Recently unveiled PlayStation Suite is slated to bring an array of original and ported PlayStation software to “certified” devices — like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play — and Engadget reports the company is readying another product for portable gaming, resting alongside the PSP, NGP, and capable smartphones.

Codenamed the “S1″, Sony’s unannounced Android 3.0-based tablet has been confirmed by “two highly trusted and independent sources”, and is being created in collaboration with the VAIO, Reader, PlayStation and Sony Ericsson divisions.

The S1 reportedly features a custom-built user-interface “that rivals and at times improves upon the iPad’s”,  and “is 100 percent focused on Qriocity, Sony’s music, games, ebooks, and videos on demand service,” with the possibility of a dedicated Qriocity button. S1 will apparently come with preloaded PSOne titles, include a Bravia Media Remote, and will be PlayStation Certified, meaning it can take full advantage of the PlayStation Suite.

The sources describe the tablet as the most “beautiful, the best thing” from Sony, including the NGP, and is designed with a curved “wrap” look, reminiscent of a folded magazine page, which makes for easy typing and less strain when used one-handed. Weight is reportedly equal to the iPad, though it feels lighter to the end-user, and the 9.4-inch capacitive touchscreen display rotates via gyroscopes. Resolution is sitting pretty at 1,280 x 800, and the S1 packs a Tegra 2 processor. Front and rear-facing cameras, a USB-A port, physical volume and power buttons, and an IR port are also on board. For fans of gloss black electronics, the S1′s face is covered in the horrendously consumer-unfriendly material (whether it’s glass or plastic is unknown), along with a matte silver underside, as well as a gripped texture on the back.

A September release date is mentioned for the unannounced tablet, and it’s purportedly going to be available with Wi-Fi (and maybe a 3G version), fetching a nearly $600 price tag. No comment from the company at this time, or word when it’ll be properly revealed.

Unrelated, Sony chose to officially comment on the now-laughably rampant PlayStation 3 hacking, currently subject to a lawsuit targeting those who released the console’s OS cryptography key, and they’re firmly putting feet to the ground. Shit’s about to real up in here if you circumvent your gaming hardware. The “initial response” to the situation is:

Notice: Unauthorized circumvention devices for the PlayStation 3 system have been recently released by hackers. These devices permit the use of unauthorized or pirated software. Use of such devices or software violates the terms of the “System Software License Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System” and the “Terms of Services and User Agreement” for the PlayStation Network/Qriocity and its Community Code of Conduct provisions. Violation of the System Software Licence Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System invalidates the consumer guarantee for that system. In addition, copying or playing pirated software is a violation of International Copyright Laws. Consumers using circumvention devices or running unauthorized or pirated software will have access to the PlayStation Network and access to Qriocity services through PlayStation 3 system terminated permanently.

To avoid this, consumers must immediately cease use and remove all circumvention devices and delete all unauthorized or pirated software from their PlayStation 3 systems.


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