PlayStation Phone images surface?

Source: See below.

What we heard: In August, Engadget first reported that Sony Ericsson was working on a new gaming-focused mobile phone resembling a PSP Go. This week, the tech blog published photos of the device (pictured), which indeed showed a PSP Go-esque form factor.

According to Engadget, the phone, code-named "Zeus," will likely run the Android 3.0 operating system--aka Gingerbread--and will run games specifically designed for it. Hardware-wise, it boasts a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 CPU, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and a 3.7- to 4.1-inch screen. The prototype also sports the four iconic PlayStation buttons, start/select buttons, a D pad, shoulder buttons, and a touchpad with what appear to be two sensors.

The prototype was touted as being 100 percent authentic by Engadget, which credited "multiple, trusted sources" as leaking the images and information. However, that didn't stop the cries of "fake" from arising shortly after the pictures were made public. The loudest cries came from a confusing report on Now Gamer that simultaneously claimed that "Sony Europe debunked the images as false" while saying the company line was "We do not comment on rumor and speculation."

The official story: Sony had not returned requests for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus. Besides the usually reliable Engadget's claims of multiple sources, rumors of a PlayStation Phone have been around for years--and the form factor looks consistent with past Sony designs. The most convincing sign that the device is fake is that the menu displays "A" and "B" options for buttons not found on the device itself. Engadget explains that this is because the software is likely an early build using different names for buttons, a contention evidenced by the fact that the menu says the "Z-system" software build is only "0.91.0."