PSP to be everything you ever dreamed of and more

[BooJaka]

First the PlayStation Portable became a camera, and now Sony has announced that it will also become a mobile phone.

A four-year deal between Sony and UK-based telecom company BT will enable wireless broadband communications on the PSP, which will mean users can use their handheld to make "high-quality" video calls and voice calls, and send text messages.

The partnership will integrate BT broadband video and voice "softphone" products into the PSP. Over the following months, features will also be added to enable calls and messages to PCs, fixed lines, and mobiles.

Sony said it is also working with BT and other communication providers to bring the service to France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. The service will first be rolled out in the UK.

SCEE president David Reeves commented, "The opportunity to combine our market-leading expertise with BT's knowledge in communications opens up many possibilities, and we look forward to bringing many exciting communication functions to PSP fans." -- Gamespot

Call me cynical and everything but, shouldn't they be more concerned about getting games out for their existing consoles as opposed to making add-ons that about 80% of their target audience won't use?

[DanJW]

The video calls might be fun. Well when I say fun I mean "futuristic". It's like the PDAs you find in a certain type of scifi.

I think it's an effort to raise the general street-cred of the brand. For a company that pretty much owes it's entire market share to being "cool", it's lost a hell of a lot of that to Ninty in the past couple of years.

[BooJaka]

Yeah futuristic maybe, I just never really understood the point of video messaging

[elmuerte]

Yeah futuristic maybe, I just never really understood the point of video messaging

It makes phone sex much more interesting, or not...

[Wrestlevania]

Two words: side talkin'.

Plus cartoon:

Aaand blog!