HTC One Series to be PlayStation certified
Sony yesterday announced that its PlayStation Suite would not only be renamed to PlayStation Mobile, but that it will be opening up the platform to other Android manufacturers. The news was delivered at the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), where Sony also announced that HTC would be the first manufacturer (other than itself, of course) to be PlayStation certified for its devices.
What does it mean to be PlayStation Certified?
A handset that is PlayStation certified has access to download the official PlayStation games that have been released for Android, provided that they are compatible with said device. Previously this certification (and therefore the games) had been reserved for Sony handsets only, such as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Sony Xperia S. As it stands the list of games includes both PS1 and PS2 titles, but isn’t that extensive and will need to be improved if the service is to be a success for Sony.
Why has Sony opened up PlayStation Mobile to rivals, such as HTC?
The PlayStation certification did not, perhaps, give Sony Ericsson devices the unique selling point that it would have hoped for. A more extensive range of games may have helped to achieve this, but after its initial release of games, Sony didn’t really follow up with the titles that gamers would have hoped for. However, opening the service up to other manufacturers gives Sony the chance to increase its user base in mobile gaming, which could be an important factor when the PS4 is released. The deal also works for HTC as it adds another feature to its arsenal. While its not a strong enough feature to act as a USP, it could be the tipping point for some when weighing up the features between two rival handsets.
Which HTC handsets will be PlayStation certified?
While this has not yet been confirmed by HTC or Sony just yet, Pocket-Lint reports that all of the current one series devices will be PlayStation certified, which includes the One X, One S and One V.
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