Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Sony launches beta SDK for Android and PlayStation gaming program

Program open to developers in U.S., U.K. and Japan

Sony is hoping developers are interested in working on games for its PlayStation Vita and Android-based devices, as it launched a beta test Thursday of a new cross-platform SDK.

The company will offer a beta of the PlayStation Suite SDK (software development kit) to a limited number of developers in U.S., U.K. and Japan. The goal is to get the SDK ready for an official launch, according to Sony.

The resulting games will run on the upcoming PlayStation Vita -- a handheld gaming device that will go on sale in December in Japan -- and PlayStation Certified products, which include Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play smartphone and Sony's Tablet S and P. The company recently said it intends to expand the program to products from other vendors, and is in talks with a number of companies.

The PlayStation Suite framework was launched in January, and allows owners of compatible and certified products to play some old PS One titles. The games run in a virtual machine.

The beta SDK uses the C# programming language and is compatible with Windows XP and 7. The kit can simulate the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation certified products, to make the development process easier.

Sony isn't ready to say when the SDK will be officially launched or how it will share revenue with developers.

Interested developers can sign up on Sony's PlayStation website. The company will stop accepting applications once the maximum enrollment is reached, it said.

The sale of handheld gaming devices have come under pressure as gaming on smartphones have become increasingly popular. Revenue from games on iOS and Android has surpassed that of the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP in the U.S., mobile analytics company Flurry said on Wednesday.

Send news tips and comments to mikael_ricknas@idg.com

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Ericsson, Nintendo, Sony, Sony Ericsson
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: Android, Android tablets, consumer electronics, games, game software, Handhelds, hardware systems, Mobile games, psp, Smartphone applications, smartphones, sony, tablets
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.