Just weeks after Sony first hinted, then rubbished plans for a Playstation phone, programmer ZodTTD has unveiled his very own PS1 emulator for the iPhone.
Called psx4iphone, it’s currently at pre-beta stage, but is already looking promising. You can already get NES games for your iPhone but an original Playstation emulator could be huge considering how many of the little grey boxes were sold.
ZodTTD has some form in iPhone emulators, having already produced the GameBoy Advance emulator or iPhones and iPod Touches. He’s said it’ll have sound, memory card support and compatibility with around 75% of PS1 titles.
ZodTTD has said that if enough people donate via PayPal to him, he’s pretty much ready to release psx4iphone, so if you want it, get donating.
It sounds great, but the crucial differences between the iPhone’s
touchscreen controls and the PS1’s joypad might hamper enjoyment somewhat, even if he is offering onscreen controls.
You can find out more and (hopefully) download psx4iphone at ZodTTD’s site here.
Nokia’s already been here with its ill-fated N-Gage, but it seems Sony reckons the market is ready for a Playstation-branded games mobile. Well, maybe.
SCE’s co-CEO Jim Ryan hasn’t exactly said a PlayStation phone is on the cards, nor that Sony develop a mobile games platform like the N-Gage has now become.
All he’s actually said is that Sony and Sony Ericsson are working together on something: “The Playstation is a proven success and so is Sony Ericsson. Convergence with the two arms working together is definitely plausible.”
Undoubtedly the Playstation brand on a Sony Ericsson handset would be big. Huge even. Perhaps even bigger than the iPhone.
However, Ryan would only say the two companies have found ‘a match’ between a camera and a mobile phone. The most likely outcome would be phone functions integrated into a console, kind of like a PSP with phone call functions.
Just to stoke expectations, it’s also emerged that the US Patents and Trademark office has received a patent application from Sony Ericsson for a mobile with video game features on it.
We get the feeling this one’s going to run and run!
[Via Economic Times]
Update: It turns out Sony is not developing a Playstation phone. Just hours after this story hit the web, Sony’s released a statement saying that Ryan was ‘misquoted’.
“We do have talks with other arms of the Sony family about various topics,” said a Sony statement, “but I can confirm we are not currently working together on the creation of a PlayStation Phone.”
So there you have it.
