19 February 2008
A games console which also functions as a mobile phone is in the pipeline, it has been suggested.
Sony Magazine, the Japanese electronics firm's official media outlet, seemed to confirm that such a device was "in development", Phonemag.com reports.
The magazine termed the device "a new PSP-style phone", referring to the firm's current hand-held games console.
Apart from its successful gaming branch, Sony already has an interest in the mobile phone sector, having set up a joint venture with Swedish phone firm Ericsson in 2001, Sony Ericsson, in order to develop products.
News of the new phone has come as a surprise to industry observers, particularly given Sony's previous denials that such a system would make business sense.
Speaking recently, Vice President at handset manufacturers Sony Ericsson Merran Wrigley claimed that "given the current state of mobile technology it would be able to create a phone worthy of the PlayStation brand".