The next PlayStation Vita can, and should, be a phone

The PlayStation Vita is a strong piece of hardware, but it would be even better if it wasn't a purely standalone device.

I've had the PlayStation Vita for a week. In that time, I've been impressed with the system's potential, and I appreciate the effectiveness of its dual analog sticks, but I've come away with one conclusion stronger than all the others.

The Vita needs to be a phone.

By that I mean: it needs to be in a phone. The current PS Vita, despite coming in a 3G version, is far too large, and obviously couldn't be a phone, unless you used a Bluetooth or wired headset (then again, the Samsung Galaxy Note is basically the same size). However, the fingerprints of a phone-like OS are everywhere. The large, multi-touch OLED screen, the gesture-based motions, the Android/iOS-like app icons, the open app pages, the web browser, the Twitter app, the front- and rear-facing cameras ... the PS Vita is so much like a phone that it becomes confusing to describe it to anyone who hasn't heard of it before.

I've explained the Vita to several people who didn't know about it, and while the phrase "next-generation PSP" does get used quite a bit, so does "like a phone". The interface and the downloadable music, movies and apps are phone-like, not game-like.

Here's why I think it could, and should, happen.

Sony has already experimented with making a gaming phone

The Xperia Play worked from a hardware perspective; the failings of the Xperia Play were its branding and its limited software library. The "PlayStation Suite" games amounted to original PlayStation titles — not even PSP games. There was a disconnect for any PlayStation gamer, not to mention for any iOS/Android gamer. The funny thing is that the Xperia Play is a great proof of concept for adopting physical gaming-device buttons on a phone. The streaming game service OnLive runs on the Xperia Play, and having a control pad helps gaming as much as you'd expect.

The Vita could easily fit in to a smaller device

The large, 5-inch Vita OLED screen has a display resolution of 960x544 pixels. The iPhone 4S has a resolution of 960x640 pixels, in only 3.5 inches. The point being: the Vita screen could be shrunk down to 4 inches, and be perfectly fine.

The original PSP's chief physical limitation was its UMD discs, but not anymore

The PSP Go dropped UMDs to fit more easily inside a pocket — at the expense of its utility to most PSP owners. However, the Vita's game cards are tiny; smaller than an SD card, they're almost absurdly small compared with the size of the Vita itself. These cards could easily slot in to a smaller piece of hardware: a shrunken-down next-gen Vita, or even a Vita phone.

The app-based Vita can survive as a platform, not just a product

Sony's experiments with PlayStation-certified tablets would be better served by adding Vita cross-compatibility in the future. That's probably been the plan all along. Vita games and apps should work on tablets or other devices, and it's not too difficult to imagine. Sony's Kazuo Hirai has already hinted that the Vita OS may move to other products. Making a Vita phone would be a way of diversifying and keeping Vita gaming alive — there could, and should, still be a dedicated non-phone Vita, too.

Sony needs the Vita to have relevancy

For most "non-hardcore" gamers, the Vita will be little more than an odd novelty. Versatility is key for the Vita in the long run, in order to keep the platform from painting itself into a corner. If you don't think that's essential, then you simply haven't been paying attention to what's been happening in gaming. Yes, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 have succeeded as "gamer systems", but they've also made great strides at being mass-market devices with kid-friendly peripherals, like the Kinect and Move, as well as evolving into set-top Blu-ray player/interactive TV boxes.

While the idea of a Vita as a dedicated gaming device may have its charm, the truth is that a dual-analog control pad and downloadable catalogue of high-end Vita titles would be a killer way to turn an Android phone into the ultimate gaming smartphone. Make a Vita phone that works with PSP and Vita games — and runs Android apps — and Sony might actually have a vital competitor to the iPhone.

There's only so much room in my pockets

If I'm going out, do I take my PS Vita or my phone? Of course I'm bringing my phone. Dedicated gaming devices are great for commutes or long trips, but I'm not likely to carry one around at all times like I do my phone. The sooner a Vita phone exists, the more likely it will be to stay in pockets.

I'd love to see it happen. Right now, the PS Vita is a strong piece of hardware with a small but compelling set of software that's simply too specific and high priced to reach much farther than a narrow market. That could easily change, though, in a year. And let's face it: iPhone and Android games are the bleeding edge of the mobile game industry, but the lack of dedicated buttons crimps more hardcore mobile gaming. Sony, do you smell the opportunity?

Do you agree?

Via CNET