Sony confirms PS2, PSP, PSX connectivity

Today, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan president Fumiya Takeno ended weeks of speculation when he confirmed the PSP will have connectivity with the PlayStation 2.

Speaking to the Mainichi Daily, Takeno, who has worked at the company since 1979, also confirmed the PSP would be compatible with Sony's PlayStation 2-compatible home media center, the PSX. "The PS2 and PSP will communicate with each other," he said.

Takeno also hinted at the rumors that games could be transferred from the PS2 to the PSP. "For each location there is a suitable piece of hardware," he said, "the PS2 in one room, the PSX in another, and the PSP outside the home. The same game can be played by the gamer depending on where you are. This is how playing and designing a game will change."

Takeno also indicated that Sony may be planning to use the PSP's Universal Media Disc (UMD) to launch a new wave of synergy between its games, music, and film divisions. "Taking advantage of the PSP's UMD, I want to create games that go beyond the existing concept, to break out of the existing model and combine the game experience with music and movies." The double-sided optical UMD can store up to 1.8GB of data--three times as much information as an original PlayStation disc.

However, Takeno demurred about exactly how the PSP would combine games, music, and movies with a bold-but-cryptic statement. "I‘m planning to create software that no one is even thinking of right now--something free from the existing concept of 'a game,'" he said.