TGS: Sony To Debut Android-Based PlayStation Suite SDK In November

Author: by Staff

Sony has announced via a Gamasutra-attended keynote at Tokyo Game Show that it will debut public SDKs for its Android-based PlayStation Suite starting in November, with PlayStation Suite-created games on devices including cellphone, tablets and PS Vita in Spring 2012. Described as a solution "to deliver the world of PlayStation to Android based portable devices", through the PlayStation Suite SDK, developers can create content for PlayStation Certified (PS Certified) devices and hardware certified through the PS Suite license program, as well as for PlayStation Vita. Supporting C# as the programming language, PS Suite SDK can run programs developed in C# on virtual machine equipped on both PS Certified devices and the upcoming PS Vita handheld. According to a statement by the company: "by supporting development for multiple devices and by adopting libraries to create a variety of content not only limited to games, PS Suite SDK will not only help developers save their cost in creating new content but also allow them to efficiently create their content on one SDK and without having to create on several different SDKs." This new SDK is intended to get Sony associated with "a wider range of content developers", including "non-gaming developers and individual programmers", allowing the games to appear on dedicated PlayStation Stores on compatible Android cellphones and tablets, as well as Sony's own new handheld hardware. The current PlayStation Certified device lineup includes Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, and Sony's Tablet S and Tablet P (pictured), and "SCE will continue to further accelerate the expansion of PS Certified devices in addition to the current hardware line-up." In addition, original PlayStation 1 games will expand beyond Xperia Play to all PlayStation Certified devices starting at the end of October, in nine countries including Japan, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia and with more countries to follow. Finally, in spring 2012, "SCE will enhance the PS Store for PS Certified devices and provide content created by PS Suite SDK, further prevailing the world of PS Suite."