Sony Ericsson CEO hints at Android-powered gaming phone

Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg indicates the handset maker might be collaborating with parent firm Sony Corporation to develop an Android-based gaming smartphone with a slide-out controller. A so-called PlayStation phone has been the subject of rumor for months--in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Nordberg does not confirm the speculation, but broadly hints such a device is in the pipeline. "There's a lot of smoke, and I tell you there must be a fire somewhere," he said. "Sony has an extremely strong offering in the gaming market, and that's very interesting."

Despite the value of the PlayStation brand, sources tell the Journal the device is likely to arrive with Sony Ericsson's Xperia brand attached instead, reportedly because Sony fears diluting the PlayStation franchise. At the same time, Sony Ericsson hopes to leverage Sony's gaming expertise to differentiate its devices in the increasingly crowded Android smartphone market. "Sony is of course a very strong brand, and why shouldn't we use that?" Nordberg said. "Gaming, including content, is a very interesting proposition."

Asked why Sony Ericsson hasn't already issued a gaming-centric phone, Nordberg said "I haven't dug into that history, but the future might be brighter." He added that licensing challenges--not technology--represent the biggest obstacle facing Sony Ericsson, explaining that it requires an army of attorneys to negotiate rights issues with gaming publishers. "I'm very glad that we work with a company like Sony, who actually knows how to do it," Nordberg said.

For more:
- read this Wall Street Journal article

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