The successor to the PSP is shrouded in mystery. Rumors have speculated everything from it being a Sony Ericsson smart-phone, to a gaming iPad like Tablet, to a normal handheld with a touch screen pad on the rear of the unit. One feature that has been mentioned throughout all of these rumors, is the inclusion of Google’s mobile OS, Android. A job listing has popped up on an official PlayStation site looking for an engineer with experience in mobile development, with Android “specifically” being a “plus”.
The job listing requires a plethora of development skills with only a few specifically touching on items of interest.
First, the applicant would have experience with cloud-based computing services such as Amazon Web Services, which Sony uses for different aspects of its PlayStation Network.
Secondly, the job listing is for someone with experience in online gaming.
Lastly, and most importantly, it’s highly desirable for the applicant to have experience in mobile development, specifically with Android, Google’s booming mobile OS built for smart-phones.
Android features an extremely intuitive interface which is able to run apps, play games, listen to music, among other things that would fit perfectly on a successor to the PSP.
Recently, the Executive Producer of the new Mortal Kombat, Shaun Himmerick let slip that they had a PSP2 in-house and was a “pretty powerful” system. Sony’s president of SCE Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, also stated recently that Sony is looking into “new technologies” regarding the PSP’s follow up. Let’s hope that Android is indeed one of those new technologies Sony is talking about.
Thanks to Flamboyant for the tip!
