Playstation Phone Vs. iPhone vs. NGP

The Playstation Phone looks cool, but will it sell?

The Playstation Phone is finally on its way, and the specs have been revealed. Here are the details, taken from Ars Technica's article:

The system features a four-inch capacitive multi-touch screen running at 480 by 854 resolution, and you'll be able to play 3D games for an estimated five and a half hours. There will be both black and white hardware at launch. Here are the rest of the specifications:

• Size: 119 x 62 x 16 mm
• Weight: 175 grams
• Phone memory: 400 MB
• Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32 GB
• Memory card included: 8GB microSD™
• Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Processor: 1 GHz Scorpion ARMv7

There will be a number of games included with the phone, such as The Sims 3, Asphalt Adrenaline 6, Bruce Lee, Star Battalion, and Tetris. Games will be delivered through the Android Marketplace, but there's no word yet on pricing. The phone itself should be available from Verizon this spring.

How does this stack up against the iPhone? Pretty well, I'd have to say, at least against the iPhone 4. The nod probably goes to the Playstation Phone for its processor power and dedicated gaming controls, but the iPhone 4 has a better screen resolution and a huge library to start with, as well as a vast array of free and low-cost games.

The NGP is clearly a major step up in processing power and gaming utility, with its full array of sensors and dual analog joysticks (which look to be better than the Playstation Phone's flat versions). The bigger screen of the NGP, its backside touchscreen, shoulder buttons, and raw horsepower will give it a clear differentiation. Of course, the NGP lacks straightup phone capability, too, and is a larger form factor.

I see this as a good strategy for Sony. I'm not sure how many of the Playstation Phones they will sell (much depends on the pricing, and how good it is as a phone... though it seems like it will be a reasonable mid-to upper range Android phone). But this plan means it shouldn't impact the NGP, and along with Sony's stated intent to keep the PSP around, means they'll have a range of products to cover different price points and user profiles.