're asking if we've made it in a way that's expandable, so that it's possible to apply to smartphones and tablets on top of achieving the high responsiveness we need for gaming devices--it is possible," added SCE’s Senior Vice President Yoshio Matsumoto during the Q&A with reporters. "That doesn't mean that we're applying it to smartphones and tablets at this point in time, but it's been designed with expandability in mind."
Does that mean Sony plans to eventually ditch Android for its own in-house OS? Or will the company continue to use both, offering PlayStation Suite to both Android and Vita smartphones and tablets. That scenario would definitely bring in loads of revenue...
