TOKYO-Sony will begin a new handheld game device to sale by the end of the year and offer his PlayStation games on a range of portable devices, including Android Smartphone, the Japanese company of electronics and entertainment said Thursday in an attempt to keep pace with major changes in habits of gamers.
Sony is fighting to rip his way back into a market that turns from long time rivals, like Nintendo and beyond the traditional gaming world, as Apple, whose iPhone quickly became the go-to device for casual games, downloadable.
New Sony device, tentatively named "ngp" for the next generation of laptops, is equipped with a touch pad on both the front and back — a first for a gaming device — as well as organic LED screen of 5 inches, two analog sticks, motion sensors, front and rear cameras and 3 G network access.
By the end of the year, Sony will also take some PlayStation games available on mobile devices, including smartphones running Google's Android operating system, head of the company's game, Kazuo Hirai announced in Tokyo.
But Sony held by viewing your PlayStation phone, despite rumors heated and prototype photo circulating on the Internet in recent months. The company did not reveal details such as prices or specific release dates for your phone.
When it goes on sale, the NGP will face fierce competition.
In February, Nintendo plans to introduce the 3 DS, the next model in its popular line of DS in Japan. DS devices have outsold Sony's PlayStation Portable models for more than two to one: 135 million units compared to 62 million units as of September. The 3DS, capable of displaying 3D graphics without glasses, is a "one," Reggie Fils-Aime, chief executive of Nintendo for America, said earlier this month. Will go on sale in March in the United States.
But both Nintendo and Sony are against rivals maybe even bigger: low cost, casual games downloaded on the iPhone, iPod touch and Android devices, which have grown to explosive.
Mr. Hirai said the NGP is designed for players still interested in deeper, more sophisticated game, while for the new breed of more casual players would be a PlayStation phone.
"Times have changed, from an era when you had to carry around a dedicated gaming device like PlayStation Portable to play games on the go," said Mr. Hirai. "Now you can enjoy casual games on mobile phones, smartphones, tablet PC and many other portable multifunctional devices and these casual gamers are growing rapidly in number," he said. "We cannot ignore this growing market," he said.
"On the other hand, I feel that Sony's mission is to continue and expand the market for the type of game that PlayStation has built long — the kind of portable gaming device that brings the most engaging games," said Mr. Hirai.
