Microsoft Windows Phone 7 vs Sony Ericsson Playstation Phone

We take a look at the gaming capabilities of two new gaming platforms that are about to enter the market – Windows Phone 7 handsets and the recently leaked Android 3.0-powered Playstation phone.

Not so long ago the idea of combining a phone with a games console was akin to taking your cat out for walk on a lead, however, now that Sony Ericsson is apparently going to wade in with an Android 3.0-powered phone that boasts a PSP-like slider control system, the marriage of the two is perfectably accceptable, even craved.

We assume Sony has wanted to answer its fan’s prayers with a Playstation phone for quite some time in a bid to capitalise on its loyal followers, mainly users of the PS3 and PSP. Brand loyalty, smartphones as social statements and these strong online personas of online gamers make for a profitable mix.

Though, some will shun others knowing they play a lot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox Live or Playstation Network, many technology enthusiasts and gamers will embrace the inner-geek visible to all on their handset. Now that just about everyone plays games (okay, slightly exaggerated), the attached videogaming stigma is a far cry from what it once was.

So we decided to take a look at the potential implications of two of the videogame heavyweights entering into the ring once more, as you do, and how the devices could shape the future of mobile gaming.

Will the videogaming experience of Microsoft and Sony kill off Apple's gaming platform, or is it too late for the oldies to get involved?

GPU

In the Sony Ericsson Playstation Phone corner we have, nothing, as of yet – the same story for Windows Phone 7. For such a fundamental part of ‘making things pretty’, it is hard to know the end result without any concrete specifications.

This is Microsoft, though, and the Xbox 360 is proof the company knows how to make games look good. Sony’s PS3 also packs one hell of a visual punch, a stronger one technically, so it is safe to say we can expect real 3D on par with the PSP, perhaps maybe even a notch up to compare with the Playstation 2 or the original Xbox.

Processor

When it comes to graphics, most assume a processor plays the biggest part, but in reality, that is not entirely true. Both play a role, but a poor effort in either department can result in a bottleneck for potential.

All the processing power in the world means little if the GPU is unable to process a lot of graphics-based information, and this works both ways.

Microsoft has stated that there is a bottom limit on the minimum speed processor of a Windows Phone 7, which is 1 GHz. Having used a wide variety of phones of similar power, we can safely say most offerings move blissfully fast in anything from reading a website, to playing your favourite mobile games at impressive frame rates.

The Sony Ericsson Playstation Phone apparently boasts a 1 GHz Snap Dragon CPU, the one used in the HTC Desire, which means the handset can match the lowest benchmark for Windows Phone 7.

Whether Microsoft will sneak in some of the newer – faster still – beasts, we are unsure. Nevertheless, talk of 1.5GHz behemoths are becoming practically commonplace these days.

That said, both Android 3.0 and Windows Phone 7 have a low-end level which is above and beyond the majority of handsets out there, which bodes well for vast quantities of number crunching.

Android 3.0 phones will also have a similar minimum spec, hopefully helping to soothe fragmentation woes.

Windows Phone 7

Operating System

If you like Android, the chance of having its Gingerbread version on the Playstation Phone must be quite a tempting proposition. It will obviously retain some familiar features, yet bring further improvements to an already impressive OS.

However, it will be a skinned version of 3.0, which leaves just how 'skinned' it will be to the imagination. Will it feel more like an Android phone, or will Sony make it more like a PSPgo?

We would prefer the former, as the PSPgo is a perfectly good gaming device, what we need is a perfectly good gaming handset.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 OS doesn't multitask, just like the older iPhone. But it will be a distinct improvement on Windows Mobile 6.5, nevertheless. And from what we've seen so far, the UI looks gorgegous, as do the menus, layout and social networking features.

Click here for our analysis of Windows Phone 7

Sony Ericsson Playstation Phone mock-up

Screen

The Windows Phone 7 handsets we have seen rumoured all boast HD video playback, which means the resolutions will be nice and high, although the use of the word HD on an iPhone case has diminished our respect for the phrase irrepairably.

Also, the HTC HD3 which will use the Windows Phone 7 OS and boasts a 4.0 inch screen, which is a beautiful compromise between size and ergonomics. No offence, Mr Dell Streak.

In the other corner of the ring, the Playstation phone will apparently have a detailed WVGA screen ranging from 3.7 inches to 4.1, right around our display nirvana.

Detail is likely to be crisp, sharp and with enough of those all important pixels, because Sony Ericsson, although not so familiar with later versions of Android, knows how to input its technologies.

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